Dan Hornsby

Dan Hornsby
Background information
Birth name	Isaac Daniel Hornsby
Born	February 1, 1900(1900-02-01)
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, US
Died	May 18, 1951(1951-05-18) (aged 51)
Genres	Old time music
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, producer, musician
Instruments	vocals, trumpet
Years active	1919–1951
Labels	Columbia Records,, Bluebird Records

Isaac Daniel Hornsby (1 February 1900–18 May 1951) was an American singer, musician, music writer, producer and arranger.

Before career

Wife Luise

Granddaughter Nikki Hornsby (also a singer)

His father Joseph Todd Hornsby^[1] was a contractor and a part time Baptist minister.^[2]

Dan Hornsby was born in Atlanta and attended North Georgia College. Later, at the age of 19 he worked as a painter with the W.E. Browne Decorating Co. in Columbus, Georgia when he met Louise Wise of Little Rock, Arkansas. She sang and danced in a roadshow and they met at the hotel, which Hornsby was painting. They married and had five children. His oldest son had a daughter Nikki Hornsby, who also became a fulltime artist - singer, songwriter, musician, producer, arranger, and founder of CJP-NHRecords, Inc.

Beginning of career

After the marriage Louise quit the stage, but Dan drifted towards show business although he did not have any formal musical training. However, he enjoyed playing trumpet and singing with various dance bands in Atlanta in the 1920s. Hornsby formed his basic group Dan Hornsby Quartet: Perry Bechtel (banjo, guitar and bariton), Taylor Flanagan (piano and high tenor), Sterlin Melvin (guitar and bass guitar) and Dan Hornsby (lead singer and arranger).

The Atlanta Baking Company asked Hornsby to do a show on WSM Radio in Atlanta. The group name was changed to Bamby Baker Boys and Hornsby became the first commercial performer of the WSB radio station, which started airing in 1922. His pleasant disposition and sense of humour earned him a nickname "Cheerful Dan".

Main career

Hornsby's performance on radio was noticed by Columbia Records - the oldest record company. His main role was a sort of talent scout, but he had many roles at Columbia Records during the 1920s and early 1930s, including production of his own recordings like "On Mobile Bay" and "I Want A Girl" or with Young Brothers Tennessee Band: "Are you from Dixie" and "Bill Bailey, won't you please come home", "Oh! Susanna", "Little Brown Jug", and other classic American songs. For example, Hornsby was the first recorded voice of the "Arkansas Traveler" and was the producer of the first recording of "You Are My Sunshine".

Hornsby worked with Gid Tanner and his group Skillet Lickers. Horsby appeared usually in the role of city slicker, judge or sheriff, and he used the nickname Tom Dorsey.

On 28 August 1928 a building collapsed in Shelby, North Carolina killing six people and injuring twice as many.^[3] Hornsby composed a song title Shelby Disaster:^[2][4]

Let the tears of fond remembrance,
flow gently, full and free;
Let all who read my story,
extend their sympathy.

But the whispering hope of ages,
with true ambition shod,
leaps forth with reconstruction,
for hope is part of God.

And remember there's a city,
whose streets should be our goal,
where buildings never crumble,
that city of the soul.

—Dan Hornsby, The Shelby Disaster

Together with Clayton McMichen Hornby wrote History in a few words^[5] published in 1931 by Shapiro, Bernstein & Co.

In 1931 he recruited Alton and Rabon Delmore (later known as Delmore Brothers) for Columbia Records.

Changes

The Great Depression also affected the phonographic industry and Hornsby lost his job with Columbia Records despite selling over 9000 recordings of "The Shelby Disaster". He then went back to radio and worked with several stations including WGST, where his roles included announcer, continuity man and even a comic in programs like "Down to Unkle Zeke's".

For Bluebird Records he played Uncle Ned in a series of children's bedtime stories such as "Humpty Dumpty", "Wynkyn, Blynky and Nod".

In 1939 he appeared in the first television broadcast in Atlanta. Later he joined RCA Victor Records and then moved to other stations like WATL and WCON.

In 1986 Dan Hornsby was included into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame, joining the names of some of his friends and associates: Gid Tanner, Clayton McMichen and Riley Puckett.

Bands

Dan Hornsby (front row, second from left with a trumpet) with one of his bands

Skillet Lickers (without Hornsby)

During his career Hornsby both created or joined many music bands:

• Dan Hornsby Trio
• Dan Hornsby Novelty Quartet
• Dan Hornsby Novelty Orchestra
• Dan Hornsby & His Lion's Den Trio
• Skillet Lickers
• Young Brothers Tennessee Band
• Bamby Baker Boys
• Taylor Flanagan & His Trio
• Georgia Organ Grinders.

Discography^[6][7]

Dan Hornsby during recording "Strolling Down The Lane"

Year	Songs
1927	Are You From Dixie Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home Dear Old Girl (Columbia 15769D) The Banquet In Misery Hall Cubanola Glide (Columbia 1268D) Oh! Susanna (Columbia 1268D)
1928	On Mobile Bay (Columbia 15276D) I Want A Girl (Just Like The Girl That Married Dear Old Dad) (Columbia 15276D) Goodbye Alexander Oceana Roll The Shelby Disaster (Columbia 15321D) The Story Of C.S. Barnes (Columbia 15321D) She Was Bred In Old Kentucky (Columbia 15381D) Can't Yo' Heah Me Callin' Caroline (Columbia 15381D) Ho! By Jingo (Columbia 1637D) Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly? (Columbia 1637D) Just A Baby's Prayer At Twilight (Columbia 15578D) I'm Sorry I Made You Cry (Columbia 15578D) Original Arkansas Traveler Part 1 (with Clayton McMichen, Columbia 15253D) Original Arkansas Traveler Part 2 (with Clayton McMichen, Columbia 15253D)
1929	The Vamp Take Me Out To The Ball Game (Columbia 15444D) Hinky Dinky Dee (Columbia 15444D) All Alone Lovin' Henry Old Weary Blues Four Thousand Years Ago A Night In A Blind Tiger
1930	History In A Few Words (Columbia 15628D) The Lunatic's Lullaby (Columbia 15628D)
1931	Katinka A Sailor's Sweetheart (Columbia 15771D) Three Blind Mice (Columbia 15771D) So This Is Venice
1934	Whoa, Mule, Whoa Hinkey-Dinkey-Dee Prosperity And Politics Practice Night With The Skillet Lickers
1939	I Found You Among The Roses
unknown	Little Brown Jug You Are My Sunshine Strolling Down The Lane

References

1. ^ http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/m/c/l/Rex-Mclaurin/GENE1-0075.html
2. ^ ^{a b} Bluegrass Unlimited, Jack Tottle, Dan Horsby, Jim Scancarelli, Hub Nitchie, August, 1989, p. 33-35
3. ^ http://remembercliffside.com/history/articles/bhumphries.html
4. ^ http://www.archive.org/details/DanHornsby-TheShelbyDisaster
5. ^ http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/asl.3797441a227/
6. ^ http://honkingduck.com/discog/olds_search.php?cs=a&match=Hornsby&ctx=sV0&submit=Matching+Search
7. ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2usUpwMgx3gC&pg=PA442&dq=%22The+Lunatic%27s+Lullaby%22+hornsby

External links

• Artist Nikki Hornsby's grandfather Dan Hornsby the man with the two octive voice. Atlanta Music Hall of Fame 1986

Persondata
Name	Hornsby, Dan
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1 February 1900
Place of birth
Date of death	18 May 1951
Place of death