WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.020 Welcome, everyone, and thanks for joining us 00:00:02.020 --> 00:00:05.200 today. We are, you know, diving into a truly 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:07.960 fascinating piece of history. We really are. 00:00:08.119 --> 00:00:10.800 Yeah. Our mission for this deep dive is to explore 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:14.000 the life of a man whose story we pulled from 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:16.280 a pretty expensive Wikipedia article and a few 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:19.019 historical archives. We're focusing on the incredibly 00:00:19.019 --> 00:00:22.640 rich and complex life of Ernest Popp Stoneman. 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:24.839 It's quite the story. If you are looking for 00:00:24.839 --> 00:00:28.500 a story that encapsulates the turbulence of the 00:00:28.500 --> 00:00:31.359 20th century American dream, this is a prime 00:00:31.359 --> 00:00:33.799 candidate. We're going to track a life that begins 00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:36.979 in an Appalachian log cabin, scales the absolute 00:00:36.979 --> 00:00:40.020 heights of the 1920s recording boom, crashes 00:00:40.020 --> 00:00:42.420 into total destitution during the Great Depression, 00:00:42.520 --> 00:00:44.399 and then... And then stages a massive comeback. 00:00:44.579 --> 00:00:47.020 Exactly. A multi -generational comeback on network 00:00:47.020 --> 00:00:50.240 television. It's a remarkable narrative arc. 00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:52.539 We are looking at a foundational figure in the 00:00:52.539 --> 00:00:55.399 commercial... music industry. But beyond the 00:00:55.399 --> 00:00:58.000 discography, what these sources reveal is really 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:00.859 a study in human resilience. It's a look at how 00:01:00.859 --> 00:01:03.200 an individual navigates the extreme volatility 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:05.900 of early 20th century capitalism, technological 00:01:05.900 --> 00:01:09.280 shifts and profound poverty. all while managing 00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:11.760 to keep his family and his creative identity 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:13.859 intact. So let's establish where this all begins, 00:01:13.959 --> 00:01:15.959 because the origins are as rural as it gets. 00:01:16.219 --> 00:01:19.959 Ernest Van Stoneman was born on May 25, 1893, 00:01:20.219 --> 00:01:23.459 in a log cabin in Monorot, Virginia. Right, a 00:01:23.459 --> 00:01:26.180 place also known as Iron Ridge. Iron Ridge in 00:01:26.180 --> 00:01:28.599 Carroll County, yeah. This is the region near 00:01:28.599 --> 00:01:30.879 what would later become Galax, Virginia, which 00:01:30.879 --> 00:01:33.400 is practically sacred ground for old -time mountain 00:01:33.400 --> 00:01:36.900 music. But tragedy strikes very early in his 00:01:36.900 --> 00:01:39.799 life. Very early. He is left motherless at just 00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:42.400 three years old. Consequently, he ends up being 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:44.879 raised by his father and three cousins who happen 00:01:44.879 --> 00:01:48.000 to be highly musically inclined. They steep him 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:50.120 in the vocal and instrumental traditions of the 00:01:50.120 --> 00:01:52.359 Blue Ridge Mountains. And when the sources say 00:01:52.359 --> 00:01:54.579 he learned to play, they mean he absorbed an 00:01:54.579 --> 00:01:56.930 entire regional soundscape. The breadth of his 00:01:56.930 --> 00:01:59.549 musical capability was comprehensive, which is 00:01:59.549 --> 00:02:01.329 especially notable considering he was learning 00:02:01.329 --> 00:02:03.430 entirely through the oral and practical traditions 00:02:03.430 --> 00:02:05.810 of his family. Right, no sheet music here. No 00:02:05.810 --> 00:02:08.689 formal musical schooling at all. He was learning 00:02:08.689 --> 00:02:12.129 by watching, listening, and physically mimicking 00:02:12.129 --> 00:02:14.770 the musicians around him. The article lists the 00:02:14.770 --> 00:02:17.110 instruments he mastered, and it is a demanding 00:02:17.110 --> 00:02:20.289 lineup. He became highly proficient on the guitar, 00:02:20.610 --> 00:02:23.469 the auto harp, the harmonica, the claw hammer 00:02:23.469 --> 00:02:26.330 banjo, and the jaw harp. It's a lot to juggle. 