Roy Acuff
| Roy Acuff | |
|---|---|
Acuff in 1950
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roy Claxton Acuff |
| Also known as | King of Country Music |
| Born |
September 15, 1903 Maynardville, Tennessee, United States |
| Died |
November 23, 1992 (aged 89) Nashville, Tennessee |
| Genres | Country, Gospel |
| Occupation(s) | singer and songwriter |
| Years active | 1936–1992 |
| Labels | Conqueror, Okeh, Columbia |
| Notable instruments | |
| Fiddle, vocals | |
Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music," Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful. In 1952 Hank Williams told Ralph Gleason, "He's the biggest singer this music ever knew. You booked him and you didn't worry about crowds. For drawing power in the South, it was Roy Acuff, then God."
Acuff began his music career in the 1930s and gained regional fame as the singer and fiddler for his group, the Smoky Mountain Boys. He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1938, and although his popularity as a musician waned in the late 1940s, he remained one of the Opry's key figures and promoters for nearly four decades. In 1942, Acuff co-founded the first major Nashville-based country music publishing company—Acuff-Rose Music—which signed such artists as Hank Williams, Roy Orbison, and the Everly Brothers. In 1962, Acuff became the first living inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Acuff was born on September 15, 1903 in Maynardville, Tennessee to Ida (née Carr) and Simon E. Neill Acuff, the third of their five children. The Acuffs were a fairly prominent family in Union County. Roy's paternal grandfather, Coram Acuff, had been a Tennessee state senator, and Roy's maternal grandfather was a local physician. Roy's father was an accomplished fiddler and a Baptist preacher, his mother was proficient on the piano, and during Roy's early years the Acuff house was a popular place for local gatherings. At such gatherings, Roy would often amuse people by balancing farm tools on his chin. He also learned to play the harmonica and jaw harp at a young age.
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