RED McCOY with the Sons Of The Soil

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Wayne Evon Busbice (1929-2011), who performed and recorded in the fifties and sixties as Red McCoy, is a fascinating and unusual figure in Country Music history to say the least. He is probably most remembered for two things; being the older brother of the troubled and brilliant bluegrass mandolinist/tenor Buzz Busby, and for having written and recorded a strange pseudo-Rockabilly track, "Rock And Roll Atom".
Red and Buzz were Louisiana farm boys whose life trajectories could not have been more stark in their differences. While Buzz led a life riddled with drug and alcohol problems, prison stints, and a shattered career, brother Wayne’s many faceted career involved distinguished military service, advanced higher education, and a long run in music as a performer, recording artist and producer. Late in life he authored a volume on the family history of the Busbice name in Louisiana titled "Uncovering the Secrets of a Southern Family: A Memoir", about which a press release states "But the undercurrent of Wayne's life remained a driving need to uncover the family secret: a killing the adults whispered about when they gathered behind closed doors. Wayne discovered he was living under a false name; Cousin Allen was really his grandfather; and Allen had lived a double life as a fugitive from the Pinkerton detectives of the 1890s." I'm really just scratching the surface of the story of someone who seems to have been a really interesting guy, I think you get the idea...
"Country & Gospel" was released on the Mount Vernon Music label in 1962 and seems to comprise of various selections recorded in Washington D.C. at Rodel Studio in the late fifties and early sixties. A few of the tracks such as "Goin' Back To Dixie" were released as 45s on the Empire label, but many, including "Rock And Roll Atom" (written as a teaching device for his high school students) were only released on this LP. The voices of brother Buzz and Pete Pike are clearly audible on many tracks, which despite the piano and electric guitar, often have a generally old-timey feel. The audio is very lo-fi for the time, and interestingly, although this copy is labeled as being in "Studio Stereo", the actual disc has the mono issue number in the dead wax, and is in fact simply the mono edition rebadged as "Stereo".
Also included in this post is 1965 single on the Almanac label containing a couple more tunes written by Busbice. "3000 Miles Lonesome" was cut in 1964, while "What's The Use" was waxed back in 1961. Both sides were recorded in D.C., the latter featuring Buzz on harmonies.

Red McCoy with the Sons Of The Soil
"Country & Gospel"

Tracks:

1. Let Jesus Come Into Your Heart
2. I Heard My Savior Calling
3. I Want To See My Mother Again
4. Be Careful Of Your Father's Name
5. Rainbow Joe
6. Rock And Roll Atom
8. Goin' Back To Dixie
9. Live Your Life With Care
10. I Just Couldn't Say Goodbye

*download here*

Red McCoy
Almanac 808 (45rpm single)

Tracks:

1. 3000 Miles Lonesome
2. What's The Use

*download here*

ALL PAST LINKS ARE LIVE AGAIN!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Just wanted to let the folks know that as of today, all the download links of every past post are live. If there is anything in the Scratchy Attic archives that you would like to download, now is the time. Some of the links have been dead for awhile, as Zippyshare deletes inactive files after thirty days. Unfortunately, I don't always have time to check and re-up older posts. If however, there is ever a dead link on something you would like to download, drop me a line and I'll re-up it as soon as possible.
Happy listening!

MAC ODELL Be On Time

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Three albums are presented in this post by Odell McLeod (1916-2003) who was known on radio and records as Mac Odell, The Old Country Boy.

from AllMusic:

