{"artistName":"Wade Mainer","artistId":122797,"artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/e43/e4301297d6a9131a1c8c46cbfaa6058f_xl.jpg","srcset":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/e43/e4301297d6a9131a1c8c46cbfaa6058f_sm.jpg 50w,https://artist99.cdn107.com/e43/e4301297d6a9131a1c8c46cbfaa6058f_md.jpg 80w,https://artist99.cdn107.com/e43/e4301297d6a9131a1c8c46cbfaa6058f_lg.jpg 200w,https://artist99.cdn107.com/e43/e4301297d6a9131a1c8c46cbfaa6058f_xl.jpg 340w","artistBio":"\u003cp\u003eWade Mainer (April 21, 1907 - September 12, 2011) was an American singer and banjoist. With his band, the Sons of the Mountaineers, he is credited with bridging the gap between old-time mountain music and Bluegrass and is sometimes called the \"Grandfather of Bluegrass.\" In addition, he innovated a two-finger banjo fingerpicking style, which was a precursor to modern three-finger bluegrass styles. \nOriginally from North Carolina, Mainer's main influences came from the mountain music of his family. In a career that began in 1934 and spanned almost six decades, Mainer transitioned from being a member of his brother's band into the founder of his own ensemble, the Sons of the Mountaineers, with whom he performed until 1953, when he became more deeply involved with his Christianity and left the music industry. After working at a General Motors factory and attending gospel revivals, Mainer was convinced that he should restart his career as a Christian gospel musician and began to tour with his wife in this capacity. He continued to release albums until 1993. \n Personal life\nMainer was born near Weaverville, North Carolina, on a mountain farm in Buncombe County on April 21, 1907. His family was poor during his childhood and they lived in a log cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mainer credited his father who was, in Mainer's words, \"a good singer -- real stout voice\", as of one of his influences. During his career as a musical artist, Mainer would perform many of the old songs that he had heard from his father. \nMainer grew up listening to traditional mountain music and was largely influenced by his brother-in-law Roscoe Banks. He first learned to play the banjo at square dances, where he would pick up instruments left by performers and practice on them. After moving to Concord, North Carolina and working in a series of jobs at cotton mills, he became a part of his brother J.E.'s band, known as J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers. His entry into the band in 1934 marked the beginning of a nearly six-decade career in music. J.E. played the fiddle while Wade performed on the banjo for the string band, and they played at fiddlers' conventions and other gatherings. \nMainer married Julia Brown in 1937, shortly after forming his own band. Brown was a singer and guitarist popularly know at the time as Hillbilly Lilly. She had performed from 1935 until 1937 at WSJS Radio in Winston Salem. Brown is considered to be a pioneering female musical artist and later joined Mainer during his performances. \n Musical career\nMainer's first recordings came in 1934 and are compiled on Ragged But Right: 30's Country Bands. Mainer performed with The Mountaineers on tracks such as Maple on the Hill, Seven and a Half and Johnson's Old Grey Mule. Also included on the compilation are Mainer's later collaboration Short Life and It's Trouble with Zeke Morris, his solo effort Riding on That Train 45 and a sample song Mitchell Blues from his band the Sons of