00:02:26.409 --> 00:02:29.370 It is. For those of you listening. Try to imagine 00:02:29.370 --> 00:02:31.889 deciding you are going to learn to code in five 00:02:31.889 --> 00:02:34.889 completely different complex software languages 00:02:34.889 --> 00:02:37.729 using only the resources in your immediate household 00:02:37.729 --> 00:02:41.110 and your own stubborn determination. That is 00:02:41.110 --> 00:02:43.349 the kind of mental plasticity and dedication 00:02:43.349 --> 00:02:45.629 we are seeing here. And we should clarify what 00:02:45.629 --> 00:02:47.650 mastering some of those instruments actually 00:02:47.650 --> 00:02:50.409 entails because it is intensely physical. Oh, 00:02:50.430 --> 00:02:52.590 absolutely. The claw hammer banjo, for instance, 00:02:52.689 --> 00:02:55.409 isn't the rapid fire upward picking style you 00:02:55.409 --> 00:02:58.469 hear in modern bluegrass. It's an older highly 00:02:58.469 --> 00:03:01.330 rhythmic downward striking style. Your hand basically 00:03:01.330 --> 00:03:03.569 forms a claw, and you are acting as both the 00:03:03.569 --> 00:03:05.889 melodic lead and the percussion section simultaneously. 00:03:06.349 --> 00:03:09.210 That sounds exhausting. It requires immense physical 00:03:09.210 --> 00:03:13.150 coordination, and the jaw harp, similarly, uses 00:03:13.150 --> 00:03:15.530 the player's own skull as a resonating chamber. 00:03:15.949 --> 00:03:18.389 He was turning himself into a one -man rhythm 00:03:18.389 --> 00:03:20.629 and melody section. Okay, let's unpack this, 00:03:20.669 --> 00:03:23.449 because his personal life expands just as rapidly 00:03:23.449 --> 00:03:26.210 as his musical repertoire, and the logistics 00:03:26.210 --> 00:03:28.590 of it are staggering. Staggering is the right 00:03:28.590 --> 00:03:31.270 word. In November of 1918, he marries Hattie 00:03:31.270 --> 00:03:34.229 Frost. She comes from another musically involved 00:03:34.229 --> 00:03:36.870 family, but the detail that really stands out 00:03:36.870 --> 00:03:38.650 is the size of the family they build together. 00:03:39.250 --> 00:03:42.900 Ernest and Hattie had 23 children. 23. Thirteen 00:03:42.900 --> 00:03:45.259 of those children survived to adulthood, including 00:03:45.259 --> 00:03:47.520 Calvin Scott, known as Scotty, who passed away 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:50.740 in 1973, and Veronica Loretta, known as Roney, 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:53.560 who passed away recently in 2024. Even for the 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:56.300 era, providing for a household of that size on 00:03:56.300 --> 00:03:59.759 a laborer's wages is a monumental task. The sources 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:02.599 note he worked a grueling variety of jobs throughout 00:04:02.599 --> 00:04:04.599 his early adulthood. Whatever he could find. 00:04:04.819 --> 00:04:07.259 Exactly. He worked in mines, he worked in mills, 00:04:07.259 --> 00:04:09.400 but he primarily sustained his family through 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:12.900 carpentry. The physical toll of that kind of 00:04:12.900 --> 00:04:15.699 labor in the 1910s and 20s cannot be overstated. 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:19.079 During these years of back -breaking work, music 00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:21.399 was largely something he played for his own enjoyment, 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:23.939 or to entertain his neighbors after a long shift. 00:04:24.459 --> 00:04:27.579 So he is exhausted, doing heavy carpentry just 00:04:27.579 --> 00:04:29.860 to put food on the table for this massive family. 00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:33.560 Where does a guy in that position even find the 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:36.139 bandwidth to think about commercial recording? 