1881–1937

Introduction

Born: Jan­ua­ry 23, 1881, Hi­ram, Tex­as.

Died: June 3, 1937, Oak­ville, Ten­nes­see.

Buried: Ed­mond­son Ce­me­te­ry, South­a­ven, Mis­sis­sip­pi.

Biography

James was the son of Sam­uel Hen­ry Gaines, and hus­band of Laur­el Laugh­lin (mar­ried around 1904).

In 1900, he was liv­ing in Kauff­man, Tex­as. He worked with the Trio and/or Quar­tet Mu­sic Com­pa­nies in Wa­co, Texas. His daugh­ter Mia was born in Tex­as around 1906, and his son Charles Life Gaines in Mis­so­uri around 1907.

The fa­mi­ly moved to Ten­nes­see by World War I, when Gaines was draft­ed for mi­li­ta­ry ser­vice. After the war, he ran a mu­sic pub­lish­ing com­pa­ny in Mem­phis, Ten­nes­see.

Works

Sources

Lyrics

Music

Help Needed

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Gaines (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),