New Releases: July
2010 -> March 2011
Country, Bluegrass & Old Timey
Rosalie Allen ->
Lulubelle & Scotty + Books + DVD
COUNTRY MUSIC USA
Third Revised Edition
by Bill C. Malone & Jocelyn R. Neal |
● BOOK $34.95 |
Paper, 664 pages, counts as eight CDs for shipping
Since its first publication in 1968, Country Music, U.S.A. has won
universal acclaim as the definitive history of American country
music. Starting with the music's folk roots in the rural South, it
traces country music from the early days of radio through the first
decade of the twenty-first century. Although this third edition is
mostly unchanged from the 2002 edition this edition includes an
extensive new chapter in which new co-author Jocelyn Neal tracks
developments in country music in the post-9/11 world, exploring the
relationship between the current scene and the traditions from which
the music emerged. It also includes a new introduction by Malone
where he discusses areas of country music that are in need of
further study and discusses some of the other books published that
complements his own work. As a performer, fan, and historian, Malone
has a unique perspective on the ins and outs of country music in
this groundbreaking tome.
|
BANJO ON THE
MOUNTAIN Wade Mainer's First Hundred Years
by Dick Spottswood |
● BOOK $29.98 |
Paper, 134 pages, highly recommended
Written by the
astute and insightful Dick Spottswood, this long overdue biography
of the great Wade Mainer is as important of a Country music
biography as has come out in recent years. Although it's not really
a straight biography, it is part bio and part scrapbook, with
extensive discography and a great read no matter how you stack it.
In case you didn't know it, Wade Mainer is still alive and well, and
is--at the time of this writing--103 years young, thus the "First
Hundred Years" title. He was even still performing at the age of
101. From joining his brother J.E.'s band J. E. Mainer's
Mountaineers in the early 1930's, to forming his own Sons of the
Mountaineers who played for Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt at the
White House, to getting a prestigious National Heritage Fellowship
from Reagan in 1987, to today, Wade Mainer has seen and made a lot
of history and this book does a fantastic job of telling his story.
Filled throughout with rare photos, important documents and
paraphernalia from several decades of Country music performances.
This was certainly a treat to read and I hope it gets a wide
audience. (JM)
|
BLIND BUT NOW I SEE
The Biography Of Music Legend Doc Watson
by Kent Gustavson |
● BOOK $14.95 |
Paperback, 331 pages, counts as five CDs for
shipping
One of the most influential guitar players in folk/country
music, Doc Watson has been hailed and recognized by his peers as
well as Presidents Carter and Clinton. Kent Gustavson has written
the first comprehensive biography on this amazing man, which
features new interviews with Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Tom Paxton, Peggy
Seeger, Peter Rowan, Greg Brown, David Grisman, Jerry Douglas, Maria
Muldaur, and more. Beautifully illustrated and annotated, the book
also contains never before released details about the American
guitar icon's life.
|
ROSCOE HOLCOMB |
Shanachie DVD 621 |
The Legacy Of Roscoe Holcomb |
● DVD $18.98 |
100 minutes, very highly recommended
Many great
traditional musicians were discovered in the late 50s and 60s but a
few stand out above the rest - Roscoe Holcomb, discovered by John
Cohen in Daisy, Kentucky in 1959, is just such a person. He was a
superb singer, banjo player and guitarist with a high, intense vocal
style that is drenched with emotion. His music was steeped in blues,
traditional ballads and the Baptist church and carries an emotional
charge that has few parallels. This DVD is an incredible collection
of film footage of this magnificent musician. It includes two
documentaries made by John Cohen - the superb "High Lonesome Sound"
from 1962 which tells the story of Roscoe and his music and presents
the hard lives of the people in the area of Kentucky he lives with
music by Roscoe and others. "Roscoe Holcomb From Daisy, Kentucky" is
a new documentary mostly drawn from outtakes of the former movie
along with other footage shot in 1962 and 1972 - it's a bit
fragmentary and disjointed but it's always nice to see and hear more
of Roscoe and it features a moving Vietnam war song by Roscoe's
nephew Odabe. There are 10 great filmed performances of Roscoe made
between 1961 and 1966 doing songs and tunes like Pretty Fair Miss
In The Garden/ Old Smoky/ Graveyard Blues/ Rocky Mountain and
others and the disc is rounded out by some interesting outtakes from
the new documentary. If you love old time music this is
indispensible. (FS)
|
ROSALIE ALLEN |
Jasmine 3598/9 |
The Versatile Rosalie Allen |
● CD $18.98 |
2 CDs, 61 tracks, 159 min., very highly recommended
Known as the "Queen of the Yodelers," Rosalie Allen (born Julie Bedra) made quite a name for herself in New York in the 1940s and
landed a recording contract with RCA and later with Waldorf Music
Hall. This compilation features not just the yodelers such as I
Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart and He Taught Me How To
Yodel, but forays into western swing, country, boogie, and
elsewhere. She sings Hank Williams' Your Cheatin' Heart, the
cleverly titled Believe Me I'll Be Leaving You/ Honky Tonk
Angels/ My Dolly Has A Broken Heart/ Spanish Polka and more.
