Interview with Wade Mainer, June 25, 2005

Partial Transcript: Well, my name's Dick Spottswood and it is my great pleasure to be sitting in the living room, in the actual home in Flint, Michigan...

Segment Synopsis: Interviewer Dick Spottswood introduces Wade Mainer and Julia Mainer.

Partial Transcript: Um, Tony, you had--now Tony's behind the camera over there.

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about his father's farm in Weaverville. He talks about the economic status of people in the town.

Keywords: Automobiles; Economics; Farms; J. E. Mainer (Artist); Mainer, J. E. (Artist); Moonshine; North Carolina; Towns; Weaverville (N.C.); Work

Subjects: Childhood; Families.; Occupations.; Professions.; Work.

Partial Transcript: When did J. E. start playing, playing music professionally?

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about some of the jobs he and his brother J.E. Mainer worked before and during their music careers. He talks about working in sawmills, cotton mills, and other factories. He talks about moving to Concord with his brother in the 1930s and beginning to play music. He talks about working for Roscoe Banks, a fiddler who taught the brothers about music. Mainer talks about beginning to learn to play the banjo and why he began playing two-finger style.

Keywords: 1930s; Banjo players; Banjos; Banks, Roscoe (Artist); Brothers; Clawhammer banjo style; Concord (N.C.); Cotton mills; Dances; Dangerous; Drop thumb banjo style; Economics; Factories; Farms; Fiddle players; Fiddlers; Great Depression; Hiring; J. E. Mainer (Artist); Jobs; Learning to play; Lumber; Machines; Mainer, J. E. (Artist); Musical styles; Odd jobs; Playing music; Professional musicians; Roscoe Banks (Artist); Sawmills; Sisters; Travel; Two-­finger banjo style; Two­finger banjo style; Work

Subjects: Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Childhood; Country music.; Families.; Labor.; Manual work; Music--Instruction and study.; Music--Performance.; Musical ability in children.; Musical ability.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical instruments.; Musical performance; Musicians; Occupations.; Professions.; Work.

Partial Transcript: And, uh, here's where the music began to develop whenever I done that.

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about getting a fiddle as a prize for selling Cloverine Salve. He describes playing square dances and how he first began playing banjo at dances when the musicians were taking breaks. He talks more about playing two-finger style banjo.

Keywords: Backup; Banjos; Banks, Roscoe (Artist); Clawhammer banjo style; Cloverine Salve; Drop thumb banjo style; Fiddles; Influences; J. E. Mainer (Artist); J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers (Artist); Lead instruments; Learning to play; Mainer, J. E. (Artist); Medicine; Old Reuben (Song); Old Ruben (Song); Practice; Prizes; Roscoe Banks (Artist); Sales; Selling; Square dances; Tuning; Two-­finger banjo style; Two­finger banjo style

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Childhood; Country music.; Music audiences; Music--Instruction and study.; Music--Performance.; Musical ability.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical instruments.; Musical performance; Musicians; Practicing (Music)

Partial Transcript: Now if you had a band constructed in Concord where y'all were working at the mill...

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks more about starting a band with his brother J.E. Mainer when they lived in Concord, North Carolina. He talks about their influence on the Monroe brothers.

Keywords: Band members; Bill Monroe (Artist); Charlie Monroe (Artist); Concord (N.C.); Guitar players; Guitars; J. E. Mainer (Artist); J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers (Artist); Mainer, J. E. (Artist); Monroe, Bill (Artist); Monroe, Charlie (Artist); Musical styles; Sound; Style

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music--Performance.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians

Partial Transcript: Tell me about w--how you, uh, evolved from, from playing for, for dances with J. E. to, to, to getting the band together...

Segment Synopsis: Julia Mainer mentions her experiences playing on the radio. Wade Mainer talks about the Mainer's Mountaineers' first experiences playing on the radio, which they did for free. He talks about playing dances, corn shuckings, and other community events.

Keywords: 1935; Broadcasting; Churches; Community events; Concerts; Corn shuckings; Dances; Gigs; J. E. Mainer (Artist); J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers (Artist); Julia Mae Brown Mainer (Artist); Julia Mainer (Artist); Mainer, J. E. (Artist); Mainer, Julia (Artist); Mainer, Julia Mae Brown (Artist); Money; Parties; Payment; Salaries; Salary; Shows; Songs; Square dances; Wages

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music audiences; Music--Performance.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Radio programs.; Radio stations.

