Roy Acuff
Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful. In 1952, Hank Williams told Ralph Gleason, "He's the biggest singer this music ever knew. You booked him and you didn't worry about crowds. For drawing power in the South, it was Roy Acuff, then God." Acuff began his music career in the 1930s and gained regional fame as the singer and fiddler for his group, the Smoky Mountain Boys. He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1938, and although his popularity as a musician waned in the late 1940s, he remained one of the Opry's key figures and promoters for nearly four decades. In 1942, Acuff and Fred Rose founded Acuff-Rose Music, the first major Nashville-based country music publishing company, which signed such artists as Hank Williams, Roy Orbison, and the Everly Brothers. In 1962, Acuff became the first living inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. |
Birth and Death Data: Born September 15, 1903 (Maynardville), Died November 23, 1992 (Nashville)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1936 - 1956
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, leader, violin, composer, lyricist, songwriter, Musical group, arranger, instrumentalist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 127 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | HCO2207 | 10-in. | 1/28/1947 | Wabash Cannon Ball | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist | |
Columbia | HCO2208 | 10-in. | 1/28/1947 | There's a big rock in the road | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | HCO2209 | 10-in. | 1/28/1947 | Po' folks (all the time) | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | HCO2211 | 10-in. | 1/28/1947 | Blue eyes crying in the rain | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | HCO2213 | 10-in. | 1/28/1947 | The devil's train | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | HCO2214 | 10-in. | 1/28/1947 | Short-changed in love | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, composer, lyricist, leader | |
Columbia | HCO2241 | 10-in. | 2/24/1947 | It's just that same old line | Jimmie Lawson | String band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | C3700 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | Be honest with me | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | C3701 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | Worried mind | Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | C3702 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | Things that might have been | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Columbia | C3703 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | You're my darling | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | C3704 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | It won't be long (till I'll be leaving) | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal duet | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | C3705 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | Just inside the pearly gates | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal duet | vocalist, Musical group, lyricist, composer, leader | |
Columbia | C3706 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | I know we're saying goodbye | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, composer, lyricist, leader | |
Columbia | C3707 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | Brother take warning | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal duet | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | C3708 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | The great judgment morning | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | C3711 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | You are my love | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, composer, lyricist, leader | |
Columbia | C3712 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | Branded wherever I go | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal duet | vocalist, Musical group, composer, lyricist, leader | |
Columbia | C3713 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | No letter in the mail | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | C3714 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | Are you thinking of me darling? | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, composer, lyricist, leader | |
Columbia | C3715 | 10-in. | 4/29/1941 | I called and nobody answered | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal duet | vocalist, Musical group, composer, lyricist, instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Columbia | C4311 | 10-in. | 12/19/1944 | Blues in my mind | Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | C4312 | 10-in. | 12/19/1944 | (I heard a) silver trumpet | Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | C4313 | 10-in. | 12/19/1944 | Easy rockin' chair | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Columbia | C4314 | 10-in. | 12/19/1944 | It's too late now to worry anymore | Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, Musical group, instrumentalist, violin, leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Roy Acuff ," accessed April 29, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/300313.
Roy Acuff . (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 29, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/300313.
"Roy Acuff ." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 29 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Roy Acuff
Discogs: Roy Acuff
Allmusic: Roy Acuff
Grove: Roy Acuff
RILM: Roy Acuff
RISM: Roy Acuff
IMDb: Roy Acuff
Britannica: Roy Acuff
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Acuff, Roy - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83042805
Wikidata: Roy Acuff - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q455773
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/32182376
MusicBrainz: Roy Acuff - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/d7db24ec-d95b-409a-9841-afd946701435
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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