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NEWSLETTER #138
Country, Bluegrass & Old Timey
 Bill Boyd's Cowboy Ramblers -> Various Artists
 

  

 

NEW DVDS
 
NOTE: Unless otherwise noted all DVDs offered are in NTSC format which means that they will not play on a European DVD players unless you have a multiple format player.
 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Immortal 940951 Singing Cowboys On The Silver Screen ● DVD $15.98
35 film clips drawn from singing cowboy films featuring performances from Roy Rogers (10 songs, Gene Autry (6), Roy Rogers & The Sons Of The Sons Of The Pioneers (3), Tex Ritter (6 performances - one with Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys), Eddie Dean (2), Roy Rogers & Dale Evans (3), Sons Of The Pioneers (3) and Rex Allen (2).

 
 

NEW COMPACT DISCS
 
ELTON BRITT Jasmine 3565 Country Music's Yodelling Cowboy Crooner, Volume One ● CD $11.98
Varied 28 track collection of this popular performer including solo tracks with guitar, tracks with various small groups, duets with Rosalie Allen, cuts with The Skytoppers, The Beaver Valley Seethearts and others. No information is provided on the dates of these recordings but as far as I can tell they range from the late 30s to the early 50s. It includes his big hit There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere plus I Hung My Head And Cried/ Why Did You Leave Me Alone/ Just Because You're In Deep Elem/ Thanks For The Heartache/ One For The Wonder/ Maybe I'll Cry Over You/ She Taught Me To Yodel/ Weep No More My Darlin'/ Too Many Tears, etc. Excellent sound, informative notes by Paul Hazell and very little duplication with other Britt reissues.
ELTON BRITT: Acres Of Diamonds (mountains Of Gold)/ Broken Wings/ Buddy Boy/ Close Your Eyes And Dream/ Cowpoke/ Darling I've Loved Much Too Much/ Gotta Get Together With My Gal/ I Get The Blues When It Rains/ I Hung My Head And Cried/ I'm All That's Left Of That Old Quartett/ Just Because You're In Deep Elem/ Maybe I'll Cry Over You/ Merry Maiden Polka/ One For The Wonder/ Put My Little Shoes Away/ Quicksilver/ She Taught Me To Yodel/ Thanks For The Heartache/ There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere/ They're Positively Wrong/ Too Many Tears/ Too Tired To Care/ Weep No More My Darlin'/ Where Are You Now?/ Why Did You Leave Me Alone?/ Will You Wait For Me Little Darlin'?/ You'll Be Sorry For Now On

 
THE CARLISLES Bear Family BCD 15980 Busy Body Boogie ● CD $21.98
34 tracks, 76 minutes, highly recommended
For nearly a half-century, Bill Carlisle jolted Grand Ole Opry audiences with his aggressive, high-energy novelties. Though his recording career stretched back to the early '30s, Carlisle wouldn't discover his true metier until 1951 when he formed "The Carlisles" with Martha Carson and his older brother Cliff. Sounding like the Delmore Brothers on steroids, the Knoxville-based trio was signed by Mercury and quickly notched its first hit, Too Old to Cut the Mustard. Heart problems soon forced Cliff Carlisle's departure, but Carson remained on deck for the Carlisles' second hit, No Help Wanted, before departing for a solo gospel career. The vocalists that followed were all subservient to the hyperkinetic Carlisle, and more hits followed in the same mold, including Knot Hole and Is Zat You, Myrtle?. This collection gathers twenty-two of the Carlisles' barn-burning early Mercurys from 1951-56 (all with hot Chet Atkins guitar leads), plus twelve RCA Victor, Mercury and Columbia tracks from 1957-61, mostly with Hank Garland or Grady Martin. Carlisle pulled songs from some unexpected sources; John Came Home is actually Dave McCarn's Everyday Dirt, while Honey Love closely parallels Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters' original R&B hit. Sitting firmly between country boogies and nascent rockabilly, this is relentless, rhythmic music that some listeners may be unable to absorb in one sitting. The sound is first-rate with first-time stereo mixes on the Columbias. Michael Gray's notes detail the Carlisles' glory years. (DS)
THE CARLISLES: A Mouse Been Messing Around/ Air Brakes/ Bessie Lou/ Busy Body Boogie/ Doggie Joe/ Down Boy/ Dumb Bunny/ Feet Don't Fail Me (this Time/ Female Hercules/ Honey Love/ How Will I Know/ I Don't Want To Run/ I Need A Little Help/ I'm Rough Stuff/ If You Don't Want It/ Is Zat You, Myrtle?/ John Came Home/ Knot Hole/ Ladder Of Love/ Love, Love, Love (that's What It Is/ Money Tree/ Monkey Business/ New Liza Jane/ No Help Wanted/ Old Fashioned Love/ Rattlesnake Daddy/ Shake A Leg/ Something Different/ T'ain't Nice/ Tiny Space Man/ Too Old To Cut The Mustard/ Uncle Bud/ Who's A-gonna Stop Me?/ Woman Driver