(Don't let the postwar title Hitler Lives raise your blood
pressure or eye brows; the chorus is on the order of "Hitler lives
if we hurt our fellow men.") Hardcore fans will appreciate that
Allen's earliest recordings with Denver Darling (the Tex Grande
Band) have been included, as have both versions of Guitar Polka,
one of which features the rising star named Chet Atkins. The overall
sound is excellent, the sequencing is well thought out, the running
time approaches the maximum possible, and the booklet notes are
informative if somewhat lacking in session details. Best Rosalie
Allen collection ever--a pleasure from start to end. (Inspirational
line: "I would rather be spanked than practice my scales.") (JC)
|
ALLERTON & ALTON |
Bear Family BCD 16559 |
Black, White And Bluegrass |
● CD $21.98 |
27 tracks, 71 mins, highly recommended
What made Allerton & Alton unique might also be what made them obscure to most
music fans; a black and white duo is something that would still
stand out a bit in Country and Bluegrass music of today, so think
about what it must have been like to be playing "Mountain Music"
music in the '40s and '50s with an African American as half of the
act. Certainly one of histories lost greats, Allerton & Alton were a
fine Country music act. These recordings, done for radio station
WLAM out of Lewiston, Maine, were thought to be long lost, but were
unearthed recently, and Bear Family gladly grabbed them up and put
out this exceptional collection. Allerton (Al Hawkes) & Alton
(Myers) met when both record collectors were out scouring the record
store bins for rare Country & Bluegrass 78s, a friendship and
musical partnership quickly blossomed. Soon they were playing on the
radio in the style of their heroes like The Bales Brothers, Delmore
Bothers, etc. The tracks here display their thorough knowledge of
Country music with fine covers of The Carter Family, Flatt & Scuggs,
Ernest Tubb, Jimmie Skinner and so on. This CD collects three of
their radio shows in full with between-song banter and such, and
then another 14 tracks from various sources. All in all, a fantastic
historical document full of wonderful performances. (JM)
|
TEX ATCHISON |
B.A.C.M. 327 |
Natural Born Gamblin' Man |
● CD $14.98 |
27 tracks, recommended
An enjoyable selection of
tracks recorded between 1945 and '48 for a variety of label
featuring fiddler/ singer Tex Atchison who got his start with The
Prairie Ramblers. He is accompanied by such stellar musicians as
Merle Travis, Jimmie Widener, Noel Boggs, Cliffie Stone and others.
About half the tracks are fairly hot with strong vocals and
instrumental work while the rest is not so haot with fairly soporific
instrumental work and drab vocals including a couple of vocals by T.
Texas Tyler who is one of my least favorite country singers.
