COUNTRY,
BLUEGRASS & OLD-TIMEY
The
Bailes Brothers -> The Bluegrass Album Band
| THE BAILES BROTHERS |
Bear Family BCD 15973 |
Oh So Many Years |
$21.98 |
28 tracks recorded for Columbia between 1945 and '47 by this
fine and popular family group. It includes their most popular song Dust
On The Bible plus other fine sides like Searching For A Soldier's
Grave/ I Want To Be Loved But Only By You/ / Whiskey Is The Devil In Liquid
Form and others.
|
| THE BAILES BROTHERS |
Cattle CCD 227 |
Sing Their Hearts |
● CD $18.98 |
20 tracks from this fine old time country group recorded
between 1945 and '47 - many featuring the fine steel guitar or dobro of
Shot Jackson.
|
| KENNY BAKER |
County 2708 |
Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe with Bill
Monroe |
● CD $15.98 |
1977 album now on CD. A selection of tunes composed by or
part of the repertoire of Monroe. With Joe Stuart, Vic Jordan and Bill
himself who takes a mandolin break on almost every tune!
|
| E.C. BALL & ORNA |
Copper Creek 141 |
Through The Years, 1937-1975 |
● CD $15.98 |
28 tracks, 78 mins, essential
Superb retrospective
collection of this outstanding singer and guitarist, many in the company
of his wife Orna. It includes 1937 and 1967 recordings for the Library Of
Congress, early 50s Starday recordings, 1967 County recordings, radio
broadcasts and more. Includes a wonderful introduction from 1937 by John
Lomax and several fascinating interview segments. Songs include Jenny
Jenkins/ Nine Pound Hammer/ When I Get Home I'm Gonna Be Satisfied/
Warfare/ Standing On The Promises/ Passing Away/ Ten Thousand Angels/ What
A Friend We Have In Jesus/ God Be With You Till We Meet Again, etc. 12
page booklet has extensive notes and interview material from Kip Lornell
and some great photos. (FS)
|
| E.C. BALL & ORNA
BALL |
Rounder 11577 |
E.C. Ball With Orna Ball |
● CD $15.98 |
25 tracks, 64 mins, essential
Simply lovely and unique
performances of traditional music featuring singer/ guitarist Estil C.
Ball joined at various times by his wife Orna or his church group The
Friendly Gospel Singers recorded in 1972. Estil, from the Virginia/ North
Carolina border had a distinctive and warm baritone voice and was a superb
guitar player who included among his influences Maybelle Carter, Riley
Puckett and Merle Travis. The result is playing that is accomplished but
not flashy - the three instrumentals here are truly outstanding. His wife
Orna had a gentle voice that perfectly complements Estil and on some cuts
she adds some very effective accordion. The repertoire is mostly
traditional gospel songs along with the instrumentals and a couple of
novelty songs - Aunt Dinah's Quilting Party and The Early Bird
Always Gets The Worm. Rounding out this reissue of Rounder 0026 are
excerpts from a couple of of the Balls' regular weekly radio shows over
WKSK in West Jefferson, NC. - truly charming performances. Now Rounder can
you please also reissue on CD the Ball's second album? (FS)
|
| MICHAEL BALLEW |
Bear Family BCD 15669 |
I Love Texas |
● CD $19.98 |
22 tracks, 65 minutes, recommended. Boosters of Lone Star
music will be enchanted by this spirited collection from West Texan
Ballew. A veteran performer (he's been recording since 1967), Ballew sings
the praises of his home state with intelligence and - perhaps more
important - without turning maudlin. This set is sprightly and varied, and
in the booklet you get to see a photograph of Ballew shaking hands with
Walter Cronkite. (JG)
|
| MICHAEL BALLLEW |
Bear Family BCD 15896 |
You Better Hold On |
● CD $19.98 |
New recordings from veteran West Texas singer - with Buddy
Emmons/ pedal steel & Buddy Spicher/ fiddle.
|
| MOE BANDY |
Razor & Tie RE 2096 |
Honk Tonk Amnesia - The Hard Country Sound
Of Moe Bandy |
● CD $15.98 |
20 track, 44 mins, highly recommended
In the 70s and early
80s Moe Bandy was responsible for some of the best honky tonk songs of the
time. This set features 20 of his hits from that period and though, not
all great, it does include all time classics like It Was Always So Easy
(To Find An Unhappy Woman) and the magnificent Hank Williams, You
Wrote My Life along with other fine songs like Honkey Tonk Amnesia/
I Cheated Me Right Out Of You/ She Took More Than Her Share/ Soft Lights
& Hard Country Music, an outstanding version of Hank Williams' I'm
Sorry For You My Friend and several duets with female singers like
Janie Fricke, Judy Bailey and the wonderful Becky Hobbs. Great sound and
excellent notes by Rich Kienzle. (FS)
|
| BOBBY BARE |
Bear Family BCD 15663 |
The All American Boy |
● CD $94.98 |
Four discs 126 songs, approx. 5 hours, recommended
Bare
isn't new to the Bear folks. They previously reissued his late
sixties-early seventies Mercury recordings and the RCA album "Lullabyes,
Legends and Lies." This set is more important, for it compiles all the
essential Bare from the beginning. Starting with his first Capitol
recordings it covers the late fifties-early sixties Jackpot and Fraternity
recordings and the 1962-65 RCA material that established him. The Capitol
and Jackpot sides didn't fly and his first national splash came with
Fraternity. All American Boy, an original novelty, was inspired by
two events: Elvis's 1958 Army induction and by Bare's own draft notice,
received around the same time. Bare's friend Bill Parsons wound up getting
label credit and even toured behind the record while Bare marched and
saluted. Other Fraternity sides weren't that substantive, and only when he
signed with RCA and found a sympathetic producer in Chet Atkins did things
start to change. Except for a couple lost RCA masters, these are his
complete 1962-output, reflecting his distinct, folk-flavored style. After Shame
On Me charted in 1962, he started recording material by the hottest
composers of that day including Roger Miller, Harlan Howard and Hank
Cochran. All three hits that made him a star are included: Detroit City
and 500 Miles Away From Home in 1963 and Miller's Cave
in 1964.
His "Tunes for Two" duet LP with Skeeter Davis is included as
are several German language recordings Bare did. (RK)
|
| BOBBY BARE |
Bear Family BCD 15683 |
Sings Lullabys, Legends And Lies |
● CD $19.98 |
Bear's reissue of this 1973 RCA LP is hard to figure, until
one realizes how popular Bare is in Europe. This set was a sort
of concept album comprised totally of Shel Silverstein songs, yielded two
huge hits: the terminally cute Daddy, What If, sung with his
son Bobby Jr, then five years old and the far better Marie Laveau.
It reflects Silverstein's skewed world view and is interesting if you're
big on songwriters. (RK)
|
| BOBBY BARE |
Razor & Tie 2043 |
The Best Of Bobby Bare |
● CD $15.98 |
|
|
| BOBBY BARE |
RCA 67405 |
The Essential Bobby Bare |
● CD $15.98 |
20 tracks, 58 mins, recommended. There is one mistake on this
otherwise worthy collection, involving Bare's first hit: All American
Boy, the 1958 recording satirizing Elvis's induction into the service.
Problem is, this isn't the original Bare recording issued by Fraternity
Records under the name of Bill Parsons, but a 1963 RCA remake.
Beyond that, things get better, as it includes Detroit City, 500
Miles Away From Home, Four Strong Winds, his and Skeeter
Davis's remake of Jean Shepard and Ferlin Husky's A Dear John Letter,
Streets of Baltimore, Margie's At the Lincoln Park Inn, Ride
Me Down Easy, Daddy, What If, Marie Laveau, The
Winner and Dropkick Me Jesus, only a Top Twenty song at the
time, but a favorite on barroom jukeboxes. (RK)
BOBBY BARE: 500 Miles Away From Home/ A Dear John Letter (w. SKEETER
DAVIS)/ All American Boy/ Bless America Again/ Charleston Railroad Tavern
Margie's At The Lincoln/ Detroit City/ Dropkick Me, Jesus/ Four Strong
Winds/ It's Alright/ Marie Laveau/ Miller's Cave/ Park Inn/ Ride Me Down
Easy Daddy/ Shame On Me/ The Game Of Triangles (w. NORMA JEAN)/ The
Streets Of Baltimore/ The Winner/ Vegas (w. JEANNIE BARE)/ What If/ Your
Husband, My Wife (w. SKEETER DAVIS)
|
| JOHNNY BARFIELD |
Bronco Buster 9025 |
Soulful Country Ballads |
● CD $18.98 |
16 sides recorded in 1939 and 1940 by this fine and
distinctive singer/ guitarist from Georgia.
JOHNNY BARFIELD: Boogie Woogie/ Desert Lullaby/ Don't Cry My Darlin'/
Don't Take My Memories/ Gonna Ride till the Sun Goes Down/ Heartaches and
Tears./ Highway Hobo/ In a Sleepy Country Town/ In the Heart of the City/
It's a Long Lane That Doesn't Have a Turning/ Love Me Only/ Old Fiddler
Joe/ Sleep, Darlin', Sleep On/ The New "Boogie Woogie"/ True to
the One I Love/ When Daddy Played the Old Banjo/ Why Don't You Give Me My
Memories?/ You'll Want Me to Want You Someday
|
| DELIA BELL &
BILL GRANT |
Old Homestead OHCD 4002 |
Classic Bluegrass, Today & Yesterday |
● CD $18.98 |
20 songs by this outstanding traditional bluegrass duo - 9
from 1975 and 11 for 1995.
|
| BIG SANDY
& THE FLY-RITE BOYS |
Hightone 8053 |
Jumpin' From Six To Six |
● CD $15.98 |
15 tracks, highly recommended. Enjoy those White Label
Boppin' Hillbilly collections? Well, if so, you'll love this L.A.-based
band, whose music falls right into the same late 40's-early 50's mode.
Previously a rockabilly-oriented trio, the expanded group (with upright
bass and non-pedal steel) mixes hillbilly boogie, honky-tonk and forties
jump blues and they play it with fire and authenticity, never sounding
sterile or studied. The band also features non-pedal steel guitar and a
drummer who plays his accents on a cowbell. Dave Alvin's production helps
enormously, since he lets the guys play loose and natural. Sandy sings his
lungs out and the band plays it hot and fiery, like Hi-Billy Music and
This Ain't A Good Time. Though their version of Hank Williams's Weary
Blues (From Waitin') is a bit flat, most other material including their
originals is far above average. They even do one instrumental: the
humor-laden Barnyard Beatnik, a tribute to the guitar-steel instrumentals
of Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West. A favorite around the country (and
regular visitors to Bimbo's in San Francisco), these guys have a hell of a
debut here that makes one hanker to see them live. (RK)
|
| BIG SANDY
& HIS FLY-RITE BOYS |
Hightone HCD 8064 |
Swingin' West |
● CD $15.98 |
15 tracks, 44 mins, recommended
The Southland's (that's S.Cal's) best local Western Swing band does another great one for
Hightone. Big Sandy (Bob's Big Boy personified, as a buddy of mine calls
him) & his affable vocals charm & rock at the same time, with the
big guy on acoustic guitar, Ashley Kingman on Take Off Guitar, Lee
Jeffries on pedal steel, Wally Hersom on bass & Bobby Trimble on drums
play both country AND western on this great set of mostly originals,
though there is a great version of Hank Cochran's A Healer Like Time.
Of course there's lots of Bob Wills influence, but also a touch of Phil
Harris! (listen to My Sinful Days Are Over). Also includes a nice
steel guitar instrumental by Jeffries called Murphy's Law. (GM)
|
| BILLER & WAKEFIELD |
HMG 3006 |
The Hot Guitars Of Biller & Wakefield |
● CD $15.98 |
Recommended
No it ain't Jimmy Bryant & Speedy West, but
its still fine! Looks & sounds like it was done in the 50s, with
Austin's Dave Biller on guitar & L.A.'s Jeremy Wakefield on steel, in
a fine series of mostly instrumentals produced by Deke Dickerson &
also featuring Sonny Leyland from Big Sandy's Fly-Rite Boys on the 88s. In
fact Sandy hisseslf suits to croon one of the sets only vocals, Sandy's
own Steel Crazy, & rhythm guitarist Dave Stuckey is reunited
with the producer to replicate those great Dave & Deke Combo vocals on
Guitars On Fire, while Deke, Jeremey & both Daves get together
for the fine jive vocals on I Don't Mind. (GM)
|
| BUD & JOE BILLINGS |
Cattle 207 |
Singing Pals From Kansas |
● CD $18.98 |
Bud & Joe Billings were actually Frank Luther and Carson
Robison who teamed up after the partnership of Robison and Vernon Dalhart
broke up. This collection features 21 songs, mostly written by Robison,
recorded between 1928 and 1930.
|
| NORMAN BLAKE |
Rounder 0063 |
Whiskey Before Breakfast |
● CD $15.98 |
|
|
| NORMAN BLAKE |
Rounder 11526 |
Slow Train Through Georgia |
● CD $15.98 |
|
|
| NORMAN & NANCY
BLAKE |
Rounder 11530 |
Natasha's Waltz |
● CD $15.98 |
Compilation of 21 favorites from their Rounder releases.
|
| SMILIN' BILLY BLINKHORN |
Cattle 225 |
Bushland Yodel |
● CD $18.98 |
18 songs recorded between 1940 and '47 by Canadian singer,
yodeler & guitarist who relocated to Australia where these recordings
were made. Mostly just vocal and guitar plus a few with a small band - Back
To the Old Cariboo/ My Curly Headed Buckaroo/ Hilltop Yodel/ Sunny
Queensland/ Blue Mountain Blues/ Can't You Take It Back And Change It For
A Boy?/ There's A Hole In The Old Oaken Bucket, etc.
|
| BLUE ROSE |
Sugar Hill 3768 |
Blue Rose |
● CD $15.98 |
This all woman studio supergroup gathers five accomplished
singers, players,and composes to create this always pleasurable and
sometimes inspired album. The Good Old Persons' Sally Van Meter
contributes her tasteful dobro on nearly every cut. Laurie Lewis plays
fiddle throughout, and takes four lead vocals. Banjoist Cathy Fink also
sings four leads, including a very nice version of Si Kahns' Wild Rose
of the Mountain. Marci Marxer plays lead guitar and mandolin and
contributes a nice version of Careless Love. Molly Mason is the
bassist throughout. Also included is an innovative arrangement of an
obscure song recorded by Hank Williams called "Blue Love", done
here as a swing number with Cathy singing lead, with 3 part harmony
back-up, Laurie on fiddle and Sally on lap steel. (RP)
|
| THE BLUE SKY BOYS |
Bear Family BCD 15951 |
The Sunny Side Of Life |
● CD $145.98 |
Five CD box set with hardcover book featuring all the
recordings made for Bluebird and RCA between 1936 and 1950 by this
distinctive, popular and influential duo. They accompanied their sweet and
mounrful vocals on guitar and mandolin and sang a selection of traditional
mountain ballads, Victorian parlor songs, shape note gospel hymns,
sentimental minstrel tunes and more.
