Charles “Jody” Rainwater
Musician · 1919–2011 · Surry County, North Carolina
Best known for
Bass
Charles "Jody" Rainwater was a North Carolina–born bassist, comedian, and radio host best known as a member of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs's Foggy Mountain Boys in the early 1950s — later one of the South's most influential bluegrass disc jockeys, on the air from Crewe, Virginia for decades.
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- Born Charles Edward Johnson in Surry County, North Carolina in 1920; took the stage name "Little Jody Rainwater."
- Began performing on radio as a teenager, with early stints at WMFR (High Point), WTOB (Winston-Salem), and WDBJ (Roanoke), including the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys and Smokey Graves & the Blue Star Boys.
- Joined Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs's Foggy Mountain Boys in fall 1949, serving as booking agent, bass player, bass singer, and band comedian through June 1952.
- Played on five Flatt & Scruggs recording dates between October 1950 and November 1952.
- Settled in Crewe, Virginia in 1952 and became a long-running morning DJ at WSVS, an influential bluegrass radio voice.
- Led his own group, the Jamboree Gang, alongside his radio career.
- Often confused with Howard Watts ("Cedric Rainwater"), Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs's earlier bassist; the two were unrelated.
- Died December 24, 2011 in Richmond, Virginia.