Odell, who sang, wrote songs and played harmonica, guitar and mandolin equally well, was a popular radio entertainer. He grew up listening to early country stars such as Jimmie Rodgers, the Skillet Lickers and especially the harmonica wizard Deford Bailey. He first worked with Slim Bassett and hoboed for a time around several states before they gained a regular show, as Mac And Slim in New Orleans, in 1935. After he married, he worked with his wife as Mac And Little Addie. They played WJJD Chicago's Supper Time Frolics for some time but their career was interrupted by World War II. Odell worked in a Michigan factory but continued to write songs as a staff writer for Roy Acuff (he wrote Acuff’s popular ‘Radio Station SAVED’ and ‘That Glory Bound Train’). After the war, he and his wife resumed their career on WLAC Nashville, remaining there until 1957. During this time he did daily shows with Addie and also appeared solo. He recorded for Mercury Records in 1949 but in 1952, he joined King Records. Many of his recordings were self-penned numbers, with the vast majority being of a gospel nature. These included ‘Thirty Pieces Of Silver’ (popularized by Wilma Lee Cooper) and ‘From The Manger To The Cross’, both of which have become much-recorded country standards. In 1957, he relocated to Benton Harbor, Michigan, where for some years, he neglected music to run Odell’s Signs, until a 1974 heart attack forced him to give up sign writing. In the late 70s, he was persuaded to make further recordings for Folk Variety of Germany, who also released some of his earlier material. In 1985, he and Addie made a tour of the Netherlands with the popular gospel singing Dutch duo, A.G. And Kate. In the late 80s, he was entertaining locally with three old friends as the Silver Threads. Odell also wrote ‘Purple Robe’, ‘The Stone Was Rolled Away’ and the Flatt And Scruggs hit ‘Cora Is Gone’.

The "Be On Time" and "Wild Rose Of The Mountains" LPs were released on the German Folk Variety label in 1977 and 1978, respectively, and contain nearly all of the sides he cut for Mercury and King in the late forties and early fifties. "Early Radio" was released on Old Homestead in 1980 and features 1955 performances, complete with studio banter, from his daily radio show over WLAC in Nashville. Fortunately, the sound quality on all three LPs is excellent.
Mac has always been a personal favourite of mine having grown up with a much treasured and played 78 copy of "Penicillin" and "Wildwood Flower" on the Quality/King label. Enjoy!

Mac Odell
"Be On Time"

Tracks:

1. The Kiss Of Betrayal
2. Let's Pray
3. Set Your Dial On Heaven
4. Heaven Bound Gospel Train
5. The Stone Was Rolled Away
6. One Day Religion
7. Wildwood Flower
8. Be On Time
9. What Then
10. That Final Day
11. Red Ball Rocket Train
12. When The Hand Of God Comes Down

*download here*

Mac Odell
"Wild Rose Of The Mountains"

Tracks:

1. Thirty Pieces Of Silver
2. Wild Rose Of The Mountains
3. A Prayer For Freedom
4. The Master's Train
5. The Sign On The Highway
6. From The Manger To The Cross
7. Penicillin
8. Are You Practicing His Love
9. I'd Rather Have God
10. Life's Elevator
11. Wolves In Sheep's Clothing
12. A Crown He Wore

*download here*

Mac O'Dell
"Early Radio"

Tracks:

1. Sunnyside (Theme), Be On Time
2. Sales Pitch (Advertisement), If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again
3. I'd Rather Be On The Inside Looking Out
4. Once I Had A Precious Mother
5. I Found It In Mothers Bible
6. One Day Religion
7. Insured Beyond The Grave
8. Meet Me Jesus
9. Just Over The Stars, Sunnyside (Theme)
10. Sunnyside (Theme), Just Like Me
11. Jesus Hold My Hand, Sales Pitch (Song Book)
12. When I Lay My Burdens Down
13. I Saw Mom With God Last Night
14. When He Reached Down His Hand
15. Lifes Railway
16. What Would You Give In Exchange
17. Mansion Over The Hilltop
18. My Blessed Lord, Sunnyside (Theme)

*download here*

The EAST TEXAS SERENADERS 1927-1936

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

SUPPOSE you are a farmer in east Texas during the early 1920's. Your land sits on rolling hills and valleys forrested in spots by pine woods atop sandy red soil. You have just gone to bed and all you can hear are crickets and an occasional hoot owl. You own no radio and no television, but a new Ford automobile is parked next to your barn. Just as you are dropping off to sleep, you are jarred by sounds that you can't believe - a four piece string band playing "The Beaumont Rag" outside your window. You walk outdoors incredulously and listen to "The Sweetest Flower" and the "Arizona Stomp". Eventually, you ask the band what they call themselves. They say, "Why, we're... THE EAST TEXAS SERENADERS
So proclaims the cover of this 1977 LP, another old gem on the County label. Much has been written about this band that bridges the gap between old timey string band music and western swing, so I won't endeavor to add to much myself. Scans of the great sleeve notes are included in the download and the link below provide further reading:

http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/serenade.htm

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/xge02

Tracks:

1. Acorn Stomp
2. Ozark Rag
3. Shannon Waltz
4. Combination Rag
5. Babe
6. Sweetest Flower Waltz
7. Adeline Waltz
8. Three-In-One Two-Step
9. Deacon Jones
10. Serenaders Waltz
11. East Texas Drag
12. Beaumont Rag
13. Arizona Stomp
14. Mineola Rag

*download here*

The GREAT CANADIAN FIDDLE and Other Folklore

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

I'd like to introduce the followers of the Scratchy Attic to a new blog, "The Great Canadian Fiddle and Other Canadian Musical Folklore". As many of you may have noticed, posts to the Attic have slowed to a trickle. This is because I find I have less time to transfer material and annotate posts as I would like. However, I have a great deal of musical Canadiana archived and have decided to share it in the hopes that it will prove useful not only to casual listeners but to radio programmers and musicians as well, as obtaining this sort of material can often prove difficult.
The new blog does not feature any write ups, just track listings and of course the downloads include jacket and label scans where possible. I simply want to share the wealth of Canadiana that I have archived from LPs, cassettes, and 8-tracks for posterity. There are already over 100 albums posted!
I will still post to the Scratchy Attic when time permits as I have plenty great roots music of all varieties to share. If you are in need of a daily music fix however, go check out "The Great Canadian Fiddle and Other Canadian Musical Folklore"!

RED SOVINE The Best Years Of Your Life

Friday, March 22, 2013

Today's post should be a treat for fans of the late Red Sovine as it features a couple of LPs that as far as I can determine have never circulated in digital form. Both from 1963, these are two of the rarer albums in the catalog of a singer whose work has been constantly in demand since his death at age 61 in 1980.
Sovine's recording career began in 1949 when his buddy Hank Williams got him a recording contract with MGM. Nothing much came of these records and in 1954 another of his powerful friends, Webb Pierce, got him a deal with Decca. Webb and Red scored a number one hit with a duet version of George Jones' "Why Baby Why", and Sovine had a few other modest successes with the label including some duets with Goldie Hill. By 1960 he had signed with Starday, but he didn't really hit the big time until 1965 when the trucker recitation "Giddyup Go" became his second number one hit. He followed it with many songs in a similar vein throughout his remaining career and the rest, as they say, is Country Music history.
Although Red recorded for Starday during this period, he must not have had an exclusive contract, for the two albums presented here were cut for the Arc and Somerset labels. That Sovine was not yet the star he would become after the success of "Giddyup Go" is driven home by fact that these are definitely not records that a successful Nashville entertainer would have made at the time.
"The Best Years Of Your Life" was recorded in Toronto and according to the website of the late Dick Nolan the backing band was the Blue Valley Boys with Nolan himself on rhythm guitar. Red probably recorded this session during one of his many stays at Jack Starr's legendary Horseshoe Hotel. It is comprised of remakes of some of Sovine's earlier Decca hits, as well as some standards and songs that were contemporary at the time. It is doubtful that this LP ever circulated outside Canada.
The next LP was released on Dave Miller's budget Somerset label and was part of a series titled "Country and Western Hits made famous by America's Greatest Singers" that were essentially cheapo "soundalike" cover albums. Each issue generally featured one side each of two hit artists' work covered by Nashville session musicians/singers whose names would mean little to the general public. The pairing of Red covering Tennessee Ernie Ford songs with Nashville veteran Jerry Shook playing Chet Atkins' numbers gives some idea of where Sovine's career was at in '63 (A teenage and unknown Dolly Parton recorded some Kitty Wells songs for one of these albums). In fact, in true budget fashion, most of the LPs included only three tunes the original artist had actually recorded, and two more "traditional" (public domain) songs to avoid paying publishing royalties. Cleverly, they made a "boogie" out of "Camptown Races" a la Tennessee Ernie, although Ford himself never recorded such a number. To his credit, Sovine doesn't really imitate Ernie, instead performing these numbers in his own distinct style.

