Biography
The folk revival of the late 1950s introduced numerous accomplished acts, among them the Country Gentlemen. This Washington, D.C.-based quartet brought bluegrass to city listeners and campus audiences previously unacquainted with Flatt & Scruggs, Bill Monroe, or the Stanley Brothers. Interpreting traditional bluegrass material in fresh arrangements, the Gentlemen effectively originated the newgrass approach. Banjoist Eddie Adcock distinguished himself through an inventive technique rivaling Don Reno's. After leaving the Gentlemen in 1970, Adcock applied his abilities to additional stringed instruments while pursuing other musical directions. Throughout the subsequent three decades, he ranked among bluegrass's most enduringly popular performers.
Adcock grew up in Scottsville, Virginia, where he purchased his first banjo as a child and soon performed locally with brother Frank. The pair appeared at churches and radio stations around Charlottesville. As a teenager, he joined the James River Playboys and took a theater job in his hometown that allowed him to observe leading country artists of the period, such as Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper. At fourteen, following a family crisis, he departed home and earned a living through semi-professional boxing. For the next seven years, he boxed by day and played music at night. He later began racing cars, securing thirty-four consecutive victories in his vehicle, Mr. Banjo, and setting two track records at Manassas, Virginia. Various manual-labor positions helped cover expenses, yet he continued performing music after dark.
Adcock launched his professional career in 1953 upon joining Smokey Graves & His Blue Star Boys for their radio broadcasts from Crewe, Virginia. That association led to work with Mac Wiseman, Bill Harrell, and Buzz Busby. Between 1953 and 1957, he moved among several groups. Bill Monroe hired him in 1957 for a brief tenure with the Blue Grass Boys that ended when insufficient earnings forced his departure. Day jobs followed until a sheet-metal factory position was interrupted by an invitation from Jim Cox, John Duffey, and Charlie Waller to join their new band, the Country Gentlemen.
The Country Gentlemen became one of the most admired and forward-looking bluegrass ensembles of the late 1950s and 1960s. They broadened the genre's song selection to encompass contemporary country, folk, and rock composers, particularly Bob Dylan, frequently at Adcock's prompting. The group rose during the folk boom and remained a leading bluegrass/folk attraction through the 1960s.
Feeling restricted by the end of the decade, Adcock sought wider stylistic exploration unavailable within the Gentlemen. He left for California and formed the country-rock band Clinton Special, performing under the name Clinton Codack. The group released a single on MGM Records, "Just as You Are I Love You"/"Blackberry Fence," whose A-side appeared in the 1971 film The Horsemen.
After the Clinton Special disbanded, Adcock returned east and assembled II Generation with Bob White, A.L. Wood, Wendy Thatcher, and former Country Gentleman Jimmy Gaudreau. Lineup changes continued through the 1970s until the group stabilized around 1974 with the arrival of guitarist and primary songwriter Martha Hearon, who soon married Adcock. II Generation remained active for the rest of the decade, issuing several albums on Rome, Rebel, and CMH.
Adcock and Hearon dissolved the band in 1980 and relocated to Tennessee, where they formed the trio Talk of the Town with bassist Missy Raines. In the mid-1980s, Adcock began a solo career with cassette-only releases on CMH. During the 1990s, he issued compact-disc albums and performed with the all-star bluegrass ensemble the Masters. Nearly forty years into his career, Eddie Adcock maintained his popularity through worldwide touring.
Adcock grew up in Scottsville, Virginia, where he purchased his first banjo as a child and soon performed locally with brother Frank. The pair appeared at churches and radio stations around Charlottesville. As a teenager, he joined the James River Playboys and took a theater job in his hometown that allowed him to observe leading country artists of the period, such as Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper. At fourteen, following a family crisis, he departed home and earned a living through semi-professional boxing. For the next seven years, he boxed by day and played music at night. He later began racing cars, securing thirty-four consecutive victories in his vehicle, Mr. Banjo, and setting two track records at Manassas, Virginia. Various manual-labor positions helped cover expenses, yet he continued performing music after dark.
Adcock launched his professional career in 1953 upon joining Smokey Graves & His Blue Star Boys for their radio broadcasts from Crewe, Virginia. That association led to work with Mac Wiseman, Bill Harrell, and Buzz Busby. Between 1953 and 1957, he moved among several groups. Bill Monroe hired him in 1957 for a brief tenure with the Blue Grass Boys that ended when insufficient earnings forced his departure. Day jobs followed until a sheet-metal factory position was interrupted by an invitation from Jim Cox, John Duffey, and Charlie Waller to join their new band, the Country Gentlemen.
The Country Gentlemen became one of the most admired and forward-looking bluegrass ensembles of the late 1950s and 1960s. They broadened the genre's song selection to encompass contemporary country, folk, and rock composers, particularly Bob Dylan, frequently at Adcock's prompting. The group rose during the folk boom and remained a leading bluegrass/folk attraction through the 1960s.
Feeling restricted by the end of the decade, Adcock sought wider stylistic exploration unavailable within the Gentlemen. He left for California and formed the country-rock band Clinton Special, performing under the name Clinton Codack. The group released a single on MGM Records, "Just as You Are I Love You"/"Blackberry Fence," whose A-side appeared in the 1971 film The Horsemen.
After the Clinton Special disbanded, Adcock returned east and assembled II Generation with Bob White, A.L. Wood, Wendy Thatcher, and former Country Gentleman Jimmy Gaudreau. Lineup changes continued through the 1970s until the group stabilized around 1974 with the arrival of guitarist and primary songwriter Martha Hearon, who soon married Adcock. II Generation remained active for the rest of the decade, issuing several albums on Rome, Rebel, and CMH.
Adcock and Hearon dissolved the band in 1980 and relocated to Tennessee, where they formed the trio Talk of the Town with bassist Missy Raines. In the mid-1980s, Adcock began a solo career with cassette-only releases on CMH. During the 1990s, he issued compact-disc albums and performed with the all-star bluegrass ensemble the Masters. Nearly forty years into his career, Eddie Adcock maintained his popularity through worldwide touring.
Albums
