Jimmy Driftwood
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Jimmy Driftwood | |
---|---|
Country and Western | |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, instructor, environmentalist |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, mouth bow |
Years active | 1925–1975 |
Labels | RCA, Rounder, Monument |
Website | www |
James Corbitt Morris (June 20, 1907 – July 12, 1998), of which more than 300 were recorded by various musicians.
Biography
Early life
Driftwood was born in Timbo, Arkansas, United States on June 20, 1907.[2] His father was folk singer Neal Morris.[3] He is on the album Songs of the Ozarks. Driftwood learned to play the guitar at a young age on his grandfather's homemade instrument. Driftwood used that unique guitar throughout his career and noted that its neck was made from a fence rail, its sides from an old ox yoke, and the head and bottom from the headboard of his grandmother's bed.[1] This homemade instrument produced a pleasant, distinctive, resonant sound.
Driftwood attended John Brown College in northwest Arkansas and later received a degree in education from Arkansas State Teacher's College. He started writing songs during his teaching career to teach his students history in an entertaining manner.
1920s and 1930s
During the 1920s and 1930s, Driftwood left Arkansas, eventually hitchhiking through the southwestern United States. In Arizona he entered, and won, a local song contest.
In 1936, Driftwood married Cleda Johnson, who was one of his former students, and returned to Arkansas to raise a family and resume his teaching career. During this period of his life Driftwood wrote hundreds of songs but did not pursue a musical career seriously.
He wrote his later famous "
1950s
In the 1950s, he changed his name to Jimmy Driftwood, both publicly and legally.
In 1957, a
"The Battle of New Orleans" was included on the album, but did not conform to the radio standards of the time because of the words "hell" and "damn" in the lyrics. Driftwood said that at the time those words could be preached but not sung in secular contexts for broadcast. Driftwood was asked to make a shorter censored version of the song for a live radio performance. Singer Johnny Horton, after hearing the song, contacted Driftwood and told him that he wished to record his own version.
Driftwood left Arkansas for Nashville and became popular by his appearances on programs including the Grand Ole Opry,[4] Ozark Jubilee, and Louisiana Hayride. He was invited to sing for Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev as an example of traditional American music during the leader's 1959 state visit to the United States. He became a member of the Opry in the 1950s.[5]
The popular peak of Driftwood's career came in 1959, when he had no fewer than six songs on the popular and
After Horton's success, Driftwood performed at
1960s
For a time during the 1960s, Driftwood toured the United States and Europe with the
Driftwood helped establish the
Environmental advocate
Driftwood became involved with environmental issues when the United States Army Corps of Engineers planned to dam the Buffalo River. He worked to defeat the plan, which ultimately resulted in the establishment of Buffalo National River. Driftwood had a major role in preserving Blanchard Springs Caverns which later came under management of the United States Forest Service. He recorded the song still heard in the orientation film in the visitor center.
Driftwood was appointed to direct the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Commission for his environmental efforts. He was also named to the Advisory Committee of the
Later years
During his later life Driftwood enjoyed performing free concerts for high school and college students. He died of a
References
- ^ a b c d "Jimmy Driftwood | Association for Cultural Equity". The Association for Cultural Equity.
- ^ "Jimmy Driftwood". Billslater.com. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
- ^ Wolf, John Quincy (April 1967). "Folksingers and the Re-Creation of Folksong". Western Folklore. 26 (2): 101–111 – via JSTOR.
- ^ ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- ^ "Opry Timeline – 1960s". Opry.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Jimmie Driftwood – Biography". CMT. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ "To Tell the Truth". CBS. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ "A Brief History of The Arkansas Folk Festival". Regional Studies Center, Lyon College. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
- ^ "1963 Arkansas Folk Festival". Sing Out! Magazine. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
External links
- In Memoriam Jimmy Driftwood
- Recordings of Driftwood playing and talking at the 1966 Newport Folk Festival. Available for streaming from Cultural Equity
- Jimmy Driftwood discography at Discogs
- Jimmy Driftwood at IMDbas Jimmie Driftwood