They made their initial appearance on the Opry in 1926 and the following year joined Uncle Dave Macon's band, the Fruit Jar Drinkers.
In the 1930s, the McGees teamed up with early Opry fiddler Arthur Smith to form a string band known as the "Dixieliners," and in the 1940s they played and toured with Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys and several other notable acts.
[1] Sam and Kirk McGee were born and raised in Franklin, Tennessee, a town located just south of Nashville.
[2] Around 1923, Sam and Kirk met Uncle Dave Macon, who had recently gained regional fame as a banjoist and vaudeville performer.
At the same sessions, the McGees recorded several tracks as a duo, including "Old Master's Runaway," their version of the American Civil War song "Kingdom Coming," also known "The Year of Jubilo", which was written and composed by Henry Clay Work.
Folk song enthusiast Mike Seeger managed to reunite them with Arthur Smith in 1957, and the trio made several recordings.
Stunning and simple, and so good after all the sound I'd hear that week ...[9] On August 28, 1975, Sam was killed in a tractor accident on the family farm in Williamson County.