American Fiddler, Country Musician, and Songwriter. Born in Allatoona, Georgia he learned to play the fiddle from his father and uncle. In 1913 he moved to Atlanta, Georgia with his family and worked as an automobile mechanic. While there, he entered and won several fiddle playing competitions. In 1918 he formed the Home Town Boys and in September 1922, they made their radio debut. In 1923 at a fiddlers' contest in Macon, Georgia he won first place with his fiddling ability, and a newspaper reporter covering the event dubbed him "The North Georgia Wildcat." In 1925 he began recording with the Skillet Lickers and they became one of the nation's most successful country acts of the 1920s and recorded widely. His first solo success was the 1927 hit "Sweet Bunch of Roses," which sold over 100,000 records. He also recorded under the name Bob Nichols, but his only hit under that name was the tune "My Carolina Home." One of his best-known tunes that he wrote and performed was "Peach Pickin' Time in Georgia," which was recorded by Jimmie Rodgers. In 1931 the Skillet Lickers split up and he formed a new band called the Georgia Wildcats, playing old timey, pop and jazz. They worked around the South, Northeast and Midwest until 1939. The band included guitarists Slim Bryant and Merle Travis. They recorded for Decca Records from 1935 to 1938, settling in Louisville, Kentucky. When he decided to form a full-sized dance band, Bryant took the Georgia Wildcats to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He continued to perform in Louisville and was heard regularly on local radio and television stations until retiring in 1955. He also wrote the tunes "Dear Old Dixie Land" and "Georgiana Moon" which gained wide acceptance among country musicians. During the folk revival of the 1960s he was asked to restart his career but was initially reticent. However, his performances at the Bean Blossom festival and the Newport Folk Festival in 1964 were successes and he also made appearances on college campuses and bluegrass and folk festivals around the US. He continued to perform up to his death in Battletown, Kentucky at the age of 69.