Weave room blues, story of the Dixon Brothers

Appears after we hear somebody sing or inform a narrative it means extra if these folks have really skilled the occasions. In different phrases, it comes from the center. Such was the case of the Dixon brothers who wrote and sang songs of precise occasions that occurred proper right here in Richmond Co. or across the southeastern part of our nice nation.

Dorcey Dixon was born on Oct. 14, 1897. Howard Dixon was born in June of 1903. They had been simply two of seven kids from the Dixon household who on the time lived in Darlington, S.C.

Dorcey was a small boy who at age twelve left college and went to work alongside together with his father on the native cotton mill. His sister, Nancy, started working as a spinner on the identical mill at age eight and earned half-a greenback every week. Their brother Howard quickly adopted them into the cotton mill at age ten.

Kids working within the mills had been quite common within the early 1900’s. Baby labor legal guidelines had been very slack and had been principally non-existent in our nation throughout this time. Although some kids couldn’t even attain the equipment they had been offered a stool or bench to work from, generally ten and twelve hour shifts.

As you’ll be able to see, the Dixons weren’t the one household who put their kids to work within the mills at such an early age. Most households had given up farming and moved to the mill villages to search out regular work on the native cotton mill. Again then people did what they needed to do to outlive.

Throughout slack instances on the mill and on Sundays the Dixon household and their associates made their very own leisure by singing and enjoying no matter instrument was accessible. Dorcey and Howard discovered to sing and play at a younger age.

Whereas World Warfare 1 was happening, the Dixon brothers acquired themselves a job as signalmen for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad which ran although Darlington. In 1919 they misplaced their jobs together with hundreds of folks who had been employed on the native mills.

Being a hard- working man, Dorcey managed to land a job as a mill hand in Lancaster, S.C. In 1927, he acquired a greater paying job within the cloth-room at Entwistle #1 Mill in East Rockingham, N.C. Why it received’t lengthy earlier than his brother Howard, sister, Nancy, and their mother and father moved up from Lancaster and joined Dorcey working at Entwistle Mills in Rockingham, N.C.

Additionally in 1927, Dorcey met the love of his life and married a fellow employee by the title of Beatrice Lucele Moody. By way of the years that they had 4 boys: Dorcey Jr., William, Thomas and Roger.

Again in these days, a dime or quarter an hour distinction in pay might make a mill hand go to work at a distinct mill. So, it was with Howard Dixon, who left Entwistle Mill and went to Hanna Pickett Mill simply down the street. Then it wasn’t very lengthy earlier than Dorcey and Beatrice adopted him.

When the mills had been at full manufacturing there was little time for private curiosity or hobbies. By some means Dorcey discovered the time to put in writing poems and play music, issues he discovered he was good at. He favored to put in writing about previous occasions that had actually stood out in his reminiscence. Considered one of his poems was a few disastrous college hearth in 1923 that had taken the lives of so many kids in Cleveland S.C. With these identical lyrics from Dorcey’s poem his mom and brother Howard set them to the tune of “Life’s Freeway to Heaven”.

This tune turned an immediate hit amongst all their neighbors and Dorcey started to compose in earnest, growing a sample he would comply with for the remainder of his life. Through the use of his spiritual again floor and his information of mill work as a again drop for a lot of of his authentic songs, issues took off for him as he and his brother fashioned a musical duet. With the assistance of Beatrice, Dorcey and Howard had been now enjoying at many capabilities throughout Rockingham and past.

Within the Thirties, two occasions performed an enormous position in forming Dixon’s musical profession. It was a time of nice unrest within the Carolina textile mills. The violent 1929 union strike in Gastonia, which noticed folks get harm and even killed, fueled unrest in Rockingham the place staff went out on strike in 1931. In retaliation William Cole, the intractable proprietor, shut down two of his mills which included Hanna Pickett. Why the strike additionally took in Entwistle Mill, East Rockingham’s third mill. The city turned locked in a bitter dispute between the mill homeowners and staff. Being on the picket strains and backing the union, Dorcey and Howard started to put in writing and sing occupational songs like “Weaver’s Life”, “Spinning Room Blues” and considered one of their favorites “Weave Room Blues.” The primary verse of this tune went like this-“Working in a weave-room combating for my life, attempting to make a dwelling for my kiddies and my spouse, some are needing garments some are needing footwear, however I getting nothing however the weave-room blues.” These songs and others expressed the dissatisfaction of the individuals who swapped the plough for the looms to make the large textile giants their fortunes. All these songs had been being relished by the strikers in a time of nice change for the textile business. The mill strike continued for days and solely by the intervention of the N.C. governor was it ever resolved by either side.

Subsequent week I’ll inform you extra in regards to the Dixon brothers and the way seeing a horrible wreck on a neighborhood freeway impressed Dorcey to put in writing considered one of nation music’s favourite songs of its day.