Born in Belmont, Bullitt County, Kentucky,[1] Gaither recorded over one hundred songs in the 1930s for labels such as Decca and Okeh.
[4] One of Gaither's most famous blues songs was "Champ Joe Louis", recorded on June 23, 1938,[5] the day after Louis won his rematch against Max Schmeling.
The blues scholar Paul Oliver has cited Gaither among a group of important, but understudied, 20th century musicians.
[7] Gaither ran a radio repair shop in Louisville, Kentucky, for some time.
[4] He is not to be confused with another musician, William Augustus "Bill" Gaither (1927–1985), who recorded with Roy Milton.