How I pick 78`s to post

When I pick 78`s to post I have no "system" of picking them. I just get a pile of them out and go through and pick a dozen more or less to copy to cd. Maybe one of these days I`ll make a 78`s posting with a theme of some sort or something like that. I think it`s likely easier to listen to a variety download anyhow.

Another bunch of old 78`s!

My Own Iona/Carolina Glide - OKeh 45142
Scottdale String Band - recorded March 21, 1927
A unique string band with mandolin as the lead instrument. My Own Iona is a song in the vein of Red Wing, Snow Deer or Silver Bell, although Iona is a native Hawaiian girl rather than an Indian.



Bum Song No.2/In The Big Rock Candy Mountains - Champion 15646
Jack Golding (as Jerry Ellis) - recorded Dec. 11, 1928 (from Gennett masters)
Both songs were popular hobo songs of the 1920`s. In The Big Rock Candy Mountains was sort of a hobo national anthem, the Big Rock Candy Mountains being like heaven to a hobo. This song was featured in the movie O! Brother , Where Art Thou, but by the artist that originally recorded the number - Harry "Mac" McClintock.




Dark Eyes/On Top Of Old Smoky - Vocalion 15366
Sid Harkreader/George Reneau - recorded April 13, 1925/Oct. 15, 1925
Dark Eyes is a longing love song, On Top Of Old Smoky is a unique version of this song sang to a tune I`ve never heard it sung to before. I don`t know why sometimes record companys put a different artist on each side of a 78. How did they work royalties on these records I wonder.



The Wandering Boy/The Dying Boy`s Message - Vocalion 5203
Howard Haney - recorded Dec. 21, 1927
Who was Howard Haney??!! I`ve never heard of him before, recorded 6 sides in a 2 day session. Two typical tear-jerker songs here.



Golden Rocket/Shotgun Boogie - Folk Music Center 101
Jimmy Owen - likely recorded about 1950-ish
Who was Jimmy Owen?? I`d never heard of him. Pretty good record of two songs that would have been very popular at the time this record was cut.



Sad Home Of Death/You`ve Got To Lay Down And Die Someday - Victor 20481
Rev. J.M. Gates - recording date unknown to me, likely about 1927
This is the first sermon type record I`ve had. Rev. Gates recorded many sides for more than one label. Pretty interesting record, to me at least.



Charleston No.1/Carroll County Blues - Clarion 5129-C
Narmour & Smith (as Jones & Billings) - recorded March 11, 1929 (from OKeh masters)
Two great tunes that have became old-time and bluegrass standards, especially Carroll County Blues. This is a GREAT record. Excellent examples of what we now call short-bow fiddling, especially the tune Charleston No.1.



Poker Alice/Dangerous Nan McGrew - Columbia 15558-D
Charlotte Miller & Bob Ferguson - recorded April 16, 1930
I know nothing about these artists. Both songs are what is sometimes called "city-billy" songs, an attempt of professional (or semi-professional) songwriters trying to write a hillbilly or old-time song. Dangerous Nan McGrew was originally Dan instead of Nan, this is sort of a re-write to be sang as a woman.



Moonlight On The Colorado/The Broken Engagement - Decca 5540
Riley Puckett & Red Jones - recorded Sept. 28 & 29, 1937
Two old pop type numbers done up in Riley Puckett country fashion. Who was Red Jones?? On the first few sessions Roy Acuff recorded in the mid 30`s there was a Red Jones in his band at the time they were called The Crazy Tennesseeans, could he be the same Red Jones I`ve always wondered??



"Argufying" Part 1&2 - Columbia 14234-D
Slim Henderson & John Mason - recording date unknown to me, likely 1927-ish
What we have here is a minstrel type skit. I`m guessing this is the only record they made. It just isn`t very funny, not as funny as Sam & Henry (aka Amos & Andy) or The Two Black Crows were.



