Francis Craig

Francis Craig. . The first hit song recorded in Nashville was Francis Craig's "Near You." It became one of the most successful pop records of the pre-rock 'n' roll era. Craig, the Hermitage Hotel's house orchestra leader for 20 years, recorded "Near You" for Nashville-based Bullet Records, and its success laid some of the groundwork for the nascent local music business. , Francis Jackson Craig was born in Dickson, Tennessee, on Sept. 10, 1900. His father was a pastor and the brother of C.A. Craig, who led the investment group that bought the National Life and Accident Insurance Company (National Life became the parent company of WSM radio-host station of the Grand Ole Opry). By the time Francis Craig's family moved to Pulaski, Tennessee, in 1909, he already exhibited skill as a pianist. His favored music was ragtime. , Craig attended Vanderbilt University, for which he later wrote the school's popular fight song, "Dynamite." He left Vanderbilt in 1922 without graduating and formed an orchestra to play Nashville's society gatherings. In 1925, his orchestra found a permanent home at the Hermitage Hotel. Their music was tailored for dining, dancing and relaxation. Craig's shows were broadcast on WSM, a station launched by his cousin Edwin Craig in 1925, including its very first broadcast. By 1926, Francis Craig's Sunday evening WSM show was networked nationally on NBC. His first recordings were made for Columbia in 1925. "Red Rose," his theme song for 20 years, was written for his wife and recorded and published in 1928. It was his last Columbia record, and he wouldn't record again for 19 years. , Founded in 1946, Bullet Records was the first record label based In Nashville. Craig, still on WSM and still at the Hermitage, was considering retirement when he was approached by Bullet to rerecord "Red Rose." For the B-side, Craig recorded "Near You," a new song he'd co-written. The session was held at Nashville's first professional-quality recording studio, Castle Recording Laboratory, on Jan. 20, 1947. His trumpet player, Bob Lamm, sang the vocal refrain. , A DJ in Griffin, Georgia, began playing "Near You" instead of "Red Rose," and it was swiftly picked up nationwide. It reached No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Honor Roll of Hits chart and stayed there for 17 weeks. Craig and Lamm left WSM and the Hermitage Hotel to begin touring. Craig's follow-up, "Beg Your Pardon," reached No. 3 on the Honor Roll of Hits. After "Near You" left the chart in 1948, Craig continued recording until 1955, though with less success. "Near You" became the closing theme song of Milton Berle's "Texaco Star Theater" and then "The Milton Berle Show," both on NBC TV. In 1977, the song reached No. 1 again, this time as a duet between George Jones and Tammy Wynette. , By 1950, Craig had retired in Nashville. His cousin Edwin Craig appointed him to the position of music librarian at WSM. In the early 1960s, Craig and his wife built a house on a wooded lot near Sewanee, Tennessee, about 90 miles southeast of Nashville. On Oct. 15, 1966, he returned to Nashville's Belle Meade Country Club to play "Near You" and "Red Rose" on the piano for what would be his final appearance, He died in Sewanee on Nov. 19.