Andrew and Jim Baxter
Quick Facts
Biography
Andrew Baxter (March 1869 – April 15, 1955), African-American fiddle player, and Jim Baxter (James Baxter, January 18, 1898 – June 11, 1950), African-American-Cherokee singer/guitar player, were a father and son fiddle/guitar duet from Gordon County, Georgia who recorded in the 1920s.
The Georgia Yellow Hammers and the Baxters traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina to record for Victor in the summer of 1927. Because of the Jim Crow laws, the Baxters had to ride several cars behind the Yellow Hammers on the train ride to Charlotte. In Charlotte, each group recorded their individual sessions, with one exception: Andrew Baxter played fiddle on "G Rag" with the Yellow Hammers. It is thought that "G Rag" is one of the earliest integrated recordings of Georgia musicians.
Among their recordings is "40 Drops", a tribute to Georgia corn moonshine, an instrumental with vocal comments - a style typical of instrumental recordings of the 1920s.
In May 2012, their recording of "K.C. Railroad Blues" was released on the compilation album, Lonesome Whistle: An Anthology of American Railroad Songs.