00:04:36.360 --> 00:04:38.379 What's fascinating here is the nature of his 00:04:38.379 --> 00:04:41.379 ambition, which was sparked by pure, unadulterated 00:04:41.379 --> 00:04:43.819 competitive drive. I love this part. The turning 00:04:43.819 --> 00:04:47.120 point arrives in 1924. Stoneman hears a record 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:49.490 by a man named Henry Witter. Witter was another 00:04:49.490 --> 00:04:51.350 early mountain musician who had managed to get 00:04:51.350 --> 00:04:54.189 recorded. Stoneman listens to this record, and 00:04:54.189 --> 00:04:55.790 rather than just being entertained, he critically 00:04:55.790 --> 00:04:58.009 evaluates it and essentially determines, I can 00:04:58.009 --> 00:05:00.029 play circles around this guy. I really said that. 00:05:00.069 --> 00:05:01.730 He decided he could beat the professionals on 00:05:01.730 --> 00:05:04.689 a national stage. That psychological leap is 00:05:04.689 --> 00:05:07.629 incredible. He goes from being a local carpenter 00:05:07.629 --> 00:05:10.509 playing on his porch to believing he has what 00:05:10.509 --> 00:05:12.230 it takes to conquer the commercial recording 00:05:12.230 --> 00:05:16.149 industry, and he actually acts on it. In September 00:05:16.149 --> 00:05:34.430 of 1924, Quite a trip back then. Which was a 00:05:34.430 --> 00:05:36.670 really common reality in the highly volatile 00:05:36.670 --> 00:05:39.509 early days of the recording industry. Labels 00:05:39.509 --> 00:05:41.329 were essentially throwing spaghetti at the wall 00:05:41.329 --> 00:05:43.069 to see what would stick with rural audiences. 00:05:43.230 --> 00:05:45.550 Right. A shelved record usually meant the end 00:05:45.550 --> 00:05:48.589 of the road for a hopeful musician. But Stoneman's 00:05:48.589 --> 00:05:50.970 resilience kicks in. He doesn't take the rejection 00:05:50.970 --> 00:05:53.490 as final. He hustles back to New York for another 00:05:53.490 --> 00:05:56.910 recording session in January of 1925. And that 00:05:56.910 --> 00:05:58.970 second trip is the one that alters the course 00:05:58.970 --> 00:06:03.129 of his life. That 1925 session results in his 00:06:03.129 --> 00:06:06.170 debut single, a song called Sinking of the Titanic. 00:06:06.569 --> 00:06:08.930 And this becomes one of the biggest hits of the 00:06:08.930 --> 00:06:12.300 entire 1920s. We have a historian in the sauce 00:06:12.300 --> 00:06:14.579 material noting that the recording sold over 00:06:14.579 --> 00:06:17.160 2 million copies. So we do have to look at that 00:06:17.160 --> 00:06:19.579 number with a critical eye. Record sales in the 00:06:19.579 --> 00:06:22.060 1920s weren't tracked by Nielsen or Billboard 00:06:22.060 --> 00:06:25.199 like they are today. So 2 million is likely a 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:27.259 historical estimate. Sure, maybe a bit of marketing 00:06:27.259 --> 00:06:29.699 spin in there. Probably. But even if we count 00:06:29.699 --> 00:06:31.959 for a degree of exaggeration, the cultural penetration 00:06:31.959 --> 00:06:34.720 of that song was undeniable. And we should consider 00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:37.779 the logistical marvel of selling records in 1925. 00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:41.660 We are talking about heavy, fragile shellac discs 00:06:41.660 --> 00:06:44.680 shipped via train. Not exactly streaming on Spotify. 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:46.620 Not at all. They weren't just sold in specialty 00:06:46.620 --> 00:06:48.680 music shops either. They were distributed through 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:51.040 hardware stores, furniture shops, and mail order 00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:54.560 catalogs. Achieving that kind of physical distribution 00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:57.379 network for a rural song was a serious operation. 