Originating in Alabama, but gaining success after the Maddox family relocated to California during the Great Depression, the group were among the earliest "hillbilly music" stars to emerge from the West Coast.
The family hailed from Boaz, Alabama, United States, but rode the rails and hitch-hiked to California in 1933 when the band members were still children, following the failed efforts of their sharecropper parents during the early part of the Depression.
They struggled to make a living as itinerant fruit and vegetable pickers, following the harvest as far north as Washington and as far east as Arizona, as well as the San Joaquin Valley.
[1] Having settled in Modesto, California, the family developed their musical ability, and in 1937, performed on the radio, sponsored by a local furniture store.
He experienced a career resurgence 50 years after his success with Maddox Bros and Rose, while he played at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon, opening for Big and Rich, performing at the Muddy Roots festival in Cookeville, Tennessee, in 2011 and 2012, playing on the Marty Stuart show, and receiving a standing ovation show at the Grand Ole Opry.
He also performed in Las Vegas at the first annual Rockabilly Rockout at the Gold Coast Casino on October 5, 2014.