Moonshine Kate
Encyclopedia
Moonshine Kate was an American country
banjoist, guitarist and singer. She was one of the earliest women to record country music, first appearing on record in the 1920s with her father Fiddlin' John Carson
.
Kate was the ninth and last child born to Jenny Nora Scroggins and John Carson. She began appearing with her father at dances and political gatherings at the age of five, and could play guitar and banjo by fourteen. She toured with her father's band, the Virginia Reelers, in the Southeast United States, and performed on Atlanta radio station WSB
.
Her first record was cut in 1925 at age fifteen, accompanying her father on two Okeh Records
releases. She also recorded two solo songs, "The Lone Child" and "Little Mary Phagan", the last written by her father about Leo Frank
. She played and recorded with the Virginia Reelers until 1934, adopting the stage name
Moonshine Kate in 1928 at the suggestion of Okeh Records man Polk Brockman. Many of Kate's recordings for Okeh play up her name, consisting of short musical passages interspersed with quick-witted dialogues revolving around the moonshine
trade.
The Great Depression
ended the Carsons' recording days, and she continued to perform intermittently, also working with Eugene Talmadge
on his 1932 bid for Governor of Georgia and for the Atlanta Department of Recreation. She married in 1944 and retired in Georgia. In 1983, both she and her father were inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
banjoist, guitarist and singer. She was one of the earliest women to record country music, first appearing on record in the 1920s with her father Fiddlin' John Carson
Fiddlin' John Carson
Fiddlin' John Carson was an American old time fiddler and an early-recorded country musician.-Early life:...
.
Kate was the ninth and last child born to Jenny Nora Scroggins and John Carson. She began appearing with her father at dances and political gatherings at the age of five, and could play guitar and banjo by fourteen. She toured with her father's band, the Virginia Reelers, in the Southeast United States, and performed on Atlanta radio station WSB
WSB (AM)
WSB — branded AM 750 and 95.5 FM News/Talk WSB — is a commercial radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia broadcasting a news/talk format. The station transmits with 50,000 watts of nondirectional power day and night, enjoying clear-channel status on its broadcast frequency according to the U.S...
.
Her first record was cut in 1925 at age fifteen, accompanying her father on two Okeh Records
Okeh Records
Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
releases. She also recorded two solo songs, "The Lone Child" and "Little Mary Phagan", the last written by her father about Leo Frank
Leo Frank
Leo Max Frank was a Jewish-American factory superintendent whose hanging in 1915 by a lynch mob of prominent citizens in Marietta, Georgia drew attention to antisemitism in the United States....
. She played and recorded with the Virginia Reelers until 1934, adopting the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Moonshine Kate in 1928 at the suggestion of Okeh Records man Polk Brockman. Many of Kate's recordings for Okeh play up her name, consisting of short musical passages interspersed with quick-witted dialogues revolving around the moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
trade.
The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
ended the Carsons' recording days, and she continued to perform intermittently, also working with Eugene Talmadge
Eugene Talmadge
Eugene Talmadge was a Democratic politician who served two terms as the 67th Governor of Georgia from 1933 to 1937, and a third term from 1941 to 1943. Elected to a fourth term in 1946, he died before taking office...
on his 1932 bid for Governor of Georgia and for the Atlanta Department of Recreation. She married in 1944 and retired in Georgia. In 1983, both she and her father were inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame.