Playlist 7/28/2013 - Old Radio and Classic Parody

Roy Hall (top center) and his Blue Ridge Entertainers

Hi Folks.

This show had a goodly amount of old radio transcriptions from the likes of Roy Hall and His Blue Ridge Entertainers (1939), The Blue Sky Boys (1949), and The Carter Sisters with Mother Maybelle and Chet Atkins (1949).

Additionally, we played the first set (from the original vinyl) of the classic Statler Brothers parody of a generic amateur country band by the name of Lester "Roadhog" Moran and his Cadillac Cowboys.  This was Marti's first time hearing this hilarious record, and she thought it was terrible, which of course it would have been had it been intended as a serious effort -- "I could make a record like that!" she said. Marti thought we might have driven off all five of our listeners.  I hope everyone got the joke.

Marti's Bunkhouse was a spendid cross section of Western music, as usual, with a special set of "Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys" -- a description that captures all the stereotypes.  Marti also gave away a Riders In The Sky CD to a lucky caller.

We'll be back next Sunday, so tune us in to join in the fun.

Marti & Jim

Marti's Bunkhouse in blue

Title / Artist / Album / Label

• Introduction / Aunt Hattie Dalton 1974 / Interview
• Behold The Bridegroom Cometh (1937) / Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet / Complete Recorded Works V.1 / Document
• Hold The Woodpile Down (1927) / Uncle Dave Macon / Go Long Mule / County
• Answer To Blue Eyes (1938) / Morris Brothers / Salty Dog Blues / B.A.C.M
• The Girl I Left In Sunny Tennessee (1925) / Charlie Poole / With The North Carolina Ramblers / JSP
• Gathering Flowers From The Hillside (1966) / Lee Moore / Log Cabin Favorites / Rural Rhythm
• Old Spinning Wheel (1966) / Lee Moore / Log Cabin Favorites / Rural Rhythm
• The Weary Traveler (1968) / Lee Moore & The Bluegrass Cut-ups / Log Cabin Favorites / Rural Rhythm
• Radio Show, WBJD Radio, Roanoke, Virginia 1939 / Roy Hall & His Blue Ridge Entertainers / Early Country Radio / JSP

Introduction and Dr. Pepper Commercial

Fisher's Hornpipe

Don't Cause Mother's Hair To Turn Grey

Roy Hall Song Book Commercial

Remember Me

Doctor Pepper Commerccial

South Of The Border

Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home

Take Me Back To The Blue Ridge Mountains

• Lonesome Road Blues (1949) / Blue Sky Boys / Farm & Fun Time Favorites V.2 / Copper Creek
• Whispering Hope (1949) / Blue Sky Boys / Farm & Fun Time Favorites V.2 / Copper Creek
• Alive At The Johnny Mack Brown High School (1974) / Lester"Roadhog" Moran and his Cadillac Cowboys / Alive At The Johnny Mack Brown High School / Mercury (LP)

Little Liza Jane

Hey Joe

Filipino Baby

SixteenTons

Rubber Dolly

Wildwood Flower

Keep On The Sunny Side

Waterloo

• You Don't Love Me But I'll Always Care (1941) / Sons Of The Pioneers / Way Out There / Bear Family
• My Love Went Without Water (Three Days) (1941) / Sons Of The Pioneers / Way Out There / Bear Family
• Killer Diller / Bar-J Wranglers / Fiddles, Funnies n' Food For Thought / Self-produced
• The Shopping Trip / Bar-J Wranglers / Fiddles, Funnies n' Food For Thought / Self-produced
• Over And Over Again (1946) / Gene Autry / Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys / Proper
• Just A-Pickin' and A-Singin' (1948) / Curley Williams / Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys / Proper
• The Daughter of Jole Blon (1948) / Johnny Bond / Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys / Proper
• Catch Me Cheatin' (1951) / Smokey Rogers / Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys / Proper
• Detour (1946) / Foy Willing / Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys / Proper
• Song Of The Rover / Sons Of The San Joaquin / A Retrospective / Western Jubilee
• Song Of The Trail (2011) / Riders In The Sky / Land Beyond The Sun / Riders Radio Records
• Cowboy Camp Meeting (2011) / Riders In The Sky / Land Beyond The Sun / Riders Radio Records
• Belle Star (1993) / Michael Martin Murphey / Cowboy Songs III / Warner Western
• The Bald Head Of A Broom (1949) / The Carter Sisters with Mother Maybelle & Chet Atkins / Self-titled / Country Routes
• Beer, Bait and Ammo (2006) / George Jones / All Gone Fishing / Bandit

Playlist 7/21/2013 - Before Bluegrass

Hi Folks.

