New Releases etc

WILMA LEE & STONEY COOPER

New 4 CD Box Set From Bear Family
Includes Rare & Unreleased Recording.

Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper were not big stars in chart terms but they were true stars with loyal audiences in the eastern half of the united States and up into Canada, playing small towns and, after the shows, meet with the folks, signing autographs and shaking hands. Finely keeping up the traditions of old-timey, bluegrass and country gospel, their recordings have been sadly neglected in the reissues market … that is, until now! Thanks to the many requests of genre music fans, Bear Family has collected the duo’s recordings for Rich-R-Tone, Columbia and Hickory – along with ultra-rare items from the Cooper’s personal collection – in this 4 cd, 122 track collection.

WILMA LEE & STONEY COOPER BIG MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

(Bear Family BCD 16751 DK)

From its’ earliest days, country music was fostered in many small homesteads and family circles and, when the music became a commercial item, it produced several husband and wife teamings. Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper ranked among the most popular in the post World War II years.

Both were natives of West Virginia. Wilma Leigh was born into a musical family, the oldest of three daughters to Jacob (Jake) and Lola Leary. By the late 1930s the family group had become well known through local radio work, with Wilma becoming known for her hard driving guitar style as well as for her powerful, emotional vocals. When a family member dropped out, Jake Leary offered a job to a young fiddle player and singer, Dale “Smiley” Cooper, who lived 40 miles away from the Leary family and had been playing local square dances with his oldest brother. He quickly established himself within the group that performed sacred songs as an ensemble or individuals singing secular numbers, Dale and Wilma also working as a duo named the Singing Pals. At the same time Wilma completed her high school education, earned a college business degree and became romantically involved with her singing partner. In 1941 The Learys increased their following when they moved to WWVA Wheeling and commenced appearances on the Wheeling Jamboree, a serious rival to the Grand Ole Opry. It was there that he picked up the nickname “Stoney”, the result of an on-air audience contest, and led on to the birth of a new duo, Stoney Cooper & Wilma Lee, their marriage and, in 1942, the birth of their daughter Carolee.

The next few years saw them entertaining on a number of different radio stations in such states as Nebraska, Illinois, West Virginia and North Carolina, eventually attracting the attention of a Tennessee record distributor, Jim Hobart “Hobe” Stanton, who gave them their first recording opportunity. The songs were recorded at radio station WWNC, Ashville, during summer 1047, and released on Stanton’s Rich-R-Tone outlet. Although low quality and more representative of 1930s’ production, Wilma Lee considered these recordings to be their best work. These dozen titles – including Little Rosewood Casket, Two Little Orphans and Tramp On The Street – are the first tracks in this box set.

Although the Rich-R-Tone recordings were lo-fi, the duo shone above the shortcomings, causing Art Satherley – at Columbia Records – to seek them out for a deal. At the same time they also inked with Fred Rose at the newly formed Acuff-Rose for song publishing and, in April 1949, undertook their first session at Nashville’s Castle Studio. Among the songs recorded were Willie Roy, The Crippled Boy, written by fellow WWVA Wheeling artist “Doc” Williams; Thirty Pieces Of Silver, a song that would remain identified with Wilma Lee; and I Dreamed About Mom Last Night, a song that had been a recitation popular with the Leary Family as well as being long featured by the Coopers.

With nationally distributed records by a major label, backed with radio support, their popularity soared not only with the public but also with their peers. Hank Williams cited Wilma Lee as his favourite female singer and she was regularly referred to as “the female Roy Acuff”. The release of Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow c/w Legend Of The Dogwood Tree, in early 1951, increased their record sales considerably, clearly displaying their ability to work comfortably with both secular and religious material, while The West Virginia Polka (a variation of The Texas Polka, written by Charlie and Ira Louvin) proved particularly popular with their WWVA Wheeling audiences.

Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper remained with Columbia for six years, recording 38 songs over nine sessions. During this period they also demoed the original version I Dreamed Of A Hillbilly Heaven, co-written by Hal Southern and Eddie Dean, which later became one of the biggest hits of Tex Ritter’s career. The Cooper’s version is included in this collection, along with other hitherto unissued rarities, Far Beyond The Starry Sky and an advert featuring The West Virginia Polka.

