Uncle Dave Macon
N 35° 49.815 W 086° 17.677
16S E 563710 N 3965350
In 1925 Uncle Dave Macon became one of two charter members of the WSM Barn Dance, later known as The Grand Ole Opry. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966
Waymark Code: WM357E
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 02/11/2008
Views: 25
David Harrison Macon was born October 7, 1870 in Smartt Station, Tennessee. His father was a Confederate Army Officer who first operated a large farm and later moved to the family to Nashville where they operated a hotel. After his father died a young David moved away from Nashville where he worked on a farm and later operated a wagon freight line and began performing at local functions.
His wagon freight line fell on hard time when other freight companies turn to the motorized vehicle as a way of moving freight. It was then that David started to make music his career. In 1923, he an Sid Harkreader began performing for the Loew’s Theater chain. Macon and Harkreader hit the road and would tour as far away as New England. It was on one of these tours that George D. Hay approach Macon about performing on Nashville’s WSM Barn Dance. In November 1925, George D. Hay took to the airways and introduced a fiddle player name “Uncle” Jimmy Thompson and a banjo player name “Uncle” Dave Macon. The rest they say is history, as the Grand Ole Opry was born. As one of the original Opry performers “Uncle Dave” Macon continued to perform on the Opry every Saturday Night until his death in 1952. Uncle Dave Macon was inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966. Uncle Dave Macon died on March 22, 1952 near Murfreesboro, Tennessee and is buried in the Coleman Cemetery.
This historic marker stands at the entrance to the Coleman Cemetery near where Uncle Dave Macon is buried. The text of the marker reads:
“Uncle Dave” Macon
“Born in Warren County in 1870, David H. Macon, the "Dixie Dew Drop," was a farmer, freight hauler, and banjo picker and comedy singer in vaudeville. He was one of the first artists on the Grand Ole Opry, where he performed for 27 years. Wearing his black felt hat and big smile, he played his banjo and sang of the people and country he loved, gathering much of the material for his songs from personal experiences. A country music immortal, he died in 1952, and is buried here.”
Marker Name: Uncle Dave Macon
Marker Location: Roadside
Type of Marker: Person
Marker Number: 3A-98
Group(s) Responsible for placing Marker:
Tennessee Historical Commission
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