The first Mainer recording group 1935
J.E. & Wade Mainer, Zeke Morris, John Love
Announcer Fisher Hendley

Charlie & Bill Monroe c.1936

Everyone knows that Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys created bluegrass music in December 1945 when Bill and his band with new banjo picker Earl Scruggs stepped on the stage of the widely broadcast Grand Ole Opry program at the Ryman Auditorium.

That's what everyone knows.



Today's show was intended to show that Bill had a lot of help getting there.  We started with J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers who were picking string band music at high speed with the two-finger banjo style of Wade Mainer a decade earlier, then Charlie and Bill Monroe's recordings from that same early period.

Charlie Monroe (c), Zeke Morris (l)
Bill Calhoun (r)

First recorded version of Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys
Bill Wesbrooks, Tommy Magness, Bill Monroe, Clyde Moody

We followed with Charlie Monroe's post-Monroe Brothers recordings, Bill Monroe's post-Monroe Brothers recordings, and then Byron Parker & His Mountaineers -- a 1940 evolution of J.E. Mainer's band -- with Snuffy Jenkins picking banjo three-finger style.  Of all this music, the only thing we heard that could be identified as bluegrass as we know it today was the music of the Byron Parker configuration, and this was a full five years or more before Bill Monroe hit the stage with Earl Scruggs.

We hope this was mind-opening.

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith

Marti had a super day programming Marti's Bunkhouse with some great Western music that is too-little-known.  The rarer material came from Texas Jim Robertson, Goebel Reeves, and New Zealand cowboy singer Cole Wilson (1922-1993).  We also heard a couple of songs from a tribute album Riders In The Sky did for the North Carolina train attraction Tweetsie Railroad.  Tweetsie has been giving train rides on real former working steam engine locomotive driven trains for well over half-century and continues to do so today.

We finished with some comedy from Spike Jones, Homer & Jethro, and Louis Grizzard, and then a couple of songs from Carolinas musical stalwart Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, including his first recording of "Guitar Boogie" which became his namesake.

We hope you heard something you enjoyed.

Join us next Sunday and we'll have another interesting listen to our musical past.

Jim & Marti

Marti's Bunkhouse in blue

Title / Artist / Album / Label

• Introduction / Aunt Hattie Dalton / 1994 Interview
• Way Down In Egypt Land (1939) / Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet / Complete Recorded Works v.3 / Document
• Take Me In The Lifeboat (1935) / J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers / The Early Years / JSP
• Seven And A Half (1935) / J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers / The Early Years / JSP
• Number 111 (1936) / J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers / The Early Years / JSP
• My Long Journey Home (1936) / Monroe Brothers / Blue Moon Of Kentucky / Bear Family
• Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms (1936) / Monroe Brothers / Blue Moon Of Kentucky / Bear Family
• Have A Feast Here Tonight (1938) / Monroe Brothers / Blue Moon Of Kentucky / Bear Family
• Tell Him To Come Back Sweet Fern (1938) / (Charlie) Monroe's Boys / I'm Old Kentucky Bound / Bear Family
• You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone (1938) / (Charlie) Monroe's Boys / I'm Old Kentucky Bound / Bear Family
• Oh Death (1939) / (Charlie) Monroe's Boys / I'm Old Kentucky Bound / Bear Family
• We Shall Rise (1940) / Byron Parker & His Mountaineers / Bluegrass Classic Recordings Remastered / JSP
• Carroll County Blues (1940) / Byron Parker & His Mountaineers / Bluegrass Classic Recordings Remastered / JSP
• Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar (1940) / Byron Parker & His Mountaineers / Bluegrass Classic Recordings Remastered / JSP
• Mule Skinner Blues (1940) / Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys / Blue Moon Of Kentucky / Bear Family
• Dog House Blues (1941) / Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys / Blue Moon Of Kentucky / Bear Family
• Tennessee Blues (1941) / Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys / Blue Moon Of Kentucky / Bear Family
• Ride Tenderfoot Ride (1938) / Gene Autry / All Time Great Singing Cowboys / PR1MO
• I'm Gonna Throw My Lasso (1939) / Texas Jim Robertson / All Time Great Singing Cowboys / PR1MO
• The Outlaw / Cole Wilson / All Time Great Singing Cowboys / PR1MO
• Cowboy's Dream (1930) / The Yodelling Rustler (Goebel Reeves) / All Time Great Singing Cowboys / PR1MO
• Red River Valley (1947) / Sons Of The Pioneers / All Time Great Singing Cowboys / PR1MO
• Tweetsie Railroad Line (2002) / Riders In The Sky / Ridin' The Tweetsie Railroad / Tweetsie Railroad
• I've Been Working On The Railroad (2002) / Riders In The Sky / Ridin' The Tweetsie Railroad / Tweetsie Railroad
• Yippee-Yi Your Troubles Away (1993) / Sons Of The San Joaquin / Songs Of The Silver Screen / Warner Bros Western
• Old Cowboys (1984) / Everett Brisendine / The Cowboy Tour / Rounder
• Banks Of The Ponchatrain (1984) / Brownie Ford / The Cowboy Tour / Rounder
• Wild Bill Hiccup (1949) / Spike Jones / The Spike Jones Anthology / Rhino
• Your Clobbered Heart (1953) / Homer & Jethro / Volume 3 / B.A.C.M
• Guitar Boogie (1944) / Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith / The Golden Age of Arthur Smith / Cattle
• Foolish Questions (1948) / Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith / The Golden Age of Arthur Smith / Cattle
• Valley Of Peace (2010) / Taylors Grove / Keep On The Sunny Side / Fishtraks