Includes excellent notes by Kevin Coffey. (FS)
|
THE BAILES BROTHERS |
Gusto 2169 |
20 Songs |
● CD $8.98 |
20 tracks, recommended
The Bailes Brothers were one
of the great brother groups - originally consisting of four
brothers. They had a lengthy career performing in various
combinations from the early 40s through the 70s and the set here is
about 2/3 recordings made for King between 1947 and 1953 and the
rest from a 1973 reunion of Johnnie and Homer. The earlier sides are
more compelling with intense vocals accompanied by guitar, mandolin
and the soaring steel guitar of Shot Jackson. The later sides
features larger and more polished accompanying groups but are still
rewarding - their 1973 version of Sweeter Than The Flowers is
particularly nice. Their material is mostly gospel songs along with
a handful of secular songs and includes Dust On The Bible/ An
Empty Mansion/ He Will Set Your Fields On Fire/ Future Hold Nothing/
I Wanna Be Loved Only By You/ Somebody's Praying For You/ Down The
Valley Of The Shadow, etc. Sound quality on the earlier sides is
not the greatest but is quite listenable. (FS)
|
WILF CARTER
(MONTANA SLIM) |
B.A.C.M. 316 |
Vol. 1 - Hillbilly Valley |
● CD $14.98 |
24 tracks, 74 mins, recommended
Initially influenced
by America's Jimmie Rodgers, this Canadian western singer often
recorded under the pseudonym Montana Slim. He began his recording
career in 1933, adopting his hero's love of yodeling and became one
of the finest yodelers in the business as this collection clearly
shows. In his 55 year career he recorded over 500 songs and the
first 25 years of his career has been documented in two large Bear
Family box sets but this provides a more manageable introduction
featuring a divese recordings made between 1935 and 1947. Most of
the tracks are from 1935 through 1941 and these mostly feature Wilf
alone with his guitar and yodel - the handful of tracks from '47
find him with small groups with fiddle and steel guitar. Tracks
include My Lulu/ Two Gun Cowboy/ Just One More Ride/ Midnight
Train/ Sundown Blues/ Sittin' By The Old Corral/ Hillbilly Valley/
When It's Twilight Over Texas, etc. (FS)
WILF CARTER: Call Of The Range/ Cowboy Blues/
Cowboy's Heavenly Dream/ Dusty Trails/ Hang The Key On The Bunkhouse
Door/ Hillbilly Valley/ I'm Only A Dude In Cowboy Clothes/ Just One
More Ride/ Midnight Train/ My Brown Eyed Prairie Rose/ My Lulu/ My
Old Lasso Is Headed Straight For You/ My Rambling Days Are Through/
Returning To My Prairie Home/ Ridin' A Maverick/ Sittin' By The Old
Corral/ Sundown Blues/ The Preacher And The Cowboy/ The Roundup In
The Fall/ The Tramp's Mother/ Trail To Home Sweet Home/ Twilight On
The Prairie/ Two Gun Cowboy/ When It's Twilight Over Texas
|
JOHNNY CASH |
Columbia 60051 |
Bootleg Vol. 2 - From Memphis To
Hollywood |
● CD $15.98 |
2 CDs, 57 tracks, 124 mins, highly recommended
Johnny Cash certainly cast a long shadow in American Music history,
so it's no surprise that, years after his passing, there are
numerous CDs worth of quality recordings still being released. This
collection includes early Memphis area radio appearances, demos, and
rare recordings, b-sides and out-takes from about the first 15 years
of Johnny Cash's career. Disk one focuses exclusively on the
formative years of 1955 - 1958 and has the radio shows, a slew of
demos and then some rare Sun records recordings. There are 17 demo
recordings throughout the 2 CDs, most of them '58 or before, and
they include the first recordings of such major songs as I Walk
The Line/ Country Boy/ Get Rhythm/ Train Of Love/ Come Along And
Ride This Train, etc. These fantastic demo versions would be
enough for the price of admission for most Cash fans by themselves,
but then you have 40 more great tracks besides. The early radio
shows include Johnny Cash doing promotional spots for the Home
Equipment Company; not the natural pitch-man that someone like Hank
Williams was, but that makes these spots that much more endearing.
Disk two focuses mostly on Cash's late '50s to '60s material and has
such gems as All Over Again/ The Johnny Yuma Theme/ Five Minutes
To Live/ Johnny Reb/ The Frozen Logger/ You Beat All I Ever Saw/
Foolish Questions, and so on. As with the first installment in
this series, I consider this an essential for any Johnny Cash fans
and at least highly recommended to everyone else (I'll definitely be
buying this copy!) (JM)
|
THE
DELMORE BROTHERS & FRIENDS |
Jasmine 3588 |
Blues Stay Away From Me |
● CD $11.98 |
24 tracks, very highly recommended
Terrific
collection of sides featuring the great Delmore Brothers and their
frequent playing associates Wayne Raney & Lonnie Glosson. Although
it includes a few of their best known titles like the title songs,
Freight Train Boogie and Why Don't You Haul Off And Love
most of the rest is appearing on CD for the first time. The majority
of the tracks feature vocals by Glosson or Raney but all features
the distinctive guitar accompaniments and occasional vocal harmonies
of the Delmores. This CD features the tracks by Glosson and Raney
moonlighting for London under the pseudonyms Hank Dalton and
Lonesome Willie Evans as well as gospel songs by Glosson and The
Delmores as The Hallelujah Trio. Among the highlights is the
beautiful Harmonica Blues issued as by The Delmore Brothers
but featuring the first vocal by Raney, the glorious Pan American
Boogie with duet vocals and harmonicas by Glosson and Raney, the
traditional sounding I Want You To Know That I Love You and
more. Fabulous music with excellent sound and informative notes by
Al Turner. (FS)
|
AL DEXTER |
B.A.C.M. 322 |
High Price For Love |
● CD $14.98 |
26 tracks, 69 mins, recommended
26 tracks by this
fine Texas country vocalist who is best known for his composition
Pistol Packing Mama (included here) which he first recorded in
1942 and has since become a country standard. In spite of the title,
the last session here is actually from 1941. The material here
ranges from 1937 through 1947 including fine early swinging sides
with small groups featuring some nice electric and steel guitar from
Bob Symons. Later sides feature larger groups, often with the
distinctive trumpet of Holly Hollinger. In addition to his fine
vocals and band work, Dexter was a talented songwriter and almost
all the songs were written or co-written by him. Apart from
Pistol Packin' Mama most of the other tracks are lesser known
and most are appearing on CD for the first time. Includes My baby
Loves Me/ Gypsy Swing/ Come Back To Me My Darling/ You Will Always
Be My Darling/ Just take A Little Time/ Barrel House Pola, etc.