Partial Transcript: I'm interested in how it evolved out of your playing parties for corn shuckings...

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about how he and J.E. Mainer went from playing community events to a full-fledged music career through the help of an RCA Victor agent.

Keywords: Agents; Charlotte (N.C.); Community events; Eli Oberstein; Fisher Hendley (Artist); Free; Growth; Hendley, Fisher (Artist); J. E. Mainer (Artist); J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers (Artist); Mainer, J. E. (Artist); Money; Oberstein, Eli; Payment; RCA Victor; Salaries; Salary; Wages

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music--Performance.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians

Partial Transcript: Well, I didn't have--I didn't have the banjo when I was working in the mill.

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about when he got his first banjo. He talks about trying to play the banjo in the three-finger style and why he ultimately decided to play in the two-finger style.

Keywords: Banjo players; Banjos; Crazy Water Crystals; J. E. Mainer (Artist); J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers (Artist); Keeping time; Lead banjo; Lead instruments; Mainer, J. E. (Artist); Three­-finger banjo style; Three­finger banjo style; Timing; Two-­finger banjo style; Two­finger banjo style; Vega banjos

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music--Performance.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical instruments.; Musical performance; Musicians

Partial Transcript: I still want to--I d--uh, u, unless I've, I've done--and you can tell me if I've done as much as I can...

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about early band members of the Mainer's Mountaineers. He talks about songs that he and other musicians have written that were not copyrighted or were later stolen.

Keywords: Copyright; Copyright disputes; Copyright laws; Ernest Tubb (Artist); J. E. Mainer (Artist); J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers (Artist); John Love (Artist); Legal issues; Library of Congress; Love, John (Artist); Mainer, J. E. (Artist); Money; Morris, Zeke (Artist); Payment; Publishing companies; RCA Victor; Robbed; Salaries; Salary; Songwriting; Stealing; Stolen; Tubb, Ernest (Artist); Wages; Zeke Morris (Artist)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Lyric writing (Popular music); Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Popular music--Writing and publishing.; Records.; Songs.; Sound--Recording and reproducing

Partial Transcript: Let me return to, uh, to, to, to you again...

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about some of the Mainer's Mountaineers' hit songs and their general popularity. He talks about their records and being requested on the radio.

Keywords: 1930s; Autry, Gene (Artist); Clawhammer banjo style; Fisher Hendley (Artist); Gene Autry (Artist); Great Depression; Hendley, Fisher (Artist); Hit songs; J. E. Mainer (Artist); J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers (Artist); Keeping bluegrass alive; Leaving; Mainer, J. E. (Artist); Maple on the Hill (Song); Money; Payment; Popularity; RCA Victor; Rationing; Record companies; Requests; Salaries; Salary; Songwriting; Split; Take Me in the Lifeboat (Song); Wages; World War II

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Lyric writing (Popular music); Music audiences; Music--Performance.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Popular music--Writing and publishing.; Radio programs.; Radio stations.; Records.; Songs.; Sound--Recording and reproducing; World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: Tell me this.

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks more about how the Mainer Mountaineers transitioned from playing community events to playing shows for money. He talks about their clothes, hiring sidemen, and their sponsors. He discusses leaving the Mainer Mountaineers for better financial opportunities.

Keywords: Barn dances; Bascom Lamar Lunsford (Artist); Clothes; Concerts; Crazy Water Crystals; Crowds; Fiddlers conventions; Finances; Fisher Hendley (Artist); Gigs; Graham Poyner; Hats; Hendley, Fisher (Artist); J. E. Mainer (Artist); J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers (Artist); Leaving; Lunsford, Bascom Lamar (Artist); Mainer, J. E. (Artist); Money; Morris, Zeke (Artist); Payment; Personal appearances; Poyner, Graham; Professional musicians; Quitting; Salaries; Salary; Sales; Schoolhouses; Schools; Selling; Shows; Side men; Singing; Solo artists; Songbooks; Sponsors; Suits; Taking a cut; Voices; WPTF (Radio station); Wages; Zeke Morris (Artist)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music audiences; Music--Performance.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Radio programs.; Radio stations.

Partial Transcript: Why don't we, uh, why don't we turn to you at this point then?

