Tex McGuire
Encyclopedia
Tex McGuire was an old-time music
and hillbilly musician who played the guitar
, banjo
and dobro
. He was born Marshall Everette McGuire in Monroe County, West Virginia
and died in Low Moor, Virginia
at the age of 83.
, carrying suitcases for tips. The manager of a local radio station heard him playing guitar in the hotel lobby and asked him to audition. Tex got the job of playing and singing 15 minutes each day for three dollars. He went to Texas at age 15 and played on Station XERA for Doc Brinkley, a patent medicine man. Tex played a song every 15 minutes between Brinkley's pitches. After the program, Tex would make deliveries on horseback. He was a member of the Del Rio Cowboys, a hillbilly singing group named after the Texas
town where he once performed. The group broke up because of World War II
, two members were killed in the war. Tex also had played with Bob Wills
in the 1930s and 1940s.
He played music at WHIS radio station in Bluefield, West Virginia
with the Joe Woods Harmony Band and played duets with Charles "Rex" Parker. Tex also worked with country singer Buddy Starcher
at a Harrisonburg, Virginia
radio station with Starcher's wife Mary Ann Estes. Buddy Starcher starred on his own show on WCHS-TV from 1960 to 1966.
Later in life, Tex continued to play music while living in Pickaway, West Virginia. He also served as an instructor at the Mountain Heritage School in Union, West Virginia
, which was a state and federal financed program designed to preserve Appalachian culture. In 1976, Tex was one of the musicians at the Vandalia Gathering in central West Virginia which was inaugurated by the West Virginia Department of Culture and History headed by Norman Fagan. Many black and white traditional musicians as well as bluegrass bands were featured at the gathering. When folk musician Bob Martin
moved to West Virginia
in the 1970s he became good friends with Tex and worked on a documentary film on Tex's life directed by Boston filmmaker Bo Zabierek, which premiered at the 1990 Virginia Festival of American Film where the theme of the festival was "Music in the Movies." Singer-songwriter Sarah White
had also become familiar with Tex's music when her family moved to Monroe County, West Virginia
when she was a child.
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
and hillbilly musician who played the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and dobro
Dobro
Dobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
. He was born Marshall Everette McGuire in Monroe County, West Virginia
Monroe County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,583 people, 5,447 households, and 3,883 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 7,267 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
and died in Low Moor, Virginia
Low Moor, Virginia
Low Moor is a census-designated place in Alleghany County, Virginia, in the United States. The population was 367 at the 2000 census.Low Moor was the birthplace of World War II Medal of Honor recipient Jimmie Monteith, for whom Camp Monteith, located in Kosovo, was named.-Geography:Low Moor is...
at the age of 83.
Biography
Tex McGuire left his home in Gap Mills, West Virginia at age 14 and went on the road for 51 years, traveling the vaudeville circuit. When he was 14, he worked at the Jordan Taxi Stand in Charleston, West VirginiaCharleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
, carrying suitcases for tips. The manager of a local radio station heard him playing guitar in the hotel lobby and asked him to audition. Tex got the job of playing and singing 15 minutes each day for three dollars. He went to Texas at age 15 and played on Station XERA for Doc Brinkley, a patent medicine man. Tex played a song every 15 minutes between Brinkley's pitches. After the program, Tex would make deliveries on horseback. He was a member of the Del Rio Cowboys, a hillbilly singing group named after the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
town where he once performed. The group broke up because of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, two members were killed in the war. Tex also had played with Bob Wills
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
in the 1930s and 1940s.
He played music at WHIS radio station in Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 10,447 at the 2010 census. It is also the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,342.-Geography & Climate:...
with the Joe Woods Harmony Band and played duets with Charles "Rex" Parker. Tex also worked with country singer Buddy Starcher
Buddy Starcher
Buddy Starcher was an American country singer. He starred on his own show on WCHS-TV from 1960 to 1966. However, he is best known for his 1966 spoken word recording entitled "History Repeats Itself", written with Minnie Pearl and released on Boone Records...
at a Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
radio station with Starcher's wife Mary Ann Estes. Buddy Starcher starred on his own show on WCHS-TV from 1960 to 1966.
Later in life, Tex continued to play music while living in Pickaway, West Virginia. He also served as an instructor at the Mountain Heritage School in Union, West Virginia
Union, West Virginia
Union is a town in Monroe County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 548 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monroe County.-History:...
, which was a state and federal financed program designed to preserve Appalachian culture. In 1976, Tex was one of the musicians at the Vandalia Gathering in central West Virginia which was inaugurated by the West Virginia Department of Culture and History headed by Norman Fagan. Many black and white traditional musicians as well as bluegrass bands were featured at the gathering. When folk musician Bob Martin
Bob Martin (folk musician)
Bob Martin is an American folk singer-songwriter.-Biography:While attending Suffolk University in Boston during the 1960s, he was influenced by the Cambridge folk scene and played at the Nameless Coffeehouse, Club 47 , and other folk clubs...
moved to West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
in the 1970s he became good friends with Tex and worked on a documentary film on Tex's life directed by Boston filmmaker Bo Zabierek, which premiered at the 1990 Virginia Festival of American Film where the theme of the festival was "Music in the Movies." Singer-songwriter Sarah White
Sarah White
Sarah White is a singer-songwriter based in Charlottesville, Virginia, whose music can be roughly characterized as folk or alt-country.She was born in Warrenton, Virginia, and relocated as a child to Monroe County, West Virginia...
had also become familiar with Tex's music when her family moved to Monroe County, West Virginia
Monroe County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,583 people, 5,447 households, and 3,883 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 7,267 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
when she was a child.