Taken at face value, the name of this band and its leader couldn't be less informative. Of several possible meanings for the nickname "Hack," only one is possibly appropriate, while the geographical designation of "Tennesseans" is misleading for a bluegrass group that was just as important a part of the neighboring North Carolina scene. While "Hack" might have come up in connection with the so-called "chop rhythm" guitar style of bandmember Curley Howard, or as the result of the bandleader's smoking problem, it most certainly should not suggest that the leader or his associates were musical hacks, as in players of mediocre quality. On the contrary, what makes this pioneering '50s bluegrass group so important was that its membership was almost exclusively players who would go on to make big dents in the bluegrass fender, so to speak. This includes banjoist Allen Shelton, fiddler Roy Russell, the aforementioned Howard, and even good old Hack Johnson himself. But if all of the members had languished in total obscurity, the group would still be remembered for creating an arrangement of the old chestnut Home Sweet Home, bluegrass style. This side, originally cut in 1953 for the Colonial label and reissued by Rounder as part of its Early Days of Bluegrass series, succeeded in placing the standard song squarely in the bluegrass repertoire, where it was later covered by artists such as the great banjoist Don Reno. It was one of the earliest examples of "bluegrassing" up a non-bluegrass number, a concept that would lead to Beatles bluegrass in the '60s and '70s and bluegrass versions of Pink Floyd,, Phish, and Led Zepelin down the line.

The Tennesseans were formed in an era when bluegrass had not really become crystallized in the public's mind as a style, although some listeners certainly knew it was out there. Thus, the members of the group had a bit more freedom than they would once the rules were set and the bluegrass police were out enforcing them. That the members of the group were all such experienced players resulted in an extremely high level of quality to the group's recorded efforts. Leader Johnson had been performing in a duo with his brother Clyde Johnson; both brothers had also been members of singer and guitarist Carl Story's band the Rambling Mountaineers. The latter group broadcast on WNOX out of Knoxville and cut some sides for Mercury. Fiddler Roy Russell had recorded with Jim Eanes and his Shenandoah Valley Boys, while guitarist Curley Howard had also been involved with Eanes, as well as the touchy Clyde Moody, pumping up the rhythm sections of both these artists with his hard-edged "chop rhythm" guitar style. This technique was of course one result of the lack of drums in a bluegrass group, a factor bass players eventually dealt with by developing a slapping technique that was also quite suitable for rockabilly bands. Howard was also a noted session man, a regular in the King studios on recordings featuring the loveable Grandpa Jones, the fantastic Delmore Brothers, and the hot-shot duo of Reno Smiley. Johnson, Howard, and Russell also made up the harmony vocal triumvirate on lead, baritone, and tenor, respectively.

Banjoist Shelton was only 17 when he first went in the studio with the Tennesseans. It was the beginning of a long recording career for the banjoist which included sides with Jim Jesse, among others. Holding down the bottom in the band was bassist Joe Flapjack Philips, a nickname based on his usual choice for breakfast, naturally. This bassist shows up on many traditional bluegrass recordings, including the classic Capitol sides by Hylo Brown the Timberliners. The Tennesseans played daily broadcasts on WPTF out of Raleigh and were booked for barn dances or other events just about every weekend. Colonial was a natural label to push the group, as it favored North Carolina artists such as country singer Billy Crash Craddock, a native of Greensboro. Perhaps the most famous record on the label was not by a country artist at all, but by North Carolina's most illustrious comedian and actor, Andy Griffith. He put out the hit comedy record What It Was Was Football on Colonial, and actually had something of a bluegrass background working with Roy Hall His Blue Ridge Entertainers.

By the '70s, most members of this group were out of action, except for Shelton, who cut the album Shelton Special for Rounder. Russell died in 1964. Howard and Johnson got involved in radio, the former working for Winston-Salem's WSMX, while the latter hacked his way to Memphis. Howard conducted one of the last lengthy interviews with Lester Flatt during that artist's final months. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi