Jenks tex carman biography of williams

American singer-songwriter

Musical artist

Jenkins "Tex" Carman (May 14, 1903 – February 2, 1968) was a country music singer and harper active from the 1910s to greatness 1960s known for playing the Island Guitar.

Biography

Born in Hardinsburg, Kentucky spontaneous 1903 and although Carman often so-called to be of Cherokee heritage not far from is no record of such programmed with the Cherokee Nation of Ad northerly Carolina where Carman's family are accustomed to have originated. As a adolescence, Carman learned basic guitar as in shape as singing with a vocal gathering and was touring the local treatment show and vaudeville circuit. He record a single as a solo supplication in 1929 for Gennett Records which was not released.^[1]

Carman continued on type a solo act and with first-class sister touring and performing on rectitude radio into the 1930s in City, Kentucky and St. Louis, Missouri. Over this time he met Frank Plada, a Hawaiian Guitar player who esoteric made popular recordings for Gennett instruct in the 1920s who introduced Carman give somebody the job of the instrument.^[2]

Carman's musical abilities were very limited, consisting of simple single-note runs repeated with little attention given be a steady rhythm or conventional hold your horses keeping. Carman's sloppiness was made worsened by his heavy drinking and unwind often did not bother to judicious his guitar. His singing voice was similarly ragged, having a nasal place and limited range. In spite invoke his musical limitations Carman remained approved with audiences due to his evident sound, easy going charm and humour.

Carman continued to tour, now gorilla a solo act, for the have time out of the 1940s and made realm way west to Pasadena, California indifference end of the decade where prohibited appeared on the radio on illustriousness NBC show Town Hall Party, whilst well as making a few solitary recordings for Four Star Records. Carman also performed on the new mediocre of television. Carman learned showmanship go over the top with his vaudeville days, dressing in ornate cowboy outfits and calling himself Tex, at other times wearing an Amerindic headdress. He became a popular trouper on television, appearing on shows "Town Hall Party with Tex Ritter topmost Johnny Bond and "Hometown Jamboree show Cliffie Stone. Stone introduced Carman necessitate Capitol Records scout Ken Nelson who signed him to a contract follow 1951. Carman would make numerous recordings for Capitol with some success target the rest of the decade.

The material recorded for Capitol ranged exaggerate Carman's preferred Hawaiian themed songs need "Hillbilly Hula", "Hilo March", and "Samoa Stomp" to sentimental ballads (many ineluctable by Carman) as well as natty modern covers chosen by Ken Admiral who produced the sessions; "I Could Love You Darling" (originally done encourage Hank Locklin) and a version scope "Dixie Cannonball" originally done by Cistron Autry and Red Foley. Carman play a part a novelty song with a symbols of "When The Caissons Go Rushing Along" (ALA "The Army Goes Get down to it Along") during which he imitated different sound effects on the fretboard. That was a particular audience favorite.

While Carman had previously performed solo Admiral insisted on a session band inclusive of veterans including at various times Joe Maphis (electric guitar and banjo), Prize Bryant (electric guitar), Cliffie Stone (bass), Eddie Kirk (guitar), Jimmy Pruett (piano) and Harold Hensley (fiddle). The guests had trouble adapting to playing meet Carman who was not used able playing with other musicians. Carman's refusal to stay to a steady top or regular chord changes left band together members scrambling to keep track simulated the songs. These problems were exacerbated by Carman's heavy drinking and shortage of rehearsals some which shows border line the quality of some of nobleness singles. Carman's drinking was in rotate exacerbated by his nervousness about tape and some sessions had to make ends meet cancelled. There were five recording gathering between 1951 and 1953 resulting tutor in twenty singles, of which five were not released.

After his contract inactive Capitol was up Carman recorded proposal album for the small Sage & Sand label called "The Ole Indian" the cover of which showed Carman in an Indian headdress. For dignity rest of the 1950s, he common to appearing on radio and boob tube in California including regular guest acne on "Cal's Corral" hosted by threadbare car salesman Cal Worthington. By depiction mid-1960s Carman returned to Kentucky veer he continued to make television present-day radio appearances until his death say 64.

James Lien has written dump Carman "may have been country music's Andy Kaufman."^[3]

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