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COUNTRY,
BLUEGRASS & OLD-TIMEY
Fiddlin' Doc
Roberts
-> Daryle Ryce
| FIDDLIN' DOC ROBERTS |
Document DOCD 8042 |
Complete Recordings, Vol. 1 : 1925-1928 |
● CD $15.98 |
First of three volumes devoted to the recordings of one of
the most extensively recorded Southern fiddlers of the 20s and 30s.
Roberts, from Kentucky recorded more than 60 sides, usually in the company
of a guitar player. Some great performances of tunes like Martha
Campbell/ Dixie (Way Down South In Dixie)/ In The Shadow Of The Pine/
Black Eyed Suzie/ Cripple Creek/ Smokey Row/ Shippin' Sport where he
displays a lovely smooth long-bow style. Unfortunately quite a few of the
cuts are from very worn 78s - a real shame as there is some glorious music
here. (FS)
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| KENNY ROBERTS |
Bear Family BCD 15908 |
Jumpin' & Yodelin' |
● CD $21.98 |
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| ECK ROBERTSON |
County 3515 |
Old Time Texas Fiddler, Vintage Recordings
1922-29 |
● CD $15.98 |
16 tracks, 47 mins, highly recommended
Eck Robertson is best
known for an historical footnote - he was the first person to make a
country music record, with his recording of Arkansas Traveler in
1922. That tune, along with 15 other cuts are included here and find
Robertson playing solo, in duets with a 2nd fiddle, guitar, or piano, and
with his small family string band. Robertson, who honed his chops playing
in fiddle contests over the south recorded many classic fiddle tunes like Turkey
in the Straw/ Sally Goodin' and Ragtime Annie during his 1922
sessions. These recordings proved enormously popular and led to a flood of
similar material from other artists. 1929 found Robertson back in the
studio to record additional material of a more varied nature, including a
Celtic ballad that Robertson sung with his wife, The Island Unknown.
It's clear from these recordings that Robertson was very talented and
despite their age, these recordings are of much more than mere historical
interest. Sound quality is quite good considering the technology at the
time. (DP)
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| TEXAS JIM ROBERTSON |
Cattle CCD 228 |
The Golden Age Of Texas Jim Robertson |
● CD $18.98 |
Collection of 24 sides from the 40s by this popular deep
voiced vocalist including tracks with sidemen like Roy Wiggins, Vaughn
Horton, Chet Atkins, Jethro Burns and others.
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| THE CARSON ROBISON TRIO |
B.A.C.M. 053 |
Old Kentucky Cabin |
● CD $14.98 |
22 track collection of sides recorded in 1930 and '31 by
this group which included Robison, Frank Luther and Phil Crow. They perform
a wide range of material (old time country, novelty songs, sentimental
songs, western songs, etc) accompanying themselves on guitar, accordion, jews
harp, etc with occasional added instrumentation including John Call/ tenor
banjo, Roy Smeck/ steel guitar & banjo, Frank Novak/ clarinet and sax and
others. Songs include Abraham/ Carry Me Back To The Mountains/ Dance At
Jones Place/ Old Kentucky Cabin/ Somewhere In Old Wyoming/ Frankie & Johnny/
Just Break The News To Mother, etc.
CARSON ROBISON TRIO: Abraham/ Carry Me Back To The Mountains/ Dance At Jones
Place/ Do You Still Remember/ Down On The Old Plantation/ Frankie & Johnny/
I‘m Getting Ready To Go/ Just Break The News To Mother/ Ma & Pa (send Their
Sweetest Love)/ My Heart Is Where The Mohawk Flows Tonight/ Oklahoma
Charlie/ Old Kentucky Cabin/ Poor Man‘s Heaven/ Railroad Boomer/ Rocky
Mountain Lullaby/ Silvery Arizona Moon/ Sleepy Hollow/ Somewhere In Old
Wyoming/ Southern Moon/ That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine/ The Little Old
Church In The Valley/ When It‘s Nightime In Nevada
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| CARSON ROBISON |
B.A.C.M. 104 |
Transatlantic Traveler |
● CD $14.98 |
B.A.C.M.'s third collection of sides by one of the most
prolific early country performers features 20 tracks recorded between 1926
and 1939 - half of them recorded in England. Robison is featured in the
company of Frank Luther, Vernon Dalhart, the Roy Smeck Trio and others.
