Wade Mainer
Wade Eckhart Mainer (April 21, 1907 – September 12, 2011) was an American country singer and banjoist. With his band, the Sons of the Mountaineers, he is credited with bridging the gap between old-time mountain music and Bluegrass and is sometimes called the "Grandfather of Bluegrass". In addition, he innovated a two-finger banjo fingerpicking style, which was a precursor to modern three-finger bluegrass styles. Originally from North Carolina, Mainer's main influences came from the mountain music of his family. In a career that began in 1934 and spanned almost six decades, Mainer transitioned from being a member of his brother's band into the founder of his own ensemble, the Sons of the Mountaineers, with whom he performed until 1953, when he became more deeply involved with his Christianity and left the music industry. After working at a General Motors factory and attending gospel revivals, Mainer was convinced that he should restart his career as a Christian gospel musician and began to tour with his wife in this capacity. He continued to release albums until 1993. |
Birth and Death Data: Born April 21, 1907 (Buncombe County), Died September 12, 2011 (Flint)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1935 - 1950
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, leader, banjo, harmonica, composer, songwriter, speaker
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 123 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-94328 | 10-in. | 8/6/1935 | Ship sailing now | J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | String band, with male vocal duet | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-94330 | 10-in. | 8/6/1935 | Maple on the hill | J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | String band, with male vocal duet | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-94331 | 10-in. | 8/6/1935 | Take me in the lifeboat | J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | String band, with male vocal duet | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-94333 | 10-in. | 8/6/1935 | New curly headed baby | J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | String band, with male vocal duet | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-94339 | 10-in. | 8/6/1935 | City on the hill | J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Daddy John Love ; Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | String band, with male vocal quartet | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-94341 | 10-in. | 8/6/1935 | Write a letter to Mother | J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Daddy John Love ; Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | String band, with male vocal quartet | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-94342 | 10-in. | 8/6/1935 | Lights in the valley | J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Daddy John Love ; Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | String band, with male vocal quartet | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-94675 | 10-in. | 2/12/1936 | Two little rosebuds | Dixon Brothers | Male vocal duet, with guitar and steel guitar | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-94678 | 10-in. | 2/12/1936 | Not turning back | Dixon Brothers | Male vocal duet, with guitar and steel guitar | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-99133 | 10-in. | 2/14/1936 | Come back to your dobie shack | Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | Male vocal duet, with banjo, guitar, and harmonica | instrumentalist, banjo, harmonica, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-99135 | 10-in. | 2/14/1936 | What would you give in exchange | Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | Male vocal duet, with guitar and banjo | instrumentalist, banjo, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-99136 | 10-in. | 2/14/1936 | A leaf from the sea | Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | Male vocal duet, with banjo, guitar, and harmonica | instrumentalist, banjo, harmonica, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-99137 | 10-in. | 2/14/1936 | Brown eyes | Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | Male vocal duet, with guitar and banjo | instrumentalist, banjo, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-99138 | 10-in. | 2/15/1936 | Maple on the hill | Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | Male vocal duet, with guitar and banjo | instrumentalist, banjo, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-99139 | 10-in. | 2/15/1936 | Going to Georgia | Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | Male vocal duet, with banjo, guitar, and harmonica | instrumentalist, banjo, harmonica, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-99140 | 10-in. | 2/15/1936 | Nobody's darling but mine | Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | Male vocal duet, with banjo and guitar | instrumentalist, banjo, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-99141 | 10-in. | 2/15/1936 | Mother came to get her boy from jail | Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | Male vocal duet, with banjo and guitar | instrumentalist, banjo, vocalist | |
Victor | BS-99142 | 10-in. | 2/15/1936 | Where the red, red roses grow | Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | Male vocal duet, with banjo, guitar, and harmonica | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-102600 | 10-in. | 6/15/1936 | On a cold winter night | J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Wade Mainer | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo | |
Victor | BS-102601 | 10-in. | 6/15/1936 | John Henry was a little boy | Beacham Blackweller ; J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Wade Mainer | Male vocal trio, with string band | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-102602 | 10-in. | 6/15/1936 | The old and faded picture | J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | Male vocal trio, with string band | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-102603 | 10-in. | 6/15/1936 | Take me home to the sweet sunny South | J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Wade Mainer | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-102604 | 10-in. | 6/15/1936 | Walk that lonesome valley | J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | Male vocal duet, with string band | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-102605 | 10-in. | 6/15/1936 | Got a home in that rock | J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | Male vocal duet, with string band | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-102606 | 10-in. | 6/15/1936 | Johnson's old grey mule | J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers ; Wade Mainer ; Zeke Morris | Male vocal trio, with string band and talk | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Mainer, Wade," accessed November 2, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104228.
Mainer, Wade. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 2, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104228.
"Mainer, Wade." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Mainer, Wade, 1907-2011 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83070023
Wikidata: Wade Mainer - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1853357
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/75225991
MusicBrainz: Wade Mainer - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/2fa8f23f-e052-4330-b1ea-9753e83e10b4
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