New blog found

There is a new, promising looking music blog everyone should check out. It`s called Folk Archivist and the address is---

www.folkarchivist.blogspot.com

I`m linking to it under the Friends Of The Archive list at the left side of the page----Allen

Sam & Kirk McGee and The Crook Brothers - Opry Old Timers LP

A Very aptly named album. The Crook Brothers and Sam & Kirk McGee had been on the Grand Ole Opry from it`s birth pretty much (at least within about 6 months of it`s birth) till each one of them passed away. Sam McGee passed away in 1975 (on the Opry 50 years) and Kirk in 1983 (on the Opry 58 years). Herman Crook passed away in 1988 at age 89 and was still performing, very well at that (on the Opry 63 years, a record I believe).
On thing that made the Crook Brothers unique was that they were led by Herman`s harmonica as lead instrument, not the fiddle. The Crook Brothers were originally Herman and his brother Matthew playing twin harmonicas. Sometime around 1929, Matthew quit to become a policeman, leaving Herman as the groups star. From that time on the group featured twin harmonica and fiddle as the lead instruments, still pretty unique. Also, Herman added another member to the group on banjo, Lewis Crook. As unusual as Crook is for a last name, Herman and Lewis were not related. Herman and Lewis were both in the band till Herman passed away in 1988. Here`s a little known piece of Opry trivia---in the early days of the Opry, the Crook Brothers occasionally featured a vocal tune. Lewis Crook was the first person to sing Will The Circle Be Unbroken on the Opry. This song has became somewhat of an anthem for country music.
The McGee Brothers, Sam & Kirk, were pretty popular stars in their time. Discovered by none other than Uncle Dave Macon, they teamed up with Macon and got started in their musical careers that way. Sam was a virtuoso finger-picker on the guitar in the old country-parlor style and was also very blues influenced. He also played 5-string banjo and banjo-guitar. Kirk was a really good 5-string picker, both in clawhammer style and 2 finger style. He was also a good 2 finger guitar player. He also played fiddle some. Sam`s vocals leaned toward comic and novelty songs while Kirk leaned towards sentimental type tunes. They were popular Opry performers all through the years.
The songs on this record are all good`uns. All the Crook Brothers tunes are songs you would expect to hear a Tennessee string band play. The McGee`s tunes are a little more varied. ALL are great tunes, both for the songs and the musicianship.
In the download I have included a song not on the LP. The tune is Lost Indian by the Crook Brothers. It was recorded at the session but not released on the record. It was released on one of the many Starday various artist LP`s. I wonder how many tunes was recorded by each group that wasn`t released. Sam & Kirk made many records through the years, but Herman Crook was reluctant to make records for some reason. I heard that this sold well enough that Herman was approached again to record and just wouldn`t, too bad for us.
Hope you enjoy this one!




Click here to download Opry Old Timers - Sam & Kirk McGee and The Crook Brothers

Obray Ramsey - Blue Ridge Banjo

This is the last Obray Ramsey LP I have. As far as I know, all of them I have posted on the blog are all he recorded.
There is nothing more I can really say about Mr. Ramsey that I haven`t already said in other posts. If you are interested in and like this LP, search the blog for the others.
Happy listening!



Click here to download Obray Ramsey - Blue Ridge Banjo

Voices Of Lynchburg LP - very unique!

Here is a really neat record. This was recorded at Lynchburg, Tennessee in the late 1970`s I`d say. Someone went down there and just recorded stories about the area from some local old timers. Of course, Lynchburg is famous for one thing mainly, the Jack Daniels distillery is there. I have been to Lynchburg about 5 years ago, and it`s a pretty small, remote place even today. Of course, we don`t know any of the folks on this record personally, but it`s still really interesting.
Enjoy it!



