Country singer, songwriter, and fiddle player Rose Maddox was born Roselea Maddox in Boaz, Alabama on August 15, 1925. She is best known as being the vocalist in sibling group Maddox Brothers and Rose. Nicknamed ‘the Original Hillbilly Filly’ and ‘the Grandmother of Rockabilly’, Rose Maddox also had a successful solo career that mixed hillbilly, gospel, and rockabilly. Although born in Alabama, at the age of seven, Rose Maddox and her family relocated to California. By the time she was 11, she was performing at talent shows with her brothers Fred, Cal, Cliff, and Don, which led to the group appearing on local radio stations when she was in her teens. Initially, her brothers were offered a regular slot on the radio but only if she sang with them. This musical union led to a series of popular singles in the late 1940s up through their split in 1956. The group’s recordings were later collected on a series of albums and compilations. Rose Maddox’s solo career began with a few singles in the early 1950s but she didn’t release her debut album until 1958’s Precious Memories. Other solo albums included Glorybound Train (1960), A Big Bouquet of Rose’s (1961), Rose Maddox Sings Bluegrass (1962), and Alone with You (1963). After a long break, she returned to recording with 1970’s Rosie and only recorded sporadically after that. While she is now considered a pioneer in rockabilly, country music, and folk, she only charted three singles in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Country Singles chart: 1961’s “Mental Cruelty” and “Loose Talk” (both with Buck Owens) and 1962’s “Sing a Little Song of Heartache”. Rose Maddox died on April 15, 1998, at the age of 72.
