Don Grooms 1930 - 1998
Don Groom was a Cherokee Indian and Florida songwriter. Born in Cherokee, North Carolina, Don later went on to study journalism and traught at the University of Florida in Gainesville. His songs are song at festivals and campgrounds throughout Florida. He wrote songs about Native Americans, Florida and about being a good human being. He was appreciated for his original songs, as well as his wit, humor and sincerity.
Born in 1930, Don Grooms was raised in Cherokee, North Carolina. He came from a family with Cherokee and Appalachian heritage. As a child, he played a cornstalk fiddle, a cigar-box banjo, and a $3 Silvertone guitar. At age 10, Grooms began playing for square dances and at 14 he belonged to a dance band that played pop tunes. Grooms became a professional journalist and moved to Florida to teach journalism at the University of Florida. While in Gainesville, Grooms was influenced by Will McLean, which motivated him to return to songwriting and playing guitar. He became a fixture at the Florida Folk Festival, where he performed on stage alongside Florida Folk Troubadours Gamble Rogers, Jim Billie and Will McLean. Grooms received the Florida Folk Heritage Award in 1996.
Don performed throughout Florida and numerous times on Seminole Indian Reservation. He recorded several albums with Florida folk musicians.
