NEWSLETTER #135
Country, Bluegrass & Old Timey
The 101 Ranch Boys ->
Charlie Poole
| THE 101 RANCH BOYS |
Cattle 297 |
Melody Roundup With The 101 Ranch Boys |
● CD $18.98 |
23 tracks from rare radio transcriptions made in 1949 by
this group that were one of the most popular western groups of the time.
THE 101 RANCH BOYS: All I Need Is Some More Lovin'/ Between The Lines/
Beyond The Purple Hills/ Dark Eyes (inst.)/ Devil's Dream (inst.)/
Drifting And Dreaming (inst.)/ Forever And Ever/ I'll Wait For You/ It's
My Lazy Day/ Lights Out (inst.)/ Mississippi Sawyer (inst.)/ Need You/ Not
A Word From Home/ Old Shep/ Sleep/ Texas Home/ The Color Song/ The Old
Chisholm Trail/ Till The End Of The World/ Tomorrow's Just Another Day To
Cry/ Wabash Blues (inst.)/ When It's Night Time In Nevada/ Within This
Lonely Heart Of Mine
|
| ROY ACUFF |
B.A.C.M. 089 |
In The Shadow Of The Smokies |
● CD $13.98 |
Complementing the recent box set of Roy's early recordings
(Proper Box 70 - King Of Country Music - $25.98) this is another superb
set of early sides featuring 23 tracks recorded between 1940 and 1952.
ROY ACUFF: Blue Eyed Darling/ Branded Wherever I Go/ Bully Of The Town (instr.)/
Devil‘s Train/ Farther Along/ Grey Eagle (instr.)/ In The Shadow Of The
Smokies/ It‘s Too Late Now To Worry Anymore/ My Tears Don‘t Show/ No One
Will Ever Know/ Pale Horse And His Rider/ Pliney Jane/ Pretty Little Widow
(instr.)/ She Isn‘t Guaranteed/ Short Changed In Love/ Songbirds Are
Singing In Heaven Tonight/ Steel Guitar Chimes/ Ten Little Numbers/ That
Glory Bound Train/ Things That Might Have Been/ This World Can‘t Stand
Long/ Wonder Is All I Do/ You‘re My Darling
|
| CHET ATKINS |
Bear Family BCD 16539 |
Mr. Guitar - The Complete Recordings,
1955-1960 |
● CD $169.98 |
7 discs, 214 tracks, essential
Picking up where Bear
Family BCD 15714 ("Gallopin' Guitar") left off, this represents Chet's
complete RCA output from 1955 through 1960. More than even the earlier
box, the songs here represent Atkins's most important legacy to guitarists
like Eddie Cochran, Duane Eddy, John Fogerty, Mark Knopfler, the Ventures,
Jerry Reed and countless other guitarists. During these years he began
recording instrumental versions of current pop hits, a pattern he
continued through the rest of his time at RCA. He also began working with
innovative tone-altering devices like an amplifier with built-in tape
echo, electronic tremolo and early "wah-wah" devices that later became
commonplace among rock players in the late 60's. This collection covers
all his singles, as well as such innovative albums as "In Three
Dimensions", "Hi-Fi in Focus", "Stringin' Along with Chet Atkins", "Finger
Style Guitar", "Chet Atkins at Home, In Hollywood", "Mister Guitar", "The
Other Chet Atkins", "Teensville" and his best-selling album of all, "Chet
Atkins' Workshop". It includes his rare singles with a studio band called
the Rhythm Rockers, six 1959 songs (one previously unissued) featuring his
older half-brother, former Les Paul Trio guitarist Jimmy Atkins crooning
Crosby-style on six pop and country hits. An extremely rare 1956 EP
featuring Eddy Arnold with a (thankfully) small group with Atkins
performing songs from a Broadway Musical is among the surprises, along
with alternate takes of Hot Toddy and the wah-wah-heavy Boo Boo
Stick Beat. Among the less pleasant surprises are 20 tracks (five
unissued) recorded for the song licensing company SESAC with the Anita
Kerr Singers and the virtually unlistenable RCA LP "Hum and Strum along
with Chet Atkins". The SESAC material, now owned (for what little that
means) by Bear Family, is the worst kind of elevator Muzak as is the "Hum
and Strum material".
On most of the post-1957 material, Atkins recorded
the tracks in RCA's Nashville studios and took the tapes to his basement
home studio in Nashville to perfect his solos. By 1960, Atkins was
beginning to change his style, curbing his assertiveness in favor of a
light, easy-listening style that permeated his albums for over a decade,
robbing his music most of the time of the spontaneity and fire it once
had, but earning him fans who normally bought albums by people like Billy
Vaughan. Happily, this collection doesn't venture into that sugary morass.
(You'd need insulin if it did!). The sound is, not surprisingly, superb.
Rich Kienzle's outstanding research goes track by track, with interesting
discussions on how Atkins's growing role as an RCA producer influenced his
records (not always for the better) and how Atkins's endorsement of
Gretsch guitars impacted the marketing of his albums. The album closes
with two odd numbers: never-before-heard 1940s vocal instrumental
transcription discs from Knoxville's WNOX, where Chet did his first
professional work from 1942-45. The 112 page book includes an amazing
series of never before published black and white photos from the late
fifties showing Chet at home, in the studio and around downtown Nashville,
as well as color shots of virtually all the album covers (and variations).
