NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — All families have stories they pass down. One family's story includes a man who is key to the history of country music. Something's just arrived in the city that's helping tell the story.
An eight piece band practiced a song in a local garage. The music was being rehearsed to remember a man named DeFord Bailey. Their frontman was Bailey's grandson, Carlos DeFord Bailey.
Shemika Wiley tells the story of Bailey too.
"He is my great grandfather," she said. "I go into the schools and talk about DeFord Bailey for Black history month."
Her children, Mike and Monae, are already doing reports on their great great grandfather for school.
"That's the bloodline!" Carlos said.
So, who was DeFord Bailey? Well, there's nobody better to tell you than his family. It's a story that starts in rural Smith County with a harmonica.
"He was born in 1899," Mike read from his school report. "He was stricken with polio as a child and was bedridden."
"A Black hillbilly back then, his aunt's the one who raised him and is who gave him a harmonica," Shemika continued. "He could make the harmonica talk."
"There was a train that ran outside of his house, and he could make his harmonica sound just like one," Mike said.
That talent Bailey developed as a child would get him on 1920s radio and make him a hit with audiences.
"They loved it," said Shemika. "They didn't know who was playing harmonica, Black, white. He wasn't just the first Black star, but the first star on the Grand Ole Opry."
"He traveled throughout the South with Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe," said Carlos. "He was one of the superstars, known as the harmonica wizard."
"He drew crowds," Shemika continued. "They still loved him. They knew he was Black."
Bailey always faced barriers. Those nights on the road touring to shows were in the days of Jim Crow laws.
"They used to have to hide him just riding through town," said Shemika. "He couldn't be seen riding in a car with white people."
"He was paid less than the other Grand Ole Opry stars," Carlos added. "He wasn't able to go into the hotels. He wasn't able to go into the restaurants."
"They didn't care about him being a star," said Shemika. "He was Black."
By the 40s, Bailey found himself in a deal that didn't allow him to perform his own songs. He shined shoes on 12th Avenue and lived in an apartment in the same area.
"He died penniless, while all these other stars are rich and famous," Shemika said.
That's not where the story ends. Recent years have seen biographies, articles, and accolades.
"This is when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame," Carlos said, holding up a medal.
Now, the generations of DeFord Bailey's family welcome something else.
A DeFord Bailey Avenue sign now overlooks what was 14th Avenue S and Horton Avenue in South Nashville. It's near where Bailey lived and ran his shoe shining business.
"I wish he could be here to see it," said Carlos, getting ready to perform to a crowd gathered to see the sign unveiling.
"We want everybody to know who DeFord Bailey is," said Shemika. "His day was way overdue, but thank God it's here."
