Biography
21 July 1922, near Pennington Gap, Lee County, Virginia, USA, d. 7 May 1978. Ely suffered from tuberculosis as a child and during convalescence, he taught himself to play guitar, harmonica and organ. He worked as a miner, until drafted for Army service during World War II, later returning to the mines until 1949. After he became a born-again Christian, as Brother Claude, he preached at revival meetings and churches in numerous venues in Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky for almost 20 years. A fine singer, his renditions of country ballads and especially gospel songs, some of which he wrote himself, attracted the attention of King Records. In October 1953, his preaching and singing at a church meeting at Whitesburg, Kentucky, was recorded via a link back to the local radio station. The following year, further recordings were made by this method from a gospel gathering at a local courthouse. Several of his songs, including ‘There’s A Leak In This Old...
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