Also included is a 1966 Atkins cover story for 'Radio-Electronics'
Magazine where Chet discusses his electronics and recording concepts. For
Atkins fans and for guitarists in general, this one's a necessity. (AK)
|
| CHET ATKINS |
Country Route 32 |
Early Chet Atkins |
● CD $16.98 |
32 tracks, 63 minutes, recommended with reservations
Don't
get me wrong - the music on this CD is generally great, but this
compilation and its packaging are incredibly misleading. More than half
the tracks feature the Carter Sisters, Mother Maybelle and Chet Atkins,
pulled from a mere fraction of the thirty-some RadiOzark transcriptions
they recorded around 1950. Ten of these early tracks are vocals, featuring
numerous combinations of the Carters and Atkins. Six instrumentals feature
the classic Atkins guitar; and two feature his solid, if not superlative
fiddling. If you only know the Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle from
their Carter Family tributes and intrusive vocals on mediocre Johnny Cash
records, these RadiOzarks are revelatory. Ill-served on record during
their prime years, their transcriptions capture the quintet as it really
was: a dazzling, self-contained showband from country music radio's golden
age. This set also features a version of Atkins' early masterwork
Canned Heat from a late '40s Shorty Thompson aircheck, plus eight
mid-'50s Atkins solos culled from military recruiting transcriptions. For
some reason, compiler Brian Pymm opted to include two Jimmy Dean vocals
(neither of which includes Atkins), a mediocre Faron Young ballad (with
Hank Garland on guitar), and two uninspired late '50s June and Helen
Carter tracks with a guitarist that sounds nothing like Atkins. Pymm's
brief notes are ill-informed at best; incredibly erroneous at worst. If
you want to sample the Carter Sisters, Mother Maybelle and Chet Atkins as
they sounded more than a half-century ago, this is a great set to have. If
you're more interested in Atkins, save your money for Bear Family's
seven-CD "Mister Guitar: The RCA Victor Years - 1955-1960"
(see above) (DS)
CHET ATKINS: Alabama Jubilee/ Country Gentleman/ Country Gentleman/ Dance
Of The Golden Rod/ Five Foot Two/ Poor People Of Paris/ Poor People Of
Paris/ Rainbow/ San Antonio Rose/ HELEN & JUNE CARTER: Poor Old Heartsick
Me/ JUNE CARTER: It's My Lazy Day/ THE CARTER SISTERS, MOTHER MAYBELLE &
CHET A: Beaumont Rag/ Cabin In The Valley Of The Pines/ Canned Heat/
Canned Heat/ Charming Billy/ Draggin' The Bow/ Grandma Told Me So/ Guitar
Solo/ Guitar Solo/ Heartbroken/ I've Been Bitten By The Same Bug Twice/
Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider/ In The Pines/ Johnson Boys/ Late Evening Blues/
Little Sweetheart, I Miss You/ My Gal Sal/ One More Chance/ Radiozark
Theme/ That Pretty Little Face/ The Leaf Of Love/ The Old Black Mountain
Trail/ JIMMY DEAN: Bummin' Around/ Good Lord Saying, 'good Morning'/ FARON
YOUNG: Moonlight Mountain
|
| ELTON BRITT |
B.A.C.M. 086 |
Jackass Blues & Other Country Songs |
● CD $13.98 |
24 tracks recorded in the 40s by this popular artist
including sides with The Skytoppers, Rosalie Allen and The Three Suns.
ELTON BRITT: After We Say Goodbye/ Anyone/ Before You Know It Christmas
Will Be Here/ Beyond The Sunset/ Blueberry Lane/ Game Of Broken Hearts/
Got To Get Together With My Gal/ I Get The Blues When It Rains/ I‘ve Lived
A Lifetime For You/ Jackass Blues/ Lonely Little Robin/ Looking Around/
Merry Texas Christmas You All/ Mocking Bird Hill/ Rainbow In My Heart/
Someday/ Summer Kisses/ Swiss Lullaby/ Tale A Sailor Told/ Talk To The
Boss In The Sky/ Tell Her You Love Her/ The Red We Want Is The Red We‘ve
Got/ Tomorrow You‘ll Be Married/ Written Guarantee
|
| JIMMY BRYANT |
Sundazed 11134 |
Frettin' Fingers - The Lightnin' Guitar Of
Jimmy Bryant |
● CD $41.98 |
3 discs, 75 tracks, essential
The teaming up one of the
first performers to play a hard-body electric guitar (Bryant, using Leo
Fender's proto-Stracaster) with the first to use a pedal steel guitar
(Bryant's partner-in-crime Speedy West), give them both tremendous speed &
skill & you get some of the most hell-bent-for-leather instrumentals ever
recorded! Playing together in famed early L.A. country star Cliffie
Stone's band on radio & TV (where they were given a duet slot as "The
Flaming Guitars", the duo was also able to record for Cliffie's label,
Capitol Records, as part of the band, as solo & duo (though solo, they
were on each other's recordings) and on hundreds of tunes backing up
Capitol recording artists, as well as Jimmy being part of Roy Rogers'
backing band, The first half of this set has the wonderful Bryant/ West
Capitol sides 1950-56, Bryant's LP "Country Cabin Jazz", West's LP "Steel
Guitar", & the only LP under both names - "Two Guitars Country Style",
along with non-LP 45s & unreleased tracks. After Jimmy drifted around
awhile he did a rare single for the Big J label in '62 - Ha-So/ Tobacco
Worm, then went over to Imperial '66-67 where we get the LPs Bryant's
"Back In Town", "The Fastest Guitar In The Country", "Laughing Guitar,
Crying Guitar" & "We Are Young", with sidemen ranging from Red Rhodes to
Barney Kessel, along with a few unreleased sessions. Exhaustive liner
notes by Rich Kienzle along with short pieces by Bryant's sister Lorene
Bryant Epps who is writing Jimmy's bio, & his son John Bryant who
maintains a website. (GM)
|
|
CECIL CAMPBELL & THE TENNESSEE RAMBL |
Jasmine 3542 |
Steel Guitar Swing |
● CD $11.98 |
24 tracks from the 40s by fine western swing band led by
steel guitarist Campbell. Very little duplication with Bronco Buster 9003.
CECIL CAMPBELL: All My Natural Life/ Beaty Steel Blues/ Campbell's Steel
Guitar Special (instrumental)/ Catawba River Blues/ I Don't Know Why I
Should Cry Over You/ I'll Keep On Loving You/ I'm A Hen Pecked Man/ It's
Gonna Come Home To You/ Last Night I Cried/ Left All Alone With A Broken
Heart/ Midnight Boogie (instrumental)/ No Where, No Time, No Place/ North
Carolina Skies/ Please Don't Call In Any Help/ Put Some Meat On Them
Bones/ She's Got The Cutest Eyes/ Southern Special/ Steel Guitar Hop
(instrumental)/ Steel Guitar Swing (instrumental)/ Talk, Talk, Talk/
Tennessee Border/ Time Will Tell/ Who's Blues Are You Now/ Won't You
Sometimes Dream Of Me
|
| CLIFF CARLISLE |
JSP JSPCD 7732 |
A Country Legacy, 1930-1939 |
● CD $28.98 |
Four CDS, 84 tracks, approx 4 hours, highly recommended
with reservations
The reasons for my reservations is that while the music
is wonderful this set seems to have been put together with less care than
most of JSP's other boxes. Cliff Carlisle recorded more than 200 sides
between 1930 and 1939 so why are there only 84 tracks here? Most JSP four
CD sets have around 100. Further, half of these tracks are currently
available on Arhoolie 7039 and B.A.C.M. and half the rest were on the out
of print collection on Zircon Vert. In addition the titles are not
presented in chronological order and there is no discographical
information. Now to the music! Carlisle was a superb singer, a magnificent
slide guitarist (playing a steel bodied National) and had a varied and
consistently worthwhile repertoire which embraced traditional songs, blues,
love songs, some wickedly raunchy risqué songs, gospel songs, western and
sentimental songs. Cliff was a master blue yodeler on a number of cuts
here and on No Daddy Blues and Shanghai Rooster Yodel he
does some original scat yodeling. Some tracks feature his early playing
partner singer/ guitarist Wilbur Ball, others have his brother Bill or his
son Tommy and some have a small string band with some lovely fiddle. Some
of the gospel songs feature some great quartet singing which includes
Cliff, Bill, Tommy and another Carlisle, Louis (another brother?)
including a sublime version of Shine On Me. He does a great cover
of the Darby & Tarleton classic Columbus Stockade Blues and the
soon to become bluegrass standards Footprints In The Snow with
Shannon Grayson on mandolin and Girl In The Blue Velvet Band. And
for those of you who like double entendre there are such gems as Ash
Can Blues/ That Nasty Swing/ Sal's Got A Meatskin and others. But it's
all great. Sound quality is excellent, booklet notes are adequate. If you
don't already have much Carlisle this is indispensable. (FS)
CLIFF CARLISLE: A Mean Mama Don't Worry Me/ A Stretch Of 28 Years/ A Wild
Cat Woman And A Tom Cat Man/ Ash Can Blues/ Bamblin' Man/ Black Jack
David/ Broken Heart/ Chicken Roost Blues/ Columbus Stockade Blues/ Cowboy
Johnny's Last Ride/ Dang My Rowdy Soul/ Dear Old Daddy/ Desert Blues/ Far
Beyond The Starry Sky/ Footprints In The Snow/ Georgia Moon/ Get Her By
The TrailOn A Downhill Grade/ Girl In The Blue Velvet Band/ Goin' Down The
Road Feelin' Bad/ Going Back To Alabama/ Going Down The Valley One By One/
Gonna Raise A Ruckus Tonight/ Goodbye Old Pal/ Guitar Blues/ Handsome
Blues/ High Steppin' Mama/ Hobo Blues/ Hobo's Fate/ Home Of The Soul/ I
Don't Mind/ I Want A Good Woman/ I'm Savin Saturday Night For You/ I'm
Sorry Now/ It Ain't No Fault of mine/ It Takes An Old Hen To Deliver The
Goods/ Lonely Orphan Child/ Lonesome For Caroline/ Memories That Haunt Me/
Memphis Yodel/ Mouse's Ear Blues/ My Lovin' Kathleen/ My Rockin' Mama/ My
Rocky Mountain Sweetheart/ My Travellin' Night/ Nevada Johnny/ New
Memories Of You That Haunt Me/ No Daddy Blues/ On The Banks Of The Rio
Grande/ Onion Eating Mama/ Pan American Man/ Pay Day Fight/ Prepare Me O
lord/ Ramblin Yodeler/ Ring Tail Tom/ Roll On, Roll On/ Rooster Blues/
Sal's Got A Meatskin/ Sally Let Your Bangs Hang Down/ Seven Years With The
Wrong Woman/ Shanghai Rooster No 2/ Shanghai Rooster Yodel/ Shine On Me/
Shine Your Light For Others/ Shot The Innocent Man/ Sugar Cane Mama/ That
Great Judgement Day/ That Nasty Swing/ The Blind Child's Prayer/ The
Brakeman's Reply/ There Is No More That I Can Say/ Tom Cat Blues/ Trouble
Minded Blues/ True And Trembling Brakeman/ Two Eyes In Tenessee/ Uncloudy
Day/ Waiting For A Ride/ When It's Round Up Time In Heaven/ When It's
Round Up Time In Texas/ When The Angels Carry Me Home/ When The Evening
Sun Goes Down/ Where My Memory Lies/ Why Did It Have To Be Me?/ Wigglin'
Man/ You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone ( Just Because )
|
| COUNTRY GENTLEMEN |
Copper Creek 7008 |
Folk Session Inside |
● CD $9.98 |
13 tracks, essential
During the past thirty-six years many
celebrated musicians have been part of the Country Gentlemen. Each edition
has been a solid, highly professional unit, dedicated to showcase the
band's primary asset: guitarist Charlie Waller's powerful, charismatic
vocals. But none has ever rekindled the spontaneous magic of the "classic”
1959-1967 Country Gentlemen, which included lead tenor vocalist/
mandolinist John Duffey; banjo whiz Eddie Adcock; and various bassists,
most notably Tom Gray. The first bluegrass band with a real attitude, it
cockily pushed bluegrass's boundaries, winning it a young, hip audience
while alienating hidebound traditionalists. The Duffey/ Waller/ Adcock
Gents recorded nine studio albums during its eight-year partnership. Most
consider "Folk Session Inside,” its 1963 Mercury outing, as the best of
the bunch. Largely produced by erstwhile Gentleman Pete Kuykendall, the
album pulled material from folk, blues, old-time and early bluegrass
repertoires – even the pop tune Heartaches was retooled into an
instrumental showcase. The Gentlemen's take on the Dixon Brothers' The
School House Fire is intense, disturbing and unforgettable. Their
arrangement of an obscure Carter Stanley song, The Girl Behind the Bar,
impressed young Bob Dylan so much that he recalled it four decades later
in his recent autobiography. This reissue includes an unused track from
the sessions, Dark as a Dungeon. In his uncredited notes, Gary Reid
describes the album's production and the frustrations that followed in its
wake. (DS)
THE COUNTRY GENTLEMEN: Aunt Dinah's Quilting Party/ Bluebirds Are Singing
for Me/ Can't You Hear Me Calling/ Dark As a Dungeon/ Heartaches/ I Am
Weary (Let Me Rest)/ Night Walk/ Sad and Lonesome Day/ The Galveston
Flood/ The Girl Behind the Bar/ The School House Fire/ The Young
Fisherwoman/ This Morning at Nine
|
| TED DAFFAN & HIS
TEXANS |
Jasmine 3547 |
Born To Lose |
● CD $11.98 |
24 tracks from the 40s from this fine Western flavored
group let by singer/ songwriter Daffan. Though not a particularly
compelling singer Daffan wrote a number of songs that have become country
standards including the title song, Worried Mind and No Letter
Today all featured here. It also features his mid 40s hits You're
Breaking My Heart and Headin' Down The Wrong Highway plus
I'm Sorry I Said Goodbye/ Crying The Blues Again/ Car Hop's Blues/ Are You
Satisfied Now/ You Better Change Your Ways and others. About half the
tracks are also available on Cattle 213 or Cattle 247.
