Biography:G.B. Grayson
G.B. Grayson
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| Given name: | Gillam |
| Middle name: | Bannon |
| Family name: | Grayson |
| Place of birth: | Ashe County, North Carolina |
| Place of death: | Damascus, Virginia |
| Year of birth: | 1887 |
| Year of death: | 1930 |
| Profile: | Musician |
| Source of information: | |
Biographical notes
GILLAM BANNOM ("G.B.") GRAYSON (1887-1930). G.B. Grayson recorded some 50 sides for Gennett and Victor records in three years of recording (Oct., 1927-Oct., 1929), before he was tragically killed in an automobile accident near Damascus, southwest Virginia, in August, 1930 (he was standing on the running board of an automobile when it was involved in a head-on collision). He primarily played with guitarist and singer Henry Whitter, a more polished performer, although he also toured locally in western North Carolina with Clarence "Tom" Ashley and Doc Walsh. Interestingly, according to Ray Parker, it is on the Gennett recordings rather than the technically superior Victor sides that Grayson's playing sounds the most relaxed and expressive. Victor's recording set-up was professional and "clinical", while Gennett was more of a "cottage industry, serviced by a well-intentioned team." Grayson recorded "Handsome Molly" and "Train 45" for both Gennett and Victor, and the differences in sound quality and in expressiveness are quite noticeable.
See Ray Parker's article "G.B. Grayson: A Short Life of Trouble" in Old Time Music magazine, No. 35, Winter 1980-Spring 1981, pp. 10-14.