the Mountaineers. Throughout his career, he was noted for his unique and innovative two-finger banjo fingerpicking style, which some view as a precursor to three finger bluegrass banjo styles. Mainer took jobs at local radio stations to increase the visibility of his relative's ensemble, recording classics such as Take Me in the Lifeboat. During this time, he appeared on many regional stations including WBT in Charlotte, WPTF in Raleigh, WNOX in Knoxville and WPAQ in Mount Airy. \nMainer performed in a series of live radio shows with The Mountaineers, sponsored by Crazy Water Crystals laxatives. In 1934, J.W. Fincher, the head of the company, observed their popularity at the first gig, the Crazy Water Crystal Barn Dance, a radio program out of Charlotte. Under the name J. E. Mainer's Crazy Mountaineers, they toured the American South on live radio shows and recorded fourteen songs for Bluebird Records. Maple on the Hill, which according to the National Endowment for the Arts was their biggest hit, had originally been composed in the 1890s by Gussie L. Davis. \nMainer was in his brother J.E.'s band for two years, until he left for more traditional work, which at the time was far more profitable than his musical career. Making only five dollars a week under sponsorship, Mainer found that he could earn up to three times as much working at a yarn mill, which he described as being \"gold\" for the era. After leaving his brother's group in 1936, he began to perform duet work with Zeke Morris, who was a fellow band mate from The Mountaineers. After a time working on this project, Mainer left to form the short-lived \"Smilin' Rangers\" which later became \"Sons of the Pioneers\". Zeke Morris then got together with his brother Wiley to form The Morris Brothers. \n Sons of the Mountaineers: \nMainer named this new band Sons of the Mountaineers. Its initial lineup included Jay Hugh Hall and Clyde Moody as guitarists with Steve Ledford as a fiddler. Among the musicians who would join the group later were Jack and Curly Shelton, Tiny Dodson, Red Rector and Fred Smith. The band got its start performing on the radio and recording songs for Bluebird Records and their first hit, entitled \"Sparkling Blue Eyes\" was recorded in 1939. From 1935 through 1941, Mainer recorded over 165 songs for the record label RCA Victor in various lineups, ranking him among one of the most prolifically recorded country music artists of that period. \nThe Sons of the Mountaineers briefly stopped playing during World War II because Mainer could not afford to squander the valuable gasoline required for the journey to the radio stations. One notable exception, however, came in 1942, when they were invited to the White House by Eleanor Roosevelt. There in Washington D.C., they played several tunes, including \"Down in the Willow Garden\", a song personally requested by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. During this time, they also appeared in a version of The Chisholm Trail in New York. At wars' end, the band was reorganized and once again began to play at stations across North Carolina. Recordings at this time were sporadic, due to the declining popularity of the genre. In 1953, after having renewed his commitment to Christianity, Mainer left the group and exited the industry for a time. \n Later life\nIn 1953, Mainer and his wife settled in Flint, Michigan, where he found work at a General Motors factory. Although renouncing both the music industry and his trademark instrument, the banjo, he and