Playlist 7/14/2013 - Possum & Biscuits, Cotton Mills, Salty Dogs, and Chickens

The DeZurik Sisters
a.k.a. "Cackle Sisters"

Hi Folks.

No, the title for this playlist is not the menu for today, although during a certain period of time it could have been.  We played songs from that period, including Uncle Dave Macon, The Coon Creek Girls, David McCarn, The Carolina Ramblers String Band, G.B. Grayson and Henry Whitter, Charlie Parker and Mac Woolbright, J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers, Jerry & Sky, and the amazing DeZurik Sisters -- also known as The Cackle Sisters.


Relative to cotton mills, of significant note was the inclusion of all three of the "Cotton Mill Colic" songs and a couple more created by Gastonia NC textile mill hand David McCarn.  Gastonia is near where we were born and raised, and textile factories -- an industry that moved South from New England over a century ago -- were a significant employer in the Carolinas. The major mill in our hometowns (Cannon > Fieldcrest-Cannon > Pillowtex) ran for about a century before closing its doors in 2003.

Marti's Bunkhouse featured a yodeling set -- something we've been wanting to do for a while -- plus a great Roy Rogers and Sons of the Pioneers set plus some great songs from Tex Ritter, Gene Autry, Bob Wills, and Eddy Arnold.  Our own Carolinas singing cowboy, Fred Kirby, sang a song for us, and we ran to the finish with some 1950s, 60s, and 70s classic country.

We hope you enjoyed something you heard on this show.  If you have requests, just leave them in the comments, or send an e-mail to redroosterparty "at" gmail "dot"com.

Jim & Marti

Marti's Bunkhouse in burgundy.

Title / Artist / Album / Label

• Introduction (1994) / Aunt Hattie Dalton
• Preacher And The Bear (1937) / Golden Gate Quartet / Complete Recorded Works V.1 / Document
• Carve That Possum (1927) / Uncle Dave Macon / Go Long Mule / County
• How Many Biscuits Can You Eat (c.1941) / The Coon Creek Girls / Early Radio Favorites / Old Homestead
• Let Me Be Your Salty Dog (1938) / Morris Brothers / Salty Dog Blues / B.A.C.M
• Orange Blossom Special (1947) / Jerry & Sky / The Appalachian Tradition / Great American
• Radio Show (San Antonio 1941) / J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers / Early Country Radio / JSP

