Maybe I should
back up a little and start this story about 85 years ago.
Karl & Harty
were Karl Davis and Hartford
Taylor who both grew up
in Rockcastle County, Kentucky. They starting singing together in the 1920s and
formed a group called the Krazy Kats along with another Rockcastle Countian, Doc Hopkins.
In the early 1930s all three moved to Chicago to pursue their music careers and
became part of a musical act called the Cumberland Ridge Runners. Most of the
musicians who were members of the Cumberland Ridge Runners also had separate
recording contracts and performed individually (or in the case of Karl &
Harty, as a duet) in addition to performing with the group as regulars on the
WLS National Barn Dance.
Over the years the
membership of the Cumberland Ridge Runners changed but at one time or another Linda
Parker, Red Foley, Slim Miller, Shelby Jean Davis, Hugh Cross and Lula Belle
were also part of the act. John Lair, who later returned to Rockcastle County
and started the Renfro Valley Barn dance (which still operates today), was the
announcer and manager of the group.
Hartford was my
grandmother's brother. Doc was my grandfather's brother. I grew up hearing
about their music careers and always thought it was interesting that both of my
maternal grandparents had a singing brother. I never met Uncle Hartford. He died in 1963 at age 58. Uncle Doc visited
Kentucky several times that I remember - the last time for a Hopkins
family reunion in the 1970s. He died in 1988 less than a month before his 88th birthday.
