Curley Williams and Georgia Peach Pickers Born:  June 3, 1914 Died:  September 5, 1970 Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame (1999) KWKH Louisiana Hayride WSM Grand Ole Opry WALB Albany, GA WMC Memphis, TN WMGA Moultrie, GA WPAX Thomasville, GA WSM Nashville, TN (1942)

About The Artist Originally, Curley's group was known as the Santa Fe Trail Riders. Later on, when the Opry came calling, they had to change their name. Curley at the time was using his real name, Dock. However, there was a fellow named Doc Williams (Andrew Smik) and His Border Riders using that name on the famed WWVA Wheeling Jamboree. So, George D. Hay, the Solemn Old Judge, named him Curley for his curly hair and the band got the name Georgia Peach Pickers since most of them were from Georgia. Wayne M. Daniel writes that Curley Williams and the Georgia Peach Pickers and their music would be remembered by fans of old time hillbilly/country music as Colin Escott notes, for their "light, jazzy, sophisticated western dance music." He cites Mountain Broadcast and Prairie Recorder, for calling the Georgia Peach Pickers "one of the best hillbilly swing bands". While the band was on the west coast, they appeared in a Columbia movie entitled "Riders Of the Lone Star", a Durango Kid series western that starred Charles Starrett. The movie also included such stars as Smiley Burnette, Virginia Hunter, Steve Darrell, Edmund Cobb, Mark Dennis, George Chesebro, Lane Bradford, Ted Mapes, Peter Perkins, Eddie Parker, Nolan Leary and Bud Osborne notes Mr. Daniel. In the movie, Curley and the band get to play and sing "Oh Monah" and "Let Me By". They even accompany Smiley Burnett on a couple of tunes and played a dance tune at a birthday party. Later on, Curley and the band recorded a series of short takes of individual songs with an old friend of his from the Grand Ole Opry days, Tommy Scott. These short films were made at the Strickland Film Company in Atlanta, Georgia. The band did such tunes as "Barbecue Rag", "No, Not Now", "Southern Belle (from Nashville Tennessee)". These songs were apparently released as videos later by Cattle Records. Timeline and Trivia Notes Group members-1942 Curley Williams, vocals and fiddle Joseph Williams, rhythm guitar Sanford Williams, bass and comedy Clyde "Boots" Harris, steel guitar Joe Pope, piano Jimmy Selph, vocals and guitar New Group Members later, on west coast (Jimmy Selph had stayed behind in Nashville): Jack Charmella, guitarist, fomerly of Opry, 1945 Farris Coursay, drummer, formerly of Opry, 1945 New Group members later, in Shreveport, Louisiana Lee Purvis, piano Danny Johnson, electric guitar Little Georgianne (Curley's 12 year old daughter, real name Morelle) Group members in Memphis, Tennessee Curley Williams Boots Harris Billy Simmons, piano Millard "Smokey" Paul, guitar Jack Ford, rhythm guitar and vocals Jimmy Summey, bass player and comedian Group members, Anniston, Alabama Curley Williams Boots Harris Jack Ford Wimpey Jones, piano Jack Pruett, guitarist (who later worked with Marty Robbins and married Norma Jean Bowman who later was known as Jeanne Pruett of "Satin Sheets" fame) Credits & Sources Notes and group personnel changes from an article entitled "Curley Williams: Country Fiddler, Western Swing Bandleader, Composer of Pop Music Hit" written by Wayne M. Daniel, as published in "The Devil's Box", a quarterly publication of the North American Fiddlers Association, PO Box 1096, Columbia, MO 65205. We thank the author for providing us with the article. Sound Sample—(YouTube Video Format) Blue Melody

Recordings (78rpm/45rpm)

Columbia
Rec. No.	Side	Song Title
20005	A	Jealous Lady
20005	B	Southern Belle
20076	A	Grandma Turned Over Again
20076	B	Georgia Steel Guitar
20381	A	One Sided Affair
20381	B	Woe Is Me
20411	A	Just A-Pickin' And A-Singin'
20411	B	Georgia Polka
20443	A	Blue Melody
20443	B	Georgia Boogie
20486	A	Leave Me Alone With The Blues
20486	B	Georgia Anne From Georgia
20515	A	If I Knew Then What I Know Now
20515	B	I See A Change In You
20575	A	Georgianna Moon
20575	B	You Can't Brush Me Off
20633	A	No Not Now
20633	B	Barbeque Rag
20725	A	Mississippi
20725	B	Saturday Night Rag
20748	A	Whole Hog Or None
20748	B	Honey Do You Love Me
20757	A	Fiddling Boogie
20757	B	Shy Baby
20797	A	Good Old Alabam'
20797	B	Between A Rock And A Hard Place
20849	A	String Steeling
20849	B	All You Gotta Do Is Whistle
20879	A	Louisiana Serenade
20879	B	Half As Much
20918	A	We've Come A Long Way Together
20918	B	Texas Swing
21039	A	When You're Tired Of Breaking Other Hearts
21039	B	Time And A Half Time
21096	A	What's The Matter With My Heart
21096	B	In The Okefenokee
36872	B	Jealous Lady
37083	A	Grandma's Turned Over Again
37083	B	Georgia Steel Guitar
37950	A	Woe Is Me
37950	B	One-Sided Affair
38133	A	Just A-Pickin' And A-Singin'
38133	B	Georgia Polka