From Barbershop to White House: Galax Hill Billies Wild Ride

How’s this for an unlikely scenario? A group of musicians from Galax, Virginia, fresh off a barbershop jam session, lands a gig playing for the President of the United States. No slick arrangements, no polished act—just a handful of local pickers with a knack for mountain tunes and a name they gave themselves on a whim: The Hill Billies. I’m sure these Galax Hill Billies had no idea what was in store for them.

A Band is Born (and Haircuts Were Involved)

It all started with a haircut. In the spring of 1924, guitarist Joe Hopkins walked into a Galax barbershop expecting nothing more than a trim. Instead, he walked out with a band. His barber, Tony Alderman, wasn’t just handy with scissors—he could play a mean fiddle, too. The two got to talking, then got to playing, and before long, they had something worth hearing.

Joe’s brother, Al, joined in on piano—an unusual twist for Appalachian music at the time. John Rector, a local shopkeeper who knew his way around a banjo, rounded out the group. They played for fun at first, but it didn’t take long for folks to notice they had something special. Al, with his easy charm and showman’s instincts, naturally took the lead. Their sound was pure Galax—high-energy fiddle tunes, driving rhythms, and that unexpected piano adding a new layer to the old-time melodies.

What started as a casual jam session between a barber and a customer soon turned into something bigger. Much bigger. The group unknowingly branded an entire genre, took their rough-edged sound to big-city stages, and became some of the earliest country musicians ever caught on film.

The Offhand Remark That Named a Genre

In 1925, the band found themselves in New York City, about to cut their first records for OKeh Records. A producer asked what they called themselves. Al Hopkins, never one for overthinking, fired back: “We’re just a bunch of hillbillies from North Carolina and Virginia. Call us anything.”

And just like that, those Galax Hill Billies were born. More importantly, so was “hillbilly music.” Before that moment, the genre didn’t even have a name. Now, it had a label that would stick—eventually morphing into what we now call country music.

That first recording session put their unvarnished sound on wax. It turned out that city folks loved it. Before long, they were booking shows way beyond Galax.

From Barbershop Jams to Presidential Gigs

The band’s popularity spread fast. By the late 1920s, those Galax Hill Billies had made their mark. They’d cut records with OKeh, Vocalion, and Brunswick, landed steady radio play, and become a fixture at fiddlers’ conventions, vaudeville halls, and political rallies. In 1925, they brought in Charlie Bowman on second fiddle, adding extra depth to their already lively sound. Their frequent broadcasts on Washington, D.C.’s WRC station (in the days of live radio) helped cement the term “hillbilly” in the minds of radio listeners, linking it more and more with the kind of music that was gaining popularity across the country.

They even landed a role in a 1928 Warner Bros. short film—one of the first times country musicians appeared on screen. Then came the big one: a performance for President Calvin Coolidge at the White House Press Correspondents’ Dinner.

Now, let’s just take a second to appreciate the absurdity of that. A few years earlier, these guys were playing in a Galax barbershop. Now, they were standing in front of the President of the United States, representing the sounds of the Blue Ridge Mountains on one of the biggest stages possible. If that doesn’t say something about the power of old-time music, what does?

Keeping the Hill Billies Alive in Galax

The Hill Billies success put Galax on the map as the capital of old-time mountain music. The genre still thrives. Walk down Main Street today, and you’ll find the Hillbilly Barbershop Museum, attached to Barr’s Fiddle Shop, where their story (and the spirit of their music) lives on.

Much like the barbershop where Galax Hill Billies got their start, Barr’s is a musical gathering place. Musicians still drop in to pick up a new set of strings, trade tunes, or just sit and soak up the history. And every August, during the Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention, musicians gather for a mid-afternoon jam in front of the old barbershop

From the White House to Your Next Road Trip

So, what’s the takeaway from The Hill Billies’ improbable rise? Maybe it’s that music has a way of cutting through time, carrying stories from one generation to the next. Or maybe it’s just that if you play a mean enough fiddle, you never know where you’ll end up—even if you start in a barbershop.

Either way, if you find yourself in Galax, stop by Barr’s Fiddle Shop, check out the Hillbilly Barbershop Museum, and take in the town where hillbilly music got its name. Who knows? You might just walk away with a new appreciation for the kind of music that can take a band from a small-town barbershop all the way to the White House.

---

Wayne Jordan is a Galax-based writer and storyteller. His Scots-Irish ancestors settled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1760, and he has deep roots there. The author of four books, Wayne is a retired Senior Editor for WorthPoint Corporation, a long-time columnist for Kovels Antique Trader Magazine, and a contributor to regional newspapers and travel publications. He blogs at BlueRidgeTales.com.