Julia did continue to sing at gospel revival meetings. In the early 1960s, Molly O'Day convinced him that he could use the banjo in gospel recordings, which spurred a series of religiously-theme banjo albums beginning in 1961. He also began to record and tour with his wife. \nMainer retired from General Motors in 1973. Mainer has been credited with bridging the gap between old-time mountain music and Bluegrass and musicians such as Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley and Doc Watson have all cited Mainer as a source of influence. He has also been called the \"Grandfather of Bluegrass.\" His influence was not limited to the United States. Pete Smith, of the British newspaper The Advertiser, in a report for Mainer's 100th birthday, cited Mainer as \"one of the most influential figures in the development of modern bluegrass,\" noting his picking style and his efforts in bringing bluegrass closer to the mainstream. In addition, Smith also credits him for making the banjo, an instrument previously described as \"satanic,\" acceptable for spiritually-themed music. Mainer continued to live with his wife in Flint, where he celebrated his centenary in 2007 and performed at a concert for his 101 birthday in 2008. Mainer died of congestive heart failure on September 12, 2011. He was 104. \n Awards and honours: \nIn 1987, president Ronald Reagan bestowed upon him a National Heritage Fellowship for his contributions to American music. In 1996 he received the Michigan Heritage Award and the Michigan Country Music Association and Services' Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1998 both he and his wife were inducted into the Michigan Country Music Hall of Fame, while Mainer received North Carolina's Surry Arts Council Lifetime Achievement. \n Original discography\n Wade Mainer/Zeke Morris: \nMatrix\nTitle\nRecord #\nRecording date\n 99133 \n\"Come Back To Your Dobie Shack\" \nBluebird 6551 \nFebruary 14, 1936 \n 99134 \n\"Just As the Sun Went Down\" \nBluebird 6383 \nFebruary 14, 1936 \n 99135 \n\"What Would You Give In Exchange\" \nBluebird 8073 \nFebruary 14, 1936 \n 99136 \n\"Bring Me a Leaf From the Sea\" \nBluebird 6347 \nFebruary 14, 1936 \n 99137 \n\"Brown Eyes\" \nBluebird 6347 \nFebruary 14, 1936 \n 99138 \n\"Maple On the Hill - Part 2\" \nBluebird 6293 \nFebruary 15, 1936 \n 99139 \n\"Going To Georgia\" \nBluebird 6423 \nFebruary 15, 1936 \n 99140 \n\"Nobody's Darling But Mine\" \nBluebird 6423 \nFebruary 15, 1936 \n 99141 \n\"Mother Came to Get Her Boy Back From Jail\" \nBluebird 6383 \nFebruary 15, 1936 \n 99142 \n\"Where the Red, Red Roses Grow\" \nBluebird 6293 \nFebruary 15, 1936 \n 102612 \n\"My Cradle Days\" \nBluebird 6489 \nJune 15, 1936 \n 102613 \n\"Gathering Flowers From the Hillside\" \nBluebird 6489 \nJune 15, 1936 \n 102614 \n\"My Mother Is Waiting\" \nBluebird 6551 \nJune 15, 1936 \n 102615 \n\"If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again\" \nBluebird 6460 \nJune 15, 1936 \n 102616 \n\"Nobody's Darling On Earth\" \nBluebird 6460 \nJune 15, 1936 \n 102617 \n\"Shake Hands With Your Mother\" \nBluebird 6596 \nJune 15, 1936 \n 2530 \n\"They Said My Lord Was A Devil\" \nBluebird 6653 \nOctober 12, 1936 \n 2531 \n\"Won't Somebody Pal With Me\" \nBluebird 6704 \nOctober 12, 1936 \n 2532 \n\"Hop Along Peter\" \nBluebird 6752 \nOctober 12, 1936 \n 2533 \n\"Just One Way To the Pearly Gates\" \nBluebird 6784 \nOctober 12, 1936 \n 2534 \n\"Dear Daddy, You're Gone \nBluebird 6752 \nOctober 12, 1936 \n 2535 \n\"Been Foolin' Me, Baby\" \nBluebird 6704 \nOctober 12, 1936 \n 2536 \n\"I'll Be a Friend of Jesus\" \nBluebird 6784 \nOctober 12, 1936 \n 2537 \n\"Cowboy's Pony In Heaven\" \nBluebird 6653 \nOctober 12, 1936 \n 7051 \n\"Little Birdie\" \nBluebird 6840 \nFebruary 16, 1937 \n 7052 \n\"I've Always Been a Rambler\" \nBluebird 6890 \nFebruary 16, 1937 \n 7053 \n\"I'm Starting Life A New With You\" \nBluebird 6840 \nFebruary 16, 1937 \n 7054 \n\"Little Rosebuds\" \nBluebird 6993 \nFebruary 16, 1937 \n 7055 \n\"Train Carry My Gal Back Home\" \nBluebird 6890 \nFebruary 16, 1937 \n 7056 \n\"In the Land Beyond the Blue\" \nBluebird 6936 \nFebruary 16, 1937 \n 7057 \n\"A Change All Around\" \nBluebird 6993 \nFebruary 16, 1937 \n 7058 \n\"Short Life and It's Trouble\" \nBluebird 6936 \nFebruary 16, 1937 \n 11812 \n\"The Dying Boy's Prayer\" \nBluebird 7165 \nAugust 2, 1937 \n 11813 \n\"Free Again\" \nBluebird 7114 \nAugust 2, 1937 \n 11814 \n\"Answer To Two Little Rosebuds\" \nBluebird 7114 \nAugust 2, 1937 \n 11815 \n\"I'm Not Turning Backward\" \nBluebird 7165 \nAugust 2, 1937 \n 11820 \n\"Riding On That Train 45\" \nBluebird 7298 \nAugust 2, 1937 \n 11821 \n\"Little Maggie\" \nBluebird 7201 \nAugust 2, 1937 \n 11822 \n\"Little Pal\" \nBluebird 7201 \nAugust 2, 1937 \n 11823 \n\"Down In the Willow\" \nBluebird 7298/Victor 27497 \nAugust 2, 1937 \n  Wade Mainer's Smilin' Rangers: \nMatrix\nTitle\nRecord #\nRecording date\n 11825 \n\"Ramshackle Shack\" \nBluebird 7274 \nAugust 2, 1937 \n 11826 \n\"Memory Lane\" \nBluebird 7274 \nAugust 2, 1937 \n 11827 \n\"Wild Bill Jones\" \nBluebird 7249 \nAugust 2, 1937 \n 11828 \n\"I Want To Be Loved\" \nBluebird 7249 \nAugust 2, 1937 \n 11816 \n\"What Are You Goin' To Do Brother\" \nBluebird 7384 \nAugust 3, 1937 \n 11817 \n\"Companions Draw Nigh\" \nBluebird 7384 \nAugust 3, 1937 \n 11818 \n\"Mountain Sweetheart\" \nBluebird 7587 \nAugust 3, 1937 \n 11819 \n\"Don't Forget Me, Little Darling\" \nBluebird 7587 \nAugust 3, 1937 \n  Wade Mainer and his Sons of the Mountaineers: \nMatrix\nTitle\nRecord #\nRecording date\n 18763 \n\"Lonely Tomb\" \nBluebird 7424 \nJanuary 27, 1938 \n 18764 \n\"Pale Moonlight\" \nBluebird 7483 \nJanuary 27, 1938 \n 18765 \n\"All My Friends\" \nBluebird 7424 \nJanuary 27, 1938 \n 18766 \n\"Since I Met My Mother-In-Law\" \nBluebird 7742 \nJanuary 27, 1938 \n 18767 \n\"Don't Get Too Deep In Love\" \nBluebird 7483 \nJanuary 27, 1938 \n 18768 \n\"Don't Leave Me Alone\" \nBluebird 7561 \nJanuary 27, 1938 \n 18769 \n\"I Won't Be Worried\" \nBluebird 7561 \nJanuary 27, 1938 \n 18770 \n\"Where Romance Calls\" \nBluebird 7753 \nJanuary 27, 1938 \n 18771 \n\"Another Alabama Camp Meetin'\" \nBluebird 7753 \nJanuary 27, 1938 \n 18772 \n\"Mitchell Blues\" \nBluebird 7845 \nJanuary 27, 1938 \n 26981 \n\"Father Along\" \nBluebird 8023 \nSeptember 26, 1938 \n 26982 \n\"Dear Loving Mother and Dad\" \nBluebird 8152 \nSeptember 26, 1938 \n 26983 \n\"Can't Tell About These Women\" \nBluebird 7965 \nSeptember 26, 1938 \n 26984 \n\"That Kind\" \nBluebird 7861 \nSeptember 26, 1938 \n 26985 \n\"If I Had Listened To Mother\" \nBluebird 8137 \nSeptember 26, 1938 \n 26986 \n\"She Is Spreading Her Wings For A Journey\" \nBluebird 8023 \nSeptember 26, 1938 \n 26987 \n\"The Same Old You and Me\" \nBluebird 7924 \nSeptember 26, 1938 \n 26988 \n\"Life's Evenin' Sun\" \nBluebird 8007 \nSeptember 26, 1938 \n 26998 \n\"You're Awfully Mean To Me\" \nBluebird 7861 \nSeptember 26, 1938 \n 26999 \n\"Home In the Sky\" \nBluebird 8007 \nSeptember 26, 1938 \n 27700 \n\"A Little Love\" \nBluebird 