00:06:57.759 --> 00:06:59.939 Topical songs like Sinking of the Titanic were 00:06:59.939 --> 00:07:02.220 almost like the true crime podcasts or breaking 00:07:02.220 --> 00:07:04.750 news documentaries of their day, right? They 00:07:04.750 --> 00:07:06.870 told a dramatic story that people wanted to hear 00:07:06.870 --> 00:07:09.750 over and over, and it firmly established Stoneman 00:07:09.750 --> 00:07:12.129 among the prominent recording artists of country 00:07:12.129 --> 00:07:14.509 music's first commercial decade. It absolutely 00:07:14.509 --> 00:07:17.310 did. Ralph Peer, who is a legendary figure in 00:07:17.310 --> 00:07:19.589 early recording, steps in and begins directing 00:07:19.589 --> 00:07:22.189 Stoneman through several sessions for Okia and 00:07:22.189 --> 00:07:25.550 Victor. Stoneman doesn't limit himself to one 00:07:25.550 --> 00:07:28.370 label either. He freelances heavily, recording 00:07:28.370 --> 00:07:31.350 for Edison, Janet, and Paramount Records. And 00:07:31.350 --> 00:07:33.910 by 1926, he makes a crucial artistic evolution. 00:07:33.990 --> 00:07:36.850 He adds his family musicians to his group to 00:07:36.850 --> 00:07:40.269 create a much fuller string band sound. If we 00:07:40.269 --> 00:07:42.689 connect this to the bigger picture, Stoneman 00:07:42.689 --> 00:07:45.230 wasn't just showing up to sing. He was navigating 00:07:45.230 --> 00:07:47.730 a massive technological shift in the industry. 00:07:47.910 --> 00:07:51.730 The microphones. Yes. The mid -1920s saw the 00:07:51.730 --> 00:07:54.660 transition from acoustic recording where musicians 00:07:54.660 --> 00:07:56.879 literally had to project their voices and instruments 00:07:56.879 --> 00:07:59.639 into a giant metal horn to the newly invented 00:07:59.639 --> 00:08:03.100 electrical microphone. Stoneman's ability to 00:08:03.100 --> 00:08:05.360 adapt his string band arrangements to this new, 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:08.180 more sensitive technology is a significant reason 00:08:08.180 --> 00:08:10.839 why his record sounded superior and continued 00:08:10.839 --> 00:08:13.379 to sell. Here's where it gets really interesting, 00:08:13.519 --> 00:08:15.660 because Stoneman transitions from just being 00:08:15.660 --> 00:08:18.620 a star talent to actually shaping the foundation 00:08:18.620 --> 00:08:21.819 of the industry itself. In July and August of 00:08:21.819 --> 00:08:25.560 1927, he is down in Tennessee helping Ralph Peer 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:28.579 conduct the famous Bristol Sessions. The importance 00:08:28.579 --> 00:08:30.920 of the Bristol Sessions is paramount in American 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:33.750 music history. Music historians frequently refer 00:08:33.750 --> 00:08:35.769 to these sessions as the Big Bang of country 00:08:35.769 --> 00:08:38.889 music. These are the exact sessions that led 00:08:38.889 --> 00:08:40.830 to the discovery of the Carter family and Jimmy 00:08:40.830 --> 00:08:43.730 Rogers. Stoneman wasn't just a performer in a 00:08:43.730 --> 00:08:45.769 vocal booth. He was functioning almost like an 00:08:45.769 --> 00:08:48.470 early A &R man, scouting talent, facilitating 00:08:48.470 --> 00:08:51.049 the growth of the genre, and helping peer understand 00:08:51.049 --> 00:08:53.610 the regional talent pool. He was deeply active 00:08:53.610 --> 00:08:56.429 in recording right through 1929. To give you 00:08:56.429 --> 00:08:59.730 an idea of his sheer output, between 1925 and 00:08:59.730 --> 00:09:03.289 1929, Stoneman recorded more than 200 songs. 00:09:03.529 --> 00:09:06.070 That's a massive catalog for that era. Think 00:09:06.070 --> 00:09:08.490 about the physical stamina required to travel, 00:09:08.669 --> 00:09:11.529 rehearse, and cut 200 distinct tracks in the 00:09:11.529 --> 00:09:15.190 1920s. He is on top of his game, he has millions 00:09:15.190 --> 00:09:17.669 of records in circulation, he is a foundational 00:09:17.669 --> 00:09:20.450 pillar of a booming industry, and he is providing 00:09:20.450 --> 00:09:24.139 for his large family. But then the 1930s arrived. 00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:26.399 The Great Depression. Exactly. The Great Depression 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:29.080 hits and the recording industry effectively collapses. 