Segment Synopsis: Julia Mainer talks about her early interest in music and how she learned to play guitar and sing. She talks about playing music on the local radio station, WSJS, as a child. She talks about meeting Wade Mainer in 1935 and getting married in 1937. She quit her music career while raising her family until after Wade's retirement in 1972.

Keywords: 1935; 1937; Bluebird Records; Books; Broadcasting; Chords; Family; Farmers; Fathers; Grandfathers; Guitar players; Guitars; Hank Snow (Artist); Interests; J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers (Artist); Julia Mae Brown Mainer (Artist); Julia Mainer (Artist); Learning to play; Mainer, Julia (Artist); Mainer, Julia Mae Brown (Artist); Mainer, Wade (Artist); Management; Married; Singing; Snow, Hank (Artist); The Vagabonds (Artist); WSJS (Radio station); Wade Mainer (Artist); Where Romance Calls (Song)

Subjects: Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Childhood; Country music.; Families.; Music--Instruction and study.; Music--Performance.; Musical ability in children.; Musical ability.; Musical instruments.; Musical performance; Musicians; Practicing (Music); Radio programs.; Radio stations.; Records.; Songs.; Sound--Recording and reproducing

Partial Transcript: When you retired, Wade, in 1972 from, uh, from General Motors, um, you all had--had you--you had, you had been singing together for, for a while before that, hadn't you?

Segment Synopsis: Julia Mainer talks about beginning to play and sing with Wade Mainer after his retirement in 1972. She talks about playing for churches and the importance of practicing.

Keywords: 1972; Churches; Concerts; General Motors; Job offers; Julia Mae Brown Mainer (Artist); Julia Mainer (Artist); Mainer, Julia (Artist); Mainer, Julia Mae Brown (Artist); Popularity; Practice; Retired; Retirement; Singing; Voices

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music audiences; Music--Performance.; Musical ability.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Practicing (Music); Songs.

Partial Transcript: What was the--it--how was your experience being what they used to call...

Segment Synopsis: Julia Mainer talks about the difficulty of being the wife of a musician.

Keywords: "Backstage wife"; Childrearing; Children; Family; Home; Julia Mae Brown Mainer (Artist); Julia Mainer (Artist); Kids; Mainer, Julia (Artist); Mainer, Julia Mae Brown (Artist); Records; Spouses of musicians; The Sons of the Mountaineers (Artist); Wives; Wives of musicians

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass musicians; Child rearing; Families.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musicians

Partial Transcript: Um, I wonder if it would be appropriate to ask you, Wade Mainer...

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about various Mainer Mountaineers and Sons of Mountaineers band members who were influenced by the Mainers. He talks about Zeke Morris, Steve Ledford, Jim & Jesse, and others. He talks about songs he has written or recorded that other musicians have covered.

Keywords: Band members; Bandmates; Bill Carlisle (Artist); Carlisle, Bill (Artist); Carlisle, Cliff (Artist); Cliff Carlisle (Artist); Famous; G. B. Grayson (Artist); Grayson, G. B. (Artist); Hank Snow (Artist); Impact; Influences; Influential; Jesse McReynolds (Artist); Jim McReynolds (Artist); Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys (Artist); Ledford, Steve (Artist); McReynolds, Jesse (Artist); McReynolds, Jim (Artist); Morris, Zeke (Artist); Old Reuben (Song); Old Ruben (Song); Recording; Snow, Hank (Artist); Songwriting; Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys, the (Artist); Steve Ledford (Artist); The Sons of the Mountaineers (Artist); The Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys (Artist); Train 45 (Song); Train Forty-Five (Song); When Romance Calls (Song); Zeke Morris (Artist)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Lyric writing (Popular music); Music--Performance.; Musical ability.; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Popular music--Writing and publishing.; Radio programs.; Radio stations.; Records.; Songs.; Sound--Recording and reproducing

Partial Transcript: Same way she was with that there, uh, uh, "When Romance Calls."

Segment Synopsis: Wade and Julia Mainer talk about Julia's musical talent and some of the songs she recorded. They talk more about playing together for churches and other shows, including traveling to Europe to play.

