Tennessee Pulleybone was a band formed in Cookeville, Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

. The original group featured "Big" Ken Smith (Bass), Jerry Tuttle (Instrumentalist), Biff Watson (Guitar), and John Wolters (Drums). Later members were Dave Gillon (Guitar), Tom Hamilton (Banjo), and Thomas "Bones" Kaelin (Drums). Their recording of "The Door Is Always Open

The Door Is Always Open

"The Door is Always Open" is a country song written by Dickey Lee and Bob McDill. First recorded by Tennessee Pulleybone for JIM Records, it went to number 75 on the Hot Country Songs charts that year. Waylon Jennings later cut it as an album track for his 1975 album Dreaming My Dreams...

" on JMI Records (Jack Clement

Jack Clement

Jack Henderson Clement is an American singer, songwriter, and a record and film producer.Raised and educated in Memphis, Jack Clement was performing at an early age...

 International) hit the Billboard Country chart on September 8, 1973 and peaked at 75. Other singles on JMI Records were "I Ain't In A Long, Long Time", and "Clean Your Own Tables". They were also known as Don Williams

Don Williams

Don Williams , is an American country singer, songwriter and a 2010 inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He grew up in Portland, Texas, and graduated in 1958 from Gregory-Portland High School. After seven years with the folk-pop group Pozo-Seco Singers, he began his solo career in 1971,...

' touring band and opened his shows in the 1970s. After JMI Records closed, the band went on to sign with RCA Records

RCA Records

RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...

 and began touring with Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson

Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...

, Bobby Bare

Bobby Bare

Robert Joseph Bare is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the father of Bobby Bare, Jr., also a musician.-Early career:...

, Freddy Fender

Freddy Fender

Freddy Fender , born Baldemar Garza Huerta in San Benito, Texas, United States, was a Mexican-American Tejano, country and rock and roll musician, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados...

, Gary Stewart

Gary Stewart

Gary Stewart may refer to:* Gary Stewart , country musician* Gary L. Stewart, imperator of AMORC from 1987 to 1990* Gary Stewart , politician in Ontario...

 and numerous others. Still today they are often referred to as the first country band to sign to a major label. Some of their songs were written by Dave Gillon who also wrote hits for other artists such as Roy Clark

Roy Clark

Roy Linwood Clark is an American country music musician and performer. He is best known for hosting Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969–1992. Clark has been an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and helping to popularize the genre...

, and Kenny Rogers

Kenny Rogers

Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...

.

An article in Hank Magazine stated

“What we’ve got here are four one time R&B and Top Forty pickers who have found a home with a style that’s unusual for the Nashville area. It’s country, R&B, bluegrass rock with Beachboys overtones. Some of the most interesting stuff they do is electric bluegrass tunes like Bill Monroe’s Uncle Pen, even with Tom Hamilton playing five string banjo, it still sounds like a dance record from Soul Train. What the Pulleybone does is hard to explain but it’s easy to enjoy.”

Tennessee Pulleybone lasted from 1973 to 1979.