Reno & Smiley

During the 1950s, Don Reno, Red Smiley, and the Tennessee Cut-Ups emerged as a bluegrass ensemble whose caliber placed them in direct rivalry with Flatt & Scruggs. Reno, whose banjo mastery has never been equaled, joined Bill Monroe’s band in 1948 as Earl Scruggs’s successor. Smiley’s smooth, mellow baritone supplied an ideal counterpart, delivering the lead while Reno handled the high harmony. Reno’s gifts extended equally to guitar and songwriting, producing such notable works as the exquisite “Emotions” and “Feuding Banjos,” the latter co-authored with Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith and featured prominently in the film Deliverance. Anyone unfamiliar with Reno’s five-string banjo playing has yet to grasp the instrument’s full range.

Although raised in separate rural areas of North Carolina, both Reno and Smiley performed at different points with the Morris Brothers during their early development. Following separate Army service in World War II, the two musicians spent time in various country bands after their discharges; Reno even worked briefly with Monroe once Scruggs departed the Blue Grass Boys in 1948. They first crossed paths in December 1949 when fiddler Tommy Magness recruited them for his group, the Tennessee Buddies. By summer 1950 the pair had begun performing duets, and in spring 1951 they recorded several singles with Magness for King Records—later issued on Federal—before leaving the fiddler to join Toby Stroud’s Blue Mountain Boys in Roanoke, Virginia. That fall they established their own outfit, the Tennessee Cut-Ups.

Initial efforts to secure steady work in Virginia and South Carolina proved unsuccessful, yet the duo still managed to cut several King sides early in 1952. Before those releases appeared, they had already disbanded owing to lack of employment. Once the records reached stores and sold respectably, King owner Syd Nathan persuaded them to keep recording even without live dates. For the next three years they produced various sides for the label while Reno performed with Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith and Smiley worked as a mechanic. Early sessions featured supporting players such as Jimmy Lunsford and Tommy Faile; by November 1954 the duo was permitted to use their regular accompanists, fiddler Mack Magaha and bassist John Palmer.

Reuniting as a performing act in spring 1955, Reno & Smiley soon obtained a regular slot on WRVA’s Old Dominion Barn Dance. Within roughly a year they had also secured a daily morning television program in Roanoke plus additional broadcasts from a Harrisonburg, Virginia station. Although they issued a few sides for Dot in 1957, their primary association remained with King until 1964, during which time they amassed an extensive catalog.

At the close of 1964 the partnership dissolved. Smiley’s diabetes had gradually worsened, ending his desire to tour; he maintained the Roanoke television program but limited his road work until retiring completely by spring 1968. Reno collaborated with several groups before forming a duo with Bill Harrell in 1966, the first sustained partnership since Smiley’s departure. For nearly two decades afterward Reno stayed active in bluegrass, releasing numerous recordings and working with assorted collaborators.