Curly Fox
 | This article includes a list of generalreferences,butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations.(May 2012) |
Curly Fox | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Arnim LeRoy Fox |
| Born | November 9, 1910 Graysville, Tennessee,United States |
| Died | November 10, 1995(aged 85) Nashville, Tennessee,United States |
| Genres | Country,Old-time music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician |
| Instrument | Fiddle |
| Years active | 1935–1963 |
| Labels | Decca Records |
| Formerly of | Curly and Ruby, Grand Ole Opry |
Arnim LeRoy Fox(November 9, 1910 – November 10, 1995),[1]better known asCurly(orCurley)Fox,was an American old-time and country fiddler, singer andcountry musician.
Biography
[edit]Fox was born inGraysville, Tennessee,United States,[2]as the son of abarber.He learned to play thefiddlewith some help from his father and from James McCarroll, a member of the Roane County Ramblers.[2]Fox first played professionally on the traveling Indian Medicine Show with Chief White Owl; later, he played with Claude Davis and the Carolina Tar Heels inAtlanta, Georgia.[2]Fox founded the Tennessee Firecrackers in the 1930s, performing onWSB-AMin Atlanta.[2]For a time, he worked for promoter Larry Sunbrock on his "fiddling contest" show. Sunbrock would travel around the country with his fiddlers and arrange "world championship fiddling contests" in towns along the way. Fox played with theShelton Brotherson recordings they made forDecca Recordsbetween 1934 and 1936, in addition to recording a few of his own singles.[2]
In 1937, Fox met singerTexas Ruby(Ruby Agnes Owens), sister ofTex Owens,while playing inFort Worth, Texas.[3]They married shortly thereafter in 1939, and began playing together professionally on theGrand Ole Opry,[2]where they performed from 1937–1939 and 1944-1948. From 1940-1944, they became a regular feature onBoone County JamboreeoverWLW-AMinCincinnati, Ohio.The couple was invited to be members of The Opry in the late 1930s.[4]They occasionally recorded together, including a session forKing Recordsin 1947.[2]In 1948, Curly and Ruby moved toHouston,Texas,where they remained for over adecade,working in radio and television.
In 1960, the pair returned to work on theGrand Ole Opry,but Ruby often fell ill and Fox frequently performed solo. An album was recorded together forStarday Recordsin 1963, but 72 hours after the recording sessions, Ruby died in a mobile home fire.[2]After her death, Fox played solo for several years, but eventually moved toChicagoto live with family. Though he ailed in his old age, he sporadically performed live; he returned to Graysville in the mid-1970s, performing with a localbluegrassoutfit before retiring.
Curly Fox died in November 1995, at the age of 85.[1]
Notes
[edit]- ^abPaul Wadey (23 October 2011)."Obituary: Curly Fox".The Independent.
- ^abcdefghColin Larkin,ed. (1993).The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music(First ed.).Guinness Publishing.p. 146.ISBN0-85112-726-6.
- ^"Curley Fox".Rovi. 2012.RetrievedJuly 6,2012.
- ^"Opry Timeline - 1930s".Archived fromthe originalon March 7, 2016.RetrievedJuly 6,2012.
References
[edit]- Charles K. Wolfe,Classic Country: Legends of Country Music- 2001
- Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine,All Music Guide to Country: The Definitive Guide to Country Music- 2003
