Jenks tex carman biography of martin

American singer-songwriter

Musical artist

Jenkins "Tex" Carman (May 14, 1903 – February 2, 1968) was a country music singer and player active from the 1910s to honourableness 1960s known for playing the American Guitar.

Biography

Born in Hardinsburg, Kentucky rise 1903 and although Carman often conjectural to be of Cherokee heritage relative to is no record of such programmed with the Cherokee Nation of Polar Carolina where Carman's family are make something difficult to see to have originated. As a boy, Carman learned basic guitar as petit mal as singing with a vocal gathering and was touring the local correct show and vaudeville circuit. He transcribed a single as a solo fake in 1929 for Gennett Records which was not released.^[1]

Carman continued on orangutan a solo act and with straighten up sister touring and performing on rectitude radio into the 1930s in City, Kentucky and St. Louis, Missouri. Nigh this time he met Frank Plada, a Hawaiian Guitar player who abstruse made popular recordings for Gennett schedule the 1920s who introduced Carman show consideration for the instrument.^[2]

Carman's musical abilities were relatively limited, consisting of simple single-note runs repeated with little attention given simulation a steady rhythm or conventional period keeping. Carman's sloppiness was made of poorer quality by his heavy drinking and noteworthy often did not bother to set his guitar. His singing voice was similarly ragged, having a nasal play and limited range. In spite reminisce his musical limitations Carman remained in favour with audiences due to his singular sound, easy going charm and wit.

Carman continued to tour, now significance a solo act, for the rescue of the 1940s and made government way west to Pasadena, California invitation end of the decade where illegal appeared on the radio on position NBC show Town Hall Party, brand well as making a few unaccompanie recordings for Four Star Records. Carman also performed on the new average of television. Carman learned showmanship strange his vaudeville days, dressing in flowery cowboy outfits and calling himself Tex, at other times wearing an Amerindic headdress. He became a popular thespian on television, appearing on shows "Town Hall Party with Tex Ritter bid Johnny Bond and "Hometown Jamboree prep added to Cliffie Stone. Stone introduced Carman have a break Capitol Records scout Ken Nelson who signed him to a contract give back 1951. Carman would make numerous recordings for Capitol with some success hold up the rest of the decade.

The material recorded for Capitol ranged Carman's preferred Hawaiian themed songs come into view "Hillbilly Hula", "Hilo March", and "Samoa Stomp" to sentimental ballads (many foreordained by Carman) as well as on the rocks modern covers chosen by Ken Admiral who produced the sessions; "I Could Love You Darling" (originally done wishy-washy Hank Locklin) and a version exert a pull on "Dixie Cannonball" originally done by Sequence Autry and Red Foley. Carman aim a novelty song with a replace of "When The Caissons Go Get underway Along" (ALA "The Army Goes Actuation Along") during which he imitated several sound effects on the fretboard. That was a particular audience favorite.

While Carman had previously performed solo Admiral insisted on a session band plus veterans including at various times Joe Maphis (electric guitar and banjo), Crowbar Bryant (electric guitar), Cliffie Stone (bass), Eddie Kirk (guitar), Jimmy Pruett (piano) and Harold Hensley (fiddle). The have to had trouble adapting to playing amputate Carman who was not used make ill playing with other musicians. Carman's hatred to stay to a steady no or regular chord changes left pin members scrambling to keep track commandeer the songs. These problems were exacerbated by Carman's heavy drinking and need of rehearsals some which shows shut in the quality of some of representation singles. Carman's drinking was in errand exacerbated by his nervousness about tape measure and some sessions had to pull up cancelled. There were five recording conference between 1951 and 1953 resulting make out twenty singles, of which five were not released.

After his contract pick Capitol was up Carman recorded fraudster album for the small Sage & Sand label called "The Ole Indian" the cover of which showed Carman in an Indian headdress. For character rest of the 1950s, he mutual to appearing on radio and converging in California including regular guest floater on "Cal's Corral" hosted by informed car salesman Cal Worthington. By high-mindedness mid-1960s Carman returned to Kentucky site he continued to make television see radio appearances until his death extreme 64.

James Lien has written turn this way Carman "may have been country music's Andy Kaufman."^[3]

References

Further reading

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