TED DAFFAN: Are You Satisfied Now/ Baby You Can't Get Me Down/ Because/
Blue Steel Blues/ Born To Lose/ Car Hop's Blues/ Crying The Blues Again/
Down Hilo Way/ Got Money On My Mind/ Headin' Down The Wrong Highway/ I'm
Sorry I Said Goodbye/ I'm That Kind Of A Guy/ Lonesome Highway/ Long John/
Look Who's Talkin'/ My Fallen Star/ No Letter Today/ Now I Must Reap (What
I Have Sown)/ The Straight And Narrow Way/ Those Blue Eyes Don't Sparkle
Anymore/ Trouble Keeps Hanging 'Round My Door/ Worried Mind/ You Better
Change Your Ways/ You're Breaking My Heart
|
| DAISY MAE |
Bronco Buster 9059 |
The Friendly Voice From The Hills |
● CD $18.98 |
28 tracks from radio shows in the mid 60s by Daisy Mae
whose early recordings with her husband Old Brother Charlie were reissued
on Cattle 274. Mostly just solo vocal and guitar with occasional fiddle
from Curley Mitchell.
DAISY MAE: Across The Bridge/ Coming To Carry Me Home/ Did You Tell Her
About Me/ Don't Let Me Cross Over/ Don't Look Back/ Hold On, Little Dogies,
Hold On/ I Don't Love You Anymore/ It's Your World/ Keep On The Sunny Side
(theme)/ Kwik Pep Eastern Gasoline (jingle)/ Let The Spirit Descend/
Meanwhile Down At Joe's/ No Tears In Heaven/ One More Time/ Precious
Memories/ Pretty Words/ Rock All The Babies To Sleep/ Satan's Jeweled
Crown/ Stop Kicking God's Children Around/ The Boy Across The Street/ The
Last Letter/ The Sweetest Gift, A Mother's Smile/ There's A Light Guiding
Me/ Turn Around My Darling/ Where Could I Go But To The Lord/ You Gave My
Wedding Rings Away/ You Gotta Pray
|
| THE DELMORE BROTHERS |
Cattle 299 |
Good Time Saturday Night |
● CD $18.98 |
25 tracks recorded between 1946 and 1950 by this great duo
- most making their first appearance on CD.
THE DELMORE BROTHERS: 'dis Train/ Born To Be Blue/ Calling To That Other
Shore/ Everybody Loves Her/ Give Me Your Hand/ Goin' Back To The Blue
Ridge Mountains/ Good Time Saturday Night/ Happy On The Mississippi Shore/
I Let The Freight Train Carry Me On/ I Swear By The Stars/ Let Your
Conscience Be Your Guide/ Liefe's Too Short/ Long Journey Home/ Midnight
Train/ Now I'm Free/ Oh Susannah/ Please Be My Sunshine/ Silver Threads
Among The Gold/ Someday You'll Pay/ Sweet, Sweet Thing/ Tennessee Choo,
Choo/ The Girl By The River/ The Trail Of Time/ There's Something About
Love/ Who's Gonna Be Lonesome For Me
|
| TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD |
Proper Intro 2032 |
Rock City Boogie - A Proper Introduction
To Tennessee |
● CD $9.98 |
Great collection of 30 early sides by this fine and
distinctive artist including all his early hits like Tennessee Border/
Smokey Mountain Boogie/ Anticipation Blues/ Ain't Nobody's Business But My
Own (a duet with Kay Starr)/ Shot-Gun Boogie/ Mister & Mississippi/
Blackberry Boogie and more. Fine singing and swinging instrumental
accompaniments from the likes of Merle Travis, "Speedy" West, "Moon"
Mullican, Cliffie Stone, Jimmy Bryant and others.
|
|
DOC
HOPKINS & HIS COUNTRY BOYS |
B.A.C.M. 088 |
Volume 1 |
● CD $13.98 |
30 tracks, recommended
An eastern Kentucky native who made
his name in Louisville and Chicago radio, Doc Hopkins sang in an appealing
tenor that was warmer and richer than his better-known contemporary,
Bradley Kincaid. Like many Midwestern radio pros, Hopkins was
under-recorded during his prime years. Despite scattered sessions for
Paramount, ARC and Decca, his musical legacy primarily rests upon the 16"
transcriptions he made around 1944 for Chicago-based music publisher M.M.
Cole. Backed by an unidentified string band, Hopkins joyfully tackled
traditional and parlor favorites that were Cole song folio staples. Sound
quality is generally excellent, outside of a few hissy transfers pulled
from inferior tape sources. Brian Golbey's thumbnail bio repeats some
previously printed inaccuracies about Hopkins's radio career, but why
quibble? This is a welcome, pleasant release by a beloved radio pioneer
who helped seed Chicago's folk music revival. (DS)
DOC HOPKINS AND HIS COUNTRY BOYS: Asleep at the Switch/ Asleep in the
Briney Deep/ Barbara Allen/ Born to the Saddle/ Bring Back to Me My
Wandering Boy/ Bury Me Out on the Prairie/ Can I Sleep in Your Barn
Tonight, Mister?/ Church in the Wildwood/ Code of the Mountains/ Days of
the Blue and Grey/ Dying Cowboy/ Get On Board, Little Children/ Get Out of
Here, Joe/ Give My Love to Nell/ Golden Slippers/ Great Speckled Bird/
Hushabye Baby, Don't Cry/ I Believe in the Good Old Bible/ I Was Born
4,000 Years Ago/ I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen/ Letter Edged in
Black/ Little Girl Dressed in Blue/ Polly Wolly Doodle/ Ship That Never
Returned/ Spanish Cavalier/ The Old Chain Gang/ They Gotta Quit Kickin' My
Dog Around/ When the Curtains of Night/ Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight/
You're a Flower Blooming in the Wildwood
|
|
DOC
HOPKINS & HIS COUNTRY BOYS |
B.A.C.M. 091 |
Volume 2 |
● CD $13.98 |
30 more radio transcriptions from 1944.
DOC HOPKINS & HIS COUNTRY BOYS: Bring Back My Blue Eyed Boy To Me/ Froggie
Went A ’courtin‘/ Get Along Down To Town/ Going To Little Creek/ Goodbye
My Lover, Goodbye/ Gotta A Lot Of Things To Do Before I Die/ Grandfather‘s
Clock/ He‘s The Lily Of The Valley/ Hold Fast To The Right/ Home On The
Range/ Honeysuckle Time/ I‘ll Give To You A Paper Of Pins/ Johnson Boys/
Little Old Log Cabin In The Lane/ Little Red Caboose Behind The Train/
Massa‘s In The Cold, Cold Ground/ Moose Meat/ My Old Kentucky Home/ Put My
Little Shoes Away/ Sally Get Your Hoe Cakes Done/ The Last Great Roundup/
The Old Folks At Home/ The Vacant Chair/ There‘ll Come A Time/ This Train/
We‘ll Have A Little Dance Tonight/ When You And I Were Young Maggie/ Where
Has My Little Dog Gone/ Whispering Hope/ ’tis Sweet To Be Remembered
|
| JOHNNY HORTON |
B.A.C.M. 087 |
I Won't Forget |
● CD $13.98 |
25 of Johnny's earliest sides recorded in the early 50s
for Abbott and Mercury long before he hit it big at Columbia.
JOHNNY HORTON: All For The Love Of A Girl/ Barefoot Boy Blues/ Bawlin‘
Baby/ Broken Hearted Gypsy/ Child‘s Side Of Life/ Coal Smoke, Valve Oil
And Steam/ Devilish Love Light/ Done Rovin‘/ First Train Headin‘ South/ I
Won‘t Forget/ In My Home In Shelby County/ It‘s A Long Rocky Road/ Mean
Mean Son Of A Gun/ Move Down The Line/ On The Banks Of The Beautiful Nile/
Plaid & Calico/ Rhythm In My Baby‘s Walk/ Shadows On The Old Bayou/
Someone‘s Rockin, My Broken Heart/ Ss Lureline/ Talk Gobbler, Talk/
Tennessee Jive/ The Mansion You Stole/ Two Red Lips & Warm Red Wine/ Words
|
| GEORGE JONES |
Encore 193196 |
Rock It! |
● CD $17.98 |
30 tracks, 72 mins, highly recommended
Great collection of
50s and early 60s sides including his two rockabilly classics Rock It
and How Come It which were originally issued as by Thumper Jones
and his version of Heartbreak Hotel which issued as by Hank Smith &
The Nashville Playboys. Also includes other great uptempo country numbers
which often blur the line between uptempo country and rockabilly like
Maybe Little Baby/ Who Shot Sam/ Boogie Woogie Mexican Boy/ Running Bear/
Reveneooer Man/ Gonna Come Get To You/ Eskimo Pie/ Done Gone/ Sparkling
Brown Eyes (a stellar version of Bill Cox's 1937 old time song) /
You Better Treat Your Man Right/ Why Baby Why/ Nothing Can Stop/ Long Time
To Forget and more. Excellent sound and brief notes. (FS)
|
| CLAYTON MCMICHEN |
B.A.C.M. 081 |
The Legendary Fiddler |
● CD $13.98 |
24 tracks, recommended
Until the end of his life, the
great fiddler Clayton McMichen was at odds between the music his audiences
wanted to hear and the music he loved to play. During the late '20s,
McMichen had few peers as a breakdown fiddler; he was the driving force
and de facto leader of Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers. But he really
wanted to play smart, swinging pop tunes with a tight rhythm ensemble,
just like his fellow Atlantian Perry Bechtel was doing. In 1931 he broke
with the Skillet Lickers set to form the Georgia Wildcats. His guitarist,
Slim Bryant, was a Bechtel disciple who could play closed chords or mimic
Riley Puckett's powerful bass runs. Though this reissue includes a
half-dozen '20s tracks with Puckett and Skillet Lickers spin-offs, it
emphasizes McMichen's '30s output. The Wildcats' sound is reminiscent of
the Prairie Ramblers, although the band's recording debut predates the
Ramblers' first sessions by two years. McMichen was never truly a swing
fiddler; Ken Newton actually plays the hot second break on Frankie &
Johnny; Gene Autry's longbow fiddler Carl Cotner participated in later
Wildcat sessions. The set - and McMichen's recording career - concludes
with five of the six superb breakdown medleys he recorded for Decca in
June 1939. As with other B.A.C.M. issues, the sound quality is dull in
spots, but generally good. Brian Golbey provides brief notes. (DS)
CLAYTON MCMICHEN: Arkansas Traveller/ Bummin' On The I. C. Line/
Cumberland Valley Waltz/ Devil's Dream/Ricket's'
Hornpipe/Fisher's Hornpipe/
Fire On The Mountain/Ida Red/Sally Goodin/ Frankie & Johnny/ Georgia
Wildcat Breakdown/ Honolulu Moon/ I Don't Love Nobody/ Little Darling I'll
Be Yours/ Little Old Log Cabin In The Lane/ McMichen's Reel/ Mississippi
