Biography
John Carson (1874–1949), one of Atlanta's most colorful entertainers, was a fixture at local fiddlers' contests and political rallies, and he was no stranger to the doctor shows that came through town.
Carson's son, Horace recalled:
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"He'd draw them, I guarantee. Every medicine show back then they'd hire my daddy. He'd go down there and play and that field would be full of people every night."
Carson started broadcasting over WSB radio in 1922, and his pioneering recordings for Okeh in 1923 first proved that a valuable market existed for hillbilly music.
"Swinging on de Golden Gate" was a minstrel-show perennial, related back to the black folk hymn known as "Wake Me, Shake Me", though which came first is uncertain. Versions of the song were claimed by at least three different writers: Fred Lyons in 1882, Charles Mansell in 1884, and Paul Barnes in 1894.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.