Uncle Jimmy Thompson
Encyclopedia
Jesse Donald "Uncle Jimmy" Thompson (1848 – February 17, 1931) was an American old-time
fiddle player. He is best remembered as the first performer to play on Nashville's
Grand Ole Opry
(then called the WSM Barn Dance), appearing with founder and host George D. Hay
on the evening of November 28, 1925. The positive response generated by Thompson's performance would be an important influence on the show's creative direction in its formative years. While Thompson made only a handful of recordings late in his life, his cantankerous and eccentric personality and his fiddle skills have made him one of the best-known icons of early country music
.
) in 1848. Around 1860, his family moved to Texas
, and Thompson began playing fiddle shortly thereafter. He likely learned a number of tunes (including "Flying Clouds", which he recorded in 1930) from veterans returning from the American Civil War
(1861–1865), and his fiddle style always showed a strong Texas influence. In the 1880s, Thompson moved back to Smith County, where he married his first wife. They stayed in Tennessee for about 20 years before they moved again to Texas. In 1907, Thompson gained regional fame as a fiddler when he won an eight-day fiddle contest in Dallas
.
Thompson returned to Tennessee a few years after the Dallas contest, this time settling near Hendersonville
, a town located a few miles northeast of Nashville. His first wife died shortly afterward, however, and around 1912 he married his second wife, Ella Manners. In 1916, Thompson and Ella moved to Laguardo, in Wilson County, Tennessee. Being too old to farm, Thompson purchased a Ford truck which he outfitted with a makeshift camper, and he and Ella spent the next several years travelling around the state, performing at various fairs and other gatherings. Thompson played fiddle while "Aunt Ella" buck-danced
on a red rug. In 1923, Thompson drove all the way to Dallas, where he again captured first prize in the city's eight-day fiddle contest.
established WSM, the first radio station in Nashville that could reach a regional audience. In September of that year, WSM began airing rural musicians from the Nashville area, namely Humphrey Bate
, Sid Harkreader
, and Uncle Dave Macon
. Realizing the popularity of old-time music, WSM hired George D. Hay
, a Chicago radio announcer and host of the National Barn Dance on Chicago's WLS. Hay adapted his show's format to WSM, where it was to be called the WSM Barn Dance. For the show's initial airing on November 28, Thompson's niece, Eva Thompson Jones, who worked as piano accompanist for WSM at the time, suggested her uncle to Hay as his first guest.
Thompson's performance began at 8 P.M. that night, with Hay introducing Thompson and stating that Thompson would take requests from listeners. Phone calls and telegrams immediately began pouring into the station. At the end of the hour, Hay asked Thompson if he had done enough fiddling, to which Thompson replied, "a man don't get warmed up in an hour," and showed Hay the blue ribbon he had recently won at the eight-day fiddle contest in Dallas.
Thompson's performance on November 28 and his follow-up performances on WSM in subsequent weeks made him an instant celebrity. During this period, Hay issued a challenge to Maine
fiddler Mellie Dunham
, who had recently captured first prize in a nationwide fiddle contest held by automobile magnate Henry Ford
. Dunham declined, prompting Thompson to say "he's affeared of me." Nevertheless, Ford held a second national contest in 1926, which Thompson entered. Thompson easily advanced through the early rounds to the contest's Tennessee state finals, which were held at the Ryman Auditorium
in Nashville on the evening of January 19. Thompson outplayed five other finalists, including Lynchburg
fiddler Uncle Bunt Stephens
and a one-armed fiddler from Hartsville
named Marshall Claiborne, to capture the state championship. In the contest's regional finals in Louisville, Kentucky
the following day, however, Thompson failed to place in the top three, being ousted by both Stephens and Claiborne and a South Indiana
fiddler named W.H. Elmore (Stephens went on to win the national contest).
In 1926, Thompson went to Atlanta
, where he recorded two traditional tunes, "Billy Wilson" and "Karo" for Columbia Records
. The latter, "Karo," is probably derived from the folk song "Flop-Eared Mule." Thompson's only other recording session occurred on April 5, 1930 in Knoxville, Tennessee
, for Brunswick/Vocalion. This session produced the recording known as "Uncle Jimmy's Favorite Fiddlin' Pieces," a mini-interview conducted by producer Bill Brown in which Thompson plays "Flying Clouds" and "Leather Britches", and discusses whiskey and the violin's superiority over the guitar (the brief guitar solo was probably played by Willie Sievers of the Tennessee Ramblers
).