00:09:29.419 --> 00:09:32.179 It wasn't just a dip in sales. The bottom completely 00:09:32.179 --> 00:09:34.399 fell out of the market. Working class people 00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:36.279 who previously bought his records could barely 00:09:36.279 --> 00:09:39.759 afford bread, let alone shellac discs. The wealth 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:42.080 and success the Stoneman's built in the 1920s 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:44.860 evaporated rapidly. The sources state plainly 00:09:44.860 --> 00:09:47.019 that they fell on incredibly hard times, eventually 00:09:47.019 --> 00:09:49.139 losing their home and the vast majority of their 00:09:49.139 --> 00:09:52.070 possessions. In 1932, they are forced to pack 00:09:52.070 --> 00:09:54.990 up and move to the Washington, D .C. area. At 00:09:54.990 --> 00:09:56.830 this point, they have nine surviving children 00:09:56.830 --> 00:09:58.830 with them, and they would go on to have four 00:09:58.830 --> 00:10:02.169 more later. It is difficult to fully grasp the 00:10:02.169 --> 00:10:04.090 weight of that responsibility. It really is. 00:10:04.230 --> 00:10:06.370 You are completely broke, you have lost the home 00:10:06.370 --> 00:10:08.389 you bought with your music royalties, the entire 00:10:08.389 --> 00:10:11.110 country's economy is in tatters, and you have 00:10:11.110 --> 00:10:13.509 a massive family relying on you for survival. 00:10:14.190 --> 00:10:16.610 The text tells us they struggled through dire 00:10:16.610 --> 00:10:19.690 poverty during this period. Stoneman had to take 00:10:19.690 --> 00:10:22.090 whatever physical labor he could possibly find 00:10:22.090 --> 00:10:24.909 to keep his family fed. But amidst this dire 00:10:24.909 --> 00:10:28.429 poverty, the text notes a crucial detail. He 00:10:28.429 --> 00:10:30.950 was still actively trying to revive his musical 00:10:30.950 --> 00:10:33.990 career. That's amazing. That is the core resilience 00:10:33.990 --> 00:10:36.529 of his character. Going from a national recording 00:10:36.529 --> 00:10:39.289 star back to a day laborer could easily break 00:10:39.289 --> 00:10:42.110 a person's spirit. But he never surrendered his 00:10:42.110 --> 00:10:44.879 identity as a musician. We see that grit clearly 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:48.240 when we jump ahead to 1941. Stoneman manages 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:50.720 to buy a small lot in Carmody Hills, Maryland. 00:10:51.019 --> 00:10:53.960 He doesn't hire a crew. He uses his carpentry 00:10:53.960 --> 00:10:56.279 skills to physically build a shack for his family 00:10:56.279 --> 00:10:59.039 to live in. Eventually, he secures a steady job 00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:01.500 working at the Naval Gun Factory in Washington, 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:05.149 D .C. That is a deeply poignant image. The man 00:11:05.149 --> 00:11:07.090 who helped discover the Carter family and sold 00:11:07.090 --> 00:11:09.690 millions of records is now swinging a hammer 00:11:09.690 --> 00:11:12.389 to build a shack and working in a naval munitions 00:11:12.389 --> 00:11:15.110 factory to support the World War II effort. Quite 00:11:15.110 --> 00:11:17.509 the contrast from recording in New York. To an 00:11:17.509 --> 00:11:19.370 outside observer, it might have seemed like his 00:11:19.370 --> 00:11:21.830 fate was permanently sealed as a factory laborer. 00:11:22.070 --> 00:11:24.730 But the foundation of his life, his family, and 00:11:24.730 --> 00:11:27.809 his music remained intact, essentially long dormant 00:11:27.809 --> 00:11:30.580 and waiting for the right cultural moment. So 00:11:30.580 --> 00:11:32.659 what does this all mean? It means the story is 00:11:32.659 --> 00:11:34.980 far from over. We move into the post -war era, 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:38.460 specifically 1947. The Stoneman family enters 00:11:38.460 --> 00:11:41.000 a talent contest at Constitution Hall in Washington, 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:44.240 D .C. They win the contest and the prize is six 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:46.700 months of exposure on local television. This 00:11:46.700 --> 00:11:48.779 raises an important question regarding adaptation. 