AL DEXTER: At The End Of Each Day/ Bar Hotel/
Barrel House Boogie/ Barrel House Polka/ Calamity Jane/ Calico Rag/
Can This Love Be Real/ Come Back To Me My Darling/ Each Night I Cry
Over Your Picture/ Gypsy Swing/ High Price For Love/ Honky Tonk
Baby/ I Cry When I'm Blue/ It's Too Late To Say You're Sorry Now/
Just Take A Little Time/ Meet Me Down In Honky Tonk Town/ New Guitar
Polka/ New Pistol Packin' Mama/ New Soldier's Farewell/ One More Day
In Prison/ Pistol Packin' Mama/ She's The Sunshine Of Moonshine
Valley/ The Texas Waltz/ Two Broken Hearts/ You Will Always Be My
Darling
|
JOHNNY DOE |
Cactus JD 1 |
The Johnny Cash Sound Of Johnny Doe
aka Stan Farlow |
● CD $15.98 |
30 tracks, 79 mins, recommended
The huge popularity
of Johnny Cash inspired a lot of great musicians; it also inspired a
lot of copycats, rip off artist and an artist named Johnny Doe
(sometimes Stan Farlow) a dead ringer J.C. impersonator, that made a
bit of a career for himself back in the '60s and '70s. Instead of
sticking to clubs in Vegas and the like, knowing his place like a
good Elvis impersonator would, ole Johnny Doe went out and made a
whole bunch of his own records. Not only does Doe/ Farlow perform
dead on covers of Cash favorites like The Man In Black/ Folsom
Prison Blues/ Hey Porter, etc., he also does a number of quite
good songs in the Cash style like Hot Wheels/ Devil River,
and Cab Drivin Man. It's really uncanny how much these sound
like Johnny Cash records, owing also to the great musicians backing
him up and solid production quality throughout. Some of these
original singles actually came out on respectable labels like
Checker/ Chess! Johnny Cash fans will either totally love this, or
be totally pissed off about it; personally, I think it's a lot of
fun, a bit like discovering a bunch of lost Johnny Cash recordings
from the '60s and early 70's. (JM)
|
ROY DRUSKY |
B.A.C.M. 332 |
Swing Wide Your Gates Of Love |
● CD $14.98 |
30 tracks, recommended
30 tracks recorded between
1955 and 1960 by this artist who had many hits in the the 60s and
early 70s but is pretty much forgotten today. Drusky had a smooth
but expressive style and wrote some very appealing songs but a lot
of his recordings feature backup vocal choruses that were so
prevalent at the the time and take away me of the impact of the
performances - at least to my ears. It includes three of his early
hits - Another/ Anymore/ I'd Rather LOan You Out and Three
Hearts In A Tangle along with Come On Back And LOve Me/ God
PLanned It That Way/ I Walk To Heaven/ Three Blines Mice (yes, a
country version of the old nursery rhyme!)/ Wait And See/ Our
Church, Your Wedding/ I'm So Helpless/ I've Got Some/Swing Wide Your
Gate Of Love/ Almost Can't, etc. More than half the songs were
written or cowritten by DRusky. (FS)
|
BOB DUNN |
Origin Jazz Library 1004 |
Master Of The Electric Steel Guitar,
1935-1950 |
● CD $33.98 |
Two CDS, 53 tracks, essential
Pioneering electric
steel guitarist Bob Dunn may not be a household name but he was one
of the more important figures in the development of western swing in
particular and modern country music in general. Dunn's "take-off"
style incorporated blues, Hawaiian guitar & the trombone of Jack
Teagarden and was an influence on many steel guitarists to follow
including Leon McAuliffe. Perhaps the reason for his comparative
obscurity is that most of his work was done as an accompanying
performer and only recorded a dozen titles under his own name with
his band The Vagabonds. Origin Jazz Library have rectified that
situation with this lovingly compiled package featuring all twelve
titles issued under his own name along with stellar work with Milton
Brown & His Brownies, Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers, Floyd Tillman,
Bill Mounce & Sons Of The South, Modern Mountaineers, Harry Choates
and others. Throughout, Dunn's playing is dazzling and imaginative.
