Thomas Edward "Edd" Mayfield (April 12, 1926 – July 7, 1958) was a Bluegrass singer and guitarist, mostly known for being a member of

Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe ( ; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its n ...

and the Blue Grass Boys band during the 1950s. Edd Mayfield and two of his brothers, Smokey Mayfield (1924–2008) of Spearman and Herbert Mayfield (1920–2008) of Dimmitt, were part of the Mayfield Brothers

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

band in

West Texas West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the desert climate, arid and semiarid climate, semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Texas, Wichita Falls, Abilene, Texa ...

Biography

Mayfield was born in

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

in Deaf Smith County, southwest of Amarillo, to William Fletcher Mayfield (died 1952) and the former Penelope Drake (died 1937). The family was involved in music,

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

, and

ranching A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often applied to li ...

. Mayfield served in the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Mayfield Brothers were offered a recording contract, but turned it down because of the business of the family's Green Valley Ranch. In the summer of 1951, Bill Monroe's guitarist,

Carter Stanley Carter Glen Stanley (August 27, 1925 – December 1, 1966) was a bluegrass music lead singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitar player. He formed The Stanley Brothers and The Clinch Mountain Boys band with his younger brother Ralph Stanley. Biogra ...

, left the band, and Monroe, who had heard of Mayfield, offered him the vacant slot as guitarist in the Bluegrass Boys. At the time he joined the Bluegrass Boys, Edd Mayfield was described as "a handsome, tough-as-barbed-wire cowpuncher, who literally grew up on a ranch, who could ride hard, lasso accurately, and literally toss and tie up a bull. . . and had the wiry strength of a

gymnast Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

."Google Books, ''Can't You Hear Me Callin'?''
/ref> In early 1958, Mayfield returned to Monroe for the last time. He contracted

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

, became ill while on the road with the band, and within 3 days of being stricken, died at a hospital in

Bluefield, West Virginia Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,658 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Bluefield micropolitan area extending into Virginia, which had a populatio ...

. He was 32. Services for Mayfield were held at the First

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Church in Dimmitt. The burial took place at Castro County Memorial Cemetery. Mayfield was married to Jo McLain and the couple had two sons, Freddie and Carl. After Mayfield's death, his sons were raised by his brother Smokey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayfield, Thomas Edd 1926 births 1958 deaths Bluegrass musicians from Texas People from Deaf Smith County, Texas People from Dimmitt, Texas Deaths from leukemia in the United States Baptists from Texas American military personnel of World War II Deaths from cancer in West Virginia 20th-century American musicians Country musicians from Texas 20th-century Baptists