From Two Lick to Center Stage; Mayf Nutter, a West Virginia Legend
About The Episode
From Two Lick Run to the World Stage - The Mayf Nutter Story
Born Mayfred Nutter on October 19, 1941, in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Mayf Nutter’s roots are planted firmly in the Appalachian soil of Harrison County. The boy who once sang “Jesus Loves Me” as a toddler at Epworth United Methodist Church in Parkersburg would grow to become a country music trailblazer, acclaimed actor, environmental songwriter, and international performer while always proudly carrying the soul of West Virginia in his voice.
Nutter’s childhood was steeped in music and community. Raised in a tight-knit family with a deep musical tradition, Mayf played ukulele and guitar alongside his mother Anna and father Lawrence “P-Nut” Nutter at square dances and fire department fundraisers. His first radio appearance came at just five years old, performing on a local show called “Cherokee Sue and Little John.” But it wasn’t long before young Mayf was running film reels, voicing local radio copy, and becoming a teenage disc jockey while still a student at Bridgeport High School. His work ethic was relentless. He was up at five in the morning to deliver newspapers, stayed late at the TV station to splice film, and still found time to play guitar and entertain his classmates on school buses bound for baseball games.
Mayf's sports career was just as notable. A standout pitcher in the Babe Ruth League, he helped his Bridgeport team advance to national competition in Lynchburg, Virginia. In 1957, after sportswriters repeatedly misspelled his name, one writer finally gave up and shortened “Mayfred” to “Mayf.” The nickname stuck and a star was born.
Mayf Performing at Jamboree in the Hills in the late 1970s - a classic West Virginia Music Festival
After graduating in 1959, Nutter studied communications at Northwestern Michigan College and took a job at WPBN-TV in Traverse City. There, he honed his skills in broadcasting, announcing, and live television. But his real calling, he later realized, was music.
By the mid-1960s, Mayf Nutter was playing guitar for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Del Shannon. From there, his career took a major leap when he was invited to lead and produce for the New Christy Minstrels, an internationally acclaimed folk group whose alumni included Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes. His rich voice, natural charisma, and passion for storytelling set him apart.
Hollywood soon came calling. Nutter signed with legendary musician and producer Frank Zappa, who created a record label, Straight Records, just to release Mayf’s music. His cover of “Everybody’s Talkin’” from Midnight Cowboy became a hit, recorded with Merle Haggard’s band The Strangers in a converted horse barn at Haggard’s Bakersfield home. Mayf also worked with Buck Owens’s Buckaroos and began appearing regularly on Buck Owens’ TV Ranch, guest-starring fifty-eight times.
By the early 1970s, Nutter had solidified himself as a country music force. He wrote and released “Simpson Creek Won’t Never Run Clean Again,” an emotional environmental anthem inspired by the pollution of the very creek behind his family home in Bridgeport. The song helped spark tangible cleanup efforts and remains one of the first known environmental protest songs in country music. Its impact was so profound that area mining companies responded by introducing waste-eating microbes to the stream. Later, the community honored him with a Mayf Nutter Week celebration in recognition of the song’s influence.
Another of his contributions, the spirited “Jamboree in the Hills,” became the official theme song for the iconic West Virginia country music festival of the same name. He performed at the festival nine times, starting in 1977, and helped define its character and energy. His West Virginia pride resonated through every performance, both at home and across the globe.
Nutter’s solo recording career soared with Capitol Records. He charted with crowd favorites like “Never Ending Love,” “Green Door,” “Party Doll,” “The Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy,” and “Goin’ Skinny Dippin’.” He later became known for his innovation in music videos, acting out narrative roles and refusing to lip-sync. His “Rock-a-Billy Money” video made him the first independent artist to reach number one on CMT without backing from a major record label.
Early Head Shots for Mayf Nutter
In parallel with his musical career, Nutter was a prolific television and film actor. He co-starred in Oklahoma Crude with George C. Scott and Faye Dunaway, and starred opposite Sally Field, James Stewart, and Arnold Schwarzenegger in various projects. He played memorable roles in Gunsmoke as Festus Hagan’s cousin, Bonanza, The High Chaparral, and The Waltons as Bobby Bigelow, the leader of the Haystack Gang. He also portrayed Parker Winslow, the love interest of Valene Ewing, on Knots Landing. In total, he appeared in over thirty television series across three decades, including Murder She Wrote, The Fall Guy, Falcon Crest, and The Dukes of Hazzard.
In 1982, during a cultural exchange concert in China, Nutter became the first American to ever sing on Chinese National Television. The performance, which aired live to a massive audience, was a career-defining moment. From Clarksburg to the Coliseum in Los Angeles, from Carnegie Hall to the People's Republic of China, Mayf Nutter’s voice has crossed oceans, always returning home in spirit.
He also made a lasting impression through his work with Walt Disney, narrating animal features and Disney’s Wonderful World of Color specials. At every stage of his career, he has worn many hats. Singer, songwriter, actor, director, producer, and narrator.
Mayf Nutter Narrated Many Wonderful World of Disney Films
In his personal life, Nutter found joy in family. He settled in California’s Sierra Mountains with his of over 5 decades, actress and former Miss USA Lindsay Bloom, and together they raised four children and enjoy many grandchildren. Still writing and recording, he credits his success to a simple philosophy. Find something you would do for nothing, and find someone to pay you for it.
In 2024, Mayf Nutter was formally inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. The moment was a full-circle celebration of a son of West Virginia who took the rhythms of Simpson Creek and the melodies of mountain living and turned them into art that reached the world. Friend and fellow entertainer Pat Boone, who once jokingly suggested the stage name Adamson to help Mayf be taken more seriously, stood beside him at the induction, singing one of Mayf’s songs.
“I am blessed and highly favored,” Nutter told reporters. And indeed, he is. A man of music, character, conviction, and humor, Mayf Nutter has given back to his home state tenfold through song, story, and the joyful noise of a life well-lived.
Credits
Host, Research, & Scheduling: Martha Jett
Production & Marketing: Clarksburg History Museum volunteers
Mixing & Editing: J. Joseph
Music: West Virginia Mountain Melody performed by Steve Peters
Special thank you to: Mayf Nutter & Lindsay Bloom
Photos provided by Mayf and Lindsay and a private collector.