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Home Virginia Grayson County Fries--Center of Early Recorded Country Music

Fries--Center of Early Recorded Country Music

W Main St, VA , USA

Latitude & Longitude: 36° 42' 59.486796", -80° 58' 53.840964"
  Virginia VA State Historical Marker
Virginia State
Historical Marker

 
On 10 Dec. 1923, millhand Henry Whitter of Fries, Virginia, recorded nine songs in New York City for OKeh Records. Released early in 1924, the coupling of Wreck on the Southern Old 97 and Lonesome Road Blues became one of the first successful country recordings. Whitter recorded more than 100 songs from 1923 to 1930. Whitter's success inspired others who had worked with him at the Fries Textile Plant to travel to New York and audition. Ernest V. Pop Stoneman made his first recordings in Sept. 1924, eventually exceeding Whitter's output. Likewise, Kelly Harrell traveled north in 1925 and continued to record throughout the 1920s.

Last updated: 2/14/2015 15:17:00
 
   
 
 
Fries--Center of Early Recorded Country Music Virginia Map