John & Emery McClung
Brothers who recorded old-time music in the 1920s.
John Edward McClung and Emery Samuel McClung were brothers from West Virginia who made old-time music records in the 1920s, sometimes performing as The West Virginia Snake Hunters or simply The McClung Brothers. John, born August 1, 1906, in Mount Hope, handled guitar and vocals, while Emery, born January 3, 1910, in Beckley, played fiddle.
Their parents, Caroline Elizabeth Cheetham and Park Walker McClung, lived in Raleigh County. Walker worked as a jeweler but also taught music and led the choir at their church in Sprague, West Virginia. He passed his musical skills to many of his fourteen children. When Walker’s health declined, John and Emery began playing on street corners in Beckley to earn money for groceries.
In 1927, John and Emery recorded four songs for Brunswick Records, with John on guitar and vocals and Emery on fiddle. Around this time they also used the name The West Virginia Snake Hunters and began working with carnival musician Cleve Chaffin, from Wayne County, West Virginia. Chaffin and the McClung Brothers cut two songs for Paramount Records in 1929. Chaffin had previously recorded with another old-time band, the Fruit Jar Guzzlers. After that Paramount session, none of them recorded again. Later, the McClung Brothers had a gospel quartet on Beckley radio station WJLS. In August 1950, John won an old-time fiddlers’ contest in Beckley, with Emery taking second place. John spent his retirement in Alexandria, Virginia, and died on February 15, 1991. Emery died on March 9, 1970.
One of the McClungs’ most popular songs, “The West Virginia Hills,” was a parody of the state anthem about moonshine, but they never recorded it themselves. Their friend Roy Harvey, also from West Virginia, recorded it as a duet with Earl Shirkey for Columbia Records in 1929. Harvey’s version appears on two CDs released in 1999: *Roy Harvey: Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 3* (Document 8052) and *Roy Harvey: Early String Band Favorites* (Old Home
- born
- John: August 1, 1906, Mount Hope, West Virginia; Emery: January 3, 1910, Beckley, West Virginia
- died
- John: February 15, 1991; Emery: March 9, 1970
- field
- Old-time music
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Recording as The West Virginia Snake Hunters and The McClung Brothers in the 1920s
Lore & Background
John and Emery were sons of Caroline Elizabeth Cheetham and Park Walker McClung of Raleigh County, West Virginia. Their father Walker was a jeweler, music teacher, and choir leader; many of his fourteen children learned music from him. The failing health of their father led John and Emery to start making music on Beckley street corners to raise grocery money.
In 1927, John and Emery recorded four songs for Brunswick Records. John played guitar and sang, while Emery played fiddle. In 1929, they recorded two sides for Paramount with Cleve Chaffin.
Reader's Guide
John and Emery McClung are significant as representatives of the old-time music recording scene of the 1920s, particularly in West Virginia. Their work under the names The West Virginia Snake Hunters and The McClung Brothers produced a small but enduring body of recordings for Brunswick and Paramount Records. Their collaboration with Carson Robison, a future Country Music Hall of Fame member, and with Cleve Chaffin, who also recorded with the Fruit Jar Guzzlers, places them within a network of regional musicians who helped shape early country and folk music. Their most popular song, 'The West Virginia Hills,' was a parody of the state anthem about moonshine, though they never recorded it; their friend Roy Harvey recorded it as a duet with Earl Shirkey in 1929. The McClungs' recordings have been reissued on several compilation CDs from the late 1990s and 2000s, ensuring their legacy in the preservation of early American vernacular music. Their story also illustrates how economic hardship and family musical tradition drove rural musicians to perform and record.
Did You Know?
- John and Emery also recorded as The West Virginia Snake Hunters.
- Carson Robison, a future Country Music Hall of Fame member, provided whistling on three of their 1927 recordings.
- Their father Park Walker McClung was a jeweler, music teacher, and choir leader.
- John won an old-time fiddlers' contest in Beckley in August 1950; Emery won second place.
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