W.Va. Music Hall to announce honorees
The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame will announce its second group of inductees at 10:30 a.m. today in Great Hall of the West Virginia Cultural Center.
"Charleston's First Lady of Jazz," Ann Baker grew up in Washington, Pa., and got her start singing in Pittsburgh jazz clubs. In 1941, she was discovered by Louis Armstrong. She later joined big bands led by Lionel Hampton and Count Basie. She was a member of The Dream Band, whose lineup included Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis and Art Blakey. She retired from the road, and with her husband, opened The Shalamar club in Charleston, a popular jazz nightspot.
Bluefield's Maceo Pinkard was a songwriter from Mercer County who made "Sweet Georgia Brown" a popular standard. Pinkard toured with his own orchestra, wrote the all-black revue "Liza," and was the first black to own a music publishing business in New York City. He co-wrote "Sweet Georgia Brown" with bandleader Ben Bernie and Ken Casey. The song has been recorded by everyone from Frank Sinatra and The Beatles to Harry Connick Jr.
Woodrow Wilson "Red" Sovine from Charleston is best known for trucker-themed talking numbers like "Giddy Up Go," "Phantom 309," and "Teddy Bear." Sovine appeared on WCHS in Charleston and Wheeling's WWVA. His first hit was a duet with Webb Pierce, on a version of George Jones' "Why Baby Why," which led to his joining the Grand Ole Opry.
Tucker County gave birth to America's undisputed Polka King, Frankie Yankovic. He was the first polka artist to score a million-selling album, the first to perform on television and the first to win a Grammy for Best Polka Album. After a break during World War II, Yankovic brought his band to Hollywood where they recorded with Doris Day and made several short films showcasing his band.
Selection for the second round of honorees was done this past spring. Nominations were open to the public. More than 100 musicians were nominated and a 10-person selection committee reduced the list to 10 living and 10 deceased artists for the final ballot. The final votes were cast by a committee of writers, musicologists, musicians and media professionals.
The Nov. 6 induction ceremony will be broadcast live by West Virginia PBS.
For information about the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, visit www.wvmusichallof
fame.com.
Reach Bill Lynch at ly...@wvgazette.com or 348-5195.
The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame will announce its second group of inductees at 10:30 a.m. today in Great Hall of the West Virginia Cultural Center.
The Hall of Fame, created to honor the significant and lasting contributions of West Virginians to music, attempts to represent all of the musical genres played by West Virginians. A formal induction ceremony will be held Nov. 6.
The living honorees expected to be named for induction include:
Wilma Lee Cooper and Stoney Cooper, from Randolph County. The marriage of banjo picker, organist and vocalist Wilma Lee Cooper to champion fiddler Stoney Cooper led to a popular bluegrass, mountain music and country duo who performed together for 40 years, including decade-long stints at the Wheeling Jamboree and the Grand Ole Opry. After her husband died in 1977, Wilma Lee continued to perform regularly until she had a stroke in 2001.
Phyllis Curtin of Clarksburg. Curtin studied at Wellesley College and the New England Conservatory. In 1946, she made her operatic debut in New York, where she launched an opera career spanning 45 years. She teaches at the Music School in Boston University's College of Fine Arts, where she serves as dean emerita of the college and artistic adviser to the Opera Institute.
Robert Drasnin, who was born in Charleston and grew up in Los Angeles. An alto sax and flute player, Drasnin's musical credits include stints with Red Norvo and Tommy Dorsey. Through the mid-1950s and through the 1960s he scored for television shows including "Lost in Space," "The Wild, Wild West," and "Mission: Impossible." He continues to teach film and music composition at UCLA.
The Lilly Brothers from Raleigh County. They began performing in 1938 over Beckley radio station WJLS. Everett Lilly played mandolin and sang high tenor, while Michael Burt "B" Lilly sang lead and played guitar. Neighbor Don Stover joined them on banjo and the group enjoyed regional popularity. In the late 1970s, the group introduced Japan to bluegrass music. Stover died in 1996, followed by "B" Lilly in 2005. Everett Lilly continues to perform with Everett Lilly and the Lilly Mountaineers.
Charlie McCoy is the undisputed king of bluegrass and country harmonica. The Oak Hill native has released 34 albums and performed with everyone from Bob Dylan to Elvis Presley to Ringo Starr. He was also the music director for the television show "Hee-Haw" for 19 years, won a Grammy award and eight Academy of Country Music Awards. He still tours and does session work in Nashville. He is scheduled to appear Saturday evening at Coonskin Park.
Among the deceased West Virginia musicians to be honored are four artists representing a wild diversity of musical styles from jazz to hillbilly to polka.
"Charleston's First Lady of Jazz," Ann Baker grew up in Washington, Pa., and got her start singing in Pittsburgh jazz clubs. In 1941, she was discovered by Louis Armstrong. She later joined big bands led by Lionel Hampton and Count Basie. She was a member of The Dream Band, whose lineup included Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis and Art Blakey. She retired from the road, and with her husband, opened The Shalamar club in Charleston, a popular jazz nightspot.
Bluefield's Maceo Pinkard was a songwriter from Mercer County who made "Sweet Georgia Brown" a popular standard. Pinkard toured with his own orchestra, wrote the all-black revue "Liza," and was the first black to own a music publishing business in New York City. He co-wrote "Sweet Georgia Brown" with bandleader Ben Bernie and Ken Casey. The song has been recorded by everyone from Frank Sinatra and The Beatles to Harry Connick Jr.
Woodrow Wilson "Red" Sovine from Charleston is best known for trucker-themed talking numbers like "Giddy Up Go," "Phantom 309," and "Teddy Bear." Sovine appeared on WCHS in Charleston and Wheeling's WWVA. His first hit was a duet with Webb Pierce, on a version of George Jones' "Why Baby Why," which led to his joining the Grand Ole Opry.
Tucker County gave birth to America's undisputed Polka King, Frankie Yankovic. He was the first polka artist to score a million-selling album, the first to perform on television and the first to win a Grammy for Best Polka Album. After a break during World War II, Yankovic brought his band to Hollywood where they recorded with Doris Day and made several short films showcasing his band.
Selection for the second round of honorees was done this past spring. Nominations were open to the public. More than 100 musicians were nominated and a 10-person selection committee reduced the list to 10 living and 10 deceased artists for the final ballot. The final votes were cast by a committee of writers, musicologists, musicians and media professionals.
The Nov. 6 induction ceremony will be broadcast live by West Virginia PBS.
For information about the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, visit www.wvmusichallof
fame.com.
Reach Bill Lynch at ly...@wvgazette.com or 348-5195.
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