Sacred Songs of Mother and Home

Side One

1. HEAVEN BELLS ARE RINGING - 2:50

Recorded Feb. 4, 1939 Rock Hill, South Carolina

Clyde Moody-Guitar, J. Hugh Hall-Guitar, Steve Ledford-Violin, Wade Mainer-Banjo

2. PRECIOUS MEMORIES - 3:10

Sept. 29, 1941 Atlanta, Georgia

Jack Shelton-Lead & Guitar, Gurley Shelton-Tenor, Wade-Guitar

3. IF I COULD HEAR MY MOTHER PRAY AGAIN - 2:30

June 15, 1936 Charlotte, North Carolina

Wade-Banjo, Zeke-Guitar

4. MY MOTHER IS WAITING - 2:30

June 15, 1936 Charlotte, North Carolina

Wade-Banjo, Zeke-Guitar

5. DEAR DADDY YOU'RE GONE - 2:29

October 12, 1936

Wade, Zeke and Homer Sherrill-Violin

6. I'M NOT TURNING BACKWARD - 3:14

August 2, 1937 Charlotte, North Carolina

Wade & Zeke (Wade-Composer)

7. SHAKE HANDS WITH MOTHER AGAIN - 2:43

June 15, 1936 Charlotte, North Carolina

Wade & Zeke

Side 2

1. THE OLD AND FADED PICTURE - 3:04

June 15, 1936 Charlotte, North Carolina

Wade, J. E. Mainer & Zeke Morris John Love-Guitar

2. WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE IN EXCHANGE - 2:53

Feb. 14, 1936 Charlotte, North Carolina

3. LITTLE ROSEBUDS - 2:30

Feb. 16, 1937 Charlotte, North Carolina

Wade & Zeke (Wade Mainer & Dorsey Dixon-Composers)

4. SHIP SAILING NOW - 2:38

Aug. 6, 1935 Atlanta, Georgia

J. E.-Violin, Wade-Banjo, Zeke-Guitar, John Love-Guitar)

5. MOTHER CAME TO GET HER BOY FROM JAIL - 2:38

Feb. 15, 1936 Charlotte, North Carolina

Wade & Zeke-Banjo & Guitar

6. TAKE ME HOME TO THE SWEET SUNNY SOUTH - 2:52

June 15, 1936 Charlotte, North Carolina

Violin-Wade, J. E. Mainer, Zeke Morris, Unknown Guitar

7. DYING BOYS PRAYER - 2:25

August 2, 1937 Charlotte, North Carolina

Zeke Morris-Lead, Guitar Wade-Banjo

HOMESTEAD RECORDS

6241 Three Lakes Drive

Brighton, Michigan 48116

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Art Work by

Stan Hester

Milford, Mich.

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HOMESTEAD

90001

Compatible Stereo

Wade E. Mainer, the second youngest of eight children, was born of William and Polly Mainer,

April 21, 1907 near Weaverville, North Carolina. At a young age he began working at a saw mill for his

brother-in-law Roscoe Banks who was also an old time fiddler. After the work was all done on weekends,

Wade would accompany his brother-in-law to square dances and during intermissions, when the musi-

cians laid their instruments down, Wade headed straight for the banjo. He would pick it up and begin to

strum on it. Wade remembers that the musicians would comment that he would probably never be able

to learn to play the banjo because the old time banjo players at that time used the "clawhammer” or

"drop thumb” style and Wade felt there must be an easier way, so tried using one finger and thumb.

This eventually became his own unique style which many tried to copy and was to become the fore-

runner to the three finger bluegrass style banjo.

The rest of Wade Mainers life has become a part of the history of the true American folk music

culture. He and his brother J. E. Mainer formed the world famous Mainers Mountaineers, (Originally

called the "Crazy Mountaineers” while working for "Crazy Water Crystals” a patent medicine company.)

They began their career by playing for square dances etc. as many of the other famous musicians of that

era did. Several good musicians worked with them at that time including the Lay Brothers, (Lester and

Howard). In 1934 they went to work for the Crazy Water Crystal Co. along with “Daddy” John Love

and later Claude "Zeke” Morris. Through the help of J.W. Fincher of Crazy Water Crystals, they went to

work for radio station WBT in Charlotte, North Carolina and helped form the Saturday Evening Bam

Dance Broadcast.

After immediately obtaining a large following from the Barn Dance Broadcast, they went on the

road doing personal appearances under the management of J. W. Fincher. Wade remembers making as

much as $500.00 a week for J.W. Fincher (from their personal appearances at school houses, etc.) and

he only gave them back $5.00 each per week, but back then to a country boy fresh out of the mountains,

that seemed like a lot of money.

