Bert Layne-Biography
Bert Monroe Layne (Born Dec. 14, 1889 in Arkansas- Died 0ct. 22, 1982 in Kentucky) was one of the three founding fiddlers of the Skillet Lickers. “Uncle Bert” was the epitome of the “Arkansas Traveler;” his travels carried him across the nation in search of musical conquests. Bert married a Georgia girl, Alline and Clayton McMichen married her sister, Daisy. The two brothers-in-law combined with Gid Tanner to become the fiddlers for the Skillet Lickers. Layne, who has some music training, was responsible for arranging the music so each fiddle knew his part.
Layne’s Early Life
Layne's father made instruments for his children but preferred dancing to playing music. According to an interview by Margaret Riddle: Many other relatives in the family played either fiddle or banjo "They all played banjo, and he used to kill everybody's cat around there to get a hide for his banjos," Layne recalled about his father and aunts. Layne started playing fiddle at dances when he was a youngster. Sometime around turning 16 he took off from Arkansas and made it all the way to Colorado, often hopping freights. He worked in mines and drove teams of horses, among other odd jobs. By the time he was 20 he was looking for something a bit more permanent and wound up going out to California with his sister and her husband, then rambled back east to Toledo, Ohio.
Layne Rambles to Atlanta; Meets McMichen- Moves To Ohio
Layne met McMichen for the first time in 1925 and the relationship quickly led to a series of professional involvements. “Uncle Bert” appeared and recorded with the bands of his brother-in-law's, such as McMichen's Melody Men or the Georgia Wildcats. Layne also did a comedy routine appearing as "Uncle Zeke" and particpated in the comedy skits of the Skillet Lickers.
Besides McMichen, Layne played and recorded with old-time musicians Lowe Stokes and Claude Davis. This grouping cut a series of sides for the Brunswick label in the late '20s. Layne also recorded for Okeh, Gennett, Victor, and Columbia. Layne was involved as part of the songwriting team with McMichen behind classics such as "Take Me Back To My Carolina Home” (known as My Carolina Home) and "Down on the Old Ozark Trail."
McMichen, Layne, and others broadcast over WLW in Cincinnati in 1931, and after the former ever-roving player took off for Cleveland, Layne inaugurated a 1936 song folio entitled: Bert Layne's Mountaineer Fiddlers. Layne teamed back up with McMichen for a show at World's Fair in Chicago in 1933 and a spot on the WLS National Barn Dance that same year.
Layne’s Later Years
In his later years, Layne never really stopped fiddling. He retired, so to speak, in Covington, KY, the town right across the river (and state line) from Cincinnati that was traditionally a haven for residents of that city seeking more liberal liquor laws or legal strip clubs. In his mid-eighties, he organized a reunion festival including a series of broadcasts out of the Arkansas stomping grounds of his early days. Bert's son, Bert Jr., lived in a suburb of Cleveland (Middleburgh Heights) where he and family often were visited by "Uncle" Bert.
"Uncle" Bert Layne died in 1982, at the home of Clifford and Juanita Lynch (Clayton McMichen's daughter) in Battletown, Kentucky, where he had been living for a year or two. Before that, he lived in his own apartment in Covington, Kentucky.
Bert Layne Recordings (See Also Lowe Stokes; Clayton McMichen; Skillet Lickers Discographies):
Oscar Ford (Lowe Stokes, Bert Layne, Riley Puckett) Columbia 1930: Farmer’s Dream; Georgia is my Home; Girl I Love In Tennessee; Little Nan; Me And My Gal; Race Between a Ford and Chevrolet; Riding In A Chevrolet Six; Sweetest Girl In Town;
Claude Davis & Bert Layne (Mack Williams is also mentioned) Winston-Salem, NC- Sept. 21, 1927 Okeh: Down In A Southern Town; Give Me Your Heart; Sleep On Brown Eyes; Thinking of The Days I’ve Done Wrong; Traveling Coon; Way Down In Alabam; When The Flowers Bloom In Springtime; When The Maple Leaves Are Falling;
Bert Lanes Melody Boys (Layne- fiddle; Claude Davis guitar vocals) Brunswick 1930: Give Me Your Heart; I Ain’t Got No Sweetheart; Nights Of Gladness; Sparklets Waltz;
Johnny Barfield, Hoyt Bryant, and Bert Lane; 1931 Champion: Back To my Georgia Home; Highway Hobo; On The Banks of the Old Ohio; Peach Pickin’ Time In Georgia; Rabbit Hunt Part I; Rabbit Hunt Part II; Sweet Florine; Yum Yum Blues;