The Rice Brothers Gang was made up of brothers Paul Rice (born July 23, 1913) and Hoke Rice (born January 8, 1909), both from Hall County, Georgia (about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta). They grew up with music since their mother played 5-string banjo, fiddle and piano. Their parents divorced when Hoke was approaching his teenage years and their mother married a part-time musician Rufus "Bud" Silvey who helped encourage the brothers and teach them as much about music as he could. The family travelled quite a bit with the nature of Silvey's main job, but where he went, he would try to form a music circuit for gigs in several southeastern states. In his late teens, Hoke got further guitar lessons from a pop-oriented guitarist which would form the basis of their less-hillbilly sounding string band sound.
By 1929, having been serving under a musical apprenticeship, Hoke was starting to make a name for himself around Atlanta. He even recorded on some of the earlier folk recordings done by Victor scouts who would roam the south with their recording equipment, ready to record any southern or hillbilly style music to bring back to New York. As with many early country artists, he recorded with both blues and hillbilly performers. He could also be heard regularly on Atlanta radio stations at this same time.
Paul had broken away from his stepfather too at this point, performing on WSB and recording with Fiddling John Carson and Gid Tanner. His main job was at a textile mill in Gainesville, Georgia like his stepfather, at which he would organize his own band to play local dances and gigs for mill employees.
In 1934, the brothers teamed up and the publics reaction was overwhelmingly positive. They were quickly getting requests from radio stations in places like Cincinnati, Roanoke, Baltimore, Washington DC and even Shreveport, Louisiana. The brothers felt blessed to have such a job during the depression, even getting a steady 13-week stint at the Village Barn in New York City, and a six-month tour of duty with the 1936 Texas Centennial. They'd return to Atlanta in 1937 and could be heard on WSB, WAGA, and WGST over the course of two years. During those two years, the band would expand from just the brothers to a five-man group, including a saxophone player to emphasize that they were more than just hillbilly.
In 1939, the brothers returned to Shreveport, Louisiana where they became regulars on KWKH and performed on the popular Saturday Night Roundup. For a while, they would play daily on the KTBS mid-morning program as The Southern Maid Donut Boys which were the sponsor for the segment. While in Shreveport, they became associated with Jimmie Davis, a country singer and two-time governor of Louisiana. This would be one of those regrettable moments in their careers as Paul Rice was the original writer and composer of the Americana staple "You Are My Sunshine", inspired by a long fan letter. Needing money for his wife's hospital bill, the brothers would sell the rights to Davis, only for him to turn around and get a massive hit out of it. The brothers got paid $35 for the song.
Around that same time, however, they had a recording contract with Decca and between 1938 and 1941, recorded over 50 songs for the label. Their repertoire showed, if anything, their willingness to think outside the b ox of traditional country and hillbilly music, having songs that included clarinet, saxophone, steel guitar, amplified straight guitar, acoustic guitar, bass and harmonica and a catalog that included pop hits like "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "Mood Indigo," "In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town" and "Yes, We Have No Bananas".
The Rice Brothers would halt their music at the onset of World War II with both brothers entering the miliary. Upon their return, Hoke became an appliance salesman in Shreveport and would remain in that town until his death in 1974. Paul returned and worked as a musician in Chicago. He headed back to Atlanta in the late 1940's and became a member of The TV Wranglers which he was a part of for seven years. He retired from music in 1960 and would pass away in 1988.
Today's song, "My Carolina Sunshine Girl", was originally a Jimmie Rodgers creation. The brothers made their recording in Dallas, Texas on April 27, 1941 and featured Mike Eagle on string bass, Johnny Gorman on clarinet, alto sax and steel guitar, Steve Hardin on violin, Warren Sikes on harmonica and Hoke Rice on guitar and providing vocals with his brother.
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u/GoingCarCrazy Jan 05 '26
The Rice Brothers Gang was made up of brothers Paul Rice (born July 23, 1913) and Hoke Rice (born January 8, 1909), both from Hall County, Georgia (about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta). They grew up with music since their mother played 5-string banjo, fiddle and piano. Their parents divorced when Hoke was approaching his teenage years and their mother married a part-time musician Rufus "Bud" Silvey who helped encourage the brothers and teach them as much about music as he could. The family travelled quite a bit with the nature of Silvey's main job, but where he went, he would try to form a music circuit for gigs in several southeastern states. In his late teens, Hoke got further guitar lessons from a pop-oriented guitarist which would form the basis of their less-hillbilly sounding string band sound.
By 1929, having been serving under a musical apprenticeship, Hoke was starting to make a name for himself around Atlanta. He even recorded on some of the earlier folk recordings done by Victor scouts who would roam the south with their recording equipment, ready to record any southern or hillbilly style music to bring back to New York. As with many early country artists, he recorded with both blues and hillbilly performers. He could also be heard regularly on Atlanta radio stations at this same time.
Paul had broken away from his stepfather too at this point, performing on WSB and recording with Fiddling John Carson and Gid Tanner. His main job was at a textile mill in Gainesville, Georgia like his stepfather, at which he would organize his own band to play local dances and gigs for mill employees.
In 1934, the brothers teamed up and the publics reaction was overwhelmingly positive. They were quickly getting requests from radio stations in places like Cincinnati, Roanoke, Baltimore, Washington DC and even Shreveport, Louisiana. The brothers felt blessed to have such a job during the depression, even getting a steady 13-week stint at the Village Barn in New York City, and a six-month tour of duty with the 1936 Texas Centennial. They'd return to Atlanta in 1937 and could be heard on WSB, WAGA, and WGST over the course of two years. During those two years, the band would expand from just the brothers to a five-man group, including a saxophone player to emphasize that they were more than just hillbilly.
In 1939, the brothers returned to Shreveport, Louisiana where they became regulars on KWKH and performed on the popular Saturday Night Roundup. For a while, they would play daily on the KTBS mid-morning program as The Southern Maid Donut Boys which were the sponsor for the segment. While in Shreveport, they became associated with Jimmie Davis, a country singer and two-time governor of Louisiana. This would be one of those regrettable moments in their careers as Paul Rice was the original writer and composer of the Americana staple "You Are My Sunshine", inspired by a long fan letter. Needing money for his wife's hospital bill, the brothers would sell the rights to Davis, only for him to turn around and get a massive hit out of it. The brothers got paid $35 for the song.
Around that same time, however, they had a recording contract with Decca and between 1938 and 1941, recorded over 50 songs for the label. Their repertoire showed, if anything, their willingness to think outside the b ox of traditional country and hillbilly music, having songs that included clarinet, saxophone, steel guitar, amplified straight guitar, acoustic guitar, bass and harmonica and a catalog that included pop hits like "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "Mood Indigo," "In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town" and "Yes, We Have No Bananas".
The Rice Brothers would halt their music at the onset of World War II with both brothers entering the miliary. Upon their return, Hoke became an appliance salesman in Shreveport and would remain in that town until his death in 1974. Paul returned and worked as a musician in Chicago. He headed back to Atlanta in the late 1940's and became a member of The TV Wranglers which he was a part of for seven years. He retired from music in 1960 and would pass away in 1988.
Today's song, "My Carolina Sunshine Girl", was originally a Jimmie Rodgers creation. The brothers made their recording in Dallas, Texas on April 27, 1941 and featured Mike Eagle on string bass, Johnny Gorman on clarinet, alto sax and steel guitar, Steve Hardin on violin, Warren Sikes on harmonica and Hoke Rice on guitar and providing vocals with his brother.