Trae McMaken
One example of a public dance band in Michigan was the Thumb band Nick and His Cornhuskers.[1] Nick and His Corn Huskers was led, at least for a time, by Clare Nichols, a farmer of Caledonia Township who would hand over much of the farm work to his son due to the demands of performance.[2] From at least 1947, and 1949-1951 (the range of articles cited below), Nick and His Cornhuskers were promoted in the Cass City Chronicle. One typical promotion says, “Dance to Nick and His Cornhuskers every Saturday night at the Sportsman and V.F.W. Club House, Sebewaing, Mich.–Adv. tf.”[3] At another time, a notice is given that “these dances will continue through the Lenten season.”[4] And as a “Special feature for St. Patrick’s” was the “Return engagement by request of Charline Wallace, the ‘Singing Cow Girl.'”[5] Other venues for Nick and His Cornhuskers include a roller rink, a rodeo, and the Akron homecoming, at all of which were dances.[6] Another advertisement reads “Modern and Old Time Dance with Nick and his Cornhuskers . . . . Listen to the direct broadcast from our stage 7:30 p. m. over WKNX (1210).”[7] Another advertises Nick and His Cornhuskers as “MICHIGAN’S MOST POPULAR DANCE BAND” and “Popular and Old Time Music.”[8] Other dances mentioned in the Cass City Chronicle involve Scotch dancing at a “MacLean Clan in Family Reunion”[9] as well as a dance (of unknown kind) at a wedding, and an “Anniversary Dance” which was “sponsored by the Polish National Alliance” and held at “The Polish American Hall.”[10] The November 25, 1949 Cass City Chronicle advertises three dances side by side, (scheduled for December 2, December 1, and November 26, respectively) one “Modern and old time” at the Legion Hall with music by “the Jolly Gang from Arcadia Ballroom,” one “show and dance” by Nick and His Cornhuskers at the Bad Axe Roller Rink, and one “modern and old time” dance, “the last dance before Advent at the Arcadia Ballroom” by “Johnny Maloziec’s polka band of Detroit.”[11]
In answer to an inquiry of mine, Michigan fiddle historian Paul Gifford mentioned that the band’s fiddler was named Earl Vincent. According to an autobiography of Michigan accordionist and songwriter Dusty Owens, (which is well worth a read and can be found here: http://www.hillbilly-music.com/artists/story/index.php?id=11598), Earl Vincent was the violin teacher at Clark’s Honolulu Conservatory of Music in Flint, Michigan. Vincent played in a variety of styles, as Dusty Owens mentions. Paul Gifford describes Nick and His Cornhuskers as “a good example of a commercially successful, radio-oriented ‘modern and old-time’ group.”
The following excerpt is from the obituary of Wayne Nichols, the son of Clare and Aileen: https://betzlerlifestory.com/obituaries/wayne-nichols.129131
“His parents were known as the leaders of ‘Nick and His Cornhuskers,’ a band that played throughout Michigan and whose music was broadcast over WFDF radio in the 1930s. An only child, Wayne was a typical young boy of his generation. With musicians as parents, he slept in the bass drum box at their performances. As a young boy he traveled with his parents around the state. Their travels continued for a time, but his parents later bought a farm in Corunna near Owosso where they had a crops farm and also raised pigs. “
One man from the Thumb area of Michigan remembered that when he was a child his family’s “hired girl” was a singer with Nick and His Cornhuskers. Dave Bedell wrote:
“When I was a kid in the 30’s, we had a ‘hired girl’; not a maid, mind you, that would have been too pretentious. Anyway, Elizabeth “lived in” and she was also a band singer. As a result she always had song sheets all over the house so she could sing along with her housework and learn the words. By the way, “Song Sheets” were current compilations of the words to all the songs of the day and you could buy them at “dime stores” like Kresge’s or Woolworth’s for a nickel or a dime. Elizabeth sang with “Nick and His Cornhuskers Band” and sometimes, on Sunday afternoons when I was 5 or 6 and my parents thought Elizabeth and I were safe at home, we were actually at a ‘tea dance’ in the afternoon. Elizabeth was up front singing with the band and I was sitting at the back with her boyfriend, George, who was a trumpeter and a great guy to a kid of 5 or 6 or 7.”
