Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys: (1) The Prodigal Son

by Country Music Saved My Life





Former singer and fiddler for the Smoky Mountain Boys, East Tennessee native Roy Acuff (often dubbed the "King of Country Music") cut The Prodigal Son in June of 1942, releasing it in single format in December 1943.

Penned by Floyd Jenkins, this very enjoyable song is a good example of the so-called "hillbilly" music of the date: simple harmonies; tuneful melodies; use of three chords; string instrumentation (acoustic guitar, banjo, dobro, and mandolin); folk, homesick filled and small-town oriented lyrics dealing with real-world issues and permeated by a certain dose of religious moralism.

Acuff was the forerunner of the vocal style in country music, moving the genre towards the singer-based format (up to then, country music was built primarily on a rural string band conformation). 

From then on, a new age began: a star singer backed and showcased by a line-up of instrumentalists. The focus, since then, shifted to the singer.

If you haven't already noticed: the band's name was Roy Acuff and His Smoky Mountain Boys, not The Smoky Mountain Boys solely.


Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys and Girls in 1942. (Photo by bunky's pickle, 2012)
CC BY-NC-SA 2.0


His music was of a pure, unadulterated country strain, keeping it spare, simple, and focusing on the song and instrumental interplay. His vocal style had an outspoken, down-home nature that converted him into one of the most popular mountain singers.

(As a footnote: due to its derogatory connotation, the "hillbilly music" categorization gradually fell out of use since the late 1950s, being replaced by the term "Country & Western music").


Song Information

• Writer: Floyd Jenkins

• Roy Acuff - vocals
• Jess Easterday - mandolin
• Velma Williams - bass
• Rachel Veach - banjo
• Lonnie "Pap" Wilson - acoustic guitar
• Pete "Bashful Brother Oswald" Kirby - dobro

• Producer: Arthur E. Satherley (Art Satherley)

• Recorded at CBS Studio (Radio Station KNX) in Hollywood, CA

• Recording date: June 1, 1942

• Release date: December, 1943 


These songs and images are under Fair Use:

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976. Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Nonprofit,  educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

I do not own this content. All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.

This website is for informational, editorial, and entertainment purposes only, consistent with the principles of fair use under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act.

Copyright Act of 1976


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