DeFord Bailey
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DeFord Bailey was an American old-time musician and songwriter considered to be the first African American country music star. He started his career in the 1920s and was one of the first performers to
Bailey in the 1970s
A Tennessee Historical Commission marker near Bailey's birthplace in Smith County
Roy Acuff
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Roy Claxton Acuff 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 "hoedo
DeFord Bailey
…first generation of entertainers to perform live on the radio, his recorded compositions were well-known and popular. Bailey toured and performed with Roy Acuff and many well-known country artists during the 1930s. But as a result of the 1941 royalties disagreement between Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and American…
Acuff in 1950
Historical marker along Maynardville Highway (TN-33) in Maynardville, Tennessee, near where Acuff was born
A life-sized statue of Acuff sits on a pew alongside a statue of Minnie Pearl in the lobby of Ryman Auditorium.