Pretty Little Widow/Liberty - Vocalion 02948
Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers - recorded Oct. 22 & 23, 1928 (from Columbia masters)
What`s up with this being on the Vocalion label?? Apparently sometimes labels would lease masters from another company when the original company had quit issuing songs. I`m guessing Vocalion issued this possibly in the 1930`s, the label is just gold and black, earlier they were gold, black and white.
These may also be alternate takes than what was issued on Columbia. At the end of Liberty on the Columbia record, Lowe Stokes says "scat" at the end of the song and the word "scat" is absent here.
Something interesting about the tunes---Pretty Little Widow is the same tune as Sugarfoot Rag. Clayton McMichen claimed his dad wrote this tune and seems to have tried to sue over it. It had not been copywrited by his dad unfortunately, and the case either was lost or dismissed.
This Liberty tune is one of my favorte fiddle tunes. It is a different song than the fiddle tune we call Liberty now. Most people call this song Liberty Off The Corn Licker Still, which is really wrong. Clayton McMichen introduces the song as "We`re gonna play the tune you all been askin` for, Liberty - off the corn licker still" Meaning this tune was on one of the Corn Licker Still In Georgia skit records where they just played snippets of tunes during the skit. All the old 1920`s recordings of the tune Liberty is this song, not the song we call Liberty today, which the second part of is from the tune Soldier`s Joy. I don`t know where this "new" Liberty came from and don`t know when the "new" version was first recorded. I like this Liberty much better than the "new" one!




My Sweet Sweeting Waltz/Aloha Sunset Land - Edison (no catalog number on the label)
Helen Louise & Frank Ferera/Waikiki Hawaiian Orchestra - recording date unknown to me, could be from about 1913-ish up till maybe 1920-ish
I love the old steel guitar like played on these two instrumentals. Likely Helen Louise or Frank Ferera is playing on the Waikiki Hawaiian Orchestra side also.
This disc was in sort of rough shape around the edges and is fairly noisy for an Edison disc for about the first minuet on both sides.



Whoa Bill - Universal Zonophone No. P. 5244.
Vess L. Ossman - recording date could be anywhere from the late 1890`s till maybe around 1910 - this is a seven inch diameter disc
Here`s a neat early disc record. The record is actually dark brown in color, but looks black in the scan. It`s a fairly noisy record (although it`s in pretty decent condition) as most earlier records usually are.

Click here to download My 78`s #3

Archie Campbell LP with Phil Campbell & Fred E. Smith

Today I was feeling like a little comedy, so I thought I`d post this Archie Campbell LP. It`s a pretty funny one from a live show in Tupelo, Mississippi recorded May 29th, 1976.
Aloso on this LP is Archie`s son Phil and a man named Fred E. Smith that was a well known comedian from the east Tennessee - North Carolina area. Mr. Smith might even still be active, I`m not sure.
Hope you all enjoy this one.




SORRY, THIS IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD - This has been removed due to a copyright violation.

Dyke`s "Magic City" Trio LP

Here is a good re-issue LP of the 1920`s string band Dyke`s Magic City Trio. This is all the sides they recorded. They were a great band with sort of a unique sound. They don`t have the wild sound of the Georgia string bands of the time, nor did they sound like a typical North Carolina band, nor even a typical Tennessee band style, although they were from a musically rich area of east Tennessee where many record artists of the time had came from.
This is great music, I hope you enjoy it.





Click here to download Dyke`s Magic City Trio

Bradley Kincaid 10 inch LP - American Ballads And Folk Songs

Here is a good Bradley Kincaid record. It is an old 10 inch LP on the Varsity label, I`m guessing from about 1950. The sound quality on these old 10 inch LP`s is just barely better than the 78`s being pressed at that time. This one sounds pretty good for a 10 inch LP.
I think my favorite song on this is Red Light Ahead, which sort of reminds me of the old song Detour. Hope you all like this one.