 
THE CARTER SISTERS Country Routes 35 And Mother Maybelle With Chet Atkins ● CD $16.98
39 tracks, 75 minutes, essential
Finally - a first-rate collection of eight RadiOzark shows by one of the premier show bands from country music radio's golden age! The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle with Chet Atkins recorded more than three dozen, fifteen-minute open-ended transcriptions about 1949 or 1950 that were sold to small Southern radio stations. Spunky June Carter was the band's focal figure, singing many leads and bantering with veteran announcer Joe Slattery. Younger sisters Helen (playing accordion) and the angelic Anita (playing bass) also had solo turns, while matriarch Maybelle was often spotlighted on a Carter Family classic. Atkins delivers a dazzling guitar or fiddle solo on each show plus an occasional vocal. The group's blend and range is impressive, shifting from gospel and pop standards to contemporary country and western hits and novelties. Its joyous, spontaneous music couldn't be further removed from that of the original Carter Family, the comparatively few commercial records the group did about this time or the lackluster sides Maybelle and her daughters (not to mention Atkins) made through the 1960s. Transfers were sourced from pristine 16" discs recorded late in the series' run; the brief, uncredited liner notes offer little of value or insight. (Slattery's participation confirms that these ETs were cut in Springfield, Missouri - not Nashville as stated here.) Some themes and superfluous chatter were deleted to create a more listenable disc. Truly a wonderful, welcome release. (DS)

 
CHARLIE POOLE & OTHERS Columbia 92780 You Ain't Talkin' To Me ● CD $38.98
Three discs, 72 tracks, 223 minutes, essential
At last, here's Columbia's long-anticipated anthology of the great North Carolina songster Charlie Poole. If you're an aficionado of late '20s string bands, this set is essential. If you're a musicologist interested in how early popular recordings impacted one traditional Southern musician, this set is essential. If you've been waiting decades for the definitive, comprehensive Poole boxed set, then sorry . this isn't it. Of the 76 surviving recordings Poole made as leader and sideman between 1925 and 1930, this collection gathers only 43. The remaining 29 cuts here are from records the banjo player owned or likely learned his songs from; parallel or cover versions by Poole's contemporaries; and cuts by performers that Poole influenced. Compiler and annotator Henry "Hank" Sapoznik, an old-time music enthusiast and respected Yiddish pop culture historian, apparently intended to release all of Poole's works in the best possible sound. Sony/BMG limited Sapoznik to three discs, enough space for Poole's Columbia records as a leader, Posey Rorer's 1926 fiddle tunes and most - if not all - of Poole's musically progressive sides for Brunswick and Paramount. However, Sapoznik was determined to pursue a "roots and influences" concept. As a result, we get two or even three versions of certain songs, while beloved Poole numbers like My Gypsy Girl/ Leaving Dear Old Ireland/ Goodbye Mary Dear, and Look Before You Leap go missing. The 7" "cigar box" packaging with its R. Crumb artwork is certainly eye-catching and likely helped garner reviews from NPR, Newsweek and other mainstream media. But from a practical standpoint, it's as annoying as Columbia-Legacy's 2003 Charlie Christian "guitar amp" package. Veteran Poole fans will roll their eyes at Sony/BMG's marketing and blatant historical revisionism. A sticker boldly states this set is the "First Comprehensive Look at Charlie Poole and His Massive Impact on Country Music." What bullshit! When Poole died in 1931, his charming, ragtime-influenced style was already an anachronism. As with the Carter Family, Poole's music would not be fully appreciated and embraced until the '60s urban folk revival. A mock tax seal on the box edge cleverly proclaims the singer as "Outlaw Country Since 1925" and invites browsers to visit charliepooleonline.com, where you can join a mailing list and get info on contests and Poole's tour dates. (Hey, dude, I'm there!) Sapoznik's liner notes borrow heavily from Kinney Rorrer's definitive 1982 biography "Rambling Blues: The Life and Songs of Charlie Poole," though with Rorrer's approval. Christopher King made beautiful disc transfers; Andreas Meyer's restorative efforts even made the extremely rare, notoriously noisy Paramounts miraculously shimmer. (One negative: Columbia's lathes ran too fast on most of Poole's September 1926 sides, and King - like others before him - failed to correct this speed problem.) All things considered, this is a significant reissue. Sapoznik deserves kudos for midwifing it through to completion, but I grieve for what it could have been. (DS)
THE ALLEGHENY HIGHLANDERS: A Trip to New York, Part 1/ BIG CHIEF HENRY'S INDIAN STRING BAND: On the Banks Of the Kaney/ THE BLUE RIDGE HIGHBALLERS: Don't Let Your Deal Go Down/ Going Down to Lynchburg Town/ BRANCH & COLEMAN: Some One/ CARTER & YOUNG: I'll Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms/ ARTHUR COLLINS: Moving Day/ Oh! Didn't He Ramble/ DA COSTA WOLTZ'S SOUTHERN BROADCASTERS: Take Me Back to the Sweet Sunny South/ CLAY EVERHART & THE NORTH CAROLINA COOPER BOY: Standing By a Window/ THE FLOYD COUNTY RAMBLERS: Sunny Tennessee/ THE GEORGIA CRACKERS: Coon from Tennessee/ KELLY HARRELL: My Wife She Has Gone and Left Me/ THE HIGHLANDERS: Flop-Eared Mule/ Lynchburg Town/ FRANK JENKINS: Home, Sweet Home/ UNCLE DAVE MACON: Man That Rode the Mule Around the World/ Uncle Dave's Beloved Solo/ SAM MOORE & CARL FREED: Dixie Medley/ EDDIE MORTON: You Ain't Talking to Me/ BILLY MURRAY: Baby Rose/ Come Take a Trip in My Airship/ BYRON PARKER & HIS MOUNTAINEERS: Married Life Blues/ CHARLIE PARKER & MACK WOOLBRIGHT: The Man That Wrote Home Sweet Home Never Was a Married Man/ RED PATTERSON'S PIEDMONT LOG ROLLERS: The Battleship of Maine/ THE PEERLESS QUARTET: Goodbye Eliza Jane/ CHARLIE POOLE AND THE NORTH CAROLINA RAMBLERS: A Kiss Waltz/ Baltimore Fire/ Bill Mason/ Budded Rose/ Can I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight, Mister/ Coon from Tennessee/ Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Blues/ Good-Bye Booze/ Good-Bye Sweet Liza Jane/ He Rambled/ Hungry Hash House/ Husband and Wife Were Angry One Night/ I Once Loved a Sailor/ I'm the Man That Rode the Mule 'Round the World/ If I Lose, I Don't Care/ If the River Was Whiskey/ It's Moving Day/ Just Keep Waiting Till the Good Time Comes/ Leaving Home/ Milwaukee Blues/ Monkey on a String/ Mother's Last Farewell Kiss/ My Wife Went Away and Left Me/ Old and Only in the Way/ Ramblin' Blues/ Shootin' Creek/ Southern Medley/ Sunset March/ Sweet Sixteen/ Sweet Sunny South/ Take a Drink on Me/ The Girl I Left in Sunny Tennessee/ The Highwayman/ The Letter That Never Came/ There'll Come a Time/ Took My Gal A-Walkin'/ Where the Whippoorwill Is Whispering Good-Night/ White House Blues/ Write a Letter to My Mother/ You Ain't Talkin' to Me/ THE RED FOX CHASERS: May I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight, Mister/ CAL STEWART: Monkey on a String/ GID TANNER & FATE NORRIS: Goodbye Booze/ FRED VAN EPS: Dixie Medley/ The Infanta March/ DOCK WALSH: Bulldog Down in Sunny Tennessee/ HENRY WHITTER, FISHER HENDLEY & MARSHALL SMALL: Shuffle Feet, Shuffle

