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 101-125 of 127 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | CO45072 | 10-in. | 1/16/1951 | Pliney Jane | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist | |
Columbia | CO45904 | 10-in. | 5/11/1951 | Doug Mcarthur | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | Male vocal solo, with string band | leader, vocalist | |
Columbia | CO45905 | 10-in. | 5/11/1951 | In the shadow of the Smokies | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, leader, instrumentalist, violin | |
Brunswick | SC63 | 10-in. | 11/3/1938 | Blue Ridge sweetheart | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal duet | Musical group, leader | |
Brunswick | SC72 | 10-in. | 11/3/1938 | The great shining light | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | songwriter, vocalist, Musical group | |
Brunswick | B14 | 10-in. | 3/22/1937 | Tell Mother I'll be there | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Brunswick | MEM40 | 10-in. | 7/5/1939 | Smoky Mountain moon | Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, composer, lyricist, leader | |
Brunswick | SC60 | 10-in. | 11/3/1938 | What would you do with Gabriel's trumpet | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal duet | vocalist, Musical group, leader, composer, lyricist | |
Brunswick | SC68 | 10-in. | 11/3/1938 | Smoky Mountain rag | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band | leader, vocalist, Musical group | |
Brunswick | SC71 | 10-in. | 11/3/1938 | That beautiful picture | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal duet | lyricist, composer, vocalist, Musical group | |
Brunswick | DAL944 | 10-in. | 4/11/1940 | Come back little pal | Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, Musical group, instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Brunswick | DAL948 | 10-in. | 4/11/1940 | Beneath that lonely mound of clay | Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, Musical group, composer, lyricist, leader | |
Brunswick | DAL949 | 10-in. | 4/11/1940 | The streamlined cannon ball | Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, Musical group, instrumentalist, violin, leader, lyricist, composer | |
Brunswick | DAL951 | 10-in. | 4/12/1940 | Farther along | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, leader, instrumentalist, violin | |
Brunswick | DAL952 | 10-in. | 4/12/1940 | Blue eyed darling | Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |
Brunswick | DAL953 | 10-in. | 4/12/1940 | The precious jewel | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, Musical group, composer, lyricist, instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Brunswick | DAL956 | 10-in. | 4/12/1940 | Lonesome old river blues | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, instrumentalist, violin | |
Brunswick | DAL958 | 10-in. | 4/12/1940 | Mule skinner blues (Blue yodel #8) | Roy Acuff ; Smoky Mountain Boys | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, Musical group, instrumentalist, violin, leader | |
Brunswick | DAL967 | 10-in. | 4/11/1940 | Just to ease my worried mind | Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, Musical group, leader, instrumentalist, violin, composer, lyricist | |
Decca | NA 9202 | 10/27/1955 | Goodbye Mister Brown | Roy Acuff ; Kitty Wells | vocalist | |||
Decca | NA 9203 | 10/27/1955 | Mother hold me tight | Roy Acuff ; Kitty Wells | vocalist | |||
Decca | NA 9204 | 10/27/1955 | Crazy worried mind | Roy Acuff ; Kitty Wells | vocalist | |||
Decca | NA 9205 | 10/27/1955 | Along the China coast | Roy Acuff | vocalist | |||
Decca | NA 9529 | 10/19/1956 | It's hard to love (and not to be loved) | Roy Acuff ; The Smoky Mountain Boys | vocalist, Musical group, leader | |||
Decca | NA 9530 | 10/19/1956 | Plant some flowers by my grave | Roy Acuff ; The Smoky Mountain Boys | vocalist, Musical group, 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
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