Sawyer/ Missouri Waltz/ My Carolina Home/ Please Don't Sell My Pappy No
More Rum/ Rose Of Shenandoah Valley/ Smoky Mountain Home/ Soldier's
Joy/Arkansas Traveller/ Sourwood Mnt./Peter went a-fishin'/Sugar In The
Gourd/ Sweet Bunch Of Daisies/ The Dying Hobo/ Turkey In The Straw/Hen
Cackle/Dance All Night/ WildCat Rag/ Yum Yum Blues
|
| BUDDY MILLER |
New West 6063 |
Universal United House Of Prayer |
● CD $16.98 |
11 tracks, 51 mins, essential
The latest from one of the
most talented contemporary performers who draws his influences from folk,
country, soul, rock and gospel and merges them seamlessly into something
that is uniquely Buddy Miller. Nominally a gospel album this is much more
covering the state of the world today. Buddy is joined on most tracks by
the great voices of Regina and Ann McRary - daughters of the great Sam
McCrary - former lead vocalist of the legendary Fairfield Four. Most of
the songs were written or co-written by Buddy, usually with his wife
Julie, and several bring to mind the feel of the classic Vee-Jay
recordings of The Staple Singers. Among the highlights are the opener
Worry Too Much a ferocious performance written by Mark Heard, Wide
River To Cross is a beautiful song written by Buddy & Julie with vocal
harmonies by Emmy Lou Harris and you'll thrill to the exuberant energy of
the dramatic Don't Wait. Centering it all is a an utterly
spellbinding performance of Bob Dylan's With God Our Side - written
over 40 years ago the lyrics seem tailor made for the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Ashcroft
era. Throughout Buddy's vocals are stunning and his guitar playing is
transcendent showing how much more can be done with economy than with
flash. The band accompanying Buddy is superb including drummers Brady
Blake and Bryan Owing, fiddler Tammy Rogers and brilliantly talented Phil
Madeira on organ, accordion and lap steel. All of Buddy's album have been
exceptional but this may his best yet. (FS)
|
| BILL MONROE |
Bear Family BCD 16399 |
Blue Moon Of Kentucky, 1936-1949 |
● CD $169.98 |
6 CDs, 176 tracks, essential
Despite what compilers of
nearly every post- "O Brother" reissue want you to believe, bluegrass
music starts here - or at least it does on Disc Three. This long-awaited
six-CD set gathers all of Bill Monroe's 1936-1949 sides, starting with the
Monroe Brothers' sixty Bluebirds, continuing into his 1940-41 Bluebird
sessions before moving into the groundbreaking Columbias. On the
celebrated Monroe Brothers Bluebirds, Bill's vocals are high, moaning and
clearly secondary to his older brother Charlie's leads. At the outset
Monroe mostly plays mandolin with a rapid tremolo, but on the 1937 track
Sinner You Better Get Ready elements of his trademark, bluesy style
begin to emerge. Muleskinner Blues, the initial song cut at the
Blue Grass Boys' first session, debuted Monroe's distinctive lead vocals
and timing, which set him apart from his contemporaries. The February 1945
Columbias show further development; Dave "Stringbean" Akeman plays a
two-finger banjo style and most important, fiddler Chubby Wise contributes
long, smooth bow strokes. Tempos are less manic, but Monroe's pulsating
rhythm fuels the band - even on slow and mid-tempo songs like Rocky
Road Blues, Kentucky Waltz, Goodbye Old Pal and Footprints in the
Snow. This collection includes a previously unknown, uncataloged track
from that session, I'll Have a New Life, plus ten alternate takes.
By years' end, lead singer/guitarist Lester Flatt, then Carolina banjo
stylist Earl Scruggs joined, modifying their styles to accommodate
Monroe's sense of rhythm. With fiddler Wise and bassist Howard Watts
playing all over their fingerboards, the 1946-48 Blue Grass Boys defined
bluegrass music. It recorded 28 masters for Columbia - all appear here
along with 22 alternate takes and 12 fascinating false starts, transferred
from the first-generation 16" lacquers. Virtually all these songs became
standards: Blue Moon of Kentucky, Why Did You Wander, Toy Heart,
Summertime Is Past and Gone, Will You Be Loving Another Man, It's Mighty
Dark to Travel, I'm Going Back to Old Kentucky, I Hear a Sweet Voice
Calling, Little Cabin Home on the Hill, Molly and Tenbrooks, When You Are
Lonely, Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong, My Rose of Old Kentucky, and
more. The eight gospel "Blue Grass Quartet" sides long defined perfection;
all but one also appear here in alternate versions. In 1948 the
irreplaceable Flatt and Scruggs left to form their own band. As Monroe
scrambled to find replacements, Columbia signed the sound-alike Stanley
Brothers. Angered by his label's actions, Monroe wrapped up his Columbia
obligations in October 1949, helming a truly remarkable band with Wise,
Mac Wiseman and another innovative banjo picker, Rudy Lyle. The band cut
two classics, Can't You Hear Me Calling and Traveling This
Lonesome Road. This set includes all four masters from that session,
plus eight alternate takes and two false starts. A hardcover book includes
in-depth notes by Charles Wolfe, a new discography by Neil Rosenberg and
extensive photos, many previously unpublished. Sure, you'll find cheaper
releases of most of this material, but remember, this is music you'll
treasure for the rest of your life. Sometimes it's worth springing the
money for a Godiva chocolate over a Hershey bar. (DS)
|
| CHARLIE MONROE |
Cattle 301 |
Post War Country Classics (1946-1950) |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks, 61 mins, highly recommended
Charlie Monroe's
career is somewhat overshadowed by that of big brother Bill but he was a
tremendous singer and was responsible for making some wonderful music.