My Old Pal Of Yesterday
Indian River Hoedown

Letter Edged In Black

Goodbye Maggie

• Cotton Mill Colic (1930) / David McCarn / Gastonia Gallop / Old Hat
• Everyday Dirt (1930) / David McCarn / Gastonia Gallop / Old Hat
• Take Them For A Ride (1930) / David McCarn / Gastonia Gallop / Old Hat
• Poor Man, Rich Man (1930) / David McCarn / Gastonia Gallop / Old Hat
• Serves 'em Fine (1931) / Dave (McCarn) & Howard (Long) / Gastonia Gallop / Old Hat
• Will, The Weaver (1927) / Charlie Parker & Mac Woolbright / The Appalachian Tradition / Great American
• Cluck Old Hen (1928) / Grayson & Whitter / Cluck Old Hen / Old Hat
• Barnyard Frolic (1932) / Carolina Ramblers String Band / Cluck Old Hen / Old Hat
• The Checker Time Radio Hour excerpt (c.1941) / The DeZurik Sisters (The Cackle Sisters) / Radio transcription / na
• Cowboy Rhythm (1938) / Patsy Montana / Yodeling Memories / Country Stars
• That's How The Yodel Was Born (1953) / Elton Britt / Yodeling Memories / Country Stars
• Yodelin' Boogie (1949) / Rosalie Allen / Yodeling Memories / Country Stars
• Hobo Bill's Last Ride (1930) / Gene Autry / Yodeling Memories / Country Stars
• My Saddle Pals And I (1937) / Roy Rogers and Sons Of The Pioneers / Way Out There / Bear Family
• Heavenly Airplane (1940) / Roy Rogers and Sons Of The Pioneers / Way Out There / Bear Family
• Blue Juniata (1937) / Roy Rogers and Sons Of The Pioneers / Way Out There / Bear Family
• Billy The Kid (1937) / Roy Rogers and Sons Of The Pioneers / Way Out There / Bear Family
• Git Along, Little Dogies (1932) / Tex Ritter / Tumbling Tumbleweeds / Dynamic
• Cherokee Maiden (1941) / Bob Wills / Tumbling Tumbleweeds / Dynamic
• Cattle Call (1955 version) / Eddy Arnold / Tumbling Tumbleweeds / Dynamic
• South Of The Border (Down Mexico Way) (1939) / Gene Autry / Tumbling Tumbleweeds / Dynamic
• Jukebox Jackson From Jacksonville (1948) / Fred Kirby / The Original "Atomic Power" / Cattle
• Tears In The Eyes Of A Potato (1965) / Jimmy Murphy / Southern Roots / Ace
• No Charge (1974) / Melba Montgomery / Queens Of Country / Time Life
• Alabam (1960) / Cowboy Copas / Hard To Find Hits / Time Life
• Blue Blue Day (1957) / Don Gibson / Hard To Find Hits / Time Life
• Little Sadie (1960-2) / Clarence Ashley / Classic Old Time Music / Smithsonian Folkways

Playlist 7/7/2013 - Charlie Louvin, Delmore Brothers, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Slim Whitman

Hi Folks,

We laughed a lot on this show, mostly  because Marti is just naturally funny, but we were having a great time.  We hope you enjoyed it as well.

Being Independence Day weekend, we followed our Golden Gate Quartet opener with the Georgia Tech Glee Club singing a verse of "To Anacreon In Heaven," the old English drinking song that became the melody of "The Star Spangled Banner."  Marti followed up in Marti's Bunkhouse with more patriotic-themed Western music which we will get to below.

Charlie Louvin died in 2011, but he would have had a birthday on this day, so we celebrated the man and his music, including that of the Louvin Brothers, with a big set covering the span of his entire career.

Alton & Rabon Delmore

Because the Louvins did an album of music in tribute to the Delmore Brothers from which we played, we also did a set of Delmore Brothers music.  That led to a Doc Watson tune that he got from the Delmore Brothers, and that led to the first meeting of Doc Watson and Merle Travis, and that led to the Merle Travis song that Doc praised during their first meeting.  Whew!  Everything seems to be connected, as Red Rooster Party often demonstrates.

We played a short daily radio program from Eddy Arnold and The Checkerboard Fun Fest that included the incomparable DeZurik Sisters who were known on the Fun Fest as "The Cackle Sisters."

Marti's Bunkhouse included some Gene Autry music including a couple of patriotic pieces from the 1940s, plus a recording from Gene's radio show of his actual enlistment into the U.S. Army Air Force in 1942.  Marti followed that with a couple of early female-led Western numbers by Girls of the Golden West and Patsy Montana, a couple of songs from early cowboy singer Jules Verne Allen and Jimmy Wakely, and then on the day after the 15th anniversary of his passing, a set of great songs from Roy Rogers.

