ArtistInfo

Ernest Stoneman

voc, g, h, 1893-1968 US, Carroll County, Virginia
Musician of Country
A.k.a. Ernest Van Stoneman Jim Seany Sim Harris The Blue Ridge Mountaineer Uncle Ben Hawkins Uncle Jim Seaney

(May 25, 1893 – June 14, 1968) American country music artist and songwriter also known as Pop Stoneman. Husband of Hattie Stoneman, together parents of majority of The Stoneman Family band members. Was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2008 One cold evening in 1900 Pop's father, Elijah, who was a preacher, was sent for and asked to come way up in the mountains to the cabin of a woman who was having trouble giving birth. Pop, who was only 8, got on back of the saddle behind his father and the two started out, riding in the moonlight far up into the mountains of Virginia. Finally they came to a cabin, an old one that had been built on a flat stone outcropping that also served as the front porch. Elijah was at once taken into the room to the left, where a woman was in childbirth; young Pop was sent to the room to the right, where a roaring fire was going. Pop sat down cross-legged in front of the fire to warm himself, and heard loud cries and forceful prayers from the next room. Finally there was the squall of a baby, and Elijah rushed out carring a newborn baby in a blanket. He handed the baby to Pop and instructed, "Pray for that baby," and rushed back into the other room. There he continued to pray for the ailing mother, while young Pop did his best to pray for the newborn infant. As it turned out, both mother and daughter lived. And, as it turned out, that baby was Hattie Frost -- who would later become young Pop's wife. Hattie never got to make all that many records -- she plays fiddle on some of the old Victors, and there are a few cases of her playing on the Stoneman TV shows. But she was responsible for a lot of great music. Charles Wolfe Why did they have 23 children ? "When you are awaken at 3 in the morning by a train whistle, there was only one thing to do !"

Instruments

• Vocals
• Guitar
• Harmonica

Genres

• Country
• World
• Folk

Plays With