Musician. Born James Corbett Morris in Mountain View, Arkansas, he was one of the most influential folk artists in music history. He was a high school teacher when began performing regularly with Grand Ole Opry and on Ozark Jubilee in the 1950s. In the course of his long career he wrote more than 5,000 songs, and although many of these were recorded and made popular by other artists, he received the recognition. He received Grammy Awards for his songs "The Battle of New Orleans", "Wilderness Road", "Songs of Billy Yank and Johnny Reb" and "Tennessee Stud". He was a generous person whom used his popularity and financial leverage to educate the country on the beauty of Arkansas folk culture. He founded the Rackensack Folklore Society in the 1970s, visited universities to lecture on folk music and established the annual Arkansas Folk Festival. In the early 1980s, he established the Driftwood Barn and Folklore Hall of Fame, where folk musicians perform regularly. He died of heart attack at age 91 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Musician. Born James Corbett Morris in Mountain View, Arkansas, he was one of the most influential folk artists in music history. He was a high school teacher when began performing regularly with Grand Ole Opry and on Ozark Jubilee in the 1950s. In the course of his long career he wrote more than 5,000 songs, and although many of these were recorded and made popular by other artists, he received the recognition. He received Grammy Awards for his songs "The Battle of New Orleans", "Wilderness Road", "Songs of Billy Yank and Johnny Reb" and "Tennessee Stud". He was a generous person whom used his popularity and financial leverage to educate the country on the beauty of Arkansas folk culture. He founded the Rackensack Folklore Society in the 1970s, visited universities to lecture on folk music and established the annual Arkansas Folk Festival. In the early 1980s, he established the Driftwood Barn and Folklore Hall of Fame, where folk musicians perform regularly. He died of heart attack at age 91 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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