Joe Maphis

In the closing years of the 1940s and the start of the 1950s, husband-and-wife duo Joe and Rose Maphis built a following with traditional songs, their sound propelled by Joe's extraordinary command of stringed instruments, above all the twin-neck guitar. Their standout success proved to be the honky tonk anthem "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)". Joe remained active as a sessions instrumentalist right up to his death in 1986, supplying backing for artists such as Rick Nelson, Tex Ritter, and Wanda Jackson.