COUNTRY,
BLUEGRASS & OLD-TIMEY
Tim
& Mollie O'Brien -> The Osborne
Brothers
MARK O'CONNOR |
Rounder 11507 |
Retrospective |
● CD $16.98 |
Sampler of Rounder recordings made by Mark between 1974 and
1982 with David Grisman, Tony Rice, Sam Bush, Dan Crary, John Hartford,
Norman Blake and others. 18 selections, CD-only.
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W. LEE
"PAPPY" O'DANIEL |
Origin Jazz Library 1003 |
Western Swing Chronicles, Vol. 4 |
● CD $13.98 |
This CD features two bands fronted by O'Daniel - The Light
Crust Doughboys (recorded between 1933 and 35) and The Hillbilly Boys
(1935-38). Groups feature western swing's first female vocalist "Texas Rose"
plus vocalist Leon Huff, fiddlers Kenneth Pitts and Carroll Hubbard, steel
guitarist Leon McAuliffe and others.
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MOLLY O'DAY |
Bear Family BCD 15565 |
Molly O'Day And The Cumberland Mountain
Folks |
● CD $41.98 |
36 tracks, 104 mins, highly recommended
Another fine double
CD reminder from Bear Family of what country music was like before the lure
of mainstream popularity and riches tore its heart out. Between 1946 and
1951 Miss O'Day recorded 36 songs for Columbia Records, about equally
divided between her solo singing and duets with her husband, Lynn Davis. The
earlier sides feature the lovely Dobro playing of George "Speedy" Krise
which is replaced by the splendid steel guitar of Jimmie Selph or Cousin
Jodey. She was, among her other plentiful musical virtues, one of the first
performers to recognize and take advantage of the song-writing talents of
the then up-and-coming Hank Williams. As a result, her material, as well as
its presentation, are often superior. Tracks here include The Tramp On
The Street/ When God Comes and Gathers His Jewels/ The Drunken Driver/
Matthew Twenty-Four/ I Heard My Mother Weeping/ Teardrops Falling in the
Snow, and the delightful Heaven's Radio. A plethora of plaintive
country gospel and occasional secular song presented with Bear Family's
justly-respected flair for completeness. Excellent note and lots of vintage
pictures. Not to be missed. (DH)
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DOYE O'DELL |
B.A.C.M. 172 |
If Tears Were Gold |
● CD $14.98 |
27 tracks, 67 minutes, highly recommended
A Texas native
whose primary audience was rural central and southern Californians, Doye
O'Dell was essentially a West Coast Red Foley. His recording career spanning
the late '40s into the mid-'50s, O'Dell sang in a peppy, upbeat style that
was well suited for radio and the era's juke boxes. As on the best West
Coast country records, the vocals were bracketed with hot fiddle, steel and
guitar leads. None of the musicians are identified, but fiddler Harold
Hensley is a likely participant. Sharp-eared listeners can probably spot
Jack Rivers, Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West on some tracks. This B.A.C.M
collection complements an earlier Cattle anthology, emphasizing O'Dell's
'50s material, including ten tracks from an elusive 1956 dime-store LP.
Seven cuts are from O'Dell's 1947-48 Exclusive 78s, three come from Mercury
and the remaining seven are Intro sides from 1951-53. Sound is above average
for B.A.C.M. Bryan Chalker's notes read like an essay question on an
ill-prepared history student's exam, but so what? The music smokes, and
that's what matters. (DS)
DOYE O'DELL: According To The Evidence/ Bow Your Head And
Pray/ Candy Man/ Diesel Smoke/ Horses Women And Wine/ I Signed On The Dotted
Line/ I Want More Mustard On My Hot Dog/ If Tears Were Gold/ It Makes No
Difference Now/ It Won't Be Texas To You/ Left My Gal In The Mountains/
Mabel, Mabel/ Man Behind The Throttle/ My Little Red Wagon/ Oklahoma Hills/
Old Boy/ Old Shep/ Ole Tex Kringle/ Peekin' Peekin' Peekin'/ Pretty Woman
For The Boss/ Red River Valley/ San Antonio Rose/ That's Just My Hand You're
Holding Not My Heart/ There's A Shamrock Growing In Texas/ Two Eyes Two Lips
But No Heart/ When My Sunshine Goes Walking In The Rain/ You're The Only
Star In My Blue Heaven
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DOYE O'DELL |
Cattle 250 |
Bath Tub Blues |
● CD $18.98 |
27 track compilation from this fine western flavored singer
best known for his 1948 hit Dear Okie (included here). All tracks
were recorded between 1947 and 1949 and include sidemen like Speedy West,
Jack Rivers, Jimmy Bryant, Jerry Byrd plus some fine and hot fiddle,
accordion and trumpet work from unidentified musicians.
