Mitchell F. Jayne

Mitchell Jayne
Birth nameMitchell Franklin Jayne
Also known asMitch Jayne
Born(1928-07-05)July 5, 1928
Hammond, Indiana, U.S.
DiedAugust 2, 2010(2010-08-02) (aged 82)
Columbia, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation(s)Emcee, bass player
Instrument(s)Double bass

Mitchell Franklin "Mitch" Jayne (July 5, 1928 – August 2, 2010)[1] was emcee and upright bass player in The Dillards bluegrass band, the band often remembered for their several Andy Griffith Show appearances as the Darling Family, 1963–1966, as well as touring throughout southern California in the late 1960s.

Mitch Jayne, born in Hammond, Indiana,[2] was the son of Bea and Gus Jayne. Following US Navy service and after a stint at the University of Missouri, he began teaching in one-room schools in Dent County, where he documented the use of the forgotten words and phrases of Elizabethan English spoken by his pupils.[2]

Mitchell Jayne was an author, musician, and storyteller. Several tunes Mitch Jayne co-wrote with The Dillards are now considered bluegrass classics.[3] Dooley;[4] There is a Time;[5] The Old Home Place,[6] and The Whole World Round.[7] He also authored four books, Home Grown Stories & Home Fried Lies,[8] The Forest in the Wind,[9] Old Fish Hawk,[10] and Fiddler's Ghost.[3][11] Jayne had almost finished another novel, Glory Hole War, prior to his death, with only one chapter left unwritten. He narrated the ending to his editor during the last two weeks of his life so that the book could be released.

Turning his talents to other venues, Jayne authored a weekly column in the Shannon County Current Wave, in his adopted Ozark hometown of Eminence, Missouri. Jayne also hosted a radio show in Salem, Missouri at KSMO that attracted national attention for its satire, including the Snake and Tick Market Report, a regular feature that reported market prices for Hoo-Boy White Dot Crushproof Dry Valley Wonder Ticks and black, copperhead, coachwhip, garter and rattle snakes.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Mitchell F. "Mitch" Jayne Memorial". Find a Grave. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Mitch Jayne, 1928-2010". The Columbia Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on 7 August 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  3. ^ a b Cook, Kevin. "Mitch Jayne: The Dillards' Wordsmith on "Fiddler's Ghost" and Legends of Fiddledom". Fiddler Magazine.
  4. ^ "Dooley". BluegrassLyrics.com. Archived from the original on 9 April 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  5. ^ "There is a Time". SongFreaks. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  6. ^ "Old Home Place". BluegrassLyrics.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  7. ^ "The Whole World 'Round". SongFreaks. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  8. ^ Jayne, Mitch (2000). Home Grown Stories & Home Fried Lies. Wildstone Media. ISBN 1882467302.
  9. ^ Jayne, Mitch (2009). Forest in the Wind. Wildstone Media. ISBN 978-1882467488.
  10. ^ Jayne, Mitchell (1969). Old Fish Hawk. J. B. Lippincott Company.
  11. ^ Jayne, Mitch (2007). Fiddler's Ghost. Wildstone Media. ISBN 978-1882467457.