Skillet Lickers

The Skillet Lickers were probably the most popular of the early fiddle bands. They are normally thought of as a Georgia band, because they started in Atlanta and spent many years there. However, in 1931 they were on the radio at WCKY when it was still in Covington, Kentucky. Gid Tanner, Lowe Stokes, Clayton McMichen, Riley Puckett, Fate Norris, and Bert Layne were in the group at the time. McMichen and Tanner got in one of their frequent arguments about whether the band should stick to the old-time sound or become more modern, as McMichen wanted. The result was that McMichen left and went across the Ohio River to Cincinnati’s WLW and formed the band that was to become the Georgia Wildcats.