DOYE O'DELL: A Million Memories/ Bath Tub Blues/ Blue
Christmas/ Dear Mr. Santa/ Dear Okie/ Don't Call Me Daddy/ Give Me Texas/
I'm Not Foolin' Now/ If You Want Some Lovin'/ In The Little Shirt My Mother
Made For Me/ Lookin' Poor But Feelin' Rich/ Mosey On/ Mother The Queen Of My
Heart/ Okies In California/ Please My Little Darlin'/ Red Head Polka/ Ring
Around The Moon/ Sally Sue From Salisaw/ She Left Me When My Dreamboat
Started Leakin'/ Shut Up And Drink Your Beer/ Sitting Alone At The Table/
Tennessee/ The Roving Gambler/ Up The River/ Wearing My Heart On My Sleeve/
Who Do You Spend Your Dreams With?/ Without Your Wedding Ring.
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GENE O'QUIN |
Bear Family BCD 16194 |
Boogie Woogie Fever |
● CD $21.98 |
30 tracks from the early/mid 50s by fine honky tonk singer
from Texas who settled in California where he recorded for Intro and Capitol
accompanied by the likes of Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant, Merle Travis, Harold
Hensley and others.
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THE OFFENDERS |
Bear Family BCD 16124 |
Re-Union : Can't Get The Hell Out Of Texas |
● CD $21.98 |
New recordings by all star group including Willie Nelson,
Jimmy Day, Johnny Bush & David Zettner.
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OLD & IN THE WAY |
Acoustic Disc 19 |
That High Lonesome Sound |
● CD $15.98 |
14 previously unissued recordings from the famed 1975
session uniting David Grisman, Jerry Garcia, Vassar Clements, Peter Rowan &
John Kahn.
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THE ORIGINAL
BEVERLY HILL BILLIES |
B.A.C.M. 022 |
The Original Beverly Hill Billies |
● CD $14.98 |
24 tracks recorded between 1930 and '37 by this smooth
Western flavored group from California. This group's style is very syrupy
and bland and although they were a reputed influence on the Sons Of The
Pioneers the Sons sound like wild men in comparison.
THE ORIGINAL BEVERLY HILLBILLIES: At The End Of The Lane/
Back In The Hills Of Colorado/ Back In The Old Sunday School/ Big Corral/
Git Along Little Dogies/ Lonesome Valley/ Mellow Mountain Moon/ My Little
Cow Pony And I/ My Old Iowa Home/ My Pretty Quadroon/ On The Texas Prairie/
Peek A Boo/ Prairie Skies/ Ridge Runnin' Roan/ Rosalie/ She Sleeps Beneath
The Daisies/ Singing My Hillbilly Song/ Strawberry Roan/ The Old Arapahoe
Trail/ When I Was A Boy From The Mountains/ When It's Harvest Time/ When The
Bloom Is On The Sage/ When The Wild Flowers Are In Bloom/ Wonder Valley
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JIMMIE OSBORNE |
B.A.C.M. 054 |
Hills Of Roan County |
● CD $14.98 |
25 tracks recorded between 1947 and 1953 by this popular
singer from Kentucky who committed suicide in 1957. He had a few hits
including the tragic Death Of Little Kathy Fiscus based on a true
story. It includes one of his other hits My Heart Echoes (1948) plus
Forever And A Day/ God Has Taken My Flower/ Helpless Heart/ Hills Of Roan
County/ I hate To Be Jealous/ I'm Gonna Strut My Stuff/ I'm Scared To Go
Home, etc.
