Grandpa was born Louis Marshall Jones on October 20, 1913 in Niagra, Kentucky.  He was the youngest of ten children.  His father played the fiddle and his mother sang and played the concertina.  Both had a profound influence on Jones becoming an entertainer.

Almost from the beginning, Jones dressed as “Grandpa Jones,” with a fake moustache, wire-rimmed glasses and old-fashion suspenders. Many of the ideas came from a fellow entertainer, Bradley Kincaid, including the name, “Grandpa.”   (When I did some shows with Grandpa and his wife, Ramona, in the mid fifties, he was still using “make-up,” but as the years went by, he grew into his character).

Grandpa Jones got his start on radio in Akron, Ohio in 1929, then moved from station to station in West Virginia, with stops at Charleston, Fairmount and Wheeling.  He became a strong headliner at the WWVA World’s Original Wheeling Jamboree in the late 1930s, where he began to develop the claw-hammer technique on the banjo that became his trademark. From Wheeling, Grandpa moved on to WLW in Cincinnati where some wonderful things began to happen for him.  He met his future wife Ramona Riggins, who played fiddle and mandolin, adding to his act. Also, he met Syd Nathan who signed him to a recording contract with King Records.  He was accompanied on his first recordings by Merle Travis and a long friendship ensued.  One of Grandpa’s early hits was “Six More Miles To Louisville,” which was one of the first songs he ever wrote.

After serving a hitch in the Army, Grandpa Jones joined the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. He continued to record for King Records.  Three songs that helped make him popular were “It’s Raining Here This Morning,” “Mountain Dew” and “Old Rattler.”

In 1969, Grandpa was added to the cast of “Hee Haw,” where he performed many skits with Minnie Pearl. He also sang in the quartet on occasion.  There is no doubt that the success of Hee Haw was due to the great talents like that of Grandpa Jones.

In 1978, Grandpa Jones was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame, country music’s highest award.

On January 3, 1998, shortly after appearing on the Opry, Grandpa Jones suffered a stroke from which he never fully recovered. He passed away on February 19, 1998, ending the life of this wonderful entertainer who was an icon for over 50 years.

Dusty Owens
TCM Radio News