Ernest Van “Pop” Stoneman (1893-1968)

Country Musician. Born Ernest V. Stoneman in Galax, Virginia, he was an early pioneer in both bluegrass and country music. He taught himself to play guitar, autoharp, harmonica and went to New York, where he cut two records for the Okeh label in September 1924. For the next two decades, he was a much requested session performer and recorded more than 200 songs. For the rest of his career, he was pretty much a family man but remained active in many musical ventures performing with his group the Stoneman Family and with his wife as, Pop Hattie. They were featured on TV shows and Pop Hattie received CMA's "Vocal Group of the Year" in 1967. In 2008, he was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and he with his wife Hattie Frost Stoneman, were enshrined in the Gennett Records Walk of Fame in 2009.

Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith