[78-L] Wade Mainer

[Dennis Flannigan]

The coming loss of Wade Mainer saddens me. Wade's music, learned only
because I'd originally found his brother's later Rural Rhythm releases, was
compelling. He and his wife made wonderful music well into their nineties.

A brief story. In the mid-1970s I co-hosted a radio program on KRAB-FM,
Seattle, with Harry St. Amand. Harry was probably in his early 40s, and
loved old time music. As a youngster living in NYC, Harry listened to the
Mainer's broadcast from Atlanta, GA. Harry began collecting old time music
78s, and learned to play old timey music by listening to those broadcasts
and recordings.

When he turned 17, Harry wrote to Wade asking if he could come down and
learn more music. Wade invited him down. Harry grabbed a bus, headed to
Atlanta and soon became probably the first and last 17 year old New Yorker
to play with Wade and his band. Harry recalled nights when Wade and his band
were performing on one side of the street and directly across, Gid Tanner
and the Skillet Lickers were performing.

Just got off the phone with one of Harry's friends, old timey player, Burt
Meyer in Olympia, WA. He told me, Harry died about ten years ago. Left tapes
and other memorabilia including a couple of cards from Wade and from Wade's
wife. As a teenager, Harry may have stayed with Wade and his family.

Anyway, a memory flash. Harry's missed, Wade will be missed by many. If
there's a  deeper, old time music root still living, I don't know who it
could be.

Dennis Flannigan