McMichen, Clayton, 1900-1970

Clayton McMichen, who was born on January 26, 1900 in Allatoona, Georgia, began to play the fiddle when he was 11 years old. He began to gain notoriety on his instrument at fiddlers' conventions in the 1920s and on WSB radio. Soon after WSB went on the air in Atlanta in 1922 and for the following four years, McMichen was heard as the leader of a string band called the Home Town Boys. He went on to make several popular recordings with the Skillet Lickers between 1926 and 1930; in about 1930, when the original Skillet Lickers disbanded, he formed his own band, Clayton McMichen and His Melody Men. His new band remained one of the highlights of WSB's programming until he left Atlanta in early 1931.

McMichen worked at numerous radio stations throughout the east and southeast during the 1930s and early 1940s, fronting a band called the Georgia Wildcats, making frequent recordings, and appearing at fiddling contests. From 1945 to 1955, McMichen changed the style of his band to Dixieland. He retired from music in 1955, but in the 1960s he was coaxed out of retirement to appear in bluegrass and folk festivals. He died in Battletown, Kentucky, on January 3, 1970.

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