Biography
Evidence that internal conflicts and struggles for control within musical ensembles long predated the era of rock & roll lies in the history of the Skillet Lickers, a highly skilled 1920s string band whose members clashed creatively for most of the group’s existence. The ensemble first came together to support fiddler and folksy-styled humorist Gid Tanner. Fiddler Clayton McMichen’s arrival soon redirected the band’s artistic path. McMichen held Tanner’s backwoods humor and musical approach in low regard and instead pushed for a contemporary sound that incorporated jazz and pop elements; he also frequently minimized the banjo’s prominence along with Tanner’s high-pitched, comical vocals. Even so, the Skillet Lickers maintained strong momentum throughout the 1920s, cutting sides for Columbia while earning acclaim as one of the era’s most accomplished performing units. Following McMichen’s departure in the early 1930s to establish additional groups, Tanner retained the original name and brought in a succession of supporting players that allowed the project to continue for several more years.