This set is beautifully packaged in a 5"x7" book form with a 44 page
booklet with four essays on Dunn's career, life, technique and the
influence of the trombone on his music. There are loads of great
photos, many previously unpublished and full discographical data.
Sound quality is superb. This magnificent release will help
establish Dunn's credentials as the major performer he was. (FS)
|
HUGH & KARL FARR |
Country Routes RFDCD 11 |
Texas Stomp 1934-40 |
● CD $16.98 |
26 tracks, essential
Repressed by popular demand! To
put it simply, this is an amazing find - 26 transcriptions by Hugh &
Karl Farr, Leonard Slye (Roy Rogers), Bob Nolan and other Sons Of
The Pioneers, doing some of the instrumentals they used as filler on
early radio shows. No Cool Water here, and no filler, for
that matter - this is all hot jazz and blues-based swing in the
style of the famed Eddie Lang - Joe Venuti string duos; a style
popularized around this time by Django Reinhardt and Co. The disc
begins with three 1935 guitar duets from the Farr Bros., then on to
Bluebird Rhythm, a showcase for Hugh's flashy fiddling. Next
comes a 1940 quartet in the Hot Club mode, then the earliest track
here (1934), the standard Milneburg Joys complete with
breakneck tempo and solo breaks. The chronology is jumbled, but no
matter - every track is a gem, from the delicate swing of Heart
To Heart/ I Said Goodbye to the many torrid workouts for fiddle
and guitar. Farr and Rogers' St. Louis Blues is a perfect
lazy blues with wild violin flourishes, and Texas Stomp is
the hottest of the hot, featuring Karl in 1940 on electric guitar!
This year was also marked by imaginative quartet arrangements, as on
Comin' Thru The Rye/ Memories In Blue/ Dark Eyes. The
musicianship is just astounding, making this an essential for fans
of string jazz or hot country picking. A wonderful slice of unheard
history. (MB)
|
TERRY FELL/
LEODIE JACKSON |
B.A.C.M. 333 |
Ramblin' Oakie |
● CD $14.98 |
28 tracks, 77 mins, recommended
Fine collection of
28 sides from the mid/ late 40s featuring vocalist Terry Fell and
Western swing steel guitarist Leodie Jackson, often working
together. They are featured on a varied selections of mostly
original compositions by Fell or Jackson recorded for small West
Coast labels like Fargo and Courtney as well as the more significant
independent 4 Star. Unlike his later material which was heavilly
loaded with novelty songs most of this is pretty much straight ahead
honky tonk - sometimes with a Western Swing flavor. Apart from
Jackson the personell varies from session to session and some of the
4 Star sides feature the great guitarist Porky Freeman. An enjoyable
collection with decent sound quality though, curiously, there is an
insert apologizing for the sound quality on some cuts but I didn't
find them any worse than other B.A.C.M. CDs so don't be put off by
that. Includes quality notes by Kevin Coffey. (FS)
TERRY FELL & LEODIE JACKSON: Double Crossing
Mama-1/ Double Crossing Mama-2/ Down And Out Blues/ Guess I'm Better
Off Without You/ I Love You Too Much To Care/ I'm Sorry We Have To
Part/ Jackson Stomp/ Little By Little/ My Pretty Little Japanese/
Napanee/ Paper Heart/ Please My Darling Think Of Me/ Please Tell Me
Why/ Ramblin' Oakie/ Snow Deer/ Steel Guitar Melody/ Steeling The
Blues (instro)/ Stop Your Flirting Little Girl/ Texas A La Mode
(instro)/ That Naggin' Wife Of Mine-1/ That Naggin' Wife On Mine-2/
Waiting For A Love Untrue/ Why Should I Feel So Blue/ Will There
Still Be A Light In Your Window/ With Another In Your Heart/ You Are
My Sunshine/ You Didn't Want Me Anymore/ You're Tearing My Poor
Paper Heart
|
FREDDY FENDER |
Golden Stars 5298 |
The Hits And More |
● CD $19.98 |
3 CDs, 42 tracks, 125 mins, recommended
The great
Freddy Fender's catalog is criminally neglected. This three CD
collection does the bare minimum to help correct that. This is a
cheap set with no notes, info, pictures, etc., just the music, which
thankfully there is a lot of fantastic music here. Disk one features
most of his best-known recordings in their classic versions. His
most well known numbers Before The Next Teardrop Falls, and
Wasted Days and Wasted Nights, along with some of his best
Tex-Mex cover versions, like Ivory Joe Hunter's Since I Met You
Baby, Merle Haggard's Silver Wings, and Lloyd Price's
Just Because, all fantastic, makes you feel like you are back in
the '70s listening to A.M. radio crying a tear into your Billy Beer.