Click here to download Voices Of Lynchburg

The New Lost City Bang Boys - Earth Is Earth 7 inch "LP"

Here is a rare one, at least it took me about five years to find it. The New Lost City Bang Boys is of course The New Lost City Ramblers.
Now I`m gonna explain why the Ramblers are using an alias. This little LP has four songs that they considered to be a bit naughty (which all but one would not even put a stray thought in your head by today`s standards). Only one of them seems naughty today, When Lulu`s Gone, because the lyrics are pretty much straight out suggestive. Well, it just happens that the tune When Lulu`s Gone was recorded by Roy Acuff (The King Of Country Music which used gospel songs for a pretty large part of his song library) in 1936. The song seemed naughty enough to Roy that he didn`t want the record issued with his name on it. So-----someone came up with The Bang Boys instead of using Roy Acuff & His Crazy Tennesseeans (the name Smoky Mountain Boys wasn`t used until they got on the Grand Ole Opry). That is neat, little known Roy Acuff trivia fact. I guess The New Lost City Ramblers thought it would be funny to sort of spoof The King Of Country Music, Roy Acuff (and they were right in thinking so I think, it`s just funny to me).
So----enjoy the tunes!!



Click here to download The New Lost City Bang Boys - Earth Is Earth

78`s - #4

Melton & Waggoner - Columbia 15423-D
In The Hills Of Old Kentucky (My Mountain Rose)/Underneath The Cotton Moon - recorded October 30, 1928
This is the only record this duet made. Melton possibly recorded some with other people.



Mr. & Mrs. J. Douglas Swagerty - OKeh 45291
There`ll Be No Sorrow There/I Gave My Life For Thee - recorded August 13, 1928
These artists recorded several sides, this is the last record they had issued. On the There`ll Be No Sorrow There side, my disc has some stripped grooves at the beginning, all that is missed is a guitar chord for the singers to get started on key, so I just edited the bad grooves out. I`m not a particular fan of this style of gospel singing for sure, way too formal sounding.



Oscar Seagle - Columbia 61-M
I`se Gwine Back To Dixie/A Banjo Song - recording date unknown to me
I know nothing about this record. I got it because I thought it might have classic style banjo, but there is no banjo at all on it.



Fiddler Joe & His Boys - OKeh 45042
Turkey In The Straw/Arkansaw Traveler - recorded March or April 1926
When I listened to this I thought they sounded like a studio musician group. Come to find out I was right. Fiddler Joe was a New York based studio musician names Joseph Samuels. He made a few other "Old-Time" records also.



Red Mountain Trio - Columbia 15369-D
Sailing Down The Chesapeake Bay/Dixie - recorded October 1, 1928
Great Hawaiian guitar, country style here. This is a group headed by Jimmy Yates, which also recorded under the name Jimmy Yates` Boll Weevils, The Northlanders, and The Four Buzz Saws (what a crazy name!).



Victor Military Band - Victor 17340
The Horse Trot-One Step/Down Home Rag-Turkey Trot
Great ragtime band sides!



Louise & Ferreira/Waikiki Hawaiian Orchestra - Edison 50369
Medley Of Hawaiian Airs-No.2/On The Beach Medley - recording date unknown to me, likely mid to late teens
Good Hawaiian gutars here in the earliest Hawaiian style, unfortunately the recordings are very "low-fi". Likely this was disc dubbed from cylinder recordings. I tried to boost up the music the best I could.



Oliver & Allen - Bluebird B-7175
Darling, The Sunshine Grows Brighter/Let`s Be Sweethearts Again - recorded August 5, 1937
Nice duet singing. This is from the only session they recorded. Let`s Be Sweethearts Again is a great old love (or lost love) song and one of my favorites.



The Pickard Family/Kanawah Singers - Supertone S2068
Get Me Out Of This Birmingham Jail/Mountains Ain`t No Place For Bad Men - recorded October 29, 1929/July 18, 1929
I still don`t understand why they issued discs with a different artist on each side. Neither group has a hardcore old-time sound, but I still like the Pickard Family. The Kanawah singers sound very much like a Vernon Dalhart group record.



Riverside Ramblers - Bluebird B-6926
Wondering/Dissatisfied - recorded February 22, 1937
This group is actually The Hackberry Ramblers, whose recordings were in French (Cajun French). They used this name when recording in English.



Sousa`s Band - Victor 1182
Creole Bells - recording date unknown by me, could be anywhere between 1905 to 1915 I`d say
Everybody knows what to expect to hear when they hear the word Sousa. Think fourth of July brass band music. Great single sided disc!