JIMMIE OSBORNE: Door To My Heart Is Wide Open/ Forever And
A Day/ Give Back My Ring And Picture/ God Has Taken My Flower/ Helpless
Heart/ He‘ll Come Like A Thief In The Night/ Hills Of Roan County/ How My
Hearts Can You Break/ I Hate To Be Jealous/ I‘m Gonna Strut My Stuff/ I‘m
Just A Habit With You/ I‘m Scared To Go Home/ I‘ve Just Placed A Vacant Sign
Upon Your Heart/ Mama Don‘t Agree/ Moon Is Weeping Over You/ My Heart
Echoes/ My Main Trial Is Yet To Come/ Nag Nag Nag/ No Bitter Tears/ Tears Of
St Anne/ The Death Of Little Kathy Fiscus/ This Evil Life Don‘t Pay/ We
Can‘t Take It With Us To Our Grave/ What A Price To Pay For Love/ You Get
The Roses I Get The Thorns
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JIMMIE OSBORNE |
B.A.C.M. 128 |
Vol. 2 |
● CD $14.98 |
25 tracks, 62 mins, highly recommended
Second Collection of
sides by this superb but little known honky tonk singer whose career ended
with his suicide in 1957. Jimmie had a fine twangy vocal style and was
accompanied by excellent musicians with fine fiddle and steel guitar and
occasional mandolin. These sides were recorded between 1947 and 1954 and
include a number of interesting topical songs - a number of which were hits.
Among the topical items his the grim My Saddest Mistake about a man
who lets his young child play with a loaded gun with disasterous
consequences. (FS)
JIMMIE OSBORNE: A Million People Have Died/ A Tennessee
Ocean/ An Empty Old Cottage/ Blue Days & Lonely Nights/ Don‘t Slam The Door/
Forever Far Apart/ God Please Protect America/ I Did & I Does & I Do/ I Just
Received Word Mom Is Dying Tonight/ It Just Tears Me All To Pieces/ It‘s
Just A Habit With You/ It‘s Me Who Has To Suffer/ It‘s So Hard To Smile/
Love Me Or Leave Me/ Missing In Action/ My Saddest Mistake/ My Tissue Paper
Heart/ Not Unloved Nor Unclaimed/ Old Family Bible/ Son Please Meet Me In
Heaven/ Tell Me Daddy If You Know/ You All Come/ Your Lies Have Broken My
Heart/ Your Lovin‘ & Huggin‘/ You‘re The Only Angel
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THE OSBORNE BROTHERS |
Bear Family BCD 15598 |
Bluegrass, 1956-1968 |
● CD $99.98 |
4 CDs, 114 tracks, 4 hrs 44 mins, essential
The Osborne
Brothers were and are uniquely important among the groups that grew to
prominence as bluegrass bandleaders after the first flush of success of Bill
Monroe and the Stanley Brothers. Although solidly grounded in the
traditional style pioneered by Monroe (Bobby is a fine mandolin player and
is among the best lead and tenor singers in the music, and Sonny is an
accomplished and innovative banjo player and harmony singer), it is for
their stylistic innovations that they are most often noted today,
innovations such as their "high lead" vocal harmony arrangements, an
approach that allowed the group to feature Bobby's achingly pure tenor voice
to best advantage. They also featured twin banjos on their recordings, and
were the first prominent bluegrass band to perform and record with drums,
which aroused the ire of many 60s bluegrass purists but which also helped to
gain more consistent airplay for their recordings. They also often recorded
with electric instruments, featuring the best sidemen in Nashville,
including steel player Hal Rugg, pianist Hargus Robbins, guitarist Grady
Martin, and others. The recordings here represent everything recorded by The
Osbornes from 1956 to 1968 for MGM and Decca, plus cuts from an RCA Camdun
album cut in 1967 to capitalize on the success of the bluegrass soundtrack
of the movie "Bonnie and Clyde." All the classics are here, including the 16
tracks recorded for MGM with the great guitarist and lead singer Red Allen,
plus their wonderful interpretations of mainstream country material such as
Send Me The Pillow You Dream On, May You Never Be Alone Like Me, How's
The World Treating You, and of course their biggest and most enduring
hits Ruby, Are You Mad and Boudleaux and Felice Bryant's classic
Rocky Top, the number with which they will always be most closely
identified. Also included are many examples of their more traditional
material that allowed them to continue to appeal to the more purist elements
of their fan base. The Osbornes were always acutely aware of and anxious to
succeed on mainstream country radio, particularly after fellow performers
The Wilburn Brothers, Teddy and Doyle, who were also Nashville
entrepreneurs, took control of their careers and helped them to secure a
recording contract with Decca, for whom their biggest and most mainstream
hits were recorded. The set includes a great 24-page booklet with many color
photos and an informative text by bluegrass expert Neil V. Rosenberg and a
discography by Eddie Stubbs. Another exemplary reissue by Bear Family. (RP)
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THE OSBORNE BROTHERS |
CMH 9008 |
From Rocky Top to Muddy Bottom |
● CD $16.98 |
All tunes written by Boudleaux and Felice Bryant.
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