Disk two is a mix of Fender's originals - The Girl Who Waits On
Tables/ A Man Can Cry, etc., covers of classic Rhythm & Blues
and Country like You'll Lose A Good Thing, and Jambalaya,
and traditional Mexican numbers like No Me Quieres Ver, all
good, but the best track on disk two would have been Fender's take
on Kris Kristofferson's For The Good Times, if it was his
beautiful studio version, as it is we get an o.k. live version, an
opportunity lost for sure. Disk three is almost entirely live,
seemingly recorded at a number of different dates and for the most
part, the performances are really good. The standout studio track on
the disk the Doo-Wop esque "Como Quieres" ends up being the best
track on the disk. So all in all, a mixed bag, but about the best we
fans have available right now. (JM)
|
FREDDY FENDER |
Pegasus 181 |
The Best Of Freddy Fender |
● CD $8.98 |
20 tracks, 54 mins, highly recommended
Do you have a
Freddy Fender compilation? Well you need one; he was a great and
much under-appreciated artist. This is a fine collection to start
with, featuring a fine mix of his big hits that he wrote and a whole
bunch of the great cover songs that he did over the years. Most
famous for his big hits Wasted Days and Wasted Nights and
Before The Next Teardrop Falls, which are both here, Fender also
really shined on his covers of early Rock 'N' Roll, Doo Wop, and
Country Music classics. On this you get his fantastic versions of
Your Cheating Heart/ Wild Side Of Life/ Since I Met You Baby/ Let
The Good Times Roll, and many more. There's even a great nod to
his close friend Doug Sahm, with a rollicking version of She's
About A Mover. Not much in the way of liner notes or anything (I
have yet to see a Freddy Fender collection that has really been done
well, with extensive notes and all), but the sound is good and the
track selection is the best I have seen on a F.F. collection, so
this is basically the best "Best Of" so far. (JM)
|
HANK FERGUSON |
Folk Legacy 13 |
Behind These Walls |
● CD $16.98 |
18 tracks, very highly recommended
Tennessee singer
Hank Ferguson deserved to become a country star - he was a beautiful
singer with a disarming honky tonk honesty to his voice. With only
his own acoustic guitar accompaniment his performances bring to mind
some of those great Hank Williams acoustic demos. Not that I'm
suggesting that this Hank was in the same league but there is an undelying honesty to the performnces that really brings up
goosebumps. Ferguson was found by folklorist Bruce Jackson when he
visited the Indiana State Penitentiary in Michigan City, Indiana
where Hank was serving a year for an undisclosed crime and Folk
Legacy made these recordings shortly after Hank was released in
1963. The first half a dozen songs deal with crime and prison life
including three written by Hank himself including the powerful
I'm Not Living, I'm Just Lasting/ One Life's As Long As Any Man Can
Live and Trouble Just Got In My Way. The rest of the
material is country standards and traditional songs and includes
truly moving versions of Harlan Howard's Busted ,Long
Black Veil and others. This guy was so good it's a shame he
wasn't picked up by a commercial label. But, as it stands, this is a
release to treasure. (FS)
|
LESTER
FLATT & EARL SCRUGGS |
T-Bird 035 |
Folk Songs Of Our Land/ Hard
Travelin' .. Ballad Of Jed Clampett |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks, recommended
Two early 60s albums from the
great Flatt & Scruggs with their superb band The Foggy Mountain Boys
(Buck Graves/ Dobro, Curly Seckler/ mandolin, Paul Warren/ fiddle,
etc.). "Folk Songs Of Our Land" features folk oriented songs
including traditional songs (with Flatt & Scruggs composer credits),
songs in a traditional vein and songs from Woody Guthrie and Merle
Travis. Includes The Legend Of The Johnson Boys/ Good Times Are
Past And Gone/ This Land Is Your Land/ Nine Pound Hammer, etc.
