Coon Creek Girls-Shortenin' Bread-1939 Renfro Valley Radio Transcript
- 9 years ago
Lily Mae Ledford came from Chimney Top Creek in Powell Co., Kentucky where the family share cropped corn and sorghum in the narrow valleys between the steep cliffs of the Red River Gorge, now a national geological park.. The family of 14 kids and two resourceful parents caught wild hogs, squirrels, fish, rabbits and made their own medicines and food from the plants in the gorge. The family lived in a two room house with a lean to kitchen.
John Lair was born in 1894 in Rockcastle Co., Kentucky about 50 miles SW of the Red River Gorge. The Ledford family lived the old frontier life that Lair could only dream about. Lair's love of mountain life came from a childhood of singing bees, fishing, square dancing, hunting, and tent meetings growing up in the rural Kentucky hills, events that would shape Lair's life forever. Lair had been in the army, seen the world, and as a young man, landed a job as music librarian at powerhouse WLS in Chicago. He was a tireless worker and soon had risen to talent manager for the station, a position that allowed him to bring in the area's best talent, and most especially, from the Kentucky hills. But while on vacation back in Kentucky, he realized that the way of life he had known had disappeared. The talent had been lured away by the money of big city radio and he had been the biggest offender. So, he devised a plan to right that wrong. He would build a performance center in his native Renfro Valley "where time would stand still". Back in Red River Gorge, Lily Mae Ledford, brother Coyen and older sister Rosie formed a group they called the Red River Ramblers. In 1936, they won a talent contest in Kentucky which brought them to the attention of John Lair, but Lair only wanted Lily for his live performances at WLS. The tall 19 year old became a sensation in Chicago with her new style of music but she learned much from her association at the station with Patsy Montana, Red Foley, The Girls of the Golden west (Dolly and Molly Goode), Lula Belle, and the Cackle Sisters (Mary Jane and Carolyn de Zurik. After playing in Cincinnati and Dayton for almost two years, the dream of John Lair was complete and the performers he had assembled from WLS left for the newly completed Barn in Renfro Valley, near Mt. Vernon, Kentucky.. Lily Mae (banjo and fiddle), sister Rosie (guitar), were joined by Esther "Violet" Koehler (mandolin player from Indiana), and Evelyn "Daisy" Lange from Ohio to form the Coon Creek Girls. In 1938, the Girls recorded for Vocalion in Chicago but national fame was achieved in 1939 when the Girls performed at the White House for President Franklin Roosevelt and the King and Queen of England. Roosevelt wanted to show the British royalty what the simple music brought from the colonies had become in the Appalachians. The girls, now joined by sister Minnie were on staff at the Barn dance until 1957. The Barn Dance exists to this day near Mt. Vernon, Kentucky. WHAS, Louisville, Ky
John Lair was born in 1894 in Rockcastle Co., Kentucky about 50 miles SW of the Red River Gorge. The Ledford family lived the old frontier life that Lair could only dream about. Lair's love of mountain life came from a childhood of singing bees, fishing, square dancing, hunting, and tent meetings growing up in the rural Kentucky hills, events that would shape Lair's life forever. Lair had been in the army, seen the world, and as a young man, landed a job as music librarian at powerhouse WLS in Chicago. He was a tireless worker and soon had risen to talent manager for the station, a position that allowed him to bring in the area's best talent, and most especially, from the Kentucky hills. But while on vacation back in Kentucky, he realized that the way of life he had known had disappeared. The talent had been lured away by the money of big city radio and he had been the biggest offender. So, he devised a plan to right that wrong. He would build a performance center in his native Renfro Valley "where time would stand still". Back in Red River Gorge, Lily Mae Ledford, brother Coyen and older sister Rosie formed a group they called the Red River Ramblers. In 1936, they won a talent contest in Kentucky which brought them to the attention of John Lair, but Lair only wanted Lily for his live performances at WLS. The tall 19 year old became a sensation in Chicago with her new style of music but she learned much from her association at the station with Patsy Montana, Red Foley, The Girls of the Golden west (Dolly and Molly Goode), Lula Belle, and the Cackle Sisters (Mary Jane and Carolyn de Zurik. After playing in Cincinnati and Dayton for almost two years, the dream of John Lair was complete and the performers he had assembled from WLS left for the newly completed Barn in Renfro Valley, near Mt. Vernon, Kentucky.. Lily Mae (banjo and fiddle), sister Rosie (guitar), were joined by Esther "Violet" Koehler (mandolin player from Indiana), and Evelyn "Daisy" Lange from Ohio to form the Coon Creek Girls. In 1938, the Girls recorded for Vocalion in Chicago but national fame was achieved in 1939 when the Girls performed at the White House for President Franklin Roosevelt and the King and Queen of England. Roosevelt wanted to show the British royalty what the simple music brought from the colonies had become in the Appalachians. The girls, now joined by sister Minnie were on staff at the Barn dance until 1957. The Barn Dance exists to this day near Mt. Vernon, Kentucky. WHAS, Louisville, Ky