The Blue Sky Boys

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The Blue Sky Boys were an American country music duo consisting of the brothers Earl Bolick (November 16, 1919 โ€“ April 19, 1998) and Bill Bolick (October 28, 1917 โ€“ March 13, 2008), whose careers spanned over forty years.

Biography

The brothers were born and raised in West

Atlanta, Georgia to perform at radio station WGST.[5] Because they were sponsored by the "Crazy Water Crystal", they had to perform using the name "(Crazy) Blue Ridge Hillbillies".[2][6]

In Atlanta, the Bolick brothers went to

A & R man, was reluctant to hear the brothers sing, accusing them of copying the Monroe Brothers. He changed his mind when he heard them sing and immediately signed them to a recording contract.[5][7] A discussion arose concerning what they should call themselves. Since they couldn't use the previous name "the Blue Ridge Hillbillies" - it had been taken by Homer Sherrill when the brothers left WGST - they decided to use "Blue Sky Boys" as their name. Their choice of name came from the nickname of western North Carolina: "Land of the Blue Sky".[8]

They made their first recordings in

honky tonk style and refused to record it. When RCA asked them to play with an electric guitar, they refused and stopped recording until 1949.[2]
Due to personal issues, the Blue Sky Boys retired in 1951.

Bill became a postal clerk in his birth state and Earl took a job at

folk festivals
, and during a trip to California to perform at the UCLA Folk Festival, the brothers spent two days in the studio recording an album for Capitol Records. But by the end of the 1960s they had decided to call it quits again.

Once more, in 1975, they were convinced to record again, this time for Rounder Records, and another round of folk and bluegrass circuit touring ensued. Following this, Bill moved back to his birthplace and lived in Longview, North Carolina, while Earl retired to Tucker, Georgia.

In the 1990s, Copper Creek Records issued a series of four albums with live radio transcriptions from the 1940s.

Discography

  • Together Again, 1963 (Starday)
  • Precious Moments, 1964 (Starday)
  • The Original and Great: Early Authentic Country Recordings, 1964 (RCA Camden)
  • Presenting the Blue Sky Boys, 1966 (Capitol)
  • Sunny Side of Life, 1973 (Rounder)
  • The Blue Sky Boys, 1976 (Rounder)
  • The Blue Sky Boys (2 record set), 1976 (Bluebird)
  • In Concert 1964, 1989 (Rounder)
  • On Radio Vol. 1 - 4 (4 volumes), 1993 (Copper Creek)
  • Farm & Fun Time Favorites Vol. 1 - 2 (2 volumes), 1996 (Copper Creek)
  • A Treasury of Rare Song Gems From The Past (Compilation CD), 2007 (Gusto)
  • The Blue Sky Boys: The Very Best of Classic Country Remastered (5-CD box set, 2007 (JSP Records JSP7782).

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b McNeil 2005, p. 41.
  2. ^ a b c d e Bogdanov, Woodstra, Erlewine 2003, p. 70.
  3. ^ a b c Wolfe 2001, p. 99.
  4. ^ Wolff 2000, p. 9.
  5. ^ a b Erbsen 2003, p. 109.
  6. ^ Harkins 2005, p. 92.
  7. ^ Wolfe 2001, p. 97.
  8. ^ Wolfe 2001, p. 98.

References

  • Bogdanov, Vladimir - Woodstra, Chris - Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2003) All Music Guide To Country
  • Erbsen, Wayne (2003) Laura Boosinger, Rural Roots of Bluegrass
  • Harkins, Anthony (2005) Hillbilly: A Cultural History of An American Icon
  • McNeil, W. K. (2005) Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music
  • Wolfe, Charles K. (2001) Classic Country
  • Wolff, Kurt - Duane, Orlan (2000) Country Music: The Rough Guide
  • The Blue Sky Boys at
    Allmusic
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