After he and Bill went their separate ways in 1938, Charlie put together a
trio and did two sessions in '38 and '39 featuring songs very much in the
Monroe Brothers vein (Charlie was lead vocalist on most of the Monroe
Brothers sides). In the 40s (from whence these sides come) he formed a
group which over the years featured a variety of great instrumentalists
including Curley Seckler/ mandolin, Robert Lambert/bass, Ira Louvin/
mandolin, Orne Osborne/ mandolin & steel guitar, William "Red" Rector/
mandolin, Jerry Rivers/ fiddle, Don Helms/ guitar and others and a couple
of the sessions features some wonderfully effective electric guitar work.
About two thirds of the material is gospel and the rest is secular and it
includes original songs by Charlie, traditional songs plus songs by A.P.
Carter, Fred Rose, Ira & Charlie Louvin, Hank Williams and others. Superb
stuff including There's No Depression In Heaven/ When The Angels Carry
Me Home/ Don't Forget To Pray/ End Of Memory lane/ Walking With You In My
Dreams/ Our Mansion Is Ready/ Gonna Shake Hands With Mother Over There/
Sugar Cane Mama/ 'Neath A Cold Grey Tomb Of Stone, etc. Sound is
generally excellent and a booklet is included but the notes are in German.
(FS)
CHARLIE MONROE: 'neath A Cold Grey Tomb Of Stone/ A Valley Of Peace/
Bringin' In The Georgia Mail/ Campin' Canaan's Land/ Don't Forget To Pray/
End Of Memory Lane/ Gonna Shake Hands With Mother Over There/ I Know
You'll Understand/ I See A Bright Light Shining/ I'm Gonna Sing, Sing,
Sing/ If We Never Meet Again/ Mother's Not Dead, She's Only Sleeping/ Our
Mansion Is Ready/ Red Rocking Chair/ Springtime In Glory/ Sugar Cane Mama/
Sweetheart I Love You Best/ The Grave At The Foot Of The Mountain/ There's
No Depression In Heaven/ They Didn't Believe It Was True/ Walking With You
In My Dreams/ When The Angels Carry Me Home/ You'd Better Be Somewhere
Praying/ You'll Find Me There
|
| HANK PENNY |
Krazy Kat 31 |
Flamin' Mamie |
● CD $16.98 |
28 tracks, essential
When Hank Penny died in 1992, three
LP reissues of his work had appeared: a Radio Cowboys collection on
Rambler, a collection of King recordings on Cattle and an anthology of his
early 1950s RCA material on Bear Family. That's changed today, with Rich Kienzle's pioneering research and reissues of his King material on Country
Routes and Westside, a Proper collection and now a superb CD compilation
of the best 1938-41 Radio Cowboys material. Penny was working in
Birmingham when he organized the group with fiddler Sheldon Bennett,
banjoist Louis Dumont, steel player Sammy Forsmark and bass player Carl
Stewart, a result of Penny being captivated by the "Texas fiddle band"
music of Milton Brown and the Light Crust Doughboys. The band had problems
catching on in Birmingham and Chattanooga, but grew and dramatically
improved once they got to Atlanta through the addition of Noel Boggs's
steel guitar and Boudleaux Bryant's fiddle. The most rudimentary moments
are the selections from the 1938 sessions, though performances like I
Got The Right Key Baby and the title song are entertaining. The bulk
of the selections come from the group's 1939 sessions with Boggs and
Bryant featuring such enjoyable romps as Take It Slow and Easy/ Black
Eyed Susie and the pop tune Tonight You Belong to Me. The group
was history after their 1940 session with Eddie Duncan's steel guitar
gracing such great tunes as Steel Guitar Hula and Looking For
Somebody To Love but Penny managed one more session with pickup
musicians in 1941, that produced six of the songs included here: among
them Why Did I Cry and Army Blues . The material is
outstanding, featuring his first version of the title track (he'd
re-record it for King), It includes Steel Guitar Hula, featuring
Eddie Duncan, but unfortunately not the original version of Penny's theme
song, the Rex Griffin composition Won't You Ride in My Little Red
Wagon. Excellent notes and compilation by Kevin Coffey. (AK)
HANK PENNY: Army Blues/ Black Eyed Susie/ Blue Melody/ Cheatin' On You
Baby/ Flamin' Mamie/ I Don't Love Anybody But You/ I Hate To Lose You/ I
Told Them All About You/ I've Got The Right Key Baby/ Just A Message/ Just
For Old Time's Sake/ Just Forget/ Looking For Someone To Love/ Midnight
Blues/ Off To Honolulu/ One Of Us Was Wrong/ She's Just That Kind/
Somebody/ Standing 'neath The Old Pine Tree/ Steel Guitar Hula/ Take It
Slow And Easy/ The Last Goodbye/ They're All Just The Same To Me/ Tonight
You Belong To Me/ Walking Home From An Old Country School/ Why Did I Cry/
Yankee Doodle/ You're So Different
|
| WEBB PIERCE |
Proper Intro 2062 |
Groovie Boogie Woogie Boy |
● CD $9.98 |
28 tracks, 74 mins, highly recommended
Fine collection of
the early recordings by this superb honky tonk singer who later went on to
become one of the most popular country singers of the 50s and early 60s.
