Rose Lee Maphis

Maphis (pronounced "MAY-fiss"){{Cite news |last=Friskics-Warren |first=Bill |date=2021-10-29 |title=Rose Lee Maphis, Early Star of Country Music TV, Dies at 98 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/arts/music/rose-lee-maphis-dead.html |access-date=2023-03-09 |issn=0362-4331}} was born Doris Helen Schetrompf on December 29, 1922 in Baltimore, Maryland, to Margaret Helen (Schriever) and Stanley Schetrompf.{{Cite news|last=Friskics-Warren|first=Bill|date=October 29, 2021|title=Rose Lee Maphis, Early Star of Country Music TV, Dies at 98|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/arts/music/rose-lee-maphis-dead.html|access-date=October 29, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} She grew up on a farm in Hagerstown where her family produced eggs and butter, sold Christmas trees and rented out cabins near the river that ran though their property.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Mo7xm-X1r4C&pg=PA291 |title=All Music Guide to Country: The Experts' Guide to the Best Recordings in Country Music |first=Jason |last=Ankeny |editor-first=Michael |editor-last=Erlewine |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |isbn=9780879304751 |page=291 |year=1997 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |via=Google Books}}{{Cite book|last=Wel|first=Stephanie Vander|title=Oxford Music Online|date=January 13, 2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press|volume=1|language=en|chapter=Maphis, Joe and Rose Lee|doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.a2276025}} As a child, Maphis listened to the Grand Ole Opry.{{sfn|Wolfe|Akenson|2003|p=63}} Rose attended business college after graduating high school in 1941.

Her father hosted a picnic for WJEJ radio, introducing the station to his daughter who sang and played guitar. The station offered her a 15-minute spot on its Saturday night program.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/01/10/rose-lee-maphis-country-music-hall-fame/21529393/|title=Country Music Hall of Fame visitors unaware greeter is star|first=Jessica|last=Bliss|website=The Tennessean}}

Before performing with her husband, Maphis was featured in a female quartet, a western group called The Saddle Sweethearts, who often played the same bill as Gene Autry and Roy Acuff.{{Cite web|last=Oermann|first=Robert K.|date=October 27, 2021|title=Country Star Rose Lee Maphis Dies At Age 98|url=https://musicrow.com/2021/10/country-star-rose-lee-maphis-dies-at-age-98/|access-date=October 28, 2021|website=MusicRow}}{{cite news|last1=Schelle|first1=Crystal|date=2014|title=Rose of the Mountains has connection to Hagerstown|work=The Hagerstown Herald-Mail|url=https://eu.heraldmailmedia.com/story/lifestyle/2015/02/22/rose-of-the-mountains-has-connection-to-hagerstow/45950959/|access-date=October 28, 2021}} After performing with Saddle Sweethearts, she worked briefly for her father as a bookkeeper. She learned that Mother Maybelle and The Carter Sisters were leaving the Old Dominion Barn Dance and were looking for singers. She met her future husband Joe there. She and her husband would later be called "Mr. and Mrs. Country Music".

A producer suggested the name "Rose of the Mountains" for her on her debut performance on a Hagerstown radio station, as she had a rose in her hair and was singing "Carry Me Back to the Mountains".

Around the 1950s, Maphis and her husband were cast members of the television show Town Hall Party on KTTV in Los Angeles.{{cite news |title=Joe Maphis, Country Music Star of 'Town Hall Party' |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/292421245 |access-date=October 28, 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=July 5, 1986 |via=ProQuest}}

The Maphises were best known for the self-penned honky-tonk standard "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)", which was originally recorded by Flatt and Scruggs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/arts/music/rose-lee-maphis-dead.html|title=Rose Lee Maphis, Early Star of Country Music TV, Dies at 98|first=Bill|last=Friskics-Warren|date=October 29, 2021|via=NYTimes.com}}

After the death of her husband, she worked as a seamstress at Opryland theme park designing for such stars as Brenda Lee and Barbara Mandrell.

In her later years, and no longer well-known as a major star, she worked voluntarily as a greeter at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, sharing stories about the genre's legends. Maphis's guitar is on display, next to that of her husband's double-neck Mosrite and sheet music for their recording "Dim Lights", in a montage called The Bakersfield Exhibit.{{cite web |last1=Bliss |first1=Jessica |title=Country Music Hall of Fame visitors unaware greeter is star |url=https://eu.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/01/10/rose-lee-maphis-country-music-hall-fame/21529393/ |website=The Tennessean|date=January 9, 2015|access-date=October 28, 2021}}

Rose's last public appearance was on August 7, 2021 in Cumberland, Maryland for a 100th birthday celebration for her late husband.{{Cite web |last=Larry |first=Greg |title=Rose Lee Maphis, 'Mrs. Country Music,' dies at 98 |url=https://www.times-news.com/news/local_news/rose-lee-maphis-mrs-country-music-dies-at-98/article_fc5ab4e2-3cd7-11ec-be9c-f3c4df0448e3.html |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=The Cumberland Times-News |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=DekeDickerson/status/1423826657052352517 |url=https://twitter.com/DekeDickerson/status/1423826657052352517 |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=Twitter |language=en}}

She died of kidney failure on October 26, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 98. She had 3 children, Lorrie, Dale, and Jody. Jody Maphis is also a musician, who has performed with such stars as Johnny Cash.

• 1955: "Honky Tonk Down Town / The Parting of the Way"{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MTohAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA77 |title=Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series |publisher=United States Copyright Office |page=77 |year=1956 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |via=Google Books}}
• 1955 "I'm Willin' To Try / Let's Pull Together"{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2wY5AQAAIAAJ&q=%22Let%27s+Pull+Together%22 |title=Columbia 78 Rpm Record Listing, 20001 Thru 21571, Plus OKeh Records 18001 Thru 18059 |first=Willem |last=Agenant |publisher=Joyce Record Club |page=59 |year=1996 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |via=Google Books}}
• 1959: "Fire On the Strings / I Love You Deeply" (A-side by Joe Maphis)

• 1966: "Send Me Your Love A.P.O. / Write Him A Letter"{{Cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6xAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA48 |title=Country Music |magazine=Billboard |volume=78 |number=21 |issn=0006-2510 |page=48 |date=May 28, 1966 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |via=Google Books}}
• 1967: "Tunin' Up For The Blues / A Lifetime of Love"
• 1967: "Country Girl Courtship / Pickin' and Guitin'"{{Cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zCcEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA16 |title=Spotlight Singles |magazine=Billboard |volume=79 |number=26 |issn=0006-2510 |page=16 |date=July 1, 1967 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |via=Google Books}}

• 1964: "Hoot'n Annie / Remember I'm Just As Close As the Phone"{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Axo5AQAAIAAJ&q=%22hoot+%27n+annie%2Fremember%22 |title=The Complete Library of American Phonograph Recordings |first=Jerry |last=Osborne |publisher=Osborne Enterprises |page=55 |year=1964 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |via=Google Books}}
• 1965: "Hot Time in Nashville / I've Got To Take You Home"{{Cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lygEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA75 |title=Singles Reviews |magazine=Billboard |volume=77 |number=11 |issn=0006-2510 |page=75 |date=March 13, 1965 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |via=Google Books}}
• 1965: "Your Little Black Book / Don't Pass Me By"{{Cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RCkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA16 |title=Spotlight Singles |magazine=Billboard |volume=77 |number=36 |issn=0006-2510 |page=16 |date=September 4, 1965 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |via=Google Books}}
• 1966: "Ridin' Down Ole 99 / Turn On The Bright Lights"{{Cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DSkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12 |title=Spotlight Singles |magazine=Billboard |volume=78 |number=1 |issn=0006-2510 |page=12 |date=January 1, 1966 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |via=Google Books}}

• 1969: "Gee Aren't We Lucky / Guitar Happy"
• 1970: "Run That By Me One More Time / I Don't Care"
• 1971: "Slippin', Pickin', Fiddlin' / If I'm Gonna Have Your Lovin'"

• 1961: Rose Lee Maphis
• 1962: Rose Lee & Joe Maphis (with Joe Maphis and the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys)
• 1964: Mr. and Mrs. Country Music (with Joe Maphis)
• 1964: Hootenanny Star
• 1978: Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (with Joe Maphis)
• 1979: Boogie Woogie Flattop Guitar Pickin' Man (with Joe Maphis)
• 1980: Honky Tonk Cowboy (with Joe Maphis)

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• {{Cite book|editor-last1=Wolfe|editor-first1=Charles K.|editor-last2=Akenson|editor-first2=James Edward|url=https://archive.org/details/womenofcountrymu0000unse|url-access=registration|title=The Women of Country Music: A Reader|year=2003|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|oclc=900344872}}

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Category:1922 births

Category:2021 deaths

Category:American country singers

Category:Musicians from Baltimore

Category:20th-century American women

Category:21st-century American women