Red Sovine
"The Best Years Of Your Life"

Tracks:

1. We Could
2. Take Me As I Am
3. The Last Letter
4. Missing You
5. Wabash Cannonball
6. The Best Years Of Your Life
7. There Stands The Glass
8. I'm Glad You Found A Place For Me
9. In The Jailhouse Now
10. Here Comes My Baby
11. There She Goes
12. I'd Rather Die Young

*download here*

Red Sovine & Jerry Shook
"Country and Western Hits Made Famous by Chet Atkins & Tennessee Ernie Ford"

Tracks:

1. Country Gentleman (Jerry Shook)
2. Redwing (Jerry Shook)
3. John Henry (Jerry Shook)
4. Wildwood Flower (Jerry Shook)
5. Black Mountain Rag (Jerry Shook)
6. Sixteen Tons (Red Sovine)
7. Footprints In The Snow (Red Sovine)
8. Shotgun Boogie (Red Sovine)
9. Philadelphia Lawyer (Red Sovine)
10. Camptown Boogie (Red Sovine)

*download here*

R.I.P. STOMPIN' TOM 1936-2013

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The great Stompin' Tom Connors has passed away. There's not much to say other than what has appeared in the many online obituaries, one of which from the CBC is here.
It was the discovery of Tom's music in my youth that drove me to seek out other vintage Canadian Country Music, especially that which was "distinctly" so. In memory of Tom here is his classic 1971 album "Live at the Horseshoe".

Tracks:

1. Happy Rovin' Cowboy
2. Big Joe Mufferaw
3. Come Where We're At
4. The Green Green Grass of Home No. 2
5. Spin, Spin
6. Muleskinner Blues
7. Horse-Shoe Hotel Song
8. I've Been Everywhere
9. Sudbury Saturday Night
10. Bus Tour To Nashville
11. Luke's Guitar
12. Bud The Spud

*download here*

EARL TAYLOR Folk Songs From The Blue Grass

Sunday, February 17, 2013

On April 3, 1959 Alan Lomax, newly returned to the U.S. after spending nine years collecting folk songs in Europe, put on a folk concert at New York City's Carnegie Hall. "Folksong '59" brought together a diverse selection of performers such Jimmie Driftwood, Muddy Waters, Pete Seeger and his brother Mike, the Selah Jubilee and Drexel gospel singers, and Memphis Slim. The event even featured a rock and roll group, the Cadillacs, who Lomax encouraged the audience to listen to while "lay(ing) down their prejudices", eliciting some resistance and boos. By all accounts the highlight of the evening was the appearance of a young Baltimore based bluegrass band, Earl Taylor and the Stoney Mountain Boys.
Earl Taylor was born June 17, 1929 in Rose Hill, Virginia and like so many southern youngsters of his generation fell under the spell of the Monroe Brothers. Taking up several instruments he settled on the mandolin in the mold of his idol Bill Monroe whose post-Monroe Brothers band the Blue Grass Boys formed a pattern of imitation followed by countless southern musicians. From 1946 on he played in various regional groups across many states. In the mid fifties he played for a time in Jimmy Martin's band before settling in Baltimore and forming his own band to work local clubs. It was he and the Stoney Mountain Boys' phenomenal performance representing bluegrass (Bill Monroe was offered the gig and refused!) at "Folksong '59" that really put Earl's group on the map. Years later Taylor recalled to Tom Ewing "When we would end a number, I knew that it would take five minutes before we could go into another one - that was how much rarin' and screamin' and hair-pullin' there was."
Riding high on the success of their Carnegie Hall appearance the group recorded "Folk Songs From The Bluegrass" for United Artists the same year, with notes by Lomax. The record was probably aimed more at the folk revival crowd than at the working class southerners who frequented the Stoney Mountain Boys' Baltimore area bar gigs, but it captured the band in all its rough and rowdy glory. The LP contains seventeen tracks of incredibly hard, edgy bluegrass, the kind that seems to have in the modern day all but disappeared.
At the time of both the Lomax concert and the LP the Stoney Mountain Boys consisted of Taylor on mandolin on lead and tenor vocals, Sam "Porky" Hutchins on guitar and vocals, Walter Hensley on banjo, Vernon "Boatwhistle" McIntyre on bass, and Curtis Cody on fiddle. All, with the exception of Cody, are names that appear throughout the history of bluegrass' first generation and worked with many top bands. Nonetheless, this incarnation of the Stoney Mountain Boys ultimately failed to live up to the promise of its short lived success and by 1965 Taylor had disbanded and rejoined Jimmy Martin, and a year later spent some time with Flatt and Scruggs. He performed and recorded sporadically (sometimes with partner Jim McCall) for the rest of his life, often battling ill health and tragedy (the death of his son) before passing away at the age of 53 on January 28, 1984. While recordings such as this LP and his early Rebel singles are highly regarded by collectors, his subsequent recordings never really matched the quality and intensity of his earlier work and Taylor never achieved the legacy of his contemporaries.
Includes jacket and label scans.