Evan Douglas & Nate Smith (Kirk McGee & Blythe Poteet) - Champion 15651
If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again/If I Could Only Blot Out The Past - recorded November 27, 1928
I have posted this before I believe, but this is a different copy and I think the sound is a little better. Seems record labels or the 20`s would issue records on their secondary labels (Champion was a Gennett label) under different artist names to avoid paying royalties. Wonder why country folks were always suspicious of big city companies???!!!



Billy Golden & Billy Heins/Billy Golden & Empire Vaudeville Co. - Edison 50605
Good And Bad/Turkey In The Straw - recording date unknown to me, likely 1915-1920-ish
WARNING - this disc is an old "darkey" comic recording and does use a racist word a little. PLEASE - if you are offended by this type recording, DO NOT listen to it.
Actually, this is a VERY mild "darkey" record. If you listen and replace the racist word with your best friends name, it is a pretty funny record.



Orchestra (unknown artists) - Little Wonder Records No.153
Medley No.4 - recorded I believe in the late teens or very early 20`s
Neat little record measuring 5 1/2 inches across. For a disc so small that was recorded before microphones were used, it has suprisingly good sound. Smaller discs like this often have poor sound. This is also a single sided disc. Nice record!

Click here to download 78`s #4

Southern Mountain Folksongs And Ballads LP on the Riverside label

Here is another good LP with various old-time artists from the late 60`s or early 70`s. There is some fine stuff here. I recommend downloading it. Artists include Artus Moser, Harry & Jeanie West, George Pegram, Walter Parham, Virgil Sturgill And Obray Ramsey. This LP is sort of like a sampler, some (if not all) of these tracks maybe on another LP printed sometime.
Hope you enjoy it!



Click here to download Southern Mountain Folksongs and Ballads

Fiddlin` Arthur Smith - Rare Old Time Fiddle Tunes

Here is a great one! This is certainly my favorite recordings of Fiddlin` Arthur Smith. He was great in the 50`s on the Folkways records with Sam & Kirk McGee, but for some reason this disc really appeals to me. I especially like the song Louise, which I`m assuming Smith made up. It`s sort of a novelty number without going overboard into trick fiddling.. Also, Arthur`s son Earnest is playing back-up guitar and for some reason his style of back-up really sounds good with Arthur. This is just a good all-around fiddle album.
Hope you enjoy it!




Click here to download Fiddlin` Arthur Smith - Rare Old Time Fiddle Tunes

Obray Ramsey & Byard Ray - File Under Rock

Here is a strange LP. At first I thought the name of the record was White Lightnin` and that File Under Rock was just for people working at the record store. Come to find out that the duet is called White Lightnin` and the name of the album is File Under Rock. Most of you have downloaded the other Obray Ramsey LP`s I`ve posted (they have been some of the most downloaded posts) and know Obray was a pretty straight old-time style musician. This album is just weird, they are backed by choirs on some track and some feature instrument back-up that is strictly NOT old time, thus File Under Rock I suppose. This is by a far piece my least favorite record of Ramsey & Ray (I`m pretty hard-core on my old-time likings), but decided to post it as I had a few people ask if I had this one. I do have one more Obray Ramsey LP I will post soon, it`s the only other one I have and as far as I know it`s the only other LP Ramsey made. Where else could you hear them all?
Happy listening!







Click here to download Obray Ramsey & Byard Ray - File Under Rock

The Armstrong Twins - 2 LP`s

Here is a group that I don`t really know anything about. We know that brother groups were very popular in the 30`s into the early 40`s, because of their close harmony. So, TWIN harmony should be REALLY close. These two do hit it pretty good.
This first LP is from mid-40`s recordings. They do songs from traditional country tunes to what might qualify as rock-a-billy.




Click here to download The Armstrong Twins - Hillbilly Mandolin



This second LP was recorded after their "re-discovery" after the first LP was issued. The liner notes sort of tell the story.
This LP shows a heavy influence of Roy Acuff on their music over the years. Seven of the fourteen songs were Acuff numbers, some quite popular tunes, some sort of obscure Acuff recordings, such as Greenback Dollar and Beautiful Brown Eyes (of course these were common traditional songs and may have been learned elsewhere.
Listen and enjoy!




Click here to download The Armstrong Twins - Just Country Boys