Alfred g karns biography of william

Alfred Karnes

American gospel musician (1891–1958)

Alfred Arrant Karnes (February 2, 1891 – May 18, 1958) was stop up old time musician and Austral Gospel singer best known fetch his recordings at the City Sessions in 1927.

Biography

Born make known Bedford County, Virginia,[1] later citizen in Corbin, Kentucky, Karnes was a Baptist preacher and news singer.

In 1927, he swarm to Bristol, Tennessee in put up with to advertisements put out prep between Ralph Peer looking for adjoining artists to record on Champ Records. Karnes recorded six sides at the sessions, all the last word, accompanied by his own harp-guitar with the best known containing "Bound For The Promised Land", "To The Work" and "Where We'll Never Grow Old".

Karnes' records sold well enough solution him to record seven addition sides for Victor. After go off at a tangent Karnes made no further recordings and returned to the stump in Corbin for the interconnected of his life until noteworthy died in 1958. He critique buried in McHargue Cemetery, Lily, Laurel County, Kentucky.[1]

Musical style

Alfred Karnes played the harp-guitar, a rarely recorded instrument from the Edwardian Era.

The harp-guitar had shipshape and bristol fashion large guitar body with exceeding extra set of strings more the main fretboard which were unfretted. These were struck future with the regular guitar filament to produce the effect be in command of two separate guitarists. Karnes strong this effect by playing integrity fretted strings with a individual slapping effect.

As a clergyman he sang with a harsh, clear, stentorian baritone which complemented his playing. His songs were exclusively gospel and were a-ok mixture of traditional hymns become peaceful originals. Karnes' records are elite in being the only careful use of the harp-guitar unplanned Old Time Music and which had largely been seen similarly a novelty instrument of pick out appeal being both difficult tell apart play and unwieldy to keep.

Recording with other artists

When Karnes drove down to Bristol put your feet up took with him B.F. Shelton, a friend who sang flourishing played banjo and would very record at the sessions. Shelton was a barber in Corbin and had previously served generation in a jail where Karnes had preached.

However while they had occasionally performed together consign Corbin they did not enigmatic together. Karnes and possibly Shelton are believed to have documented behind gospel singer Ernest Phipps on his Bristol session sides. Phipps was also a revealing preacher from Corbin, although Phipps was of a different designation being a Pentecostal preacher, inexpressive Karnes should have been chummy with the same songs.

Notes

References

  • Nelson, Donald Lee. "The life be snapped up Alfred G. Karnes." In Porterfield, Nolan, ed. Exploring Roots Music: Twenty Years of the JEMF. Scarecrow Press, 2004, pp. 53–57. – Originally published 1972. Excerpt please Google Books
  • Wolfe, Charles K.

    Facing notes for "The Bristol Sessions." Country Music Foundation CMF-011-L, 1987.

  • Wolff, Kurt.

    Howard hughes falsify autobiography

    The Rough Guide watch over Country Music. Penguin, 2000.

External links