00:11:49.799 --> 00:11:52.980 How does a musical act, whose peak was rooted 00:11:52.980 --> 00:11:56.480 in the 1920s acoustic folk era, adapt to the 00:11:56.480 --> 00:11:59.179 exploding, highly visual medium of television 00:11:59.179 --> 00:12:02.340 in the late 1940s and 50s? A completely different 00:12:02.340 --> 00:12:05.240 ballgame. The answer lies in the family dynamics 00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:08.100 Stoneman had cultivated. A family string band 00:12:08.100 --> 00:12:10.519 isn't just a sonic experience, it is visually 00:12:10.519 --> 00:12:13.070 dynamic. The interplay between the father and 00:12:13.070 --> 00:12:15.529 his children, the physical energy of the instruments, 00:12:15.690 --> 00:12:18.049 it translated perfectly to the small screen, 00:12:18.289 --> 00:12:20.850 offering an authentic contrast to the highly 00:12:20.850 --> 00:12:23.429 polished pop music of the era. That authenticity 00:12:23.429 --> 00:12:26.070 catches on and things begin to snowball. The 00:12:26.070 --> 00:12:29.389 1950s hit and national fame returns to the Stoneman 00:12:29.389 --> 00:12:32.809 family. In 1956, Pop Stoneman goes on the NBC 00:12:32.809 --> 00:12:35.289 TV quiz show called The Big Surprise. He sings 00:12:35.289 --> 00:12:37.990 on the broadcast and he ends up winning $10 ,000. 00:12:38.309 --> 00:12:40.750 That's a huge sum. For context, winning $10 ,000 00:12:40.750 --> 00:12:43.730 on national TV in 1956 was life -changing money. 00:12:43.889 --> 00:12:46.470 And remarkably, in that exact same year, a group 00:12:46.470 --> 00:12:48.830 made up largely of his children, who were performing 00:12:48.830 --> 00:12:50.990 under the name the Bluegrass Champs Go on the 00:12:50.990 --> 00:12:53.610 CBS TV program Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, 00:12:53.610 --> 00:12:55.570 and they win that competition too. We should 00:12:55.570 --> 00:12:58.149 pause on that point, because shows like Arthur 00:12:58.149 --> 00:13:00.690 Godfrey's Talent Scouts were massive cultural 00:13:00.690 --> 00:13:03.509 touchstones. There was a motto culture then. 00:13:03.970 --> 00:13:06.990 If you won on Godfrey, millions of people across 00:13:06.990 --> 00:13:08.590 the country were watching you simultaneously. 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:12.059 right everyone was tuned in to the same few channels 00:13:12.059 --> 00:13:16.409 also in 1956 the folklorist Mike Seeger recorded 00:13:16.409 --> 00:13:18.889 Pop and Hattie for the Folkways label, bringing 00:13:18.889 --> 00:13:20.649 them back to the attention of the folk revival 00:13:20.649 --> 00:13:23.190 movement. It was a complete cultural renaissance 00:13:23.190 --> 00:13:25.629 for the family. That influx of television success 00:13:25.629 --> 00:13:28.509 and prize money allows for a final, triumphant 00:13:28.509 --> 00:13:30.909 chapter in his life. Pop Stoneman can finally 00:13:30.909 --> 00:13:33.929 retire from manual labor. The Bluegrass Champs 00:13:33.929 --> 00:13:36.389 decide to embrace their legacy, and they officially 00:13:36.389 --> 00:13:39.389 change their name to the Stonemans. A well -deserved 00:13:39.389 --> 00:13:42.029 retirement from the factories. Definitely. They 00:13:42.029 --> 00:13:44.629 head back into the studio to cut albums. They 00:13:44.629 --> 00:13:47.490 record for the Starday label in 1962 and 1963. 00:13:48.350 --> 00:13:51.570 In 1964, they head out west to Texas and California, 00:13:51.950 --> 00:13:54.549 cutting an album for World Pacific. They are 00:13:54.549 --> 00:13:56.769 booked to play at Disneyland. They are making 00:13:56.769 --> 00:13:59.509 appearances on network television shows. They 00:13:59.509 --> 00:14:01.710 are hitting the folk festival circuit, including 00:14:01.710 --> 00:14:04.070 a notable performance at a Monterey Folk Festival 00:14:04.070 --> 00:14:07.529 in 1964. Pop himself even performed at the second 00:14:07.529 --> 00:14:10.210 annual UCLA Folk Music Festival that same year. 00:14:10.669 --> 00:14:12.830 The industry they helped create decades earlier 00:14:12.830 --> 00:14:15.309 was now officially recognizing them as elder 00:14:15.309 --> 00:14:18.750 statespeople. In 1965, the Stonemans moved their 00:14:18.750 --> 00:14:21.389 operations to Nashville. They began working with 00:14:21.389 --> 00:14:23.610 the legendary producer Jack Clement. They signed 00:14:23.610 --> 00:14:26.049 a contract with MGM Records, and they even start 00:14:26.049 --> 00:14:28.409 their own syndicated television show, Full Circle. 