7924 \nSeptember 26, 1938 \n 27701 \n\"North Carolina Moon\" \nBluebird 8628 \nSeptember 26, 1938 \n 27702 \n\"More Good Women Gone Wrong\" \nBluebird 7965 \nSeptember 26, 1938 \n 32625 \n\"Sparkling Blue Eyes\" \nBluebird 8042 \nFebruary 4, 1939 \n 32626 \n\"We Will Miss Him\" \nBluebird 8042 \nFebruary 4, 1939 \n 32627 \n\"I Left My Home In the Mountains\" \nBluebird 8091 \nFebruary 4, 1939 \n 32628 \n\"I Met Her At A Ball One Night\" \nBluebird 8091 \nFebruary 4, 1939 \n 32629 \n\"You May Forsake Me\" \nBluebird 8120 \nFebruary 4, 1939 \n 32630 \n\"Look On and Cry\" \nBluebird 8120 \nFebruary 4, 1939 \n 32631 \n\"One Little Kiss\" \nBluebird 8145 \nFebruary 4, 1939 \n 32632 \n\"Mama, Don't Make Me Go To Bed\" \nBluebird 8145 \nFebruary 4, 1939 \n 32633 \n\"Crying Holy\" \nBluebird 8203 \nFebruary 4, 1939 \n 32634 \n\"Heaven Bells Are Ringing\" \nBluebird 8203 \nFebruary 4, 1939 \n 41200 \n\"Sparkling Blue Eyes No.2\" \nBluebird 8249 \nAugust 21, 1939 \n 41201 \n\"The Poor Drunkard's Dream\" \nBluebird 8273 \nAugust 21, 1939 \n 41202 \n\"Were You There\" \nBluebird 8273 \nAugust 21, 1939 \n 41203 \n\"The Gospel Cannon Ball\" \nBluebird 8249 \nAugust 21, 1939 \n 41204 \n\"The Great and Final Judgement\" \nBluebird 8288 \nAugust 21, 1939 \n 41205 \n\"What a Wonderful Savior Is He\" \nBluebird 8288 \nAugust 21, 1939 \n 41206 \n\"Why Not Make Heaven Your Home\" \nBluebird 8340 \nAugust 21, 1939 \n 41207 \n\"Mansions In the Sky\" \nBluebird 8340 \nAugust 21, 1939 \n 41208 \n\"Not a Word of That Be Said\" \nBluebird 8359 \nAugust 21, 1939 \n 41209 \n\"Drifting Through an Unfriendly World\" \nBluebird 8359 \nAugust 21, 1939 \n 71014 \n\"Shake My Mother's Hands For Me\" \nBluebird 8848 \nSeptember 29, 1941 \n 71015 \n\"Anywhere Is Home\" \nBluebird 8965 \nSeptember 29, 1941 \n 71016 \n\"I Can Tell You the Time\" \nBluebird 8965 \nSeptember 29, 1941 \n 71017 \n\"He Gave His Life\" \nBluebird 8887 \nSeptember 29, 1941 \n 71018 \n\"Ramblin' Boy \nBluebird 8990 \nSeptember 29, 1941 \n 71019 \n\"The Precious Jewel\" \nBluebird 8887 \nSeptember 29, 1941 \n 71020 \n\"Old Ruben\" \nBluebird 8990 \nSeptember 29, 1941 \n 71021 \n\"Precious Memories\" \nBluebird 8848 \nSeptember 29, 1941 \n  Other discography\n\nStudio albums: \n1961: Soulful Sacred Songs, \n1971: Sacred Songs of Mother and Home, \n1973: The Songs of Wade Mainer, \n1976: From the Maple to the Hill, \n1980: Old Time Songs, \n1984: Old Time Banjo Tunes, \n1987: In the Land of Melody, \n1989: How Sweet to Walk, \n1990: String Band Music, \n1993: Old Time Gospel Favorites, \n1993: Carolina Mule, \n\nCompilation albums: \n1979: Early Radio, \n1983: Early and Great, Volume 1, \n ????: Early and Great, Volume 2, \n1993: Early and Great, Volume 3\u003c/p\u003e","musicPath":"/music/Wade+Mainer","playStationPath":"/stations/283793158/play","stationId":283793158,"bioPath":"/music/Wade+Mainer/_full_bio","similars":[{"musicPath":"/music/Frank+Hutchison","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/12a/12a0c3fc8295f3f709cf170e7fae90f3_md.jpg","artistName":"Frank Hutchison","artistId":118779,"station_id":283254115},{"musicPath":"/music/Joe+Maphis","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/6d8/6d8a76bb9aecdd9f92389a4c3eaf9363_md.jpg","artistName":"Joe Maphis","artistId":7431,"station_id":113713551},{"musicPath":"/music/The+Delmore+Brothers","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/b50/b50b8db31dafae1a06a45c2f2efec1e5_md.jpg","artistName":"The Delmore 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