The earliest sides here were recorded for Four Star in 1949 and 1950 with
Buddy Ataway/ gtr, Shot Jackson/ steel guitar and Tillman Franks/ bass and
includes some fine mid-tempo boogie flavored numbers. Unfortunately some
of them are from later reissues with overdubbed chorus and instruments but
Webb's soulful voice still comes through. There are also two duets with
his first wife Betty Jane. Nine of the tracks were recorded for Webb's own
Pacemaker label in 1950 and '51 and since Webb was still under contract
to Four Star most were issued under the name of his sidemen and includes
the first versions of a couple of songs that he later recorded for Decca
and became hits - his version of Jimmie Rodgers' In The Jailhouse
and the rocking Hayride Boogie which became Teenage Boogie
when he rerecorded in 1956. The last from feature four of his first no one
country hits recorded between 1951-1953 - Wondering/ Back Street
Affair/ It's Been So Long and there Stands The Glass. Excellent
sound and informative notes by Adam Komorowski. (FS)
WEBB PIERCE: A Million Years From Now/ Back Street Affair/ California
Blues/ Driftin' Texas Sand/ English Sweetheart/ Freight Train Blues/
Georgia Rag/ Groovie Boogie Woogie Boy/ Have You Ever Had The Feeling/
Hawaiian Echoes/ Hayride Boogie/ Heebie Jeebie Blues/ High Geared Daddy/ I
Got Religion On Saturday Night/ I Heard Her Call My Name/ I Need You Like
A Hole In The Head/ I'm Happy You Hurt Me/ I'm Sittin' On Top Of The
World/ I've Loved You Forever It Seems/ In The Jailhouse/ It's Been So
Long/ Jilted Love/ Lucy Lee/ New Panhandle Rag/ Sweetheart You Know I Love
You So/ The Last Waltz/ There Stands The Glass/ Wondering
|
| CHARLIE POOLE |
JSP JSPCD 7734 |
With The North Carolina Ramblers And The
Highlanders |
● CD $28.98 |
4 CDs, 96 tracks, essential
Although there are some flaws
in this collection it is still an absolutely indispensable set featuring
recordings by one of the finest and most popular string bands of the late
20s led by singer and banjo player Charlie Poole. Poole had a distinctive
vocal style and played banjo in a precise three finger style that owed
more to minstrel shows and ragtime than to the more raucous style of other
old time banjo players and was to prove an influence on later generations
of banjo player and was a forerunner of Scruggs style bluegrass banjo. The
group usually worked as a trio and Poole was joined by fine fiddlers Poser
Rorer, Lonnie Austin or Odell Smith and except for the groups first
session in July 25th which featured guitarist Norman Woodlieff their
regular guitarist was Roy Harvey and the group adopted the name the North
Carolina Ramblers. The sound of the group was a joy - more melodic and
nuanced than many of their contemporaries and their material included
traditional ballads (some with their origins in English and Irish songs),
minstrel songs, old popular songs, sentimental songs and more. Their first
session yielded their wonderful Don't Led You Deal Go Down which
sold over 100,000 copies and put their name on the map. Roy Harvey also
recorded as leader of the North Carolina Ramblers sometimes with Poole on
banjo and at other times with Bob Hoke on banjo-mandolin and many of these
tracks are featured here though one six track session from February 1928
is misidentified as by Poole and The North Carolina Ramblers when he isn't
present at all. Many of the groups songs became old time and later
bluegrass standards and includes such gems as The Girl I Left In Sunny
Tennessee/ White House Blues/ Sweet Sunny South/ He Rambled/ Coon From
Tennessee/ If I Lose, I Don't Care/ Take A Drink On Me/ Baltimore Fire/ If
The River Was Whiskey (a great variation on Hesitatin' Blues)/
Hungry Hash House and many more. It also includes the delightful
four part musical/ comedy skit A Trip To New York issued as by The
Alleghany Highlanders and a couple of banjo solos by Poole accompanied by
Roy Harvey's sister Lucy Terry. Sound quality is generally excellent
though a few tracks are from worn 78s. The only real drawback is that it
doesn't quite include everything Poole recorded as a couple of 78s are not
included though they are in the hands of collectors and could have been
used if a little more effort had been taken by JSP. It's also puzzling
that they didn't include a couple of unissued tracks that have been
reissued on LP and CD. Still apart from those minor omissions this is a
truly stellar and inspiring collection of old time country music. (FS)
CHARLIE POOLE: A Home Without Babies/ A Letter To My Mother/ A Letter To
My Mother/ A Trip To New York Part 1/ A Trip To New York Part 2/ A Trip To
New York Part 3/ A Trip To New York Part 4/ A Young Boy Left His Home One
Day/ As We Parted At The Gate/ Baltimore Fire/ Bill Mason/ Bill Mason/
Blue Eyes/ Budded Rose/ Budded Roses/ Can I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight
Mister/ Don't Let Your Deal Go Down/ Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Blues/
Falling By The Wayside/ Flop Eared Mule/ Flyin' Clouds/ Forks Of Sandy/
From Tennessee/ George Collins/ Give My Love To Nell/ Goodbye Booze/
Goodbye Mary Dear/ Goodbye Sweet Liza Jane/ He Rambled/ Home Without Love/
Honeysuckle/ Hungry Hash House/ Husband And Wife Were Angry One Night/ I
Cannot Call Her Mother/ I Once Loved A Sailor/ I'll Be There Mary Dear/
I'm Glad I'm Married/ If I Lose, I Don't Care/ If The River Was Whiskey/
It's Movin' Day/ Jealous Mary/ Just Keep Waiting Till The Good Time Comes/
Kitty Blye/ Leaving Dear Old Ireland/ Leaving Home/ Look Before You Leap/
Lynchburg Town/ May I Sleep In Your Barn/ Milwaukee Blues/ Monkey On A
String/ Mountain Reel/ My Gypsy Girl/ My Mother And My Sweetheart/ My Wife
Went Away And Left Me/ Old And Only In The Way/ On The Streets Of Glory/
Pearl Bryant/ Please Papa Come Home/ Poor Little Joe/ Ragtime Annie/
Ramblin' Blues/ Richmond Square/ San Antonio/ She Is Only A Bird In A
Gilded Cage/ Shootin' Creek/ Southern Medley/ Sunset March/ Sweet Sefrain/
Sweet Sixteen/ Sweet Sunny South/ Sweet Sunny South/ Take A Drink On Me/
Take Back The Ring/ Take Me Back To Home And Mother/ Tennessee Blues/ The
Bluefield Murder/ The Brave Engineer/ The Girl I Left In Sunny Tennessee/
The Highwayman/ The Letter That Never Came/ The Man That Rode The Mule
Around The World/ The Old Clay Pipe/ The Only Girl I Ever Loved/ There'll
Come A Time/ There'll Come A Time/ There's A Mother Old And Gray Who Needs
Me Now/ Too Young To Marry/ Took My Gal A Walkin'/ Under The Double Eagle/
We Will Outshine The Sun/ What Is Home Without Babies/ White House Blues/
Wild Horse/ Wreck Of The Virginian No.3/ You Ain't Talkin' To Me
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