James Gideon “Gid” Tanner was one of the earliest stars of what would come to be known as country music. His band, the Skillet Lickers, was one of the most innovative and influential string bands of the 1920s and 1930s. Its most notable members were Clayton McMichen (fiddle and vocal) and the blind Riley Puckett (guitar and vocal). This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... George Riley Puckett (May 7, 1894 - July 14, 1946) was a country music pioneer, born in Alpharetta, Georgia, USA. An accident during infancy left him blind. ...

Tanner was born in Thomas Bridge near Monroe, Georgia on June 6, 1885 and made a living as a farmer for most of his life. He learned to play the fiddle while in his teens and quickly established a reputation as one of the finest musicians in Georgia. He reportedly had a repertoire of more than 2000 songs. Monroe is a city located in Walton County, Georgia. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining // 1508 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year truce and cede several territories to Venice 1513... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... // Jazz The earliest references to jazz performance using the violin as a solo instrument are documented during the first decades of the 20th century. ...

Tanner and Puckett traveled to New York City in March 1924 to make the first of a series of duet recordings for Columbia Records. The first recording made with the Skillet Lickers was “Hand Me Down My Walking Cane,” recorded in Atlanta on April 17, 1926. It was released by Columbia on a 78rpm disc backed with “Watermelon On the Vine.” The group would eventually record more than 100 songs for Columbia before splitting up in 1931. Three years later, Tanner and Puckett reformed the Skillet Lickers and had several releases on Bluebird Records. Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC, City That Never Sleeps, The Concrete Jungle, The City So Nice They Named It Twice Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1676 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Bluebird Records was a sub-label of RCA Victor created to counter ARC Records on the 3 records for a dollar market. ...

Many of the songs they recorded remain popular with bluegrass and country musicians to this day. Among their best-known songs are "Alabama Jubilee", "Shortning Bread", "Old Joe Clark", "Casey Jones", "John Henry", "Bully of the Town", "Bile Them Cabbage Down", "Cotton-Eyed Joe", "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss", "Soldier’s Joy", "Boneparte's Retreat", "Leather Breeches", "Four Cent Cotton" and their biggest seller, "Down Yonder". Their comedy recordings, including A Corn Liquor Still in Georgia and A Fiddler’s Convention in Georgia were equally popular.

Some of the music the Skillet Lickers recorded uses language common among rural white Americans at the time but today is considered racist such as Nigger in the Woodpile and Run Nigger Run.

Tanner stopped making records in 1934, but continued performing into his 70s. Gid Tanner & The Skillet Lickers were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1988. Following his death in 1960, Tanner's grandson and great-grandson continued performing as the Skillet Lickers. Phil Tanner, Gid's grandson, hosts an open jam on Friday nights in a refurbished chicken house on his father's old farm in Dacula, GA. The music has stayed true to its origins and is well worth a visit to hear great string band style playing.

Song writer Bob Dylan wrote and performed a version of Gid Tanner's "Down on Tanner's Farm," retitled and reset as "New York Town." It can be heard in Martin Scorsese's Dylan tribute film.

Gideon Tanner is also the name of a role played by Kenny Rogers in his 1980 #1 hit concept album "Gideon" (see Gideon (album)). Kenneth Donald Kenny Rogers (born August 21, 1938, in Houston, Texas) is a prolific American country music singer, photographer, producer, songwriter, actor and businessman. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Gideon is the title of an album by Country singer Kenny Rogers issued by United Artists Records in 1980. ...

References

• Cohen, Norm. Liner Notes for the CD Old Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs From North Georgia (County Records, 1996)
• Russell, Tony. Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942 (Oxford University Press, 2004)
• The New Georgia Encyclopedia