Fontanel co-owner Marc Oswald and director of hospitality Jaime Dudney (photo: Alan Mayor)
Fontanel Mansion is the new home to a rare, original 78 recording of Country Music Hall of Famer DeFord Bailey’s “Ice Water Blues/Davidson County Blues,” along with photos of Bailey with Grand Ole Opry cast members in the late 1920s.
The record and the photos were initially given by Bailey’s biographer, David Morton, to the Nashville Music Garden. The Nashville Music Garden’s founder, Pat Bullard, presented the items to Fontanel co-owner Marc Oswald and hospitality director Jaime Dudney for Fontanel’s collection, a decision Morton endorsed.
"Our original intention for Fontanel was not only to give Barbara Mandrell’s fans the opportunity to tour the home she and her husband, Ken Dudney, built, but also to see and touch music history dating back many decades,” Oswald said. “This DeFord Bailey recording is a noteworthy piece of history we are very proud to display.”
Bailey’s daughter, Christine Bailey Craig, praised the recognition of her father’s music, "since he was one of the first stars of the Grand Ole Opry, along with Roy Acuff, Minnie Pearl, Bill Monroe and Uncle Dave Macon.”
For directions, tour tickets and other information on Fontanel, visit www.fontanelmansion.com.
