Maddox Brothers and Rose
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1937 |
| Headquarters | Modesto , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Country music recordings and performances |
The Maddox Brothers and Rose were a prominent American country music ensemble active from the 1930s through the 1950s. The lineup featured four siblings—Fred, Cal, Cliff, and Don Maddox—alongside their sister Rose. Following Cliff's passing in 1949, their brother Henry stepped in as his replacement. Originally hailing from Alabama, the family relocated to California during the Great Depression, emerging as some of the earliest "hillbilly music" icons on the West Coast. The group dissolved in 1956, after which Rose embarked on a solo career.
Biography
In 1933, amid the hardships of the Great Depression, the family left Boaz, Alabama for California. Initially, they worked as migrant laborers harvesting fruits and vegetables throughout the West Coast and Southwest regions. Eventually settling in Modesto, California, they refined their musical talents and began radio performances by 1937. Their breakthrough came in 1939 when they won a hillbilly band contest at the Sacramento State Fair, earning acclaim as California’s premier hillbilly band.
The group played at venues including Los Angeles’s 97th Street Corral. Between 1946 and 1951, they recorded with Four Star Records based in Hollywood before signing with Columbia Records. Some of their Four Star sessions were licensed to US-Decca Records during the early 1950s. Rose Maddox recalled that they were initially branded as "hillbilly singers" before "country" became the standard term, and she was one of the pioneering women performing what later evolved into country boogie.
Fred Maddox was a trailblazer of the "slap bass" style on upright bass as early as 1937; his instrument is now exhibited at Seattle's Experience Music Project due to its importance in the genesis of early rock 'n' roll.
Don Maddox, who was the last surviving member, experienced renewed recognition decades later with appearances at festivals like Oregon’s Britt Festival and Tennessee’s Muddy Roots, performances on Marty Stuart’s show, and receiving a standing ovation at the Grand Ole Opry. He also took part in Las Vegas's Rockabilly Rockout event in 2014.
Don Maddox died on September 12, 2021, at the age of 98.
Band members
- Cliff Maddox (May 19, 1912, Boaz, Alabama – August 8, 1949, Modesto, California)
- Cal Maddox (November 3, 1915, Boaz, Alabama – July 2, 1968, Jackson County, Oregon)
- Fred Maddox (July 3, 1919, Boaz, Alabama – October 29, 1992, Kern, California)
- Don Maddox (December 7, 1922, Boaz, Alabama – September 12, 2021)
- Rose Maddox (August 15, 1925, Boaz, Alabama – April 15, 1998, Ashland, Oregon)
- Henry Maddox (March 19, 1928, Boaz, Alabama – June 11, 1974, Ashland, Oregon)
- Bud Duncan (March 18, 1928, Pollard, Arkansas)
Discography
- A Collection of Standard Sacred Songs (King Records, 1959)
- Maddox Bros. and Rose (King Records, 1960)
- I'll Write Your Name In the Sand (King Records, 1961)
- Maddox Brothers and Rose (Wrangler Records, 1962)
- Go Honky Tonkin! (Hilltop Records, 1965)
- America's Most Colorful Hillbilly Band, v.1 (Arhoolie Records; LP:1976; CD:1993)
- America's Most Colorful Hillbilly Band, v.2 (Arhoolie Records; LP:1976; CD:1995)
- Old Pals of Yesterday (Picc-A-Dilly Records, 1980)
- On the Air, v.1 (Arhoolie Records; LP:1983; CD:1996)
- Maddox Bros. and Rose: Columbia Historic Edition (Columbia Records, 1984)
- On the Air, v.2 (Arhoolie Records; LP:1985; CD:1996)
- Live - On the Radio (Arhoolie Records, 1996) recorded in 1953
- The Hillbilly Boogie Years (Rockateer Records, 1996) featuring all Columbia sessions
- The Most Colorful Hillbilly Band in America (Bear Family Records, 1998) – four-CD collection
- A Proper Introduction to Maddox Brothers & Rose: That'll Learn Ya Durn Ya (Proper Records, 2004)
External links
- 1937 establishments in Alabama
- 1956 disestablishments in Alabama
- Country music groups from Alabama
- Country music groups from California
- Western swing musical groups
- Family musical groups
- People from Boaz, Alabama
- Four Star Records artists
- Apex Records artists
- Columbia Records artists
- Decca Records artists
- Musical groups established in 1937
- Musical groups disbanded in 1956
- Bakersfield sound
- Artists from Modesto, California
- Musicians from Modesto, California
- Musical groups disestablished in 1956