The Crazy Water Crystals Co. then decided they would like to move the “Crazy Mountaineers” to

WWNC in Ashville, North Carolina and see how they could do in that area. They were only there a short

time when the old listeners back at WBT began writing letters demanding that they be brought back to

Charlotte so they were, this time with a raise in pay and two 15-minute daily programs of their own at

7:15 A.M. and 12 noon, they continued at this for roughly six months.

It was while they were at WBT that Mr. Van Sills, who was a Victor Records distributor in

Charlotte, got in touch with J.E. and asked him if he would like to make records for the Bluebird label.

They told him they would and so Mr. Sills got in touch with Eli Overstein of Victor Records and a re-

cording date was set up on August 6, 1935 in Atlanta, Georgia. They drove down in a T Model Ford and

Mr. Sills went along to accompany them. They walked into the Winekoff Hotel in Atlanta and made

their first recordings without ever having auditioned formally.

They recorded 14 of their most popular songs from their radio programs at their first session

which were all issued on the Bluebird label. The first song they recorded was "Ship Sailing Now” but the

first song Victor released was "Maple on the Hill” backed with "Take Me in the Lifeboat”. It became an

immediate smash hit and was probably one of the best selling records, of this type, throughout the

thirties. Wade recalls they were given a royalty of 14 cent per record and they made approximately

$18,000.00 for "Maple on the Hill” alone.

The Crazy Water Crystals Co. decided to sever ties with WBT in Charlotte and sent the "Moun-

taineers” to WPTF in Raleigh, North Carolina. One evening Wade and Zeke were late for a program and

Hubert Fincher who was the son of J.W. Fincher of Crazy Water Crystals gave them a hard time so they

told him to get someone else to replace them. J.E. and John Love felt they should stay with Fincher

because he helped them get started and they felt obligated to him. When Wade and Zeke told Mr. Graham

Pointer, who was the manager of WPTF, they had decided to quit Crazy Waters he told them not to

worry that he would give them their own program and pay them $30.00 each per week plus all the

money they made on personal appearances. This sounded like a small fortune to Wade and Zeke so they

decided to stay on at WPTF. J. E. Formed a new group and also stayed on.

Wade and Zeke primarily worked alone for quite a while but occasionally working with J.E. also.

They worked with several musicians on their personal appearances and recording sessions. Homer Sherrill

can be heard playing fiddle on "Dear Daddy You’re Gone”. (Norwood Tew wrote and helped Wade and

Zeke record "Cradle Days” which we hope to include on a future album). However, they seemed to like

the fiddle of Steve Ledford best of all and Steve traveled with Wade for many years even after Zeke

decided to leave. Steve was not new in recordings as he had recorded several years earlier with the

Carolina Rambler String Band.

Later Zeke got married and decided to give up travelling so Wade hired Clyde Moody and J. Hugh

Hall to travel with him and Steve Ledford stayed on too. They made many records together and traveled

throughout the south playing to packed houses everywhere they went. Steve sang tenor and played

guitar with Clyde singing lead quite often and also playing the guitar. Later on Jack and Curley Shelton

joined Wade and helped him make his last records for Bluebird on Sept. 29, 1941 and also some King

records later on. Jack played guitar and Curley played mandolin.

In 1942 Wade was asked to come to the White House and entertain the late President Franklin D.

Roosevelt and his family. Wade remembers while eating ice cream at a social gathering he spilt some on

Mrs. Roosevelt’s dress so he pulled his big red handkerchief out of his back pocket and offered to help

wipe it off but she was very gracious and said she'd go change into something else.

While he was at WWNC in Knoxville, Tennessee he received a telegram from George D. Hay of the

Grand Ole Opry asking him if he could come to fill in for Pee Wee King who would be away for a while

with the possibility of getting his own program. Since he was under contract to WWNC he asked Lowell

Blanchard for permission which was granted. However, for some reason at the last minute, Blanchard

changed his mind so Wade had to wire back saying he would be unable to come. Wade has never appeared

on the Grand Ole Opry. . , . . , ~ _

After having trouble keeping a good band with him and also after having gotten tired of spending

so much time on the road, Wade decided to retire and go back home to North Carolina. Wade stayed

there for a few years and in the 50’s he moved to Flint, Michigan to work for Chevrolte. He has lived

there since and only now plays primarily for friends and church gathering. He has given his life to the

Lord and is now deeply dedicated to religious work.

We hope you will enjoy the songs we have chosen for this album. I believe they best exemplify the

Mainer sound throughout the 30’s from their first recording session for Bluebird m 1935 to their last

Bluebird session in 1941. The information used here was taken from several taped interviews and 1

apologize if I misspelled someone’s name, etc.

John W. Morris

Radio Station WYNZ

August 11, 1971