Prater & Hayes

Prater & Hayes were American black musicians from Vicksburg, Mississippi, United States, who made recordings in the 1920s.[1] Matthew Prater was a mandolin player; Napoleon Hayes played the guitar.[1] They were the first to record Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer", under the title "Easy Winner", combining it with another song.[1][2] Another tune they borrowed from Joplin was "Somethin' Doin'."

Hayes was born in West Corinth, Mississippi in 1885, and Prater in New Albany, Mississippi on June 30, 1889.[3]

Their recordings showed a fusion of musical styles, of string band, blues and ragtime.[1][4] Prater took the lead with his mandolin, while Hayes played rhythm guitar.[1] They recorded music under two different group names, the 'Blue Boys' and the 'Johnson Boys' (with Lonnie Johnson).[1]

The three records that they produced were recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 15, 1928.[2]

  • "Easy Winner", the Blue Boys (combined Joplin's "The Entertainer" with "Creole Belles", by J. Bodewalt Lampe)[1][5]
  • "Memphis Stomp" (side 2) with Lonnie Johnson on fiddle[2][5]
  • "Prater Blues" (side 1), the Johnson Boys[5]
  • "Violin Blues" (side 2), the Johnson Boys (Lonnie Johnson on fiddle)[2][5]
  • "Somethin' Doin'"[5]
  • "Nothin' Doin'"[5]

Their lives after 1928, and the dates of their deaths, are unreported.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Prater and Hayes". Oldtimeparty.wordpress.com. 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sullivan, Steve (October 2015). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 1. 1. Scarecrow Press. pp. 446–446. ISBN 978-0810882959.
  3. 1 2 Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues – A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 110. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  4. ↑ Oliver, Paul (February 22, 2001). Yonder Come the Blues: The Evolution of a Genre. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521787772.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rust, Brian; Shaw, Malcolm. Jazz and Ragtime Records (1897–1942): A-K. Mainspring Press. p. 755. ISBN 978-0967181929.
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