Uncle Dave Macon
David Harrison Macon (October 7, 1870 – March 22, 1952), known professionally as Uncle Dave Macon, was an American old-time banjo player, singer, songwriter, and comedian. Known as "The Dixie Dewdrop", Macon was known for his chin whiskers, plug hat, gold teeth, and gates-ajar collar, he gained regional fame as a vaudeville performer in the early 1920s before becoming the first star of the Grand Ole Opry in the latter half of the decade. Macon's music is considered the ultimate bridge between 19th-century American folk and vaudeville music and the phonograph and radio-based music of the early 20th-century. Music historian Charles Wolfe wrote, "If people call yodelling Jimmie Rodgers 'the father of country music,' then Uncle Dave must certainly be 'the grandfather of country music'." Macon's polished stage presence and lively personality have made him one of the most enduring figures of early country music. |
Birth and Death Data: Born 1870 (Tennessee), Died March 22, 1952 (Murfreesboro)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1924 - 1938
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, banjo, composer, leader, lyricist, guitar, speaker
Notes: Frequent subcredit: "The Dixie Dewdrop."
See Also: Dixie Sacred Singers
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 206 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-018758 | 10-in. | 1/26/1938 | Give me back my five dollars | Uncle Dave Macon | Male vocal solo, with banjo | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BS-018759 | 10-in. | 1/26/1938 | Railroadin' and gamblin' | Uncle Dave Macon | Male vocal solo, with banjo | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BS-018760 | 10-in. | 1/26/1938 | Cumberland Mountain deer race | Uncle Dave Macon | Male vocal solo, with banjo | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BS-018761 | 10-in. | 1/26/1938 | Johnny Grey | Uncle Dave Macon | Male vocal solo, with violin and banjo | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BS-018762 | 10-in. | 1/26/1938 | The gayest old dude that's out | Uncle Dave Macon | Male vocal solo, with banjo | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
Columbia | W142507 | 10-in. | 8/6/1926 | On that Dixie Bee Line | Vernon Dalhart | Male vocal solo, with fiddle (violin), guitar, and harmonica | composer, lyricist | |
OKeh | W404754 | 10-in. | 12/17/1930 | Tennessee red fox chase | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Banjo and banjo-guitar duet, with talk | instrumentalist, banjo, composer, speaker | |
OKeh | W404755 | 10-in. | 12/17/1930 | The wreck of the Tennessee gravy train | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and banjo-guitar | vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, banjo | |
OKeh | W404756 | 10-in. | 12/17/1930 | Oh baby, you done me wrong | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and banjo-guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
OKeh | W404757 | 10-in. | 12/17/1930 | She's got the money too | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and banjo-guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
OKeh | W404758 | 10-in. | 12/17/1930 | Oh lovin' babe | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and banjo-guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
OKeh | W404759 | 10-in. | 12/17/1930 | Mysteries of the world | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and banjo-guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
OKeh | W404760 | 10-in. | 12/17/1930 | Round dice reel | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and banjo-guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
OKeh | W404761 | 10-in. | 12/17/1930 | Come along, buddie, don’t you want to go? | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and banjo-guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
OKeh | W404762 | 10-in. | 12/17/1930 | Go on, Nora Lee | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and banjo-guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
OKeh | W404763 | 10-in. | 12/17/1930 | Was you there when they took my Lord away? | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and banjo-guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
Brunswick | E2751-E2752 | 10-in. | 4/14/1926 | Rise when the rooster crows | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo, composer, lyricist | |
Brunswick | E2753-E2754 | 10-in. | 4/14/1926 | Way down the Old Plank Road | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
Brunswick | E2755-E2756 | 10-in. | 4/14/1926 | The Bible’s true | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo, composer, lyricist | |
Brunswick | E2757-E2758 | 10-in. | 4/14/1926 | He won the heart of my Sarah Jane | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo, lyricist, composer | |
Brunswick | E2759-E2760 | 10-in. | 4/14/1926 | Last night when my Willie came home | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
Brunswick | E2761-E2762 | 10-in. | 4/14/1926 | I’ve got the mourning blues | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
Brunswick | E2763-E2764 | 10-in. | 4/14/1926 | The death of John Henry | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
Brunswick | E2765-E2766 | 10-in. | 4/14/1926 | On the Dixie Bee Line | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo, composer, lyricist | |
Brunswick | E2774-E2775 | 10-in. | 4/16/1926 | Whoop ‘em up, Cindy | Uncle Dave Macon ; Sam McGee | Male vocal solo, with banjo and guitar | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Macon, Uncle Dave," accessed November 9, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/106725.
Macon, Uncle Dave. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 9, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/106725.
"Macon, Uncle Dave." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 9 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Uncle Dave Macon
Discogs: Uncle Dave Macon
Allmusic: Uncle Dave Macon
Grove: Uncle Dave Macon
IMDb: Uncle Dave Macon
Britannica: Uncle Dave Macon
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Macon, Uncle Dave, 1870-1952 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n93001028
Wikidata: Uncle Dave Macon - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2492614
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/24788673
MusicBrainz: Uncle Dave Macon - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/bdc82654-bc2d-45e7-aabf-e0494d8e917d
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