Keywords: 1970s; Bible; Blind Bartimaeus (Song); Children; Concerts; Didn't It Rain (Song); Europe; Family; Gigs; Golden Gate Quartet (Artist); Harmonies; Harmony; Harmony singing; Holland; International; Italy; Jezebel (Song); Julia Mae Brown Mainer (Artist); Julia Mainer (Artist); Mainer, Julia (Artist); Mainer, Julia Mae Brown (Artist); Mainer, Wade (Artist); Music careers; Musical careers; New Testament; Old Jonah (Song); Old Testament; Popularity; Practice; Recording; Retirement; Retiring; Shows; Story songs; Talent; Touring; Tours; Wade Mainer (Artist)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music--Performance.; Musical ability.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Practicing (Music); Records.; Songs.; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Travel.

Partial Transcript: Let me get back to, to where we were talking...

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks more about quitting the Mainer Mountaineers and starting his own band, the Sons of the Mountaineers. He talks about his band members and the evolution of the band's name.

Keywords: Auditions; Band names; Clyde Moody (Artist); Concerts; Crazy Water Crystals; Fiddle players; Fiddlers; Gigs; J. E. Mainer (Artist); Leaving; Ledford, Steve (Artist); Mainer, J. E. (Artist); Moody, Clyde (Artist); Morris, Zeke (Artist); Musical styles; Quitting; Shows; Singing; Solo artists; Sound; Split; Steve Ledford (Artist); Style; The Sons of the Mountaineers (Artist); Train 45 (Song); Train Forty-Five (Song); Wade Mainer's Smilin' Rangers (Artist); Zeke Morris (Artist)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music--Performance.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians

Partial Transcript: But, uh--[unintelligible]--wasn't with us then, we just had to pick up and do what we could.

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about the various Sons of the Mountaineers band members throughout the years.

Keywords: 1940s; Band members; Bill Monroe (Artist); Charlie Monroe (Artist); Concerts; Crazy Water Crystals; Crowds; George Morris (Artist); Gigs; J. E. Mainer (Artist); Leonard Stokes (Artist); Mainer, J. E. (Artist); Monroe, Bill (Artist); Monroe, Charlie (Artist); Morris, George (Artist); Morris, Wally (Artist); Morris, Zeke (Artist); Popularity; Shows; Stokes, Leonard (Artist); Wally Morris (Artist); Washington (D.C.); Zeke Morris (Artist)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music audiences; Music--Performance.; Musical ability.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians

Partial Transcript: Um, tell me about Clyde Moody.

Segment Synopsis: Mainer tells stories about band member Clyde Moody. Mainer talks about why he himself was not a good band leader.

Keywords: Band leaders; Bill Monroe (Artist); Clyde Moody (Artist); Columbia (N.C.); Crowds; Drinking; Education; Hired; Jail; Leaving; Ledford, Steve (Artist); Monroe, Bill (Artist); Moody, Clyde (Artist); Morris, Zeke (Artist); Quitting; Steve Ledford (Artist); WIS (Radio station); Zeke Morris (Artist)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music audiences; Music--Performance.; Musical ability.; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Radio programs.; Radio stations.

Partial Transcript: But we, we had a pretty good time, Dick.

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about playing music with Jim and Jesse McReynolds.

Keywords: Auditions; Fan mail; Fans; Jesse McReynolds (Artist); Jim McReynolds (Artist); Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys (Artist); McReynolds, Jesse (Artist); McReynolds, Jim (Artist); Popularity; Tryouts; WCYB (Radio station)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music audiences; Music--Performance.; Musical ability.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Radio programs.; Radio stations.

Partial Transcript: Red Rector.

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about playing a show with Red Rector and Fred Smith. He talks about his impact on Rector.

Keywords: 1943; Blue Ridge Records; British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC); Fred Smith (Artist); Impact; Influences; J. E. Mainer (Artist); Knob Records; Mainer, J. E. (Artist); New York; Popularity; Record labels; Rector, Red (Artist); Red Rector (Artist); Smith, Fred (Artist)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music audiences; Music--Performance.; Musical ability.; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Radio programs.; Radio stations.; Records.; Songs.; Sound--Recording and reproducing

Partial Transcript: You were out of, uh--you were not playing music by 1943.

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about quitting the music business and starting a farm. He talks about rationing during World War II.