Click here to download Bradley Kincaid - American Ballads And Folk Songs

A Bottle Of Wine And A Ginger Cake - Traditional Music From Southeast Tennessee

This is a good LP of field type recordings from Tennessee. I don`t know anything about any of these people other than the information in the booklet that came with the album, so I`m including scans of the booklet. My copy of this has some water damage, as you can see in the pictures, but the disc still sounds ok. Enjoy!!














Track list---
Chattanooga - Blaine Smith
Jeff Davis - Blaine Smith
Cincinnati - Blaine Smith
A Bottle Of Wine And A Ginger Cake - Blaine Smith
Corn In The Crib - Blaine Smith
Choctaw Bill - Blaine Smith
Run, Boy, Run - Florrie Stewart
Ike Ward - Eldia Barbee
Rubber-Tired Buggy - Eldia Barbee
Black Oak Ridge - Eldia Barbee
Devil Chased Me Around The Stump - Eldia Barbee
Pick And Shovel - Clay Turner
The Old Account - Clay Turner
Will The Circle Be Unbroken - Clay Turner
Sugar Gal - Peanut Cantrell
Sail Away Ladies - Peanut Cantrell

Click here to download A Bottle Of Wine And A Ginger Cake

Ed Hyde - Square Dance Album

Here`s a pretty good fiddle album. Ed Hyde was the fiddler for the Crook Brothers on the Grand Ole Opry I believe for most of the sixties and into the mid seventies when he passed away. I really don`t know any more about him other than what is on this LP cover.
His style is sort or bluegrass with definate old-time fiddle roots, like many of the early bluegrass fiddlers that came out of the thirties. The back up pickers are bluegrass style players. Too bad he didn`t make this record with the Crook Brothers backing him up, that would have been great (and better in my opinion).
Give this LP a listen and hear an old Opry legend, albeit possibly an unknown one.




The songs on side two are not in the same order as listed on the cover, so here is a correct track list---
Ten Minutes Of Continuous Playing
Five Minuets Of Continuous Playing
Ed`s Hornpipe
Soldier`s Joy
Golden Star
Jud`s Hornpipe
Bill Cheatham
Flop Eared Mule

Click here to download Ed Hyde - Square Dance Album

Some more 78`s!!

Here is another bunch of my 78`s for your listening pleasure. As always, the condition of these are from mint to condition to one step away from the dumpster...so----some sound great, some others are just barely listenable. I`ve tried to make them sound the best I can.
Now---here is a little note of warning I guess you could say. Some of these songs have some certain words in them not considered acceptable today, all related to race. Some of these use the words commonly used in the teens and 20`s for certain races. I`m sorry if it offends someone. BUT---we can not judge these recordings and the language common at the time the records were made by today`s standards. Please, if you listen to these songs, don`t be offended. I`m going to put in the description of the records which songs has offensive words in them. The most polite term I can think of is to call them Minstrel Songs. So, if you see a song title with Minstrel Song by it, you can choose whether or not to listen to the tune. I hope this works for me and everyone out there. Using the term Minstrel Song is actually pretty accurate, most of these songs were at least influenced by the minstrel shows. Happy Listening!!

Bill Bailey, Ain`t That A Shame/I Got Mine - Champion 15503
John McGhee (as John Hutchens)
Recorded Dec. 31, 1927 & April 24, 1928
Both of these songs are funny songs. The Bill Bailey, Ain`t That A Shame is not the typical Bill Bailey song we all know, but is similar to Uncle Dave Macon`s song Ain`t It A Shame To Keep Your Honey Out In The Rain. I got Mine was also recorded by Fiddlin` John Carson and also Gid Tanner & Fate Norris.
BOTH songs are Minstrel Songs



The Fellow That Looked Like Me/Johnny The Drunkard - Supertone 9642
Asa Martin (as Emmett Davenport)
Recorded Aug. 29, 1929 & Jan. 14, 1930
Two more funny songs here. Johnny The Drunkard is usually called Three Night Drunk or Cabbage Head and was recorded many times. The Fellow That Looks Like Me was also recorded by The Hill Billies.



