Description: (Harmonica player in the early twentieth century who became the Grand Ole Opry's first major star)
DeFord Bailey was a groundbreaking American country music and blues artist celebrated for his harmonica skills. He was a trailblazer as the first African-American performer on Nashville radio station WSM's Grand Ole Opry and the first to record music in the city. Bailey was renowned as a "harmonica wizard" despite playing multiple instruments. His contributions to Nashville's music scene were notable, touring with prominent artists in the 1930s. Despite facing a royalties dispute in 1941, he made a resurgence in the 1970s and was honored with posthumous induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005.