 
FREDDIE HART Bear Family BCD 16727 Juke Joint Boogie ● CD $21.98
Fine selection of 33 tracks recorded between 1953 and 1962 by this excellent singer and songwriter who is best known for his 1971 smooth chart topper Easy Lovin and subsequent songs in a similar vein. A selection of honky tonk, hillbilly boogie and a couple of rockabilly numbers - many of them written by Freddie himself including his original recording of Loose Talk subsequently a hit for Carl Smith. This set includes half a dozen previously unissued cuts including the hillbilly boogie title tune. Includes 36 page illustrated booklet with detailed notes by Deke Dickerson, rare vintage photos and full discography of his Columbi and Capitol recordings.
 
HAWKSHAW HAWKINS B.A.C.M. 118 "Heavenly Road" & Other Country Classics ● CD $13.98
24 tracks, 63 minutes, recommended
Hawkshaw Hawkins deserves to be better known for being more a 1963 plane crash victim. A charismatic baritone crooner, he helmed one of country music's most dynamic touring ensembles in the years following World War II. If he isn't held in the same esteem today as many of his contemporaries, his early records - mostly for King - suggest why. Relying on outside songwriters, he recorded mostly forgettable ditties patterned after other singer's hits. Despite his considerable talents as a vocalist, Hawkins never developed into a distinctive stylist. Many of the songs here sound like uninspired Eddy Arnold or George Morgan knockoffs; some are imitative of Ernest Tubb. Nor did Hawkins fare any better when he jumped to RCA Victor; again, he was given material likely rejected by the label's 'A'-list country acts. Sharp-eared listeners will recognize some of the unidentified sidemen phoning it in. This collection largely covers 1946 to 1954; the sound is generally good, though some tracks were sourced from reverbed King LPs. Derek Taylor (not "the" Derek Taylor) penned a thumbnail bio. (DS)
HAWKSHAW HAWKINS: All Because Of My Jealous Heart/ Betty Lorraine/ Between The Lines/ Flashing Lights/ Heavenly Road/ I Can‘t Tell My Broken Heart A Lie/ I Hope You‘re Crying Too/ I Wanna Hugged To Death By You/ If You But Care/ It‘s Easy To Remember/ I‘ll Never Close My Heart To You/ I‘ll Trade Yours For Mine/ Jealous Fate/ Life Lost It‘s Colour/ Memories Always Linger On/ Nothing More To Say/ One White Rose/ Picking Sweethearts/ Tangled Heart/ That Mark Round My Finger/ Time Will Come/ Two Roads/ When You Say Yes/ You Go Your Way I‘ll Go Mine

 
THE HILL BILLIES B.A.C.M. 113 Volume 2 - It's Heaven To Me ● CD $13.98
The second volume from this popular British quartet who performed western flavored songs in the 30s with vocals, guitar, fiddle, harmonica, banjo and accordion. In addition to American favorites this set includes some originals plus Waltzing Matilda.
THE HILL BILLIES: Big Rock Candy Mountains/ Dying Cowboy's Prayer/ Goodbye Bronco Bill, Goodbye/ Headin' Home/ Hobo's Spring Song/ I'm Spending Christmas With The Old Folks/ It Makes No Difference Now/ It's Heaven To Me/ Old Shep/ Pants My Pappy Gave To Me/ Pop Eyed Pete/ Prairie Schooner, Ramble On/ Red River Valley/ Roll Along Covered Wagon/ Rollin' Down The Hilly Billy Trail/ She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain/ Sundown In Peaceful Valley/ Take Ma Boots Off When Ah Die/ There's A Hole In The Old Oaken Bucket/ There's Gold In Them Thar Hills/ Under The Old Pine Tree/ Waltzing Matilda/ When The Moon Hangs High/ You're The Only Star In My Blue Heaven

 
THE HILL BILLIES B.A.C.M. 114 Volume 3 - Ole Faithful ● CD $13.98
The third volume includes the title song which was their most popular number selling over 80,000 copies.
THE HILL BILLIES: Carry Me Back To Old Virginny/ Covered Wagon Lullaby/ Cross Eyed Sue/ Daddy's Old Guitar/ Down In Old Santa Fe/ Give Me A Ride On Your Horse, Buddy/ Granny's Old Arm Chair/ Hillbilly Love Song/ I'm Gonna Yodel My Way To Heaven/ Lay Me Down/ Memories Of The Old Homestead Pt. 1/ Memories Of The Old Homestead Pt. 2/ Nobody's Darling But Mine/ Ole Faithful/ Roll Along Prairie Moon/ That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine/ Twilight Yodeling Song/ Wheel Of The Wagon Is Broken/ When Mother Nature Sings Her Lullaby/ When That Harvest Moon Is Shining/ When You Bury Me Six Feet Deep/ With A Banjo On My Knee/ Yip Neddy/ Yodeling Cowboy

 
WANDA JACKSON CMH 8708 Heart Trouble ● CD $17.98
16 tracks, 48 min., good
For the Queen of Rockabilly, who earned her crown with wildness and a certain lack of adherence to musical orthodoxy, Jackson comes off here as a bit tame, despite the company of Rosie Flores, Elvis Costello, The Cramps, The Cadillac Angels, Dave Alvin, and others. That's not to say Jackson doesn't still have some orneriness in her voice (e.g., Riot In Cellblock #9 or Hard Headed Woman), or that she can't deliver the wistfulness necessary to bring off Anytime You Wanna Fool Around convincingly. And certainly Heart Trouble is a good album, but it's no use pretending that the sexagenarian is 17 years old, as the song selection might indicate. Perhaps more straight ahead country material and less rockabilly (where Jackson sounds forced and wildness is not exuded) would have played to her strengths better. (JC)

 
CLARK KESSINGER Triagle Far 707 The Last Fiddle Album ● CD $14.98
12 tracks, 22 minutes, good
Reissue of "Clark Kessinger Memorial Album," Kanawha 327. One of the undeniably great recording fiddlers of the late twenties, Clark Kessinger returned to performing in 1964 after two decades of painting houses. Unlike many aging, past-prime rediscoveries, the West Virginian actually played with more drive and vitality than he displayed on his old Brunswicks. This set primarily showcases Kessinger playing in informal settings during the April 1968 Union Grove Fiddlers' Convention in North Carolina. Charlie Farout skimmed the cream of these field recordings to assemble Kessinger's third Kanawha LP (now available as "World Champion Fiddler," Tri Agle Far TR-701, $14.98). When the fiddler died in 1975, Kanawha owner Ken Davidson culled the remaining Farout tapes to produce this album, intending to use the proceeds for a grave marker. Though Kessinger plays well here, this is still third-tier "jam session" material that never would have been released had the fiddler been alive. Supporting musicians are bluegrass guitarist Gene Meade and future Lost and Found banjo picker Gene Parker. All things considered, the sound quality is remarkably good, though this transfer is obviously sourced from an LP. Bobby Taylor's notes stem from a 1997 reminiscence and offer nothing about the tunes or the original sessions. If you're into old-time and bluegrass fiddle, try "The Legend of Clark Kessinger," his breathtaking, high-energy 1966 debut, currently available on County 2713 ($15.98). After nearly forty years, it still packs an enormous punch. (DS)
CLARK KESSINGER: Alabama Jubilee/ Blackberry Blossom/ Chinese Breakdown/ Did You Ever See The Devil, Uncle Joe?/ Fisher's Hornpipe/ Forked Deer/ Goodnight Waltz/ May I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight, Mister?/ Old Joe Clark/ Soldier's Joy/ When I Grow Too Old To Dream/ Whistling Rufus

 
JERRY LEE LEWIS BGO BGOCD 658 Country Songs For City Folk/ Memphis Beat ● CD $17.98
Two mid 60s Smash LPs. The first LP is Jerry Lee's interpretations of country hits like Green Green Grass Of Home/ Funny How Time Slips Away/ The Wild Side Of Life/ Ring Of Fire/ King Of The Road, etc. and the other is rock 'n' roll and rhythm & blues - Memphis Beat/ Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee/ Just Beacuse/ Lincoln Limousine/ Big Boss Man, etc.
 
THE LILLY BROTHERS & DON STOVER Smithsonian Folkways 40158 Bluegrass At The Roots ● CD $15.98
Reissue of Folkways 2433 with two previously unissued tracks. Wonderful old time singing and traditional bluegrass from this superb duo. The first eight tracks features just the duo accompanying themselves on guitar and mandolin in the style of earlier brother teams like The Blue Sky Boys and The Monroe Brothers. On the remaining tracks they are joined by Don Stover on banjo, Herb Hooven on fiddle or bass annd occasionally Mike Seeger on bass on a wonderful selection of traditional bluegrass.
 
MAC AND BOB B.A.C.M. 116 Songs For Country Home Folks, Vol. 2 ● CD $13.98
22 tracks, 64 minutes, highly recommended
A beloved, highly successful close-harmony duet of the '20s and '30s, Lester McFarland and Robert Gardner recorded dozens of sides for Brunswick and ARC that have long eluded reissue. Accompanying themselves on guitar, mandolin and sometimes harmonica, this Knoxville (later Chicago-based) duo favored sentimental, sacred and morality tales of yesteryear, appealing to older listeners who had little tolerance for the hotcha music of the Jazz Age. Mac and Bob weren't reluctant to take on novelties like Women's Suffrage, and their takes on familiar songs like The Girl I Loved in Sunny Tennessee are often startlingly different. Their most immediate disciples were Karl & Harty, Doc Hopkins, Gene Autry & Jimmie Long, and the Blue Sky Boys. Mac Wiseman later drew upon their repertoire for his early Dot sessions. Listening from a modern perspective, the duo opens a window to country music's genesis in popular 19th century parlor music. A worthy successor to B.A.C.M's first Mac and Bob set, ("Songs for Country Home Folks, Vol. 1," B.A.C.M. 067, $13.98). Generally excellent sound; brief notes by Brian Golbey. (DS)
MAC & BOB: A Picture No Artist Can Paint/ Birmingham Jail/ Bright Sherman Valley/ Go And Leave Me If You Wish To/ I Heard My Mother Call My Name In Prayer/ I Love You Best Of All/ I Wish I Had Died In My Cradle/ I've Nothing To Live For Now/ Just A Kerosene Lamp/ Keep A Light In Your Window Tonight/ Out In This Cold World/ Paint A Rose On The Garden Wall/ Please Let Me Broadcast To Heaven/ Rocky Mountain Rose/ Songs My Mother Used To Sing/ Sunny Tennessee/ Take Up Thy Cross And Follow Me/ The Orphan Boy/ Under The Old Sierra Moon/ Under The Old Umbrella/ When The Candle Lights Are Gleaming/ Woman Suffrage

 
THE MADDOX BROTHERS AND ROSE King 0126 A Collection Of Standard Sacred Songs ● CD $9.98
12 tracks, 31 mins, highly recommended
Previously on King 669. From an album first released in 1956, probably from 4-Star material, the Maddox Bros. and Rose give these mostly traditional shout-style gospel numbers their inimitible treatment. Their rawness and exuberance is toned down very little here. Steel guitar and country harmonica are joined by Fred Maddox's slap bass and wild mandolin to make some of the most raucous gospel music you're ever likely to hear. Great stuff if this is what you like- I love it. Songs include Tramp On The Street/ Farther Along/ I'll Fly Away/ Dust On The Bible/ I'll Be No Stranger There, a.o. (RP)

 
JIMMY MARTIN Music Mill 70053 This World Is Not My Home ● CD $11.98
12 tracks, 32 tracks, essential
Reissue of Decca 73460 from 1963 featuring bluegrass gospel at it's very best. Jimmy (who recently passed away) was one of the greatest of all bluegrass singer with his beautiful and expressive high tenor voice. Like most of his Decca recordings he is accompanied by superb musicians like Paul Williams/ mandolin, Bill Emerson or Paul Craft/ banjo, Joe Zinkan, Junior Huskey or Lightnin' Chance/ bass and others who also provide tight vocal harmonies. Although most of the composer credits are to Martin & Williams, many of the songs are traditional or old favorites. Among the highlights are a spellbinding version of one of my favorite songs Lord, I'm Coming Home, the exquisite voice Of My Savior and the always topical God Guide Our Leader's Hand but there's not a track here that's less than superb. (FS)
 
JIMMY MARTIN & RALPH STANLEY Gusto 3002 First Time Together ● CD $6.98
10 tracks, recommended
Previously on Hollywood 175. A meeting of two great bluegrass musicians which could have been a classic except that the twerps at King emphasized or added a metronome like rhythm track that tends to overwhelm the rest of the music. If you can tune that out (not easy) there is some fine singing and playing on songs like I'm Going Down The Road/ Stone Walls & Steel Bars/ Footprints/ Darling Brown Eyes and others including a terrific version of Don't Let Your Sweet Love Die which is obviously from a different session with Ralph absent. In addition to Ralph's fine banjo work there's also some excellent fiddle playing (who?) and, of course, the glorious vocals of two great bluegrass singers. (FS)

 
GEORGE MORGAN ASV CDAJA 5496 Candy Kisses ● CD $11.98
28 sides recorded between 1948 and 1952 by this smooth voiced country singer whose style was much like that of Eddy Arnold though he never went pop. Includes all his early hits like his 1949 #1 Candy Kisses plus Rainbow In Heart/ Room Full Of Roses/ I Love Everything About You/ Lover's Quarrel and others as well as no hits like All I Need Is Some More Lovin'/ Why, In Heaven's Name?/ Somebody Robbed My Beehive/ Tennessee Hillbilly Ghost/ Stranger In the Night/ Whistle My Love and more.

 
JOHNNY PAYCHECK Koch 9849 The Gospel Truth - The Complete Gospel Sessions ● CD $12.98
The first 15 tracks features the original "Gospeltime" LP issued in 1966 featuring some fine honky tonk gospel with the outlaw doing a mix of traditional and contemporary gospel songs accompanied by Lloyd Green, Pete Wade, Buddy Spicher and other Little Darlin' house musicians. The remaining eight tracks features eight of the same songs with strings added plus vocals by The Jordanaires that were issued in 1978. Includes I'm On My Way Home/ Every Minute I Want Jesus/ Almost Persuaded/ Just A Closer Walk With Thee/ Old Time Religion/ The Old Rugged Cross, etc.

 
JACKIE PHELPS & JIMMIE RIDDLE Gusto 0556 Stars Of Hee Haw & The Grand Ole Opry ● CD $7.98
12 tracks, highly recommended
A most enjoyable collection featuring two fine musicians who first worked together in Roy Acuff's band and worked again together on the TV Show "Hee Haw". Phelps is an outstanding electric guitarist in the Merle Travis mould - he does six numbers including a couple of pleasing vocals and is joined by harmonica wizard Riddle on a couple of them along with a fine group including an excellent steel guitarist. Riddle does some fine harmonica instrumentals as well as a couple of vocals including the talking blues Huntin' Blues which also features him doing some "eefing." Most entertaining. (FS)

 
RILEY PUCKETT B.A.C.M. 115 Gonna Raise A Ruckus Tonight ● CD $13.98
22 tracks, 64 minutes, completists only
One of prewar country music's most prolific recording artists, Riley Puckett was featured on a half-dozen superb LP compilations during the '60s and '70s. Outside of his work with the Skillet Lickers and sideman efforts with various Atlanta-based fiddlers, Puckett's music has largely eluded reissue on compact disc. As with B.A.C.M's first Puckett anthology, this set largely avoids duplication with the tracks on those now highly collectable LPs. For collectors, this is a plus. But it's disadvantageous to anyone seeking a decent sampler of this blind singer/guitarist's finest moments on record. Many tracks here amplify the guitarist's sporadic weaknesses, breaking meter and playing wrong chords. Not surprisingly, this compilation's best cuts have been reissued before; the magnificent Rodgeresque Waiting for the Evening Mail was the title track for County's Puckett LP. Other previously reissued tracks feature Puckett backing Skillet Lickers fiddlers Clayton McMichen and Lowe Stokes. Puckett's vocal duets with McMichen are absolutely painful; Stan and Ollie have nothing to fear from their The Trail of the Lonesome Pine. When Maple Leaves Are Falling with its McMichen lead vocal could well be the worst record in Columbia's 15000-D series. Sound is generally good, though B.A.C.M. failed to correct dragging speeds on the earliest sessions. Brian Golbey provides a brief appreciation. (DS)
RILEY PUCKETT: Billy In The Low Ground/ Black Eyed Susie/ Burglar Man/ Gonna Raise A Ruckus Tonight/ I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again/ I Wish I Was Single Again/ I'm Drifting Back To Dreamland/ Ida Red/ It's Simple To Flirt/ Jesse James/ Long Tongued Woman/ Sally Gooden/ Sleep Baby Sleep/ Somebody's Waiting For You/ Swanee River/ Tell Me/ The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine/ Waiting For The Evening Mail/ We'll Sow Righteous Seed For The Reaper/ When The Maple Leaves Are Falling/ Won't You Come Over To My House/ You'll Never Miss Your Mother Til She's Gone

 
JEANNIE C. RILEY Koch 9830 The Songs Of Jeannie C. Riley ● CD $12.98
12 tracks, 30 min., recommended
Jeannie C. Riley, for better or worse, is best remembered for her massive 1968 hit Harper Valley P.T.A., but shortly before she cut that song, she was recording for Aubrey Mayhew at Little Darlin' Records. After Riley's split with LD and her hit with PTA, Mayhew leased the master tapes to Capitol Records. Producer Kelso Herston filled out the sound with strings and dobro, and this CD is a reissue of that Capital release. (Why not issue the original recordings unadorned?) For all that, Riley's performances are generally noteworthy and deserving of reissue, especially since these recordings pre-date her commercial success. Riley sings a pair she penned (I'll Be A Woman Of The World and How Can Anything So Right be So Wrong) and a pair composed by Johnny Paycheck (before he wanted his job to be shoved): You've Got Me Singing Nursery Rhymes and The Heart He Kicks Around, among others. So what we've got here is another Nashville album that clocks in at just under half an hour. But this one's pretty good. (JC)

 
ROY ROGERS Collector's Choice 1069 King Of The Singing Cowboys ● CD $9.98
15 tracks from 40s radio transcriptions - Cowboy Wedding/ Spell Of The Indian Magic/ I'm An Old Cowhand/ My Little Buckaroo/ Cool Waters/ Yippi, Ki, Yi, Ya Buy A Bond Today, etc.
 
OLIVER SMITH Triagle Far 702 Street Singer ● CD $14.98
CD-R, 13 tracks, recommended
The booklet notes site pioneering country music vocalist Riley Pucket as a primary stylistic influence on Smith, and they do not lie. Smith recorded a pair of unissued sides for Columbia in 1927 and decade later he and Allen Dyal cut 8 sides for RCA's Bluebird label as Oliver and Allen. His next studio work came years later when he waxed an LP for Elektra in 1966, apparently garnering him a Grammy nomination. These sides come from a 1971 outing for Kanawha Records of Jacksonville, Florida. This CD-R is presumably a reissue of that record, although the booklet notes are unclear on the point. (They say he still performs, but if that's true he'd be 95 years young, so one suspects the notes are reprints from the '71 LP.) Recorded on a Nagra recorder on loan from the Smithsonian, Smith is joined by Roy Jones on lead guitar and Bob Patterson on 12 string. The song selection is straight '20s and early '30s and includes Put My Little Shoes Away, East Bound Train, and Silver In Your Hair. Smith possesses a strong, expressive voice, and this set is a time warp on plastic--raw, old-time country music that has an authenticity absent in much of today's country recordings. What these performances lack in polish they make up for in charm. An interesting find. (JC)

 
SAMMI SMITH Acrobat ACRCD 237 Help Me Make It Through The Night - The memorial Album ● CD $10.98
25 songs recorded for Mega by this fine and uncompromising country singer who worked on the fringes of the outlaw movement and had a number 1 country hit with her version of Kris Kristofferson's Help Me Make It Through The Night which also crossed over into the pop charts. This songs is include here along with other songs by Kristofferson, Smith herself and other fine writers. Includes He's Everywhere/ Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down/ LOnely StreetBut You Know I Love You/ Then You Walk In/ Girl In New Orleans/ The Toast Of 45/ Birmingham Mistake/ The Weight/ Mr. Bojangles, etc.
 
