J.E. MAINER'S MOUNTAINEERS King Recordings 1946-1961

Saturday, March 26, 2016

More great Mainer music is presented in this post which features the recordings J.E. and his Mountaineers made for the King label during three sessions in 1946 and a later session in 1961. The bulk of the 1946 recordings, first released as 78 rpm singles, were collected on the 1959 LP "Good Ole' Mountain Music" (King 666) while the 1961 outing resulted in "A Variety Album" (King 765). Both the 1946 and 1961 sessions heavily featured J.E.'s son, Glen Mainer on vocals and banjo.
Both albums are included here with bonus tracks from the respective sessions. From the final 1946 session in October of that year, "Walking For The Lord" and "Before Judgement Day" were issued as a single on King 851, and both were later included on Audio Lab country gospel compilations. "If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again" is the only issued track from the 1946 sessions not included here, apparently it was only released on a very rare Audio Lab LP (AL-1557) >>> THANKS TO THE ATTIC'S FRIEND ROUNDER, THIS TRACK IS NOW INCLUDED AS TRACK 19 OF KING 666 <<<. From the 1961 sessions, "Mainer's Jews Harp" and "Get Away Old Man, Get Away" were issued on 45 as King 45-5522, while "Hard Times In A Cotton Mill" and "I've Take My Fun Where I've Found It" (a bizarre and surreal hillbilly adaptation of the 1922 Rudyard Kipling poem "The Ladies") remained unissued until they were included on a 2011 Mainer compilation.

J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers
"Good Old Mountain Music" King 666

Tracks:

1. What'll I Do With The Baby-O
2. Workin' On A Buildin'
3. John Henry
4. Run Mountain
5. I'm Not Turning Backward
6. The Lonely Train
7. Pale Moonlight
8. Gathering Flowers From The Hillside
9. Shoot The Turkey Buzzard
10. Mother's Only Sleeping
11. Johnson County Blues
12. Big Ball's In Town
13. The Forks Of The Road
14. The Yodelin' Mountaineer
15. I'll Remember You Love In My Prayers
16. Lonely Tombs
17. Walking For The Lord (bonus track)
18. Before Judgement Day (bonus track)
19-If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again (bonus track)

*download here*

J.E. Mainer And His Mountaineers
"A Variety Album" King 765

Tracks:

1. Mainer's Breakdown
2. Echos
3. Ticklish David
4. Glen's Chimes
5. Johnson's Old Grey Mule
6. Country Breakdown
7. Nobody's Business
8. Old Number Nine
9. Pretty Moon
10. Little Adobe Shack
11. I'll Be True To The One I Love
12. Forty Years Ago
13. Don't Tease Me This Way
14. Tears At The Altar
15. Take Hold Of My Hand
16. I Can Hear My Mother Praying
17. Hard Times In A Cotton Mill (bonus track)
18. I've Take My Fun Where I've Found It (bonus track)
19. Mainer's Jews Harp (bonus track)
20. Get Away Old Man, Get Away (bonus track)

*download here*