Alan John Britton | Uncle Art

In 1994 when getting involved with the Harbour Festival and the booking of legendary guitar player, record producer and Columbia Nashville Records executive Chet Atkins, I decided to do some research into the history of the emigration of people to the Eastern Seaboard of the United States of America, particularly through Ports such as Bristol I came across a name that took me by surprise.
It was Uncle Art Satherley listed in the Country Music Hall of Fame Nashville, inducted in 1972 as "Country Music's Founding Father" born 1889 Bristol England!
I wondered why I had never heard the story, I am Bristolian, a musician, and into Country Music, was there a book on him? Apparently not. I found many references in famous peoples biography's, and music's historical writings about his work after emigrating to the States at the age of 24. Intrigued I looked deeper into the story.

Arthur Edward Satherley born and raised in Windmill Hill, Bedminster, Bristol, was about to have a book written about his extraordinary life by his friend Forrest White. Forrest White was the right hand man of Leo Fender that's how he got to know Art, supplying musical equipment to the star performers Art was recording. Forrest had already written a book about Leo Fender called "Fender the Inside Story" (Backbeat Books). But the book on Art was never written, because Forrest died suddenly in late 1994 with the introduction only started. I have tried on numerous occasions to get interest in making a film or documentary of the story with no luck yet, so in 2007 I decided to write the story down myself, so far the research has put me in touch with the Satherley family both here and in the US, the Country Music Museum Nashville made everything they had available to me. With all the research to sift through it's been tough, this is the first project of this type I have been involved with, I am currently about half way, the song was written first, you can hear it as this page loads.