Henry Whittier

Though his voice was once thought to be so bad it was unreleasable, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Henry Whittier, a mill worker by trade, actually inspired artists and labels to put faith in traditional mountain music, such as "The Wreck of the Old 97." His best known work, however, was with fiddler/vocalist Goerge Bannon Grayson with whom he formed a popular bluegrass duo and recorded some classic songs between 1927-1929, including the popular instrumental "Lee Highway Blues." When Grayson was killed in an automobile accident, Whittier's career never fully recovered, but by that point he had helped to prove that there was a market for country music and helped pave the way for record labels to invest time and money into rural talent.