The Georgia Yellow Hammers were an old-time string and vocal quartet from Gordon County, Georgia from the 1920s. The group featured Charles Moody, Jr. on guitar; Bud Landress on banjo; Phil Reeve on guitar; and Bill Chitwood on fiddle. All members may have been multi-instrumentalists. Tony Russell's notes accompanying the 2004 compilation CD "Old Mountain" identify the personnel on "The Picture on the Wall" (Victor 20943, 9 Aug.1927) as Landress, fiddle and lead vocal; Reeve, guitar and vocal; C. Ernest Moody, banjo-ukulele and vocal; and Clyde Evans, guitar and vocal.
5-523: The group often played with Andrew and Jim Baxter from Curryville, GA (also in Gordon County). Curryville was also home to music legend Roland Hayes . Andrew Baxter's unique style of fiddle is heard an early recording of a band favorite entitled "G-Rag". The Baxters were African Americans, which was an unusual collaboration for the time period. The band released one of the top selling records of 1920s southern music with 1927's release "The Picture on
10-740: A standard in many gospel hymnals. The Calhoun High School football stadium in Calhoun, Georgia is also named after the guitar player and founding member Phil Reeve. Georgia Yellow Hammers recorded songs including: Mary, Don't You Weep I'm S-A-V-E-D Pass around the Bottle Fourth of July at a County Fair (1927) Going to Ride That Midnight Train Tennessee Coon (1927) My Carolina Girl (1927) G Rag with Andrew Baxter (1927 Aug. 9) Peaches down in Georgia Picture on
15-573: The Baxters traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina , to record for Victor in the summer of 1927. Because of the Jim Crow laws , the Baxters had to ride several cars behind the Yellow Hammers on the train ride to Charlotte. In Charlotte, each group recorded their individual sessions, with one exception: Andrew Baxter played fiddle on "G Rag" with the Yellow Hammers. It is thought that "G Rag"
20-480: The Wall (1928) Andrew and Jim Baxter Andrew Baxter (March 1869 – April 15, 1955), African-American fiddle player, and Jim Baxter (James Baxter; January 18, 1898 – June 11, 1950), African-American- Cherokee singer and guitar player, were a father and son fiddle and guitar duet from Gordon County, Georgia , who recorded in the 1920s. The Georgia Yellow Hammers and
25-798: The Wall"/"My Carolina Girl". The 1927 recording session with the Baxter's took place in Charlotte, NC, and was a rare integrated session, uncommon even through the mid to late 20th century. Andrew and Jim Baxter were a well known duo for the time in their own right around Northwest Georgia. The band is nationally recognized as an important 1920s "old-time" band. Their songs can still be heard from early recordings on such sites as YouTube.com and others. The song "Drifting Too Far From The Shore" written by member Charles Moody has been covered by such artists as Jerry Garcia , Emmylou Harris , Phil Lesh & Friends , Hank Williams , and many others, as well as being
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