Dorsey Dixon
| Dorsey Dixon | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Dorsey Murdock Dixon |
| Born |
October 14, 1897 Darlington, South Carolina, United States |
| Died | April 18, 1968 (aged 70) Plant City, Florida, United States |
| Genres | Old-time music, country music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, millworker |
| Instruments | Guitar, violin |
| Years active | 1930–64 |
| Labels | RCA Victor |
Dorsey Murdock Dixon (October 14, 1897, Darlington, South Carolina – April 18, 1968, Plant City, Florida) was an American old-time and country music songwriter and musician. He was also a millworker who spent much of his life working in textile mills in North and South Carolina. Dixon's best known songs were "Wreck on the Highway", which resulted in a copyright dispute with country musician Roy Acuff, and "Babies in the Mill", which was about the Southern textile industry's exploitation of child labor in the early 20th century.
Dorsey Dixon was born on October 14, 1897 in Darlington, South Carolina. He was one of seven children, all of whom, together with their father, worked at the local textile mill, Darlington Cotton Manufacturing Company. Dixon left school at the age of twelve to start working at the mill; his younger brother Howard started at the age of ten, and their sister Nancy began working there as a spinner at the age of eight. Dixon's family and friends encouraged homemade music and he quickly picked up the traditional and sentimental songs they sang. A family friend and school teacher gave Dixon violin lessons and by the time he was 14 he could also play the guitar. During World War I, Dixon and his brother Howard were employed by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in Darlington as signalmen, but lost their jobs in 1919 along with thousands of mill workers. Dorsey found work for a while at a mill in Lancaster, South Carolina before moving to East Rockingham, North Carolina in 1927 to work at the Aleo Mill. Dixon's parents and Nancy and Howard also moved to East Rockingham to join him. There Dixon married fellow mill worker Beatrice Lucele Moody, later having four children with her.
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