 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Jim Hightower, Born and Raised in Northeast Texas never forgot the tales and history that compromise his East Texas roots, and that's what he writes and sings about. Jim loves the old fashioned themes of hard times and lost loves that enrich country ballads. Jim has written and recorded such beautiful ballads as; "Ballad of Diamond Bessie" which tells about the mysterious murder of Bessie Moore, once the Belle of Jefferson, Tx... "Ballad of Cullen Baker" who after the War for Southern Independence, deserted the army and took up outlawing, hiding out in the Sulphur River bottoms, and many other original ballads that reflect his East Texas heritage. Jim's Ballads have been featured on television and many radio stations he has made numerous personal appearances. I think my dad had the most influence in my wanting to play music. I remember him singing Jimmie Rodgers tunes as we plowed and hoed our Cotton in the creek bottoms of east Texas My maternal grandfather Dave Cloninger was born in Pope Co. Arkansas in 1874 in the Galla Rock community on the Ark. River just north of Petit Jean Mountian. The Cloninger family moved to Yell co. when Dave was a teenager. The Cloningers were Germans originally from a little town in Rein-land, Pflaz called Ellweiller. They settled in Berks Co. Pa. in 1747 then to North Carolina. My great great grandfather Valentine "Felty" Cloninger came to Pope Co.abt.1845 and settled in around Galla Rock. In 1864 Bushwhackers from Perry Co. came to Felty's home and demanded money. They roughed up the old man and his family. So the girls went to the smoke house and dug up $500.00. They decided they wanted more and threatened to shoot the old man. The girls went and dug up more hoping they would leave. As they were leaving one of the gang shot Felty anyhow. The shot didn't kill him so friends put him in a boat and tried to get him to Little rock, but he died enroute- No one knows where he is buried. This story was given to the editor of the Atkins newspaper in 1947 by Mrs. Mary Gaston-- Felty's Granddaughter. Felty has a plaque in Bell family cemetery—listing him as pioneer Citizen of Arkansas My great grandfather was Alfred Lee Cloninger who joined the Union Army Co. A 3rd. Reg, Ark. Cal. at Dardanelle in 1863. It's possible that He was in the crowd at David O. Dodd's hanging My grandfather Dave Cloninger came to Texas in 1903. He drove a team of mules from Gravelly in Yell Co to a little farm in Franklin Co. Texas. This is where my mother Eula Cloninger was born in 1917. I came along later in 1935 I grew up listening to Grandpa tell of the old days in Yell Co. Fishing in Fourche River -going to Danville or Dardanelle in a wagon. Scary stories - like how he saw ghost walk a log in Fourche River bottom. I remember how he told it-- he said a foggy image of a man just formed and walked the log and stepped off the other end. It scared the daylights out of me to hear him tell this. I thought going to Arkansas, would almost be like going to heaven. I was in love with Arkansas a long time before I saw it. I like to think of my music as old time- down home- real life stories of real life people- Like the story of the little girl who froze to death on Rich Mtn. after wolves chased her up a tree. (Rich Mtn. Angel) |
|