Tracks:

1. Cripple Creek
2. Ruby
3. White Dove
4. Ho, Honey, Ho
5. Foggy Mountain Special
6. In The Pines
7. John Henry
8. Mama Blues
9. Little Maggie
10. Flint Hill Special
11. The Children Are Cryin'
12. Lee Highway Blues
13. The Prisoner's Song
14. Race Between A Locomotive And A Model T
15. Pretty Polly
16. Rabbit On A Log
17. Molly And Ten Brooks

*download here*

HANK WILLIAMS Early Country Live

Saturday, February 16, 2013

This neat bootleg LP on the "Anthology of Country Music" label consists of three early fifties radio segments that feature the legendary Hank Williams and his wife Audrey, as well as Opry veterans Little Jimmy Dickens, Minnie Pearl, Rod Brasfield, Stringbean, and Sam & Kirk McGee.
The real highlight of the LP is William's December 1950 transcription for the 1951 March of Dimes. Recorded at the studios of WSM in Nashville, it features Audrey and the Drifting Cowboys along with Hank who besides singing encourages listeners in his homespun way to support the March of Dimes and help eradicate infantile paralysis ("I never knew much about it except to be scared of it and know it cripples kids".). Many Country stars including Red Foley and Eddy Arnold, as well as pop stars, recorded these transcribed programs as a public service to fight the polio epidemic of the early to mid fifties, and they remain a fascinating glimpse into the zeitgeist of the time.
No less interesting are two portions of actual Opry broadcasts, although the sound quality on these is low; nowhere near the fidelity of the March of Dimes show. The first of these is a ten minute segment from the September 29, 1951 Opry broadcast that also features Audrey (singing a hideous version of "Bonaparte's Retreat") and Sam & Kirk McGee. The second (first in playing order on the LP) is an April 5, 1952 segment of the Opry transcribed to an Armed Forces Radio Service disc. This is a regular Opry network portion with guests Little Jimmy Dickens and String bean, fiddling by Tommy Jackson and comedy by Minnie Pearl and Rod Brasfield.
Includes front jacket (both sides are identical) & label scans.

Tracks:


1. Grand Ole Opry, AFRS Show 223 (April 5, 1952)
    1. THEME - "Baby We're Really In Love"
   2. ROD BRASFIELD - Comedy
   3. LITTLE JIMMY DICKENS - "It May Be Silly"
   4. SQUARE DANCE - TOMMY JACKSON With Calls By Lew Childre
   5. HANK WILLIAMS & LITTLE JIMMY DICKENS
       - "The Old Country Church"
   6. MINNIE PEARL - Country Comedy
   7. LITTLE JIMMY DICKENS
       - "They Locked God Outside The Iron Curtain"
   8. STRINGBEAN
   9. HANK WILLIAMS - "I Can't Help It"
   10. INSTRUMENTAL CLOSE

 2. March of Dimes Radio Show (December 1950)
   1. THEME
   2. HANK WILLIAMS - "Moanin' The Blues"
   3. TALK - "Hank & Audrey talk about Hank Jr."
   4. HANK & AUDREY - "Help Me Understand"
   5. "When God Dips His Love In My Heart"
   6. THEME

3. Grand Ole Opry (September 29, 1951)
   1. HANK WILLIAMS - "Crazy Heart"
   2. SAM & KIRK McGEE - "I Was Sorta Wonderin"
   3. AUDREY WILLIAMS - "Bonaparts Retreat"
   4. THEME & CLOSING

*download here*

TI-BLANC RICHARD Original Recordings

Today at the Scratchy Attic I'm pleased to present some classic and hard to find recordings by yet another great Canadian fiddler, the legendary Adalbert "Ti-Blanc" Richard. Perhaps I should say "Canadien" as Ti-Blanc was born in Martinville, near Sherbrooke, Quebec on August 13th, 1920 and became a Québécois icon while remaining relatively unknown to English speaking Canadians.
Richard was the youngest of eight children and in 1933 the family moved to Sherbrooke where young Adalbert worked as a delivery boy for his father's butcher shop. Legend has it that one of his father's customers offered to pay his bill with a violin and this became the budding violoneux's first instrument (he had previously played the accordion). Within a few years he was playing local dances and events, and participating in radio broadcasts with various groups, all the while supporting himself at a variety of day jobs. He married Germaine ("Mignonne") Bouchard in 1945 who the following year gave birth to a daughter, Michelle. His first 78 was released on RCA Victor Bluebird Series' French Canadian line in 1948 and by the fifties he was touring regularly not only in Quebec, but in francophone communities in New Brunswick and Ontario, as well as northeastern U.S. states such as Maine and Vermont. His career thrived and in 1956 he began a series of fantastically successful television broadcasts from station CHLT, Sherbrooke. Throughout the remainder of the decade he would broadcast from many different cities and stations in the province, but Sherbrooke always remained his home base.
By the sixties however, the rise of Rock and Roll and the decline of traditional music led to a career slump. His daughter Michelle had become, through appearances on her father's shows, a major Quebec pop star, and her career eclipsed that of her father. Ti-Blanc's resentment of his daughter's success, along with other personal and marital problems combined with increasing dependance on alcohol further diminished his popularity. By the end of the decade he was no longer broadcasting regularly, instead relying on club dates and other personal appearances for income.
While Richard's career was languishing, a change was happening in Quebec society that would once again bring his name to prominence. Termed the "Quiet Revolution", a wave of nationalism had swept the province's culture and politics and among other things, revived a great deal of interest in the folk culture unique to its francophone population. New opportunities arose for Ti-Blanc to perform for appreciative audiences, and throughout the seventies he was featured in many festivals and television shows dedicated to Québécois music and culture. Highlights of this period include appearances in films including "Je suis loin de toi Mignonne" (1976) in which he played a fiddler, and a 1977 appearance at the Olympia in Paris as part of a troupe of performers bringing traditional Québécois music and dance to the mother country. Although busy, Richard continued to be plagued by financial and personal problems, and in 1980 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Adalbert "Ti-Blanc" Richard died in hospital in Sherbrooke on February 22, 1981 at 60 years of age.
Ti-Blanc Richard's style was definitely a transitional one. A marked influence of American Country Music is present in his music and he was clearly picking up tunes from Don Messer and other fiddlers playing in the Pan-Canadian style that was incredibly popular among English speaking Canadians at the time. Nonetheless, many of his tunes have distinctly Québécois traits, in particular the odd measures that distinguish French Canadian tunes from the more "square" tunes of Scotland and Ireland from which they partly descend. Richard used fingerboard ornaments comparatively sparingly, and his bowing is clean, employing use of a near constant "jigging" or bounce, breaking up passages into single notes where other (especially non-French Canadian) players might not. While certainly not technical in the manner of a player like Jean Carignan, Ti-Blanc's playing has a liveliness and joyous drive that is infectious and endearing. I fondly recall an older Acadian women I met at a flea market some years ago who had requested I make her a tape of old Ti-Blanc Richard records. She wanted the tape to step dance to, as she complained "them English guys don't play fast enough."
This collection of recordings consists of twelve tunes Richard recorded between 1948 and 1960. The first five were first released as singles on the RCA Victor Bluebird Series label, the next six were first singles on the Meteor label, and the final track is a live recording from a Meteor LP. Details are given below:

Reel de Sherbrooke - RCA Victor Bluebird Series 55-5327 (78 rpm), 1948 - The A-side of Ti-Blanc's first record is named for his home base where he remained throughout his career. The same melody appears on the flip side of Ward Allen's 1956 hit single "Maple Sugar" as "Back Up and Push" (not the American hoedown piece of the same name). I'm not sure where the melody originates. To hear Ward's version of this tune click here.
Reel du mardi-gras - RCA Victor Bluebird Series 55-5334 (78 rpm), 1949 - This melody is commonly known across North America as the "Flop Eared Mule" (Long Eared, Lop Eared, etc.). Don Messer made a very popular 78 rpm recording of the tune in 1944, to hear it click here.
Reel de la maison blanche - RCA Victor Bluebird Series 55-5418 (78 rpm) 57-0172 (45 rpm), 1952 - Here is a really great example of how convoluted tracing the origin of tunes can become. This is a Québécois tune which was originally titled "Le bonhomme et la bonne femme". The low and the high strains are meant to represent the heightening argument between an aged couple, and a French vocal version expressing such a row was recorded by Madame Bolduc in 1930 (click here). The tune may also have been recorded in the early 78 era by Joseph Allard and/or Jos Bouchard. Don Messer recorded a version as "The Old Man and the Old Woman" in 1948 that featured vocalist Charlie Chamberlain reprising Bolduc's chorus (a live version from Don Messer's Jubilee is here) and the piece became a signature of the great Canadian fiddler Ned Landry (click here). How the tune wound up as "Reel de la maison blanche" ("White House Reel") is beyond me. Incidentally, this tune is not to be confused with "The Growling Old Man and Growling Old Woman" which is also of French (probably Acadian) origins and may come from the same common root as the previous tune (Don Messer's 1950 recording of the latter tune can be heard here).
Reel de la Georgie - RCA Victor Bluebird Series 55-5514 (78 rpm) 57-0318 (45 rpm), 1954 - While I cannot say for sure that this tune has a specific American antecedent, it is clearly a result of the influence of Ragtime music from south of the border. The same type of influence resulted in similar sounding Texas tunes such as "I Don't Love Nobody."
Valse des fleurs - RCA Victor Bluebird Series 55-5514 (78 rpm) 57-0318 (45 rpm), 1954 - The flip side of "Reel de la Georgie" is a waltz of unknown provenance. It is played at a much quicker, choppier pace than that favoured by Don Messer and his ilk and shows a strong Gallic influence.
La raspa - Meteor MET 501 (45 rpm), 1956 - Better known to anglophiles as "The Mexican Hat Dance". I'm not exactly sure why, but this tune (it's effectively become a Mexican cultural stereotype) has long had currency with dancers (and therefore dance musicians) in Quebec. "La raspa" is actually the name of one of the two Latin American folk tunes that comprise the melody, the other being "Jarabe Tapatío". To read more on the topic click here.
Le reel du sucre d'érable - Meteor MET 508 (45 rpm), 1957 - This is of course the huge Ward Allen hit "Maple Sugar". Ward's version came out in late 1956 (to hear it click here) and would have been at the height of its popularity when Ti-Blanc waxed the tune for the francophone market. It's interesting how any tune in duple meter seems to qualify as a reel in the French Canadian tradition. Ward considered this tune a Two-Step.
Le reel Bowing The Strings - Meteor MET 515 (45 rpm), 1958 - Once again we have a tune that was recently (at the time) composed by a major Canadian fiddler, in this case Ned Landry. "Bowing The Strings" is one of Ned's most well known compositions, and was the title track from his first LP in1956 (to listen click here).
Le reel du palmarès - Meteor MET 517 (45 rpm), 1958 - This melody is best known as "My Love Is But A Lassie Yet" and is a Scottish tune of antiquity. As "The Fiddler's Companion" notes "The title was fixed on the tune because of two songs composed to it, one by Robert Burns and the other by the "Ettrick Shepherd," James Hogg, although the tune seems to have first appeared in print in Bremner's Scots Reels" of 1757 as "Miss Farqharson's Reel." Richard christened it "Le reel du palmarès" or "The Winner's Reel."
Le reel de Mexico - Meteor MET 518 (45 rpm), 1958 - The first strain of this tune bears some resemblance to "Bill Cheatham", one of the most ubiquitous fiddle tunes of the American South. It's odd measures, however, are distinctly Québécois.
Le reel des quatre coins de St-Malo - Meteor MET 520 (45 rpm), 1958 - Known abroad as "The Four Poster Bed", this tune crosses many traditions and has many variants. "The Fiddler's Companion" notes "This tune's 'B' part dramatizes the four poster bed by giving four taps with the frog‑end of the bow on the each of the four quarters of the belly of the fiddle, interspersed by a right‑hand pizzicato. The melody is popular in the Shetlands, though probably not of Shetland origin." The tune has been recorded by many Québécois musicians as "Le reel des quatre coins de St-Malo." St-Malo is a walled city in Brittany in the northwest of France, it is to be assumed this title references the four corners of the fortress. Ti-Blanc can be seen playing this tune, which stands out to me personally as the highlight of this collection, on a 1959 film clip here. Isidore Soucy recorded the tune in 1959, for an interesting comparison hear his version here.
Raggin' The Fiddle - from the LP "2e Grand concours annuel violoneux championnat province du Québec", Meteor MET-8002, 1960 - Yet another example of a contemporary Canadian tune, this is a cover of King Ganam's composition originally titled "Ridin' The Fiddle" (to hear Ganam's 1954 version click here). Richard first recorded the tune as "Raggin' The Fiddle" for the London label in 1956 (click here). This version comes from a 1960 LP comprised of a live recording of a fiddle contest organized by (and I'm assuming broadcast over) CHLT-TV in Sherbrooke. Ti-Blanc is not a competitor, but rather a featured performer. He plays this piece after the winner of the contest (Tex Fortier) is announced. Interestingly neither the London or Meteor versions of this tune nor the records of the Ward Allen or Ned Landry tunes credit the the original composer. Whether this was an oversight or not is unclear. It may have been a deliberate attempt to avoid paying performance rights, or perhaps Richard heard these tunes on radio or jukeboxes but due to a language barrier assumed they were traditional.