RED SOVINE Ace CDCHD 1052 Honky Tonks, Truckers & Tears ● CD $18.98
A collection of 24 songs recorded between 1961 and 1980 by this popular performer - 21 of them hitting the country cahrts. Includes honky tonk country, trucker songs and maudlin recitations - I Didn't Jump The Fence/ Class of '49/ Little Rosa/ Phantom 309/ Giddy-Up Go/ Daddy/ The Days Of Me And You/ It'll Come Bear/ Teddy Bear, etc.
 
THE STANLEY BROTHERS Rounder 1110 Earliest Recordings: The Complete Rich-R-Tone 78s ● CD $15.98
14 tracks, 35 minutes, highly recommended
If you're a major fan of Carter and Ralph Stanley, chances are you have Revenant's 1997 CD reissue of the brothers' Rich-R-Tone sides. So do you need this new Rounder edition? If that earlier issue is something you play often or if the Revenant's fatiguing, overprocessed sound leaves you dissatisfied, the answer is yes. Christopher King, who oversees County's superb old-time reissue series, newly remastered these rare bluegrass landmarks from the best available 78s. Sure, the sound remains somewhat thin, signal-to-noise levels are high and sharp ears will detect a few slightly off-center tracks. But King's transfers mark a significant improvement over all previous issues. We'll probably never hear this music sound as clear and true to the source material as it does here. Ten songs date from the brothers' 1947-48 sessions; two showcase tenor singer/mandolinist Pee Wee Lambert. After three years on Columbia, the Stanleys returned to Rich-R-Tone in 1952, recording four songs that anticipated the classic Mercury sides to follow. Like the Revenant issue, this release shuffles songs from both Rich-R-Tone periods. Gary Reid's original notes reappear here. New to the Stanleys? Try the Mercs, Columbias and earliest Kings and Stardays first, then discover where it all began. (DS)
Also available and essential Mercury 53402 The Complete Mercury Recordings (1953-58) (2-CD) $21.98
Columbia CK 53798 The Complete Columbia Stanley Brothers (1949-52) $11.98
King 615 The Stanley Brothers & The Clinch Mountain Boys (1958) $10.98
THE STANLEY BROTHERS: Are You Waiting Just for Me?/ Death Is Only a Dream/ I Can Tell You the Time/ Little Birdie/ Little Maggie/ Molly and Tenbrook/ Mother No Longer Awaits Me at Home/ Our Darling's Gone/ The Girl Behind the Bar/ The Jealous Lover/ The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake/ The Little Glass of Wine (1947)/ The Little Glass of Wine (1952)/ The Rambler's Blues

 
CARL STORY & HIS RAMBLING MOUNTAINEERS Starday 580 Mighty Close To Heaven ● CD $9.98
12 tracks, recommended
Reissue of Starday 219. Carl Story is one of the giants of bluegrass gospel and this is a splendid collection of 12 songs from the early 60s on which Carl's distinctive vocals are joined by William Brewster/ 5 string banjo, Franklin Brewster/ mandolin, Tommy Jackson/ fiddle, Claude Boone/ bass & harmony vocals and Jack Linneman on dobro. Songs include Amazing Grace/ Row Us Over the Tide/ Rank Stranger/ Follow Him/ I'll Need The Prayers Of Those I Love/ Mighty Close To Heaven, etc. (FS)
 
MEL STREET TeeVee 0728 20 Greatest Hits ● CD $11.98
20 tracks, 58 minutes, essential
The late Mel Street never seemed to hit the big time even though he scored a number of top 20 hits. Maybe he didn't fit in with the rhinestone cowboys and countrypolitan crooners in the 70's. If you aren't too familiar with Street let me tell you, the West Virginia boy could really sing! His style is firmly in the honky tonkin' style of George Jones and early Conway Twitty and there are at least a dozen tunes here that stand right up there with the best of 'em. The passion and conviction he brought to songs of cheating and lost love seemed to reflect an inner turmoil that may have led to his early death by suicide on his 45th birthday in 1978. This set includes classic songs like Borrowed Angel/ Lovin' On Back Streets/ I met A Friend Of Yours Today/ Lovin' On Borrowed Time/ Looking Out My Window Through The Pain/ Even If I Have To Steal/ Town Where You Live/ Lust Affair and others including the powerful Forbidden Angel whose subject is not often covered in country songs. There are also great covers of country standards like Am I That Easy To Forget and Don't Be Angry. Mel deserves the deluxe Bear Family treatment but in the meantime this great no frills package delivers the goods. (AE/ FS)

 
TOM TALL & GINNY WRIGHT Bear Family BCD 16741 Are You Mine ● CD $21.98

 
HANK THOMPSON & HIS BRAZOS VALLEY BOYS Acrobat 4032 Swing Wide Your Gate Of Love ● CD $13.98
25 tracks, 63 minutes, essential In the years following World War II, Hank Thompson was one of country and western music's biggest hitmakers. Thompson's records delivered a distinctively Texan honky-tonk style with more than a passing debt to western swing. His warm, engaging baritone and sharply crafted arrangements grabbed as many nickels in Southeastern juke joints as they did in his home state, not to mention Louisiana, Oklahoma, California and points in-between. Thompson cut more than 300 sides for Capitol between 1947 and 1964, maintaining his signature sound until almost the end. While most vintage Thompson collections span his entire Capitol period, this collection strictly focuses on his fresh, youthful 1947-54 sides. Among the hits: Humpty Dumpty Heart/ Whoa Sailor/ The Wild Side of Life/ Wake Up Irene/ Rub-a-Dub-Dub, and Waiting in the Lobby of Your Heart. Though hit-driven Thompson anthologies arguably sound a little "samey" - after all, these songs were intended to be absorbed in two- to three-minute doses - this set offers considerable variety. Another plus: exceptional sound quality. Acrobat - a British company that could have made copyright-free needle drops like those bottom-feeders Proper and JSP do - actually licensed Thompson's master recordings from Capitol/EMI. Dave Penny penned a brief liner, crediting his debt to Rich Kienzle's notes for Bear Family's comprehensive 12-CD Thompson box (Bear Family BCD 15904, $259.98). Some gaffes appear: Thompson didn't write every song he's credited with here, and some release years are wrong. Nevertheless, the music is great. This disc makes a superb launching point for anyone interested in exploring Thompson's seminal work. (DS)
HANK THOMPSON: A Broken Heart and a Glass of Beer/ California Women/ Don't Flirt with Me/ Give a Little, Take a Little/ Humpty Dumpty Heart/ I Find You Cheatin' on Me/ My Front Door Is Open/ My Heart Is a Jigsaw Puzzle/ New Roving Gambler/ No Help Wanted/ Rock in the Ocean/ Rub-a-Dub-Dub/ Soft Lips/ Swing Wide Your Gate of Love/ Take a Look at This Broken Heart/ The Grass Looks Greener Over Yonder/ The New Wears Off Too Fast/ The Wild Side of Life/ Today/ Tomorrow Night/ Waiting in the Lobby of Your Heart/ Wake Up Irene/ Whoa Sailor/ You Broke My Heart (In Little Bitty Pieces)/ You're Walking on My Heart

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Castle Pulse 597 Live From The Grand Ole Opry ● CD $13.98
Two CD set with 32 performances recorded live at the Grand Ole Opry in the 40s and 50s. Although sound quality is a bit dodgy there are some great performances from Marty Robbins (2 songs), Hank Snow (3), Ernest Tubb (3), Hank Williams (3), Porter Wagoner (2), Roy Acuff (1), Jean Shepard (1), Red Foley (2), Faron Young (3), Ray Price (2), Little Jimmy Dickens (1), Hawkshaw Hawkins (3), Flatt & Scruggs (1), Tex Ritter (1), Cowboy Copas (1), Tex Williams (1), Justin Tubb (1) and Margie Bowes (1). No notes of any consequence.
 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Cattle 307 The Goden Age Of Country Music 1 ● CD $18.98
The first of four compilations, this volume features 12 tracks by hillbilly singer and fiddler Shorty Long from Pennsylvania, four songs by the fine duo The Webster Brothers and 10 tracks from West Virginia singer Buddy Starcher - the latter mostly with just his own guitar accompaniment.
SHORTY LONG: After All These Years/ Air Mail Special On The Fly/ Blinding Tears/ Calm, Cool And Collected/ Foolish Pride/ Good Night Cincinnati, Good Morning Tennessee/ I Got Nine Little Kisses/ I Love You So Much It Hurts/ Just Like A Few Drops Of Water/ Mama/ Sweeter Than The Flowers/ Who Said That I Said That/ BUDDY STARCHER: Are You Facing The World All Alone?/ Beyond The Sunset/ I Planted A Rose (in The Garden Of Prayer)/ I'll Forgive, Dear, But Never Forget/ Isn't He Wonderful?/ My Old Pal Of Yesterday/ New Wildwood Flower/ Oh Leave One Token Of Your Love/ The Colored Child's Funeral/ Walk Lightly, You're Steppin' On My Heart/ THE WEBSTER BROTHERS: Glory Mountain/ It's All Left Up To You/ The Great Eternal Singing/ Till The End Of The World Rolls 'round

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Cattle 308 The Goden Age Of Country Music 2 ● CD $18.98
This volume includes 12 tracks from 1952/53 by western swing group Curley Daulton with Johnny Daulton's Western Swing Kings, 8 tracks from blind hillbilly singer and songwriter Leroy Jenkins and four tracks bye Joe & Rose Lee Maphis from 1953 and '54.
CURLY DAULTON: A Crushed Red Rose (and A Faded Blue Ribbon)/ A Little At A Time/ All My Life I've Dreamed/ Between Midnight And Dawn/ Blue Hearts And Broken Vows/ Cryin' Again/ I Didn't Mean To Be Mean/ I Traded An Angel For A Devil/ I'm Steppin' Out With A Broken Heart/ Just Another Nickel Wasted/ Please Leave Me Alone/ Please Set Me Free/ LEROY JENKINS: Don't Be A Home Breaker/ Hard Time Hard Luck Blues/ I Just Don't Know/ I'm Crying But Nobody Cares/ Please Don't Tell Me That You Love Me/ Tennessee Sunshine/ Time Passes By/ You're Talking To A Broken Heart/ JOE & ROSE LEE MAPHIS: Black Mountain Rag/ Dim Lights, Thick Smoke/ Quicksand/ ROSE LEE MAPHIS: Honky Tonk Love Affair

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Cattle 309 The Goden Age Of Country Music 3 ● CD $18.98
This volume features 12 tracks from the early 50s by Louisiana performer Lou Millet, 8 tracks by Zeke Williams with The Rambling Cowboys from 1937 and four from 1936 by Cody Fox.
CODY FOX: I Only Want A Buddy, Not A Sweetheart/ I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover/ Kansas City Kitty./