Keywords: 1943; Asheville (N.C.); Draft; Farmers; Farming; Farms; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Gasoline; Leaving; Mocksville (N.C.); Quitting; Rationing; Tires; Wartime; World War II

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music--Performance.; Musical ability.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945; World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: So that's what put you into Asheville.

Segment Synopsis: Mainer describes being invited by Librarian of Congress and Poet Laureate Archibald MacLeish to play for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Keywords: 1941; Alan Lomax; Archibald MacLeish; Dodson, Tiny (Artist); Farm hours; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Invitations; Jack Shelton (Artist); Lomax, Alan; Performing; Shelton, Jack (Artist); Tiny Dodson (Artist); U.S. presidents; WWNC (Radio station); Washington (D.C.); White House

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music audiences; Music--Performance.; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962; Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945

Partial Transcript: See, I didn't have no management about that.

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about how his career was hurt by not having a manager. He talks about how, at the time, very few musicians outside of the Grand Ole Opry had managers. He talks about how little money he made as a musician and how the music business has changed over time.

Keywords: "The Solemn Old Judge"; Advertisements; Bill Monroe (Artist); Control; Drinking; Entertainment; George D. Hay; Grand Ole Opry (Radio program); Hay, George D.; Management; Mistakes; Money; Monroe, Bill (Artist); Music business; Payment; Salaries; Salary; Sponsors; Transitions; Wages

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music--Performance.; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Radio programs.

Partial Transcript: Well, you know, uh, the songs and things that we had to get up back there...

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about only playing songs he felt an emotional connection to. He talks about the origin of various songs., and how many songs share the same tune. He talks about banjo styles and when he began using the banjo as a lead instrument. He talks about songs that he and other musicians have written that were not copyrighted or were later stolen.

Keywords: 1961; Africa; Banjo songs; Banjo tunes; Banks, Roscoe (Artist); Banks, Squire (Artist); Cannonball (Song); Chords; Conscious decisions; Copying; Copyright; Courtin' in the Rain (Song); Cuckoo Bird (Song); Earl Scruggs (Artist); Emotions; Feelings; Fiddle players; Fiddlers; Gary Reed; Joe Clark (Song); King Records; Lead banjos; Lead instruments; Learning to play; Melodies; Melody; Musical styles; Old Reuben (Song); Old Ruben (Song); Ralph Stanley (Artist); Ramblin' Boy (Song); Reed, Gary; Reuben Train (Song); Roll My Lady Roll (Song); Roscoe Banks (Artist); Ruben Train (Song); Scruggs, Earl (Artist); Singing; Sound; Squire Banks (Artist); Stanley, Ralph (Artist); Style; Three-­finger banjo style; Three­finger banjo style; Train 45 (Song); Train Forty-Five (Song); Tunes; Tuning; Two-­finger banjo style; Two­finger banjo style

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Lyric writing (Popular music); Music--Instruction and study.; Music--Performance.; Musical groups.; Musical instruments.; Musical performance; Musicians; Popular music--Writing and publishing.; Records.; Songs.; Sound--Recording and reproducing

Partial Transcript: So you, uh, you went, you went, you went up to the White House on the seventeenth of February, nine--1941...

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks more about playing for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He talks about playing country music for college students, as well as in Italy.

Keywords: Changes; College students; Colleges; Down In The Willow Garden (Rose Connelly) (Song); Effects; Eleanor Roosevelt; Exposure; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Impact; Influences; Italy; Musical styles; Rural areas; Sound; Style; White House

Subjects: Bands (Music); Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Music audiences; Music--Performance.; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Musicians; Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962; Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945; Songs.

Partial Transcript: I know what I didn't ask you before, apropos of, uh, Take Me In a Lifeboat," uh, you had put words and music to that song.

Segment Synopsis: Mainer talks about some of the songs he wrote either tunes or lyrics for. He talks more about songs that he and other musicians have written that were not copyrighted or were later stolen. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Copyright; Copyright disputes; Copyright laws; Fathers; J. E. Mainer (Artist); J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers (Artist); King Records; Legal issues; Lyrics; Mainer, J. E. (Artist); Oh Fathers (Song); Publishing companies; Reeling Rock (Song); Songwriting; Stealing; Stolen; Take Me in the Lifeboat (Song); Tunes; Words

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country music.; Lyric writing (Popular music); Musical groups.; Musicians; Popular music--Writing and publishing.; Records.; Songs.; Sound--Recording and reproducing