"Hard Travelin'" features a similar repertoire, including three
songs from The Carter Family, and also includes their original
Ballad Of Jed Clampett which became the theme song of the TV
show "The Beverly Hillbillies" and became the first bluegrass song
to top the country charts. Also includes Dixie Home/ Drowned In
The Deep Blue Sea/ My Native Home/ I'm Bound To Ride, etc. The
CD includes a booklet with the original notes which on "Travelin"
was by the brilliant Pete Welding who offers great insight into the
group's music. (FS)
|
DALLAS FRAZIER |
Raven 262 |
The R&B Sessions: Elvira/ Tell It
Like It Is |
● CD $19.98 |
27 tracks, 66 min, highly recommended
Reissuing for
the first time on CD Frazier's mid-sixties LPs Elvira and Tell It
Like It Is, this release finds the author of Alley Oop and
Elvira pushing aside his country credentials in favor of his
blue-eyed soul side with success to spare. Sure, a couple of songs
start out with the Alley Oop beat, but they quickly move into
their own territory, and fertile land it is. Best known as a song
writer, Frazier has a fine voice and expressive phrasing on such
tracks as Ain't Nothin' Shakin' (But The Leaves)/ Baby, Ain't
That Fine/ Just A Little Bit Of You/ Done Made Up My Mind, and
more. Fans of Delbert McClinton and Eddie Hinton should find much to
admire here. Includes three bonus tracks (Tennessee Sue/ King Of
The Jungle/ Make Believe You're here With Me) not on the
original LPs. A find! (JC)
|
VERN GOSDIN |
Sims 306 |
Late & Great - The Voice |
● CD $9.98 |
10 tracks, highly recommended
Vern Gosdin, who died
in 2009, was one of the greatest honky tonk singers of the 70s, 80s
and 90s with an aching, yearning quality that, at times, brings to
mind George Jones in his Epic period. This man puts so much feeling
into a song it will raise the hair on your arms. This is a
posthumous release of previously unissued material. The origin of
these recordings is unclear but it sounds as though it was recorded
in the mid 90s featuring Vern in great voice and he is accompanied
by a superb band with no extraneous strings or vocal choruses. Six
of the ten songs were written by Vern and are a fine selection of
heart rending ballads and mid tempo songs. To be perfectly
objective, there' not a whole lot of variety in Vern's music, but
the man sang with so much soul that objectivity doesn't enter into
it! (FS)
|
BILLY GRAMMER |
B.A.C.M. 325 |
A Thousand Miles Away |
● CD $14.98 |
29 tracks, recommended, but ...
In 1959 Billy Grammer had big crossover hit with pop-country-folk song Gotta
Travel On - he then went on to repeat the formula over the next
couple of years with little variation on a bunch of singles and LP.
As enjoyable as Travel a little more variety in his later
work would be most welcome. However this disc also features six
early sides by Grammer - four from around 1949/ 50 and two from an
unknown date (probably mid 50s) and these are much more rewarding.
The four earliest sides are fine pre-honky tonk country including a
terrific cover of Ivory Joe Hunter's R&B hit I Almost Lost My
Mind, complete with yodeling that is worth the price of
admission. The two mysterious cuts are fine rockin' country
performances with excellent guitar work (probably Grammer himself
who was a top notch picker) including a fine rendition of Wabash
Cannonball. So I'm in two minds about this CD which has a few
very fine sides, an enjoyable hit and a bunch of what is, to me,
pretty forgettable material. (FS)
|
STONEWALL JACKSON |
Omni 141 |
Life Of A Poor Boy |
● CD $16.98 |
30 tracks, 76 mins, highly recommended
A country
star of the late 50's and on into the 60's, Jackson is somewhat
forgotten today; and yet, he racked up thirty-five Top 40 country
hits between 1958 and 1971. This collection of hits and lesser known
album cuts seeks to remind people that Jackson was and is (he's
still very much alive) an honorable member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Jackson's honky-tonkin' is savored on hits like I Washed My Hand
in Muddy Water (probably his best known song), Trouble and
Me/ Blues Plus Booze (Means I Lose), and Help Stamp Out
Loneliness, and all are featured here. Omni have done a
beautiful job of putting the compilation together-the songs are
remastered from Columbia's original master tapes and the booklet
contains exclusive liner notes and rare photos. This country music
at its most pure, heartfelt, and down-home-most presented for the
first time on CD-and deserves your attention. (GMC)
|
JERRY LEE LEWIS |
Bear Family BCD 16685 |
Old Time Religion |
● CD $21.98 |
Just arrived. Amazing collection of 20 gospel songs
recorded live by Jerry Lee and his band at Brother Davis's Church in
Memphis in December 1970 and previously unissued. These recordings
were made three days after he renounced worldly music - a situation
that didn't last very long! In addition to the songs Jerry Lee does
some preaching and testifying and flogs his latest LP to the
congregation.
