I tried to find a larger copy of this image. I was pretty excited to see the two guys sitting on the floor on the left of the picture. I've never seen their pictures when they were that young.
I tried to find a larger copy of this image. I was pretty excited to see the two guys sitting on the floor on the left of the picture. I've never seen their pictures when they were that young.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
How cool is that! Good find!
Absolutely classic - THANKS for sharing!
That is a cool photo. According to Wikipedia:
I wonder if the current Renfro Barn Dance organziation might have a larger copy of that photo or maybe the Country Music Hall of Fame?Renfro Valley Barn Dance was an American country music stage and radio show originally carried by WLW-AM in Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday nights. It debuted on October 9, 1937 from the Cincinnati Music Hall and moved to the Memorial Auditorium in Dayton, Ohio. It was hosted by John Lair, Red Foley, Cotton Foley, and Whitey Ford.
The show later moved to larger quarters near Mt. Vernon, Kentucky in November 1939 and was carried by WHAS-AM in Louisville, the NBC Radio Network and WCKY-AM in Cincinnati.
The program is no longer broadcast, but a live show bearing its name takes place on Saturday nights at the Renfro Valley Entertainment Center in Renfro Valley, Kentucky. A sister program, the Renfro Valley Gatherin' (established in 1943), continues to air.
PBS did a documentary series on American Roots Music called "In the Valley Where Time Stands Still", which is a film about the history of the Renfro Valley Barn Dance.
And from Homer and Jethro's Wikipedia page:
Here is a promo photo probably from about the same time (from Country Music Hall of Fame). Same haircuts and outfits.In 1939 they became regulars on the Renfro Valley Barn Dance radio program in Renfro Valley, Kentucky.
Jim
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How tall is the woman on the extreme right? Does anyone recognise her?
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Well, someone there has a the original I would think. Have you tried contacting them? I will bet that that was from some sort of promotional brochure or booklet.
I did find another scan at the HSGA page featuring Jerry Byrd. That one is even smaller and washed out but has the year 1940. Maybe HSGA has a source for it?
One other possible source might be the Berea College archives. They have a whole collection of ephemera on the Renfro Valley Barn Dance. I just tried this search result but there might be other possibilities.
Last edited by Jim Garber; Jun-23-2019 at 2:24pm.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
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