Tracks:

1. Reel de Sherbrooke
2. Reel du mardi-gras
3. Reel de la maison blanche
4. Reel de la Georgie
5. Valse des fleurs
6. La raspa
7. Le reel du sucre d'érable
8. Le reel Bowing The Strings
9. Le reel du palmarès
10. Le reel de Mexico
11. Le reel des quatre coins de St-Malo
12. Raggin' The Fiddle

*download here*

BAILES BROTHERS Rare Recordings

Friday, January 4, 2013

The music of the Bailes Brothers has endured since it was first recorded and has been treasured by collectors and fans of early country. It therefore pleases me greatly to share some rare gems from my collection with all of you good folks out in the blogosphere.
The first four tracks in this collection are the two 78s the Bailes recorded for King in 1946 (King 752 and 753, released in 1947). I believe the group consisted of Walter and Johnny at this time. The remaining eight tracks are from an interesting little 33⅓ rpm EP on the "Loyal" label, with the address "Box 586, Birmingham, Alabama." The label credits brothers Walter and Kyle and this makes sense as Walter was in Birmingham in 1960's where he was an evangelist and singer on radio. Although the EP is probably from those years, everything about it would have been archaic at the the time, including the performing style, the fidelity and the pressing quality. Despite the lo-fi nature of the recordings I find them as enjoyable as any vintage Bailes Brothers material and they should be a welcome addition to anyone's collection.

If you are unfamiliar with the Bailes Brothers' story click here for a biography.

Tracks:

1. Broken Marriage Vows
2. Everybody Knew The Truth But Me
3. Something Got Hold Of Me
4. Down The Valley Of The Shadow
5. Ashamed To Own The Blessed Saviour
6. I Have Dusted Off The Bible
7. The Light In The Sky
8. There's A Hand Writing On The Wall
9. We're Living In The Last Days Now
10. I've Got My One Way Ticket To The Sky
11. The Drunkard's Grave
12. All The Way

*download here*

TEXAS FAREWELL Texas Fiddlers 1922-1930

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Mining more of the fantastic County 500 series catalog, I came up with a transfer of this superb 1969 collection of rare old Texas Fiddle 78s from the twenties era. Since transferring this album the Lewis Brothers' "Bull at the Wagon" has stuck in my head day and night, but there's never a bad tune on a collection such as this. There's not much for me to add to the album's liner notes (by Charles Faurot), scans of which are included in the download. Enjoy!

The transcript from a telephone interview with Denmon Lewis, made by Charles Faurot on November 18, 1969 to obtain information for the liner notes of this album is here.

Tracks:

1. Red Headed Fiddlers-Texas Quick-Step
2. The Lewis Brothers-Bull At The Wagon
3. Solomon & Hughes-Sally Johnson
4. Eck Robertson & H. Gillilland-Arkansas Traveler
5. The Lewis Brothers-Sally Johnson
6. Fiddlin' Jim Pate-Texas Farewell
7. Eck Robertson & J.B. Cranfill-Great Big Taters
8. Oscar & Doc Harper-Dallas Bound
9. Red Headed Fiddlers-The Fatal Wedding
10. East Texas Serenaders-Babe
11. Smith's Garage Fiddle Band-Beaumont Rag
12. East Texas Serenaders-Three-In-One Two-Step

*download here*