Carolina Stompdown/Hard Times Breakdown - OKeh 45153
Aiken County String Band
Recorded Sept. 19, 1927
Two great old time instrumentals. My copy of this record is pretty trashed, but it don`t sound too bad at all considering how bad the condition of the disc is. Carolina Stompdown is what we`d usually call Soldier`s Joy but is unusal because they they play it in two different keys. Hard Time Breakdown is a typical rag of the times.



Outlaw John Dillinger/Crime Does Not Pay - Perfect 13024
Frank Luther Trio
Recorded July 26, 1934
Frank Luther was a Vernon Dalhart sound-a-like. Both songs were typical topical songs, though by 1934 topical songs were sort of out of style. Boys---listen to your mother!!



On The Dummy Line/Down In The Cane Break - Conqueror 7574
The Pickard Family
Recorded Feb. 6, 1930
I had always wondered about "Dummy Line" Dummy is used here for mute or silent. The Dummy Line was a nickname for a certain railroad line that uses condensing steam engines. The exhaust steam went trough a condenser (like a corn licker still) and turned the steam back to water to re-use in the engine`s boiler. The condenser acted as a muffler, thus making the engine fairly quiet, or "dumb". My copy is pretty wore out, the vocals aren`t real clear, especially on Down In The Cane Break.



Over The Waves/Red Wing - Supertone S2092 (from Brunswick masters)
W.W. MacBeth
Recorded Oct 30, 1929
Two absolutely great harmonica solos. This version of Over The Waves may be about the fanciest I`ve heard!



You Shall Be Free/Old Lady And The Devil - Columbia 15336-D
Bill & Belle Reed
Recorded Oct. 17, 1928
A pretty rare record, the only record they recorded. Both are comedy songs.
You Shall Be Free is a Minstrel Song



The Bully Song - Part 1&2 - Columbia 15302-D
Vernon Dalhart
Recorded Sept, 21, 1928
Strange that on the Columbia label that they issued discs under the name Vernon Dalhart and also many songs as Al Craver. This is the song more commonly known as Bully Of The Town and is song and skit, straight from the minstrel show stage. My copy of this is pretty rough.
BOTH sides are Minstrel Songs.



If You Don`t Like My Ford Coupe, Don`t You Cadillac Me/Golden Memories Waltz - Columbia 15416-D
Owens Brothers
Recorded Dec. 3, 1928
The Owens Brothers were the country version of The Stamps Quartet, that is a gospel quartet possibly attempting to "cross over" to country music. On the Ford Coupe song, they remind me very much of the Georgia Yellow Hammers. The Ford Coupe song is sort of an old pop type song, the waltz is an instrumental.



That`s My Weakness Now/Mama`s Grown Young, Papa`s Grown Old - Perfect 12449
Paul Johnson
Recording date unknown to me.
This is a pop recording. The reason I got this is the fact that Gid Tanner recorded a parody of That`s My Weakness Now and I wanted to hear the original song. There is practically NO similarity between the original and Gid`s parody. The Mama`s Grown Old tune was recorded by some early blues artists as well.



Missouri Waltz/ `Till We Meet Again - Brunswick 2918
Palakiko & Paaluhi
Recording date unknown to me likely between 192 & 1925.
Great Hawaiian guitar music here. Listen to this to hear where the steel guitar and dobro in country music originally came from.



Somebody`s Done Me Wrong/Tishomingo Blues - Emerson Record No. 913
Eddie Nelson
Recording date unknown to me, likely 1917 to 1920.
I got this because when I saw the title Tishomingo Blues it was so interesting to me I had to hear it. Tishoming was also one of the towns in the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?.Old pop hokum type songs. We have sort of an orchestra with jug and other effects here.
Although the labels describes the songs as "Coon Character Songs", neither song has any racial slurs in them.


Click here to download My 78`s #2