Francis Craig (September 10, 1900 – November 19, 1966) was an American songwriter,

honky tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, honky tonk, or tonk) is either a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons or the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ...

piano player, and leader of a Nashville dance band. His works included "

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

" and " Near You", the latter being the first

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

#1 hit out of Nashville.

Early years

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

minister's son, Craig was born in

Dickson, Tennessee Dickson is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Located in Dickson County. It is part of the Nashville metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, Dickson's population was 16,058. History Dickson was named for Congressman William Dickson, as ...

, United States. Craig attended

Hume-Fogg High School Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School is a public magnet high school serving grades 9–12 and located in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. History Hume School, serving the first through 12th grades, opened in 1855 on Eighth Avenue ...

, where he formed an instrumental duo with fellow piano prodigy

Beasley Smith John Beasley Smith (September 27, 1901 – May 14, 1968) was an American composer and big band musician. " That Lucky Old Sun" (1949) one of his better known works, was covered by many well-known artists. He often worked with Haven Gillespie and t ...

. They both attended

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

, where they were roommates. While at Vanderbilt, Craig studied mathematics and political science, "Dynamite", now the official

fight song A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand, these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...

of Vanderbilt University, was written by Craig in 1938 a week prior to a Vanderbilt/

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

football game. It is played mainly at football games, basketball games, and at other Commodore sports events. While he was at Vanderbilt, Craig formed an orchestra, the Vanderbilt Jazz Band. When the university's chancellor told Craig he would have to change the name of the group, disband it, or leave Vanderbilt, he dropped out and changed the orchestra's name.

Radio

Craig had three stints on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee. His Francis Craig Orchestra played on the station in 1926-1928 and again in 1935-1939. He returned to the station in 1947 to work as a

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

on the program ''Featured by Francis Craig''. He also worked on WGN in Chicago, Illinois, in 1940.Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 166.

Recording

His own recording of " Near You", was released by Bullet Records as catalog number 1001B (The "A" side, 1001A, was titled "Red Rose", also by Craig). "Near You" first reached the ''

'' Best Seller chart on August 30, 1947, and lasted 21 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 1. It held the top spot for 12 straight weeks. (A 2004 article in Billboard says that the song "was No. 1 for 17 weeks in 1947.") It eventually sold over 2.5 million copies. "Craig's version of the song was the first pop hit record ever to come out of Nashville, Tennessee." Various recordings by other persons have followed. Other works included " Beg Your Pardon" with

Death

Craig died aged 66 in November 1966, in

Sewanee, Tennessee Sewanee () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,535 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Winchester, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area. Sewanee is best known as the home ...

References

1900 births 1966 deaths American male songwriters 20th-century American musicians Vanderbilt University alumni People from Dickson, Tennessee 20th-century American male musicians {{US-music-bio-stub