Cleve Chafin (March 4, 1885 – December 10, 1959) was a carnival musician who recorded
old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dancing, clogging, and buck dancing. It is played on acoustic instruments, generally centering on a combination ...
during the 1920s.
Biography
Chafin was from
Wayne County, West Virginia, the son of Alice Adkins and Bob Chafin.
He first recorded a solo session in
Richmond, Indiana
Richmond is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County and is part of the Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 36,812. Situa ...
for
Gennett Records
Gennett (pronounced "jennett") was an American record company and label in Richmond, Indiana, United States, which flourished in the 1920s. Gennett produced some of the earliest recordings by Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, and H ...
on November 16, 1927,
but the recordings were never issued. He may also have recorded a session for
Paramount Records
Paramount Records was an American record label known for its recordings of jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey, Tommy Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson.
Early years
Paramount Records was formed in 19 ...
in 1928 with two men named Stevens and Bolar as
Fruit Jar Guzzlers Fruit Jar Guzzlers was an old-time music group who recorded during the 1920s.
Biography
Fruit Jar Guzzlers is one of the most mysterious old-time groups to ever record. In 1928, another old-time musician Cleve Chaffin from Wayne County, West Vir ...
. In
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, Chaffin recorded six songs with
John & Emery McClung for
Paramount Records
Paramount Records was an American record label known for its recordings of jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey, Tommy Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson.
Early years
Paramount Records was formed in 19 ...
. These records were released as by Cleve Chaffin and The McClung Brothers. Chaffin continued his professional music career, but never recorded again.
He died on December 10, 1959 in
Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and the largest city in the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A h ...
at the age of 74.
Chafin died in
Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and the largest city in the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A h ...
at the age of 74. He was never married.
According to the Thirteenth Census of the United States in 1910, a Cleve Chafin, who was born in Kentucky and aged 22, was a prisoner at the city jail in Cabell County, West Virginia at the time of the census.
Discography
Unreleased 1927 Gennett recordings
*
Sweet Bunch of Daisies
* Aged Mother
* The Night My Mother Died
* Curtain Of Night
* Wreck Of The C&O
* Railroad Bill
Cleve Chaffin & The McClung Brothers
* Babylon Is Falling Down/I Got A Home In The Beulah Land (Paramount #3160) (3/1929)
* Trail Blazer's Favorites/Alabama Jubilee (Paramount #3161) (3/1929)
* Rock House Gamblers/Curtains Of Night (Paramount #3170) (3/1929)
Various artists compilations
* My Rough And Rowdy Ways Volume One (Yazoo #2039) (1998)
* Old Time Music Of West Virginia Volume Two (County #CD-3519) (1999)
* The Half Ain’t Never Been Told Volume Two (Yazoo #2050) (1999)
* Country Music Classic (Vintage78 #C-53) (cassette)
* Paramount Old Time Recordings (JSP) (3-CD set) (2006)
Notes
External links
*
Allmusic Find A Grave Memorial
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaffin, Cleve
1885 births
1959 deaths
Old-time musicians
Gennett Records artists