Thompson died of pneumonia at his Laguardo home on February 17, 1931. Music historian Charles Wolfe notes that while Thompson's active career (1925–1931) was relatively short, it was "one of the most potent" in the history and development of country music, and that the photographs of Thompson seated with his fiddle before a WSM microphone are among the Grand Ole Opry's most enduring images. Thompson claimed to have known over a thousand fiddle tunes, and once boasted he could "fiddle the bugs off a tater vine." According to Wolfe, an analysis of Thompson's last recordings show a fiddle player of "great ability."
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...
fiddle player. He is best remembered as the first performer to play on Nashville's
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
(then called the WSM Barn Dance), appearing with founder and host George D. Hay
George D. Hay
George Dewey Hay was an American radio personality. He was the founder of the original Grand Ole Opry radio program on WSM-AM in Nashville, Tennessee, from which the country music stage show of the same name evolved....
on the evening of November 28, 1925. The positive response generated by Thompson's performance would be an important influence on the show's creative direction in its formative years. While Thompson made only a handful of recordings late in his life, his cantankerous and eccentric personality and his fiddle skills have made him one of the best-known icons of early country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
.
Early life
Thompson was born in Smith County, Tennessee (near the town of BaxterBaxter, Tennessee
Baxter is a town in Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,279 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Cookeville, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.Though this is a small town it had its few minutes of fame when the little family store was featured in "Coal Miner's...
) in 1848. Around 1860, his family moved to 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...
, and Thompson began playing fiddle shortly thereafter. He likely learned a number of tunes (including "Flying Clouds", which he recorded in 1930) from veterans returning from the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(1861–1865), and his fiddle style always showed a strong Texas influence. In the 1880s, Thompson moved back to Smith County, where he married his first wife. They stayed in Tennessee for about 20 years before they moved again to Texas. In 1907, Thompson gained regional fame as a fiddler when he won an eight-day fiddle contest in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
Thompson returned to Tennessee a few years after the Dallas contest, this time settling near Hendersonville
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Hendersonville is a city in Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 51,372 at the 2010 census. Hendersonville is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located 18 miles northeast of downtown Nashville. The city was settled around 1784 by...
, a town located a few miles northeast of Nashville. His first wife died shortly afterward, however, and around 1912 he married his second wife, Ella Manners. In 1916, Thompson and Ella moved to Laguardo, in Wilson County, Tennessee. Being too old to farm, Thompson purchased a Ford truck which he outfitted with a makeshift camper, and he and Ella spent the next several years travelling around the state, performing at various fairs and other gatherings. Thompson played fiddle while "Aunt Ella" buck-danced
Clogging
Clogging is a type of folk dance with roots in traditional European dancing, early African-American dance, and traditional Cherokee dance in which the dancer's footwear is used musically by striking the heel, the toe, or both in unison against a floor or each other to create audible percussive...
on a red rug. In 1923, Thompson drove all the way to Dallas, where he again captured first prize in the city's eight-day fiddle contest.
The WSM Barn Dance years, 1925-1928
In 1925, the National Life and Accident Insurance CompanyNational Life and Accident Insurance Company
The National Life and Accident Insurance Company is a former life insurance company which was based in Nashville, Tennessee.National Life and Accident began in 1900 as the National Sick and Accident Association, a mutual company...
established WSM, the first radio station in Nashville that could reach a regional audience. In September of that year, WSM began airing rural musicians from the Nashville area, namely Humphrey Bate
Humphrey Bate
Humphrey Bate was an American harmonica player and string band leader. He was the first musician to play old-time music on Nashville-area radio, and is generally regarded as the first performer on what would eventually become the Grand Ole Opry. Bate and his band, which had been given the name "Dr...
, Sid Harkreader
Sid Harkreader
Sidney Harkreader was an American Old-time fiddle player and string band leader. He was an early member of the Grand Ole Opry, at first accompanying banjoist Uncle Dave Macon and later performing on the program with his own band...
, and Uncle Dave Macon
Uncle Dave Macon
Uncle Dave Macon , born David Harrison Macon—also known as "The Dixie Dewdrop"—was an American banjo player, singer, songwriter, and comedian...
. Realizing the popularity of old-time music, WSM hired George D. Hay
George D. Hay
George Dewey Hay was an American radio personality. He was the founder of the original Grand Ole Opry radio program on WSM-AM in Nashville, Tennessee, from which the country music stage show of the same name evolved....
, a Chicago radio announcer and host of the National Barn Dance on Chicago's WLS. Hay adapted his show's format to WSM, where it was to be called the WSM Barn Dance. For the show's initial airing on November 28, Thompson's niece, Eva Thompson Jones, who worked as piano accompanist for WSM at the time, suggested her uncle to Hay as his first guest.
Thompson's performance began at 8 P.M. that night, with Hay introducing Thompson and stating that Thompson would take requests from listeners. Phone calls and telegrams immediately began pouring into the station. At the end of the hour, Hay asked Thompson if he had done enough fiddling, to which Thompson replied, "a man don't get warmed up in an hour," and showed Hay the blue ribbon he had recently won at the eight-day fiddle contest in Dallas.
Thompson's performance on November 28 and his follow-up performances on WSM in subsequent weeks made him an instant celebrity. During this period, Hay issued a challenge to Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
fiddler Mellie Dunham
Mellie Dunham
Mellie Dunham was an American fiddler during the early twentieth century. Dunham was born in Norway, Maine, the son of Alanson Mellen Dunham and Christiana Bent. He came to prominence after he was invited to play for Henry Ford at his house in Dearborn, Michigan...
, who had recently captured first prize in a nationwide fiddle contest held by automobile magnate Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
. Dunham declined, prompting Thompson to say "he's affeared of me." Nevertheless, Ford held a second national contest in 1926, which Thompson entered. Thompson easily advanced through the early rounds to the contest's Tennessee state finals, which were held at the Ryman Auditorium
Ryman Auditorium
The Ryman Auditorium is a 2,362-seat live performance venue, located at 115 5th Avenue North, in Nashville, Tennessee and is best known as the historic home of the Grand Ole Opry....
in Nashville on the evening of January 19. Thompson outplayed five other finalists, including Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Tennessee
Lynchburg is a city in the south-central region of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is governed by a consolidated city-county government unit whose boundaries coincide with those of Moore County. Lynchburg is best known as the location of the Jack Daniel's distillery, whose famous whiskey is...
fiddler Uncle Bunt Stephens
Uncle Bunt Stephens
John L. "Bunt" Stephens , known as Uncle Bunt, was an American Old-time fiddle player. After rising from relative obscurity in 1926 to win a nationwide fiddle contest hosted by automobile magnate Henry Ford, Stephens went on to record several tracks for Columbia Records and made several guest...
and a one-armed fiddler from Hartsville
Hartsville, Tennessee
Hartsville is a town in Trousdale County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Trousdale County, with which it shares a consolidated city-county government...
named Marshall Claiborne, to capture the state championship. In the contest's regional finals in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
the following day, however, Thompson failed to place in the top three, being ousted by both Stephens and Claiborne and a South Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
fiddler named W.H. Elmore (Stephens went on to win the national contest).
Later career
Thompson continued making appearances on Barn Dance (renamed the Grand Ole Opry in 1927) throughout 1926 and 1927, but as the show became more structured, Thompson's role was minimized. Hay grew impatient with Thompson's general unreliability, and the two bickered over such things as Thompson's penchant for drinking a jug of whiskey before each program to "lubricate" his playing arm, and Thompson's tendency to play well over his allotted time. In 1928, Thompson made only two appearances on the program.In 1926, Thompson went to Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, where he recorded two traditional tunes, "Billy Wilson" and "Karo" for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. The latter, "Karo," is probably derived from the folk song "Flop-Eared Mule." Thompson's only other recording session occurred on April 5, 1930 in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, for Brunswick/Vocalion. This session produced the recording known as "Uncle Jimmy's Favorite Fiddlin' Pieces," a mini-interview conducted by producer Bill Brown in which Thompson plays "Flying Clouds" and "Leather Britches", and discusses whiskey and the violin's superiority over the guitar (the brief guitar solo was probably played by Willie Sievers of the Tennessee Ramblers
Tennessee Ramblers (East Tennessee)
The Tennessee Ramblers were an American old-time string band originally consisting of William "Fiddlin' Bill" Sievers on fiddle, his son James "Mack" Sievers on banjo and vocals, daughter Willie Sievers on guitar, and cousin Walter McKinney on steel guitar...
).
Thompson died of pneumonia at his Laguardo home on February 17, 1931. Music historian Charles Wolfe notes that while Thompson's active career (1925–1931) was relatively short, it was "one of the most potent" in the history and development of country music, and that the photographs of Thompson seated with his fiddle before a WSM microphone are among the Grand Ole Opry's most enduring images. Thompson claimed to have known over a thousand fiddle tunes, and once boasted he could "fiddle the bugs off a tater vine." According to Wolfe, an analysis of Thompson's last recordings show a fiddle player of "great ability."
Discography
| Catalog number | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| 15118 D | Billy Wilson/Karo | Columbia Records |
| Vocalion 5456 | Uncle Jimmy’s Favorite Fiddlin’ Pieces/Lynchburg | Conqueror Records |
External links
- Juneberry78s.com Sampler — mp3s of Thompson's recordings of "Karo" and "Billy Wilson"