Curt Poulton
Curt Poulton (Audra Forest Poulton Sr., 1907–1957) was an American country music singer, guitarist, and songwriter. A native of West Virginia, he performed as the baritone singer and sole instrumentalist for The Vagabonds, an influential vocal harmony trio that broke the Opry's strict "string-band-only" booking policy upon joining WSM in 1931. Beyond introducing early pop-harmony arrangements to country audiences, Poulton and his group revolutionized music merchandising by publishing Nashville's first souvenir songbook, launching Old Cabin Music as the city's first dedicated country publishing company, and introducing early form electric guitar instrumentation to the Opry stage. As a songwriter, he co-wrote the enduring country standard "When It's Lamp Lighting Time in the Valley" (1933) and partnered with master publisher Fred Rose to compose the 1936 cowboy ballad "We'll Rest at the End of the Trail," recorded by both Bing Crosby and Roy Rogers.
In the newsletter
- No. 28 January 2002