Butterflies      People from Nutbush area who have made significant contributions to world music and Tennessee culture.

The historic Woodlawn Missionary Baptist Church .....heritage of Rev. Clay Evans and Tina Turner, whose family members were church officials; on the National and Tennessee Registers of Historic Places; Congregation organized 1846;         Contact: Pastor Rickey Reed, (731) 772-3530   
363 Woodlawn Road: PO Box 646; Tina Turner Highway 19, West;  Nutbush, Tennessee 38012
              
                                             

Nutbush,TennesseeDocumentaryPart1,Clip2.WMV  (Time: 8 minutes 52 secs)       Windows Media Player

Our goal is to erect a Memorial Life Center with a stage and  cafeteria to accommodate the many visitors and friends who attend services and enjoy community fellowship.   If you would like to donate to this project please send donations to Woodlawn Missionary Baptist Church,  PO Box 646,  Highway 19 West,  Nutbush, Tennessee 38012   Contact Pastor Rickey Reed, (731) 772-3530                                

                                                                                                                                             Music  Pioneers              

         The Nutbush/Woodlawn Church Band  1928             Bootsie Whitelow is bottom row; second from left.  His father is top row 4th from left. (All members were born in Nutbush and is  buried in Nutbush) and The WOW Band from Brownsville

  Rev. Hardin Smith  and   Mandolin player Yank Rachell                     

 click names and links below for artist profiles and historical information.............

Community leader/freed slave, Rev. Hardin Smith,(1829-1929; Pastor and founder of Woodlawn Missionary Baptist Church slave and freedman congregation;  African-American schools and churches;  through his  legacy, the African-American musical heritage in Nutbush which includes the "Bootsie" Whitelow String Band" and the 19th Century "Woodlawn Band,"

• Sleepy John Estes; Born in Nutbush 1899; buried in Nutbush 1977 (Durhamville)  Guitar/Vocals  World renowned Blues more Tina Turner; born in Nutbush 1939;  lived in Nutbush Flagg Grove and Spring Hill communities;  Vocals; World renowned; blues, pop rock; country, etc.  Ike and Tina Turner Revue                    more     Queen of Rock and Roll, Tina Turner Pinetop Perkins  Played guitar and piano for "Sonny Boy" and other area musicians. Taught Ike Turner piano; Played piano for community while visiting Leigh/Beard family in Nutbush Wild Onion Ridge

  Rev. Clay Evans, was born in Nutbush;  Vocals; Minister and renowned  gospel recording artist

• Hambone Willie Newbern, Born in Nutbush, lived in Flagg Grove; Roll and Tumble Blues;  Blues Artist/Vocals/jug Noah Lewis  Born 1892 Lived in Henning and Ripley and is buried in Nutbush 1961) Cannon's Jug Stompers;   Blues Harmonica/vocals

• Yank Rachell, Born in Brownsville 1910,(see picture behind Rev.Hardin Smith)  Country Blues/ Mandolin/vocals Alex Harvey, harmonica/Guitar; Country Blues  "Dog Man" of Ripley, harmonica; blues; performing at a Tribute to Sleepy John Estes and Tina Turner in Nutbush Wild Onion Ridge, with a fan from New York. 1997 Hammie Nixon; Born in Brownsville 1908; buried in Brownsville 1984) Blues Artist "Home Sick James"  John Williamson  (born 1910, Somerville) Bass/Guitar/Harmonica;  hoboed and recorded with Hammie Nixon, Sleepy John Estes, Little Buddy Doyle, etc. (Victor/ Vocalion labels 1930's) Peetie Wheatstraw,  William Bunch;  Born in Ripley 1902 died 1941; The original Devil's Son-In-Law; Guitar/Piano (Vocalion/Decca Labels 1930's)    more Joe Hunter  (born 1927,  Jackson)   Member of the original  Funk Brothers Band;  Motown's first band leader Little Buddy Doyle    An early area guitar player and singer who recorded for the ("race" labels, Vocalion, Victor, Okeh, Decca) of the 20's and 30's  with many local and Memphis artists including Sleepy John Estes and The Memphis Jug Band

• (Sonny Boy) Williamson,  John Lee (Jackson b.1914-d.1948)  Harmonica  more Big Maybelle; Mabel Louise Smith ( b.1924-d.1972) family members from Nutbush but lived in the Denmark community, Jackson, Tennessee; John Henry Barbee; born 1905 Henning, died 1964; worked with (Sonny Boy), John Lee,etc; Vocalion/Spivey labels 30's-60's Plus many other black and white Gospel, Blues, and Country Music Pioneers, who have a legacy of recorded music through the 1920's and 1930's....!!!!

• Refer to link:   www.peermusic.com  Ralph S. Peer of Peer International Publishing Company; (evolved into Southern Music Publishing Company) was one of the first to obtain copyrights, take pictures of the many musicians/bands/singers from this Tennessee region and to record their music through Victor Records from the 1920's through the 1930's. Prior to his employment with Victor he recorded through OKEH Records (General Phonograph Corporation of New York).

• Refer to link:   Victor Records The History of Recorded Sound Making America more Musical Through the Phonograph, 1900-1930 * During those early years, all the area music pioneers wrote and  recorded original material.  Our musicians have influenced many through the years and  provided  entertainment through unique  vocals and  instruments available to them.    Some were paid $25.00-$50.00 for their recorded sides and promised royalties. Others were not paid at all.   Most died in extreme poverty.   Much of their material is still in circulation in today's  global market. We also acknowledge....................         Lonnie Beard, Jr.; Born in Nutbush to Lonnie and Gertie Beard, he left to become a prominent member of SAG/AFTRA in Hollywood, California.

• Charles Allen Rawls of Brownsville 1905-1987; Humanitarian, Visionary, Entrepreneur,  (Rawls Funeral Systems, Golden Circle Life Insurance Co.; Rosenwald Cemetery, Community Federal Savings and Loan, Gem Theater, Sons and Daughters of the Golden Circle. Tribes of Judea, Haywood County Supermarket, Rawls Mutual Benefit Burial Association, etc.)

  Famed actor Wesley Snipes has family heritage in Nutbush, as well.(Snipes Grove)

• Brownsville is birthplace and heritage of  NBA basketball great,  Tony Delk;

Meshach Taylor of  "Designing Women" tv sitcom fame has heritage in Nutbush as well. His great grandfather is Rev. Hardin Smith, founder of Woodlawn Church. His mother, Hertha is far left and cousin Sarah Doyle of Nutbush is right.

Brownsville native Dr. Carol Johnson,   left her position as Superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools in 2003, to become chief administrator of the  Memphis City School system.  She is currently chief administrator of Boston Public Schools.

              IT ISN'T THE TOWN, IT'S YOU
If you want to live in the kind of town
That's the kind of town you like,
You needn't slip your clothes in a grip
And start on a long, long hike.

You'll find elsewhere what you left behind,
For there's nothing that's really new,
It's a knock at yourself when you knock your town;
It isn't your town---it's you.

Real towns are not made by men afraid
Lest somebody else gets ahead,
When everybody works and nobody shirks
You can raise a town from the dead.

And if while you make your stake
Your neighbor can make one, too.
Your town will be what you want to see,
It isn't your town----It's you.     R. W. Glover

Sharon Norris (731) 277-9228     nutbush1@newwavecomm.net