The 5 Jones Boys, originally called the Dixie Cotton Pickers from Carbondale, Illinois came to Los Angeles in the mid 1930s. Lead tenor Jimmy Springs was joined by William Hartley, Herman Wood, Louis Wood, and Charles Hopkins. They hooked up with Gene Autry and were on his National Barn Dance radio show and some of his tours. In a January 1936 newspaper article, they were characterized as "real rivals (not imitators) of the Mills Brothers." Later that year, they toured with Duke Ellington (as they did in 1937, after a stint at Los Angeles' Cotton Club). There's a… read more
The 5 Jones Boys, originally called the Dixie Cotton Pickers from Carbondale, Illinois came to Los Angeles in the mid 1930s. Lead tenor Jimmy Springs was joined by William Hartley, Herman Wood, Louis Wood, and Charles Hopkins. They hooked up with Gene Autry and were on his National Barn Dance… read more
The 5 Jones Boys, originally called the Dixie Cotton Pickers from Carbondale, Illinois came to Los Angeles in the mid 1930s. Lead tenor Jimmy Springs was joined by William Hartley, Herman Wood, Louis Wood, and Charles Hopkins. They hooked up with Gene Autry and were on his National Barn Dance radio show and some of his tours. In a January 1936 newspaper article, … read more
