Musical Fruitcake

Homer and Jethro were an American country music duo, with a long career from the 1940s through the 1960s, specializing in comedy records and satirical versions of popular songs.

Guitarist Henry D. “Homer” Haynes (1920 - 1971) and mandolin player Kenneth C. “Jethro” Burns (1920 - 1989) met at a radio audition when they were 12 years old. They were both outstanding musicians, who were deeply influenced by the European Gypsy string jazz of Django Reinhardt. They performed exaggerated hillbilly-styled versions of pop standards as their comedic hook. They also worked as session musicians backing other artists.

The duet won a Grammy in 1959 for “The Battle of Kookamonga“, their parody of Johnny Horton’s hit “The Battle Of New Orleans.” The majority of their recordings were similar parodies of famous old and new popular songs.

Here are Homer and Jethro performing “Guess Things Happen That Way” with Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash:

They also were spokesmen for an advertising campaign for Kellogg’s Corn Flakes in the mid 1960s, releasing an album based on the ad’s catch phrase, “Ooh, That’s Corny!”

Homer and Jethro were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985. Haynes died in 1971 of a heart attack and Burns continued working as a musician, recording and performing solo and working as a sidemen with musicians including his brother-in-law Chet Atkins, Steve Goodman and others. At times, he appeared in the “All-Star Band” on TV’s Hee-Haw with Atkins and swing fiddler Johnny Gimble. He died in 1989 after a bout with prostate cancer.

In 1968, Homer and Jethro released a Christmas album, called “Cool Crazy Christmas,” with the song “Santa Claus, The Original Hippie.”

LISTEN TO SONG:

DOWNLOAD MP3:
Homer_and_Jethro_-_Santa_Claus__The_Original_Hippie.mp3

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Posted by Jef Elf on March 17th, 2007 at 12:01 am
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