Junior Huskey
Musician · 1928–1971 · Knoxville, Tennessee
Best known for
Bass
Junior Huskey was one of Nashville’s most prolific session bass players from the 1950s through the early 1970s — a cornerstone of the Grand Ole Opry staff band and a go-to upright bassist for artists ranging from Loretta Lynn and Waylon Jennings to the Byrds. His playing anchored some of the most important country records of his era, and the Will the Circle Be Unbroken triple album was dedicated to him after his sudden death in 1971, shortly after the sessions were completed.
- Born Roy Madison “Junior” Huskey Jr. in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nicknamed “Junior” despite not technically being a Jr. at birth, the name stuck throughout his career.
- Got his start as a professional on Knoxville’s powerhouse WNOX radio, on the Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round program.
- Married Ruth Maude Randolph of the Randolph Family Band (“The Hub Spinners,” also WNOX regulars) in 1948. They had two sons, Steven Ray and Roy Milton — the younger of whom would grow up to become Nashville session bassist Roy Huskey Jr., effectively continuing his father’s career.
- Member of the Nashville Musicians’ Union for 20 years; played bass on the WSM Grand Ole Opry staff band for 18 years until his death.
- As a session player, recorded with an enormous roll call of country artists including Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, Tammy Wynette, George Jones, The Everly Brothers, Sonny James, Bill Anderson, Lynn Anderson, and many others.
- Cross-genre credits include the Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968) — one of the foundational country-rock albums — and work with Steve Young on Seven Bridges Road.
- Played on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken triple album at Woodland Sound Studio in Nashville, working alongside Vassar Clements, Norman Blake, Randy Scruggs, Earl Scruggs, Maybelle Carter, Roy Acuff, Jimmy Martin, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, and Bashful Brother Oswald.
- Died of a heart attack in Nashville on September 8, 1971 at age 43, shortly after the Circle sessions wrapped. The album, released later that year, was dedicated to his memory. Buried in Spring Hill Cemetery, Nashville.
- Owned two Gibson Style-J mando basses (from 1920); gave one to Roy Acuff. Also owned an 1880s Czech-made upright bass that he used on countless sessions — an instrument that would pass to his son Roy Huskey Jr. and be featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s 2006 “Big Bass Men” exhibit tributing both father and son.
- Father-son Huskey bassists are an unusual case in country music history: both prolific Nashville session players, and their credits often get conflated. Roy Huskey Jr. began his own career — also on upright bass — the year his father died.
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Jim and Jesse and the Virginia BoysPlayed on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
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Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain BoysPlayed on recordings with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys
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Doc WatsonPlayed on recordings with Doc Watson
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John HartfordPlayed on recordings with John Hartford
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Benny MartinPlayed on recordings with Benny Martin
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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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Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Ricky SkaggsPlayed on recording with Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs
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Hazel DickensPlayed on recording with Hazel Dickens
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John PrinePlayed on recording with John Prine
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Mac WisemanPlayed on recording with Mac Wiseman
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Sonny OsbornePlayed on recording with Sonny Osborne
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The Nitty Gritty Dirt BandPlayed on recording with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
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The Osborne BrothersPlayed on recording with The Osborne Brothers