DeFord Bailey Sr. (1899 - 1982)

Born 14 Dec 1899 in Rock City, Smith, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Ida (Lee) Bailey-Haynes — married 28 Oct 1929 in Davidson, Tennessee, United States

Descendants

Died 2 Jul 1982 at age 82 in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

DeFord Bailey Sr. is Notable.

DeFord Bailey Sr. was born in Tennessee.

DeFord Bailey was an American country music and blues star from the 1920s until 1941. Known as "The Harmonica Wizard", he was the first performer to be introduced on the Grand Ole Opry and the first African-American performer on the show. He played several instruments but is best known for his harmonica tunes.

A grandson of slaves,[5] Bailey was born into a farming family in rural Rock City near the Bellwood community in Smith County, Tennessee, to Henry Bailey and Mary Reedy.[3][6][10] Bailey lost his mother soon thereafter, and his aunt Barbara Lou and her husband, Clark Odum, became his foster parents. He learned to play the harmonica at the age of three[5][6] when he contracted polio (or, as it was called at the time, infantile paralysis).[6] He was confined to bed for a year, during which he began developing his distinctive style of playing.[7] The polio stunted his growth and left his back somewhat bent, but what he lacked in physical stature he made up for in talent and determination. In addition to his well-known harmonica, Bailey also played the guitar, bones, and banjo.[3][4]

Bailey moved to Nashville in 1918 and spent the next six years working odd jobs, including stints as a houseboy, drugstore helper, and elevator operator. Bailey was a pioneer member of the WSM Grand Ole Opry and one of its most popular performers, appearing on the program from 1927 to 1941.[8] During this period he toured with major country stars, including Uncle Dave Macon, Bill Monroe, and Roy Acuff.[9]

DeFord married Ida (Lee) Bailey-Haynes (1914-2009) on October 28, 1929 in Davidson, Tennessee, United States.^[1]. DeFord and Ida were the parents of three children including :

1. Deford Bailey, Jr. b. 1932 d. 2013

Bailey was fired by WSM in 1941 because of a licensing conflict between BMI and ASCAP, which prevented him from playing his best-known tunes on the radio.[10] This effectively ended his performance career, and he spent the rest of his life shining shoes and renting out rooms in his home to make a living. Rare guest performances on the Opry gave listeners occasional glimpses of his former heyday.

He died on July 2, 1982, at Baptist Hospital (dead on arrival) in Nashville, Tennessee [2][11], and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery there.[1] His son, DeFord Bailey, Jr., had kept some of his father's harmonica music alive. On November 15, 2005, he joined two other country music legends, Glenn Campbell and Alabama in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Sources

1. ↑ Marriage: "Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950"
   citing Page: 45806; Digital film/folder number: 004486187_002_M9SW-PXP; FHL microfilm: 002074105; Image number: 145
   FamilySearch Record: KZW8-SW6 (accessed 17 December 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 9Q97-YSQV-ZPN
   De Ford Bailey marriage to Ida Lee Jones on 28 Oct 1929 in Davidson, Tennessee, United States.

• [1], Charles K. (December 25, 2009). "Deford Bailey (1899-1982)". The Tennessee Encyclopedia. University of Tennessee Press (originally published by the Historical Society, 1998). (https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/deford-bailey/)

• [2]"Grand Ole Opry Legend DeFord Bailey, 82, Dead". JET. 62 (21): page 53. August 2, 1982. (https://books.google.com/books?id=DLgDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA53#v=onepage&q=Deford%20Bailey&f=false)

• [3]"Deford Bailey". Country Music Hall of Fame. (http://countrymusichalloffame.org/artist/deford-bailey/)

• [4]"DeFord Bailey: A Legend Lost/Samples of DeFord's music". PBS.

• [5]Johnston, Allen (March 1, 2011). "A Black Star In Early Country Music". ISBN 0-87049-792-8. pg.15 BlackHistory.Com.

• [6]Morton, David C.; Charles K. Wolfe (1993). DeFord Bailey: A Black Star in Early Country Music. University of Tennessee Press. p. 15.

• [7]Deford Bailey: Legend Lost (Early Years), Nashville Public Television, 2002.

• [8]CMA Press Release 2005 Hall of Fame, 29 August 2005.

• [9]Morris, Edward (May 1, 2002). "DeFord Bailey Documentary to Air May 7". CMT.Com.

• [10]Morton, David C.; Charles K. Wolfe (1993). "Chapter 10, They Turned Me Loose to Root Hog or Die". Deford Bailey: A Black Star in Early Country Music. Oxford University Press. pp. 121–130. (https://books.google.com/books?id=M0TaNRD87bgC&pg=PA15#v=onepage&q&f=false)

• [11]"DeFord Bailey (Timeline)". PBS

• DeFord Bailey (1899-1982) on Find A Grave: Memorial #9247 retrieved 9 November 2019

• Wirz American Music (https://www.wirz.de/music/baileyde.htm)

• 1900 Census: "United States Census, 1900"
  Citing enumeration district (ED) 102, sheet 20A, family 355, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,600.
  FamilySearch (accessed 7 January 2022)
  FamilySearch Image
  Deford Bailey (0), single son in household of John H Bailey Jo(25) in Civil Districts 13-14, Smith, Tennessee, United States.

• 1910 Census: "United States Census, 1910"
  Citing enumeration district (ED) ED 103, sheet 7A, family 118, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1497; FHL microfilm 1,375,510.
  FamilySearch (accessed 7 January 2022)
  FamilySearch Image Image number 00132
  De Ford Bailey (9), single nephew in household of Clark Odum (30) in Civil District 9, Davidson, Tennessee, United States. Born in Tennessee.

• 1920 Census: "United States Census, 1920"
  Citing Affiliate Publication Number: T625; Affiliate Film Number: 1735; Line: 45; FHL microfilm: 1821735; Record number: 53806;
  FamilySearch (accessed 7 January 2022)
  FamilySearch Image Image number 01107
  D Ford Bailey (18), single nephew in household of Clark Odum in Davidson, Tennessee, United States.

• 1940 Census: "United States Census, 1940"
  citing Affiliate Publication Number: T627; Line: 27; Digital film/folder number: 005461346; Image number: 204; Sheet number: 12; Sheet letter: A
  FamilySearch Record: K4CK-4QY (accessed 16 December 2023)
  FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-L9M1-6DV6
  De Ford Bailey (40), married head of household in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States. Born in Tennessee.

• 1950 Census: "United States 1950 Census"
  citing Page: 15; Line: 7; Digital film/folder number: 108977302; Image number: 16
  FamilySearch Record: 6FSS-FS1Q (accessed 16 December 2023)
  FamilySearch Image: 3QHK-SQHW-GPLY
  Defoe Baily (51), married, Shines Shoes, head of household in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States. Born in Tennessee.

• Marriage: "Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950"
  Citing Davidson, Tennessee, United States, Marriage, p. , Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 2,074,105.
  FamilySearch (accessed 7 January 2022)
  FamilySearch Image Image number 01466
  De Ford Bailey marriage to Ida Lee Jones in 1929 in Davidson, Tennessee, United States.

• "Country Music Commemorates Deford Bailey." The Tennessean, (Nashville, TN), 24 Jun 1983, Fri • Page 51; image scan available at newspapers.com.

• See Also:
• Wikipedia: Deford_Bailey
• Wikidata: Item Q1179504, en:Wikipedia