JERRY LEE LEWIS: Amazing Grace/ Down The Sawdust
Trail/ I Know That Jesus Will Be There/ I Won't Have To Cross Jordan
Alone/ I'll Fly Away/ I'm In The Gloryland Way/ I'm Longing For
Home/ If We Never Meet Again-I'm Gonna Meet You In Heaven/ It Will
Be Worth It All When We See Jesus/ Keep On The Firing Line/ Life's
Railway To Heaven/ Looking For A City/ My God Is Real/ On The
Jericho Road/ Precious Memories/ Someone To Care/ The Old Rugged
Cross/ There'll Be Peace In The Valley/ Tomorrow May Mean Goodbye/
When Jesus Beckons Me Home
|
LITTLE ROY LEWIS &
THE LEWIS FAMILY |
Gusto 2161 |
Gospel Train |
● CD $4.98 |
Reissue of 1968 Starday LP. 8 of the tracks are
instrumental versions of bluegrass gospel favorites like Gospel
Train/ Where The Soul Of Man Never Dies/ Power In The Blood and
others performed by Little Roy Lewis of The Lewis Family ("The First
Family Of Bluegrass Gospel Music") accompanied by a bluegrass with
occasional unnecessary drums. There are also two vocals from the
Lewis Family - Rank Strangers and Brighten The Corner
Where You Are.
|
THE LOUVIN BROTHERS |
Righteous PSALM 23:49 |
The Church Of Louvin |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks, essential
The great Louvin Brothers
recorded a lot of gospel and this CD reissues their first two all
gospel LPs - "Nearer My God To Thee" (Capitol 825, 1957) and "The
Family Who Prays" (Capitol 1061, 1958). Both features that
distinctive Louvin sound blending their acoustic guitar and mandolin
with electric guitar (usually Chet Atkins or Paul Yandell) and
discreet bass and drums. The first LP is
a mix of Louvin originals like
I Can't Say Now, Thankful and I Steal Away And Pray
balanced with better known traditional tunes as This Little Light
Of Mine/ Nearer My God To Thee and the old Southern gospel
favorite Are You Washed In The Blood along with Hazel
Houser's Praying and Wait A Little Longer, Please Jesus.
The second LP is almost all Louvin originals and includes some great
songs like the title song plus Satan Lied To Me/ Preach The
Gospel/ Pray For Me/ Make Him A Soldier and others. These have
been reissued on CD a couple of times before but if you don't
already have them then this is an indispensible collection of
country gospel at its very finest. (FS)
|
LULU BELLE &
SCOTTY |
B.A.C.M. 330 |
The Sweethearts Of Country Music |
● CD $14.98 |
26 tracks, 68 mins, recommended
18 of the tracks are
from commercial recordings made in the late 40s/ early 50s for
several different labels and they do songs like That's Only Half
Of It/ My Heart Cries For You/ New Love Waltz/ Precious Memories/
Spearmint On The Bedpost (the original of the song that became a
1961 hit for Lonnie Donegan as Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's
Flavor Overnight)/You Don't Love Me Like You Used To/ Beyond
The Starry Sky and others. It also includes their second
recording of Have I Told You Lately That I Love You - a
Scotty Wiseman composition that has become a country and pop
standard. There are six tracks from late 40s Republic transcriptions
where they are backed by The Prairie Ramblers and the set ends with
two live recordings from the WLS National Barn Dance program which
they were featured on for many years. Sound quality is decent and
notes gives us a potted biography of the duo but no information
about the recordings here. (FS)
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