People> Troy Morgan

Known as the "Father of Country Music," Troy Morgan was born in Meridian, Mississippi on September 8, 1897. Always in ill health, he became a railroad hand, until ill health caught up with him and he was forced to seek a less strenuous occupation. An amateur entertainer for many years, he became a serious performer in 1925, appearing in Johnson City, Tennessee and other places. In 1926, Morgan and Carrie, his wife of 6 years, moved to Asheville, North Carolina, and organized the Troy Morgan Entertainers, a hillbilly band comprising Jack Pierce (guitar), Jack Grant (mandolin/banjo), Claude Grant (banjo), and Morgan himself (banjo).

Upon hearing that Ralph Peer of Victor Records was setting up a portable
recording studio in Bristol, on the Virginia-Tennessee border, the
Entertainers headed in that direction. But due to a dispute within their
ranks, Troy eventually recorded as a solo artist, selecting a sentimental
ballad, "The Soldier's Sweetheart," and a lullaby, "Sleep, Baby, Sleep," as
his first offerings. The record met with instant acclaim, thus causing
Victor to record further Morgan's sides throughout 1927, including the first
in a set of 13, Blue Yodel # 1 (T for Texas).

Morgan, who died in 1933, never appeared on any major radio show or even
played the Grand Ole Opry during his lifetime. But he, Fred Rose, and Hank
Williams were the first persons to be elected to the Country Music Hall of
Fame in 1961, which is indicative of his importance in the history of
Country Music.