00:14:28.610 --> 00:14:31.090 In 1967, their peers recognized their enduring 00:14:31.090 --> 00:14:33.509 talent when they received the Country Music Association's 00:14:33.509 --> 00:14:36.019 Award for Vocal Group of the Year. They even 00:14:36.019 --> 00:14:38.320 crossed over into film, making appearances in 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:41.340 the 1967 movies Hell on Wheels and The Road to 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:43.500 Nashville. Pop Stoneman lived long enough to 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:46.879 see his initial gamble from 1924 pay off, completely 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:49.279 fall apart during the Depression, and then pay 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:51.659 off again on an even grander scale alongside 00:14:51.659 --> 00:14:54.159 his own children. He passed away the following 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:58.179 year, in 1968, at the age of 75. He is interred 00:14:58.179 --> 00:15:00.659 at the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville. The 00:15:00.659 --> 00:15:02.799 historical record shows a continuous recognition 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:06.200 of his impact long after his passing. On February 00:15:06.200 --> 00:15:09.659 12, 2008, Pop Stoneman was formally inducted 00:15:09.659 --> 00:15:11.440 into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Incredible 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:14.480 honor. The following year, in 2009, both he and 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:16.860 his wife, Hattie Frost Stoneman, were enshrined 00:15:16.860 --> 00:15:19.419 in the Janet Records Walk of Fame. And highlighting 00:15:19.419 --> 00:15:22.600 his enduring relevance to music scholars, a 2008 00:15:22.600 --> 00:15:25.019 retrospective of his early work titled Ernest 00:15:25.019 --> 00:15:27.799 Stoneman. The unsung father of country music, 00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:31.279 1925 -1934, which was put together by Christopher 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:34.019 C. King and Henry Sapochnik, was nominated for 00:15:34.019 --> 00:15:36.460 a Grammy Award for Best Album Notes. It is a 00:15:36.460 --> 00:15:38.679 legacy that spans centuries, technologies, and 00:15:38.679 --> 00:15:41.059 generations. We have tracked him from the rural 00:15:41.059 --> 00:15:44.000 log cabin to the heavy shellac discs of the 1920s 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:46.620 through the desperate poverty of the 1930s right 00:15:46.620 --> 00:15:49.100 up to the glowing television sets of the 1960s. 00:15:49.139 --> 00:15:51.710 It really is the ultimate roller coaster. But 00:15:51.710 --> 00:15:53.909 before we wrap up this deep dive, I want to leave 00:15:53.909 --> 00:15:57.129 you with something to chew on. Building on everything 00:15:57.129 --> 00:15:59.710 we've explored today, especially this theme of 00:15:59.710 --> 00:16:02.370 a family unit surviving the absolute worst economic 00:16:02.370 --> 00:16:05.590 conditions imaginable, look at how their shared 00:16:05.590 --> 00:16:08.690 art form was the ultimate survival tool. It wasn't 00:16:08.690 --> 00:16:11.429 just a hobby. It was the mechanism that united 00:16:11.429 --> 00:16:14.149 and ultimately saved the Stoneman family across 00:16:14.149 --> 00:16:16.850 massive cultural shifts. It makes you wonder 00:16:16.850 --> 00:16:19.529 about your own history. What is the shared passion 00:16:19.529 --> 00:16:21.870 or instrument in your family's lineage? If you 00:16:21.870 --> 00:16:24.389 had to lean on one shared trait, skill or tradition 00:16:24.389 --> 00:16:27.009 to pull your people through the darkest of times, 00:16:27.169 --> 00:16:29.750 what would your string band look like? Think 00:16:29.750 --> 00:16:31.610 about it. Thanks for taking this deep dive with 00:16:31.610 --> 00:16:33.210 us and we will catch you next time.