Musician. Born in Baxter, Tennessee, he was an old-time fiddle player and a pioneer of country music. In 1907, he gained regional fame as a fiddler when he won an eight-day fiddle contest in Dallas, Texas. He spent the next several years traveling around the south, performing at various fairs and other gatherings. In 1925, WSM was established as the first radio station in Nashville that could reach a regional audience. The station's first show format was called the WSM Barn Dance airing on November 28, 1925, with Thompson playing violin and taking requests from listeners. Phone calls and telegrams immediately began pouring into the station and his follow-up performances on WSM in subsequent weeks made him an instant celebrity. Thompson continued making appearances on the Barn Dance show and the program was forever renamed the Grand Ole Opry in 1927, He also recorded for Columbia Records with hits to include "Billy Wilson", "Karo", "Flying Clouds" and "Leather Britches". He died of pneumonia at his home in Laguardo, Tennessee.
Musician. Born in Baxter, Tennessee, he was an old-time fiddle player and a pioneer of country music. In 1907, he gained regional fame as a fiddler when he won an eight-day fiddle contest in Dallas, Texas. He spent the next several years traveling around the south, performing at various fairs and other gatherings. In 1925, WSM was established as the first radio station in Nashville that could reach a regional audience. The station's first show format was called the WSM Barn Dance airing on November 28, 1925, with Thompson playing violin and taking requests from listeners. Phone calls and telegrams immediately began pouring into the station and his follow-up performances on WSM in subsequent weeks made him an instant celebrity. Thompson continued making appearances on the Barn Dance show and the program was forever renamed the Grand Ole Opry in 1927, He also recorded for Columbia Records with hits to include "Billy Wilson", "Karo", "Flying Clouds" and "Leather Britches". He died of pneumonia at his home in Laguardo, Tennessee.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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