Prater & Hayes

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Prater & Hayes were American black musicians from Vicksburg, Mississippi, United States, who made recordings in the 1920s. [1] Matthew Prater was born in West Corinth, Mississippi in 1885 and played the mandolin; Napoleon Hayes was born in New Albany, Mississippi on June 30, 1889, and played the guitar. [2] [1]

They were the first to record Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer", under the title "Easy Winner", combining it with another song. [1] [3] Another tune they borrowed from Joplin was "Somethin' Doin'". 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 they produced were recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 15, 1928. [3]

Their lives after 1928, and the dates of their deaths, are unreported. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Prater and Hayes". Oldtimeparty.wordpress.com. 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues – A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 110. ISBN   978-0313344237.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Sullivan, Steve (October 2015). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 1. Vol. 1. Scarecrow Press. p. 446. ISBN   978-0810882959.
  4. ↑ Oliver, Paul (February 22, 2001). Yonder Come the Blues: The Evolution of a Genre . Cambridge University Press. p.  168. ISBN   978-0521787772. Prater .
  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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