Ernie Newton
Musician · 1908–1976 · Hartford, Connecticut
Best known for
Bass
Ernie Newton was one of the foundational session bassists of the early Nashville recording scene, the Grand Ole Opry's house bassist through the late 1940s and 1950s, and the upright-bass voice on a remarkable cross-section of early commercial country and bluegrass recordings — from Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys to the Carter Family to Hank Williams.
- Born November 6, 1908 in Hartford, Connecticut; orphaned by age 5 and raised in children's homes until he ran away at 15 to join touring minstrel shows.
- Worked early radio at WLS Chicago in the 1930s; joined Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians in 1935 and was an original member of the Les Paul Trio with Jim Atkins (Chet Atkins's brother).
- Moved to Nashville in 1946 as bassist in Red Foley's Foggy River Boys when Foley took over the Grand Ole Opry's Prince Albert Show; became the Opry's house bassist through the early 1950s.
- One of the regular session bassists at Castle Studio in the Tulane Hotel from 1950, alongside Junior Huskey — the foundational rhythm-section pair on the early Nashville sound.
- Played bass on Bill Monroe's March 17, 1951 session ("Kentucky Waltz") and on Foggy Mountain Boys recordings of the early 1950s with Flatt & Scruggs; also documented sessions with the Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle, Hank Snow, Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells, Carl Smith, the Wilburn Brothers, and Johnnie & Jack.
- Innovated by mounting a drum head on his bass and striking it with a brush between notes — an end-run around the Opry's mid-century ban on drums; also introduced maracas to country music on Johnnie & Jack's "Poison Love" (1951).
- Left music in the late 1950s to become the head golf pro at a Nashville country club.
- Died October 17, 1976 in Nashville at age 67.
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Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass BoysPlayed on recordings with Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys
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The Osborne Brothers and Red AllenPlayed on recordings with The Osborne Brothers and Red Allen
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Mac WisemanPlayed on recordings with Mac Wiseman
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The Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain BoysPlayed on recordings with The Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys
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Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain BoysPlayed on recordings with Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys
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Carl Story and His Rambling MountaineersPlayed on recording with Carl Story and His Rambling Mountaineers