DeFord Bailey (December 14, 1899 – July 2, 1982) was an early country music star and the first African American performer on the Grand Ole Opry. Bailey played several instruments but is best known for his harmonica tunes. December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1899 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... July 2 is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 182 days remaining. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Country music, formerly called country and western music or country-western, is an amalgam of popular musical forms developed in the southern United States, with roots in traditional folk music, spirituals, and the blues. ... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly Saturday night country music radio program broadcast live on WSM Radio in Nashville, Tennessee. ... A harmonica A harmonica is a very common free reed musical wind instrument (also known, among other things, as a mouth organ, french harp, simply harp, or Mississippi saxophone), having multiple, variably-tuned brass or bronze reeds, each secured at one end over an airway slot of like dimension into...

Thanks to his pioneering efforts, Bailey was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Joining him in the 2005 class were country-pop superstar Glen Campbell and superband Alabama. Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum 2001 - Present The Country Music Hall of Fame is a museum at 222 Fifth Avenue South in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. ... See also: 2004 in country music, 2005 in music, other events of 2005, 2006 in country music, 2000s in music and the List of years in Country Music // Events Top Hits of the Year No. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Glen Campbell - Dec 2004 This article is about the singer. ... Alabama is a country music band that was started in 1969 but did not get a recording contract until 1977. ...

References

• Morton, David C. & Wolfe, Charles K. (1993). Deford Bailey: A Black Star in Early Country Music. University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 0-87-049792-8.
• PBS DeFord Bailey Documentary

External links

• Photos collected by Bailey's Biographer David Morton