George Reneau

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George McKinley Reneau (May 18, 1902 – June 5, 1938), known as The Blind Musician of the Smoky Mountains, was an American blind street musician who became one of country music’s earliest recording artists. He recorded more than 50 songs in the mid-1920s for Vocalion and Edison. On many Vocalion records, Reneau was listed as the solo singer, but Gene Austin often sang the songs while Reneau played harmonica and accompanied on guitar; by late 1925 he sang his own parts on his recordings.

Reneau was born in Dandridge, Tennessee, near the Smoky Mountains. He is believed to have been blind from birth. He attended the Nashville School for the Blind, moved to Knoxville, and performed on the streets in the Market House area, playing guitar, harmonica, and later banjo.

In 1924 a Knoxville store manager recommended him to Vocalion Records. He traveled to New York City several times over the next two years to record, producing about 50 songs for Vocalion. He also re-recorded 10 songs for Edison as the Blue Ridge Duo with Gene Austin as the vocalist. In 1927 he teamed with Lester McFarland, another blind musician from Knoxville, and they recorded several sides for minor labels as the Gentry Brothers. Between sessions, Reneau continued to perform on Knoxville’s streets to support his family.

In the summer of 1925, Reneau was arrested for violating anti-begging laws and for drunkenness; the drunkenness charge was dismissed, and a magistrate later ruled he could perform in the streets as long as he did not specifically beg for money. His recording career slowed and ended by the mid-1920s, and he lived by street performing for a time. He later developed rheumatism in his arms, making it hard to play guitar or banjo, and in 1932 his brother-in-law, who was also blind, began accompanying him.

Reneau died of pneumonia on June 5, 1938, in Knoxville at the age of 36. Some Vocalion recordings featured Uncle Am Stuart, a Tennessee champion fiddler, as a guest on a few tracks.