CARSON ROBISON: Cowboy Blues/ Cross Eyed Sue/ Don't Let
My Spurs Get Rusty While I'm Gone/ Engineer's Child/ Far Away In Hawaii/
Honeymoon Express/ I Know There Is Someone Waiting/ I'm Alone Because I
Love You/ Meet Me Tonight In The Valley/ Naw! I Don't Wanta Be Rich/ No
Christmas Time For Poor Little Nell/ Runaway Train/ Settin' By The Fire/
Shine On Harvest Moon/ Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine/ There's A Hole In The
Old Oaken Bucket/ Utah Trail/ Wednesday Night Waltz/ Where Will You Be On
Next New Years Day/ Why Ain't I Got No Sweetheart
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| CARSON ROBISON |
B.A.C.M. 177 |
The Later Years |
● CD $14.98 |
21 tracks, 66 minutes, good
With a recording career that
spanned from Edison cylinders to a rock-and-roll single, Carson Robison
was country music's first professional songsmith. His ear finely tuned to
mainstream Midwestern values, this Kansas native penned hundreds of
clever, melodic songs from his New York office: topical ballads for Vernon
Dalhart; sagas of rubes taken in by big city ways; cowboy and rural
nostalgia; and peppy gospel numbers. Following a successful string of
jingoistic World War II anthems for Bluebird, Robison signed with M-G-M
and remained there until his 1957 death. This B.A.C.M. collection focuses
on Robison's 1947-53 output, mostly reflective novelties like his hit
recitation Life Gets Tee-Jus, Don't It? Communists were a popular
Robison target; Joe Stalin gets his due in The Devil Calls a Meeting,
while another anti-Communist track, Seein' Red is a straight,
ominous recitation without music. The majority of these M-G-Ms is
disposable whimsy, really more suitable for radio broadcasts than frequent
home or jukebox play. In fact, The Denver Dragon
is a two-part kid disc
that plays like a radio sketch. Only a few cuts here offer any musical
substance, most notably Wind in the Mountains, a 1947 side that recalls
Wayne Raney's Lonesome Wind Blues. That Horse Named Pete has a great chordal guitar break that's almost certainly played by Carl Kress. All in
all, this is a fascinating slice of Americana, but it won't hold up to
repeat plays - unless you're a mobile d.j. working the nursing home
circuit. (DS)
CARSON ROBISON: Ain't No Name As Purty As Arkansas/
Devil Calls A Meeting/ Don't Make Sense Does It/ I'm No Communist/ Life
Gets Tee-Jus Don't It/ Life Is A Beautiful Thing/ Little Darlin' Waltz/
More And More Tee-Jus Ain't It/ Our Silver Anniversary/ Predictions For A
Hundred Years From Now/ Seein' Red/ Six PM/ Spring Spring Beautiful Spring
Pts 1 & 2/ That Horse Named Pete/ The Charms Of The City Ain't For Me/ The
Denver Dragon Pts. 1 & 2/ Too Big For His Britches/ Trail Drive/ Why I'm
In The Shape I'm In/ Will Someone Please Tell Me Who To Vote For/ Wind In
The Mountains
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| CARSON J. ROBISON |
Cattle 265 |
A Real Hillbilly Legend |
● CD $18.98 |
25 tracks recorded between 1928 and 1951 by this popular and
prolific country music pioneer. Includes duets with Vernon Dalhart and Frank
Luther.
CARSON J. ROBISON: 1942 Turkey In The Straw/ A Hundred Years From Now/
Birmingham Jail/ Hand Me Down My Walking Cane/ Hirohito's Letter To Hitler/
Hitler's Last Letter To Hirohito/ Hitler's Reply To Mussolini/ In The
Cumberland Mountains/ Just Wait And See/ Ma And Pa (send Their Sweetest
Love)/ Mussolini's Letter To Hitler/ Plumb Agrravatin' Ain't It/ Ramblin'
Cowboy/ Remember Pearl Harbor/ Remember This Song/ Shady Valley Waltz/
Someday You Gotta Make Up Your Mind/ Sunday Drivers/ Texas Dan/ There's No
More Feudin' In The Mountains/ Twenty-one Years/ We're Gonna Have To Slap
The Dirty Little Jap (and Uncle Sam's The Guy Who/ When The Harvest Moon Is
Shining, Mollie Dear./ You're As Welcome As The Flowers In May
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| JESSE ROGERS |
Cattle 259 |
Wedding Bells |
● CD $18.98 |
26 track collection recorded in the 30s, 40s and 50s by the
cousin of Jimmie Rodgers. Includes his only hit - the title song from 1949.
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| JIMMIE RODGERS |
JSP 7704 |
Recordings, 1927-1933 |
● CD $28.98 |
5 CDs, 109 tracks, essential
Jimmie Rodgers was one of the
most influential of all country musicians - he was the first big country
recording star, and without him the music today would be much different.
Gene Autry, Jimmie Davis, Hank Snow, and Ernest Tubb began their careers as
Rodgers imitators, and he influenced Bill Monroe, Bob Wills, Doc Watson,
Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzell and many others in style and repertoire.
Jimmie's genius lay in his ability to combine disparate familiar musical
elements into something uniquely his. His droll, languid vocals owed much to
the country blues of his native Mississippi, but also contained elements of
"classic" blues vocal style, along with hints of vaudeville and Tin Pan
Alley. He also recorded with Hawaiian guitarists, Louis Armstrong, The
Carter Family, fiddler Clayton McMichen, Louisville Jug Band, and sweet jazz
bands. And most of it worked. Jimmie was fond of parlor ballads about home
and mother, and ersatz cowboy songs such as Prairie Lullaby/ Yodeling
Cowboy/ Cowhand's Last Ride/ When The Cactus Is In Bloom. His trademark
blue yodels were unique; many, such as Blue Yodel #8 (Muleskinner Blues)/
#3 ("She's long, she's tall, she's 6 feet from the ground...") or
Last Blue Yodel ("These women make a fool out of me...") have entered
the fabric of American music. Jimmie's railroading career was reflected in
Waiting For A Train/ Hobo Bill's Last Ride/ Train Whistle Blues/ Southern
Cannonball. His versions of Frankie And Johnny/ He's In The Jailhouse
Now can be traced back to blues songs. Mother, The Queen Of My Heart
is the quintessential mother song; its sentimentality is so cloying that it
is perfect in a way. All these classics and more are here. If you can afford
it the way to go is Bear Family's glorious six CD set (BCD 15540 - $109.98)
which not only includes everything here but also some alternate takes, an
unissued song, his movie soundtrack and overdubbed versions of some of the
songs as well as a gorgeous 60 page LP sized book with notes by Rodgers
biographer Nolan Porterfield and load of photos and other memorabilia. If
that is too much this set is a more than satisfactory alternative. (RP/FS)
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| JIMMIE RODGERS |
RCA 67500 |
The Essential Jimmie Rodgers |
● CD $11.98 |
20 songs.
JIMMIE RODGERS: Away Out On The Mountain/ Blue Yodel No. 1 (T For Texas)/
Blue Yodel No. 2 (Lovin' Gal Lucille)/ Blue Yodel No. 4 (California
Blues)/ Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues)/ Brakeman's Blues (Yodeling
The Blues Away), The/ Daddy And Home/ Dear Old Sunny South By The Sea/
Frankie And Johnnie/ I'm Lonely And Blue/ In The Jailhouse Now/ Memphis
Yodel/ My Little Old Home Down In New Orleans/ My Old Pal/ Never No Mo'
Blues/ Pistol Packin' Papa/ Sailor's Pleas, The/ Sleep Baby, Sleep/ T.B.
Blues/ Waiting For A Train
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| JOHNNY RODRIGUEZ |
Hightone 8073 |
You Can Say That Again |
● CD $14.98 |
12 tracks, 40 minutes, recommended Here's a pleasant
surprise! Johnny Rodriguez made a name for himself in the 70's as the
first Latino country star, singing songs like Pass Me By (If You're
Only Passing Through)
in both English and Spanish. He promptly vanished
from the scene, but now is back with a strong new album on the Hightone
label. His sound is intact and no wonder, with many of the same musicians
backing him up, like Jerry Kennedy on guitar (he also co-produced) and
Hargus Robbins on keyboards. If anything the arrangements are even more
tasteful, leaner, and pure country. Rodriguez sounds great on Lucinda
Williams' Big Red Sun, Robert Earl Keen's Corpus Christi Bay, and Dave
Alvin's Every Night About This Time. There's Still a Lot of Love in San
Antone is another stand out that recalls Rodriguez's best 70's work. It's
great to have Johnny Rodriguez back, sounding better than ever! (DP)
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| ROY ROGERS |
B.A.C.M. 047 |
Hazy Mountains |
● CD $14.98 |
A varied collection of sides by this popular singing cowboy
from the 40s including tracks with his wife Dale Evans and with Foy
Willing's Riders Of The Purple Sage.
ROY ROGERS: A Four Legged Friend/ Ah Ha San Antone/ Buffalo Billy/ Down By
The Old Alamo/ Egbert The Easter Egg/ Hazy Mountains/ I Met A Miss In Texas/
In The Garden/ Kiwi Bird (Kee Wee Bird)/ Lucky Leather Breeches/ Me And My
Teddy Bear/ Oh Dem Golden Slippers/ Peter Cottontail/ Pliney Jane/ Punky
Punkin/ The Kid With The Rip In His Pants/ The Old Rugged Cross/ The Story
Of Bucky And Dan/ Theres A Cloud In My Valley Of Sunshine/ Think Of Me/
Wonderful Christmas Night/ Youve Got A Rope Around My Heart
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| ROY ROGERS |
Cattle 209 |
The First Classic Recordings |
● CD $19.98 |
21 tracks recorded between 1938 and '42 - Listen To The
Rhythm Of The Range/ When The Sun Is Setting On The Prairie/ I've Learned
A Lot About Women/ I've Sold My Saddle For An Old Guitar, etc.
ROY ROGERS: Born To The Saddle/ Colorado Sunset/ Dust/ Headin' For Texas
And Home/ I Hope I'm Not Dreaming Again/ I Know I Shouldn't Worry, But I
Do/ I've Learned A Lot About Women/ I've Sold My Saddle For An Old Guitar/
Listen To The Rhythm Of The Range/ Little Old Church On The Hilltop/
Ridiin' Ropin' (no. 1)/ Ridin' Down The Trail/ Rusty Spurs/ She's All Wet
Now/ Somebody's Smile/ That Pioneer Mother Of Mine (no. 2)/ There's A
Ranch In The Rockies/ When A Cowboy Sings A Song/ When I Camped Under The
Stars/ When Mother Nature Sings Her Lullaby./ When The Sun Is Setting On
The Prairie
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| ROY ROGERS |
Curb 77392 |
Best Of Roy Rogers |
● CD $10.98 |
12 tracks from the 70s - Lovenworth/ Happy Anniversary/
Candy Kisses/ Send Me The Pillow You Dream On/ You And Me Against The
World/ Lay Some Happiness On Me, etc.
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| SMOKEY ROGERS |
Bronco Buster 9020 |
Western Swing Masterpieces |
● CD $18.98 |
20 tracks, 55 minutes, (patient) fans only
His years working
for Spade Cooley and Tex Williams notwithstanding, Smokey Rogers'
best-known achievement was writing the ballad Gone, which Ferlin
Husky first recorded in 1952 without success and remade in 1956 as a song
that became a classic. Rogers still managed to pursue a solo career even
while working with Williams's Western Caravan. He recorded for Capitol,
for 4 Star (as Buck Rogers and his Texans) and Coral into the 1950s, the
quality of his material was mixed. A lot of the material is weak,
featuring Rogers' California hillbilly vocals with Cooleyesque Western
swing backing, most of it from Tex Williams's Western Caravan, with Johnny
Weis on lead guitar. Otherwise, this is not a Masterpiece of
anything but bad 1940's novelty tunes. Too much of Rogers' material was
tepid, and this weaker fare dominates this set. The better numbers are the
Capitol Spanish Fandango, a song on which Rogers shares composer
credits with Bob Wills (who cut it for MGM in 1947) and Ten More Miles.