|
| THE BLUE SKY BOYS |
Copper Creek 121 |
On Radio, Vol 2 |
● CD $15.98 |
30 tracks, 51 mins, recommended More fine sides including Were
You There?/ Oh, Sister Mary Don't You Weep/ As Long As I Live/ Watching
You/ Golden Slippers/ Drifting Too Far From The Shore/ I'll Be Listening
and more. Plus fiddle numbers from Curly Parker and comedy from Uncle
Josh. (FS)
|
| THE BLUE SKY BOYS |
Rounder 0052 |
The Blue Sky Boys |
● CD $15.98 |
14 tracks,44 min; highly recommended
The polyester double
knit clad gentlemen peering out from this CD cover were middle aged men in
1976 when this album was first recorded for Rounder, but the fourteen
tracks here would not have been out of place on the Bluebird 78s which
they recorded in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. All North Carolina born Bill and
Earl Bolick's recordings, 78s and "rediscovery" efforts alike,
create an air of melancholy and evoke an aura of time and place
inextricably entwined with the subject matter of their songs. Their simple
guitar-mandolin style and limpid, heartbreakingly pure duets never
changed; these recordings are as moving as the best they ever made. I
particularly like their version of the "modern" bluegrass song
here from the repertoire of Flatt and Scruggs, done the Blue Sky boy Way, Don't
This Road Look Rough and Rocky. Other selections include Green Grow
The Lilacs/ You Could Be A Millionaire/ If I Could Hear My Mother Pray
Again/ Searching For A Soldier's Grave/ Just A Strand From A Yellow Curl/
My Main Trial/ What Does The Deep Sea Say, and others. (RP)
|
| THE BLUE SKY BOYS |
Rounder 0264 |
In Concert |
● CD $15.98 |
|
THE BLUE SKY BOYS: After The Ball/ Are You From Dixie/ Beautiful - (bonus
track)/ Behind These Prison Walls Of Love/ Butcher's Boy, The - (bonus
track)/ Don't Trade/ Fox, The/ I'm Just Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail/
I'm Saved - (bonus track)/ If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again +/ In The
Hills Of Roane County - (bonus track)/ It Was Midnight On The Stormy Deep
+/ Kentucky - (bonus track)/ Last Letter, The/ Only One Step More/ Quit
That Ticklin' Me/ Sweetest Gift, The/ Sweetheart Mountain Rose - (bonus
track)/ Uncle Josh Comedy Skit/ Whispering Hope - (bonus track)/ Worried
Man Blues
|
| THE BLUE SKY BOYS |
Rounder 11536 |
In Concert, 1964 |
● CD $15.98 |
19 tracks, 71 mins, recommended The Blue Sky Boys, real
names Bill and Earl Bolick, recorded prolifically from the mid-30's well
into the 60's with very little change in their style. This CD features
recordings cut live at The University Of Illinois in Ocotober, 1964.
Originally issued on LP as Rounder 0236, this CD adds nine additional
tracks from the same concert. It's full of their sweet lonesome harmonies
and their pleasing guitar and mandolin work on traditional ballads,
popular, sentimental and sacred songs - Are You From Dixie/ I'm Just
Here To Get My baby Out Of Jail/ After The Ball/ The Last Letter/ The
Sweetest Gift/ Uncle Josh Comedy Skit/ Kentucky/ Sweetheart Mountain Rose,
etc. (FS)
|
| THE BLUE SKY BOYS |
Starday 205 |
A Treasury Of Rare Song Gems From The Past |
● CD $9.98 |
16 tracks from the 50s - the duo redo some of their most
popular Bluebird/ Victor recordings - The Sunny Side Of Life/ Nine
Pound Hammer/ Mary Of The Wild Moor/ Get Along Home/ A Picture From Life's
Other Side/ Row Us Over The Tide/ Turn Your Radio On, etc.
|
| THE BLUEGRASS CARDINALS |
Copper Creek CCCD 153 |
Bluegrass Cardinals |
● CD $16.98 |
Reissue of 1975 album , originally on Sierra, by this fine
bluegrass group originally based in California where this album was
recorded and who later relocated to Virginia.
|
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