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The
New Music Scene
DeFord
rarely made public appearances after he left the Opry. He played
for family, friends, and customers, but turned down many offers,
including a lucrative offer to play in a Burt Reynolds film. He
chose not to perform professionally because he was wary of being
cheated or used for someone else's gain.
By
the 1960's, the Nashville music scene was exploding. Most of the
Opry cast that was known to DeFord was fading away. Another type
of music was emerging and DeFord would play a small part in its
birth. Soul music almost made Nashville a major black music center.
In the 1940's, WSM rival WLAC had become a nationwide forum for
rhythm and blues records and in the 1950's, Nashville had a number
of independent record companies featuring black music. Along Jefferson
Street, clubs rang with the new sound and DeFord's son, DeFord Junior,
became involved in this new music scene.
DeFord
Junior often appeared on "Night Train," a syndicated television
show that featured local soul music. While working on the show,
DeFord Junior played with another young guitarist who would shortly
leave Nashville for the west coast. His name was Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix
was close to the Bailey family, often eating and visiting with DeFord
Senior at family get-togethers.>>
Source for the material
in this section, including excerpts:
David C. Morton with Charles K. Wolfe, DeFord Bailey: A Black Star
in Early Country Music (Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 1991)
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