Slim Whitman

We finished with a couple of tunes from the late Slim Whitman who just died June 19, 2013, and closed with a hilarious tune, "Jim's Windy Mule," from the Prairie Ramblers that was originally issued under the band name Sweet Violet Boys so as not to sully their good name.  You can imagine why the mule was "windy."

Join the fun again next Sunday with Marti and Jim on Red Rooster Party!

Marti & Jim

Marti's Bunkhouse in blue

Title / Artist / Album / Label

• Introduction (1994) / Aunt Hattie Dalton
• Swing Down, Chariot (1946) / Golden Gate Quartet / Complete Recorded Works V.5 / Document
• Anacreontic Song (To Anacreon In Heaven) (2011) / Georgia Tech Glee Club / Engineers Are People, Too! / Self-produced
• Hoping That You're Hoping (1956) / Louvin Brothers / 20 All-Time Greatest Hits / King
• The Kneeling Drunkard's Plea (1958) / Louvin Brothers / 20 Greatest Gospel Hits / King
• Cash On The Barrelhead (2009) / Charlie Louvin / Hickory Wind: Live at the Gram Parsons Guitar Pull Waycross GA / Tompkins Square
• Worried Man Blues (2007) / Charlie Louvin / Self-titled / Tompkins Square
• Weary Lonesome Blues (1960) / Louvin Brothers / A Tribute To The Delmore Brothers / Gusto
• Brown's Ferry Blues (1933) / Delmore Brothers / Classic Cuts 1933-41 / JSP
• Blue Railroad Train (1933) / Delmore Brothers / Classic Cuts 1933-41 / JSP
• Put Me On The Trail To Carolina (1936) / Delmore Brothers / Classic Cuts 1933-41 / JSP
• The Last Old Shovel (1945) / Delmore Brothers / The Later Years 1933-1952 / JSP
• Nashville Blues (1964) / Doc Watson / Self-titled / Vanguard
• First Meeting (Dialog) (1971) / Doc Watson & Merle Travis / Will The Circle Be Unbroken / EMI
• The Courtship Of Second Cousin Claude (1963) / Merle Travis / Back Home-Songs Of The Coalmines / Bear Family
• Eddy Arnold & The Checkerboard Fun Fest (1945) / Eddy Arnold, Dezurik Sisters, Louis Buck, Shelby Jean Davis, Speedy McNett / Radio Transcription / na

• America The Beautiful (1949) / Gene Autry / The Cowboy is a Patriot / Varese Sarabande
• Ridin’ Down the Canyon (1935) / Gene Autry / The Last Round Up / Synergy
• Gene Autry Is Sworn Into The USAAF by Col. Edward F. Shaffer (1942) / Gene Autry / The Cowboy Is A Patriot / Varese Sarabande
• Private Buckaroo (1942) / Sgt. Gene Autry / The Cowboy Is A Patriot / Varese Sarabande
• Round-up Time in Texas (1933) / Girls of the Golden West / Flowers In The Wildwood / Trikont
• My Poncho Pony (1939) / Patsy Montana / Flowers In The Wildwood / Trikont
• Little Joe The Wrangler (1928) / Jules Vern Allen / Singing In The Saddle / Rounder
• Lonely is the Hunter (1958) / Jimmy Wakely / The Singing Cowboy / Varese Sarabande
• (There’ll Never Be Another) Pecos Bill (1948) / Roy Rogers, Foy Willing & Riders of the Purple Sage / The Roy Rogers Collection / Rhino
• Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1953) / Roy Rogers & Sons of the Pioneers / The Roy Rogers Collection / Rhino
• Hoppy, Gene and Me (1974) / Roy Rogers / The Roy Rogers Collection / Rhino
• Happy Trails (1952) / Roy Rogers, Dale Evans / The Roy Rogers Collection / Rhino

• Indian Love Call (1951) / Slim Whitman / Vintage Collections / Capitol
• There's A Rainbow In Every Teardrop (1953) / Slim Whitman / Vintage Collections / Capitol
• Jim's Windy Mule (1935) / Sweet Violet Boys aka Prairie Ramblers / Jim's Windy Mule / B.A.C.M