Later, in an e-mail correspondence, Dave Bedell kindly wrote me the following. I have rearranged it to fit into a more cohesive whole rather than separate e-mails.
“Nick and His cornhuskers had a radio show on WFDF, Flint, (I think) at about 5:00 in the afternoon. Maybe the station could give you some info, though it has changed hands a few times since then. They also played for a number of dances I attended in high school at the I.M.A. Auditorium in Flint. The auditorium was operated by the Industrial Mutual Association and was the site of many big band dances as well as some local bands, especially during WWII and Nick and the band played there too. I would say that the band had 12 to 15 pieces. As I remember, Nick’s wife also played in the band; but, for the life of me, I can’t remember what instrument, unless maybe piano. They lived on M-71 near Corunna, Michigan and I have been past their house many times. I’m guessing here; but I think the band was active well into the 1970s.
When I heard them on the radio, they played “old time” music; but when I heard them at the tea dance at Flint Park, and later at the IMA, they played strictly dance music with a few novelty old time numbers thrown in. I’ve been think about the name and I think the last name may have been Nichols and the “Nick” came from that. If I think of anything more, I’ll let you know. When they played for dances that I went to at the IMA (and also at Flint Park when I was little, it was definitely swing, fox trots and the popular tunes of the day. They may have played for square dances too; but not the ones I attended. They played the “off weeks” between such bands as Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Stan Kenton, Charlie Spivak and many more and so they played the same kind of tunes.
I just remembered their theme song which was called I Love Mountain Music, which may have been written by or for them as I never heard it anyplace else. Here are the words I remember:
I love mountain music,
Good ol’ mountain music,
Played by a real hill billy band.
I sure like their rhythm, (I’m a little shakey on these 2 lines)
You can sing right with ’em,
Nick and his Cornhuskers are grand.
Oh Hawaiians play,
In a good ol’ wicky-wacky,
That’s OK; but
dah dah dah dah by cracky. (can’t remember the words here)
I love mountain music,
Good ol’ mountain music,
Nick and his cornhuskers are grand.”
More notices of Nick and His Cornhuskers’ whereabouts as well as others groups are found in newspapers, but this selection of the kinds of activities give a picture of how one dance band looked, at least in press, in Michigan prior to the folk revival. They performed at a time when people had a taste not only for the old time dances but mixed it up and probably did not feel inauthentic for doing so. At this period, through looking at issues of the Cass City Chronicle, it is easy to see that dancing was a regular community activity in Michigan.
[1]All the Cass City Chronicle articles regarding Nick and His Cornhuskers originally came into my possession by being downloaded from the internet as PDFs provided by the Rawson Memorial Library of Cass City, Michigan, http://www2.rawson.lib.mi.us/
[2]Carl Tossey, “Youthful Caledonia Hog Farmer Builds His Own Labor Savors,” The Owosso (Mich.) Argus-Press, August 23, 1950, via Google News (accessed October 15, 2011).
[3]“Dance,” Cass City Chronicle vol. 45, no. 39, January 19, 1951.
[4]“Dance,” Cass City Chronicle vol. 45, no. 43, February 16, 1951.
[5]“Dance,” Cass City Chronicle vol. 45. no. 47, March 16, 1951.
[6]Cass City Chronicle, varied announcements,May 13th, 1949; June 20th, 1947; June 15th, 1951.
[7]“Modern and Old Time Dance,” Cass City Chronicle, vol. 44 no. 10, July 1, 1949.
[8]Pre-Season’s Dance,” Cass City Chronicle, September 15, 1950.
[9]“MacLean Clan in Family Reunion,” Cass City Chronicle, vol. 44 no. 10, July 1, 1949; “Miss Brown Marries Clayton Hubbel,” Cass City Chronicle, vol. 44 no. 9, June 24, 1949.
[10]“Anniversary Dance,” Cass City Chronicle, September 29, 1950.
[11]“American Legion Dance,” Cass City Chronicle, November 25, 1949; “Show and Dance,” Cass City Chronicle, November 25, 1949; “Don’t Miss,” Cass City Chronicle, November 25, 1949.
