Acuff, Roy

From New World Encyclopedia
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[[Image:RoyAcuffTheGreatRoyAcuff.jpg|right|thumb|Roy Acuff on the cover of ''The Great Roy Acuff'' (1964)]]
 
[[Image:RoyAcuffTheGreatRoyAcuff.jpg|right|thumb|Roy Acuff on the cover of ''The Great Roy Acuff'' (1964)]]
  
'''Roy Claxton Acuff''' (15 September 1903 – 23 November 1992) was an [[USA|American]] [[country music|country]] musician.
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'''Roy Claxton Acuff''' (15 September 1903 – 23 November 1992) was an [[USA|American]] [[country music|country]] musician, vocalist, songwriter and fiddler who was known as the "King of the Hillbillies", the "Caruso of Mountain Music" and the "Backwoods Sinatra".  Along with his crooning style of singing within a hardcore hillbilly genre, Roy Acuff created a music and style of entertainment which captured the hearts of his audiences by generating the uplifting of the human spirit and the pride in the character and culture of American life.
  
 
==Early life==
 
==Early life==
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==Political career==
 
==Political career==
 
Acuff had a brief affair with [[politics]], losing a run for the office of [[Governor of Tennessee]] as a Republican in 1948.  Acuff later campaigned in 1970 for his friend [[Tex Ritter]] in his campaign for [[Republican Party (United States)|GOP]] nomination for [[U.S. Senate]] in Tennessee.
 
Acuff had a brief affair with [[politics]], losing a run for the office of [[Governor of Tennessee]] as a Republican in 1948.  Acuff later campaigned in 1970 for his friend [[Tex Ritter]] in his campaign for [[Republican Party (United States)|GOP]] nomination for [[U.S. Senate]] in Tennessee.
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==Legacy==
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Roy Acuff made American country music and specifically 'hillbilly' music or music of the mountains or the backwoods areas in the southern United States acceptable to the general American public.  No longer was this genre of music seen as a disparagement but as a part of the exciting music culture of America.  Acuff created a strong pride within those who listened and performed this traditional music, and his shows always drew great crowds.  Acuff also used religious songs in his repertoire which additionally made spirituality and religion an acceptable form of reverence and Southern musical hospitality.
  
 
==Trivia==
 
==Trivia==

Revision as of 22:40, 4 October 2007

File:RoyAcuffTheGreatRoyAcuff.jpg
Roy Acuff on the cover of The Great Roy Acuff (1964)

Roy Claxton Acuff (15 September 1903 – 23 November 1992) was an American country musician, vocalist, songwriter and fiddler who was known as the "King of the Hillbillies", the "Caruso of Mountain Music" and the "Backwoods Sinatra". Along with his crooning style of singing within a hardcore hillbilly genre, Roy Acuff created a music and style of entertainment which captured the hearts of his audiences by generating the uplifting of the human spirit and the pride in the character and culture of American life.

Early life

He was born in Maynardville, Tennessee, third of five children. He played semi-professional baseball, but a sunstroke in 1929 and a nervous breakdown in 1930 ended his aspirations to play for the New York Yankees.

Music career

He then turned his attention to his father's fiddle and began playing in a traveling medicine show. He toured the Southern United States and eventually formed a band called "The Crazy Tennesseans."

In 1936, he recorded a cover of the traditional song "The Great Speckled Bird." His performance of it in his Grand Ole Opry debut was not well received. Acuff became a regular on the Grand Ole Opry in 1938, forming a backing band called the Smoky Mountain Boys, led by friend and Dobro player Bashful Brother Oswald.

Acuff released several singles in the 1940s such as The Wreck on the Highway, Beneath That Lonely Mound of Clay and The Precious Jewel. He later formed a music publishing venture with Chicago songwriter Fred Rose. Hank Williams, the Everly Brothers and Roy Orbison, among others, all initially signed with Acuff-Rose Music.

Acuff spent most of the 1950s and 1960s touring constantly, becoming one of the hottest tickets in country music. By the 1970s Acuff performed almost exclusively with the Grand Ole Opry, at Opryland USA, greatly legitimizing it as the top institution in country music. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1991.

Political career

Acuff had a brief affair with politics, losing a run for the office of Governor of Tennessee as a Republican in 1948. Acuff later campaigned in 1970 for his friend Tex Ritter in his campaign for GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in Tennessee.

Legacy

Roy Acuff made American country music and specifically 'hillbilly' music or music of the mountains or the backwoods areas in the southern United States acceptable to the general American public. No longer was this genre of music seen as a disparagement but as a part of the exciting music culture of America. Acuff created a strong pride within those who listened and performed this traditional music, and his shows always drew great crowds. Acuff also used religious songs in his repertoire which additionally made spirituality and religion an acceptable form of reverence and Southern musical hospitality.

Trivia

  • A popular legend is that Japanese troops during World War II would enter battle yelling, "To hell with Roy Acuff."[1][2]
  • In 1962, Roy Acuff was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. For his contribution to the recording industry, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located on 1541 Vine St.
  • Roy Acuff is distantly related to Amy Acuff.
  • Acuff was initiated as an Entered Apprentice at the East Nashville Freemasonry Lodge in 1943, and raised to Master Mason in 1944. He was made a 33rd Degree Mason on 21 October 1985.
  • Acuff is thought to be one inspiration for Henry Gibson's character Haven Hamilton in [Robert Altman]]'s film "Nashville." The fictionalized character is a composite of several well-known musicians, including Acuff and Hank Snow.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Acuff, Roy; Neely, William, Roy Acuff's Nashville: the life and good times of country music, NY: Putnam, 1983. ISBN 0-399-50874-0
  • Acuff, Roy, Roy Acuff, 1936-1949, NY: Columbia/Legacy, 1992. OCLC 27214699
  • Dellar, Fred; Thompson, Roy; Green, Douglas B., The illustrated encyclopedia of country music, NY: Harmony Books, 1977. ISBN 0-517-53156-9
  • Schlappi, Elizabeth, Roy Acuff, the Smoky Mountain Boy, Gretna, LA: Pelican Pub. Co., 1978. ISBN 0-882-89144-8

External links

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