These Capitol sides, as well as the 4 Star Turn My Picture Upside Down,
I Can't Help The Way You Feel and Huggin' and Chalkin', a
1947 pop hit for Hoagy Carmichael. From Coral in the 1950s comes Trouble
Then Satisfaction, featuring a bluesy vocal from Jimmy Widener, along
with the Rogers-sung Oh, How I Cry About You. Both of those are at
least tolerable. As for Sui Sin Fa, a stereotypic pop novelty about
Orientals, the only thing that saves it from being offensive are its
incredibly stupid lyrics. Bronco Buster also omitted outstanding
exceptions to that rule like Rogers' Coral recordings of Tulsa Trot
and Panhandle Rag, with Joaquin Murphey on steel. It's also
somewhat amusing compiler Dagmar Binge and the German fans who helped her
can't tell the physical difference between Smokey and Tex Williams. One
page of the booklet clearly shows Rogers with Tex Williams; on the facing
page is a photo labeled Smokey Rogers that's obviously Tex
Williams. Hmmm... (RK)
SMOKEY ROGERS: (Tho I Tried) I Can't Forget You/ Blues in My Mind/ Catch
Me Cheatin'/ Don't Try to Pretend (Vocal with Trio)./ Drinkin' and A-thinkin'/
Huggin' and Chalkin'/ I Ain't Gonna Cry No More/ I Can't Help the Way You
Feel/ Livin', Laugin', Lovin'/ Oh, How I Cry about You/ Possum Song/
Spanish Fandango/ Sui Sin Fa/ Ten More Miles/ Texas Tornado/ The Texas
Song/ Trouble Then Satisfaction (Vocal Jimmy Widener)/ Turn My Picture
Upside Down/ What it Means to Be Blue/ Why, Oh Why, Did I Ever Leave
Wyoming
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| PETER ROWAN |
Sugar Hill 3749 |
First Whippoorwill |
● CD $15.98 |
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| PETER ROWAN |
Sugar Hill 3762 |
New Moon Rising |
● CD $15.98 |
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| PETER ROWAN |
Sugar Hill 3781 |
Dust Bowl Children |
● CD $15.98 |
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| PETER ROWAN |
Sugar Hill 3791 |
All On A Rising Day |
● CD $15.98 |
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| PETER ROWAN |
Sugar Hill 3807 |
Awake Me In The New World |
● CD $15.98 |
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| TOM RUSSELL |
Hightone HCD 8066 |
The Rose Of The San Joaquin |
● CD $15.98 |
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| TOM RUSSELL |
Hightone 8081 |
The Long Way Around |
● CD $15.98 |
17 tracks, 67 min., highly recommended On this collection,
most numbers are "updated" rerecordings, most
are acoustic, and most are duets performed with other Americana luminaries
like Nanci Griffith, Iris DeMent, and Katy Moffatt. Eight tracks are
studio recordings, and nine were recorded live in 1996 at the Off Broadway
in St. Louis, Missouri. All numbers are either written or co-written by
Russell. Among them are St. Olav's Gate, Big Water (one of
the new songs), U. S. Steel, The Angel of Lyon, The Eyes
of Roberto Duran, Haley's Comet, and Box of Visions.
Insightful songwriting and committed singing from one of the great folk
talents of the waning days of the 20th Century. Certainly a disc that's
worth the price of admission from various points of view, but I would be
remiss if I did not mention just one more of those reasons: the
outstanding guitar work of Russell's accompanist Andrew Hardin. (DH)
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| TOM RUSSELL |
HMG 2501 |
Song Of The West - The Cowboy Collection |
● CD $15.98 |
15 cowboy songs - mostly originals - Rambler, Gambler/
Dance Hall Girls/ Hallie Lonnigan/ Gallo del Cielo/ The Ballad Of William
Sycamore/ Claude Dallas/ El lano Estacado/ Prairie In The Sky, etc.
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