After Columbia, the Coopers continued to work closely with Fred Rose, who had been a guiding light in their career. In 1954 he decided to launch a record label in conjunction with his music publishing company: The label was named Hickory Records and the duo were among its first signings which, in turn, provided them a run of chart successes. Sadly Fred Rose did not live to see their first session and died on December 1, 1954 at the age of 57, his place as head of the company was taken over by his son Wesley Rose who produced all the sessions during their nine year association with the label.

Hickory Records put the duo in the charts seven times, their debut coming with Cheated Too in 1956. The biggest hit came with the Top 3 title There’s A Big Wheel in 1959/60, penned for them by Don Gibson. It followed on the heels of Big Midnight Special (1959), originally a prison song that had been given a fresh arrangement by Wilma Lee. The success of these two recordings led to the Cooper’s first American LP, also the first LP on Hickory by any artist. (The duo had previously had an LP issued in Canada, through Quality Records, following considerable demand. They had a large fan base north of the border thanks to the WWVA Wheeling broadcasts and transcription recordings made specially for Canadian radio).

The other chart successes were Come Walk With Me (1958), Johnny My Love (Grandma’s Song) (1960), This Ole House (1960, recorded after Wilma Lee heard Rosemary Clooney’s version and thought it would be an ideal song for her) and a revival of Roy Acuff’s Wreck On The Highway (1961). As country duets were popular, and looking to broaden the Coopers’ horizons, Rose also produced two sides with Al Terry – Not Anymore and We Make A Lovely Couple – during one of the earliest Hickory sessions. Terry, a one-time disc jockey from Louisiana, had given Hickory its biggest hit to date with Good Deal, Lucille (1954).

At Hickory, the Coopers were blessed with songs from some of the best country writers of the generation, many of them associated with Acuff-Rose including Don Gibson, Felice & Boudleaux Bryant, the Louvin Brothers and Hank Williams, the last named being the most covered songwriter of the period. During two December 1961 sessions they covered his Six More Miles, When God Comes And Gathers His Jewels, Singing Waterfall, On The Evening Train and Help Me Understand. Wilma Lee was also a significant songwriter in her own right with a lot of her songs leaning towards gospel, just as many recordings had over the years. The duo’s third Hickory album, Songs Of Inspiration, was entirely devoted to the genre. Recorded in January 1963, after Stoney had recovered from a major heart attack, this collection included two titles from the Louvin’s, There’s A Higher Power and Keep Your Eyes On Jesus (both featuring background vocals by Ira Louvin), Martha Carson’s Satisfied, Molly O’Day’s When My Time Comes To Go, Acuff’s This World Can’t Stand Long and Fred Rose’s The Black Sheep Returned To The Fold. This collection of recordings also featured Wilma Lee on banjo, an instrument she had not used in a session since recording for Columbia in 1950.

The success of their Hickory recordings not only saw the Coopers moving from the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree to Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry but also being courted by Owen Bradley to join his roster of artists on Decca Records. Their final session for Hickory came on March 26, 1964 and included the Cajun styled Big John’s Wife and Wilma Lee’s arrangement of an old black spiritual, This Train. That same year they appeared in Country Music On Broadway, a movie bursting with country music stars.

Sadly the association with Decca did not live up to expectations as producer Bradley tried to further commercialize their music, pulling them too far away from their traditional roots. Nevertheless they remained one of the most popular acts on the Opry and once the Decca contract had expired, they returned to smaller labels that gave them the freedom to record material that correlated with their live performances and mountain roots. In 1977 Stoney’s years of declining health finally caught up with him and another severe heart attack led to his death on March 22. Wilma Lee continued to perform, mainly on bluegrass festivals and on the Grand Ole Opry, as well as being the recipient of many national awards over the following years. When asked how they would like to remembered, she stated “Well I’d like to think that we did nothing to harm our type of music. That, if anything, we honoured the music we grew up with and will be remembered for that”.

This box set is accompanied by a 48 page, LP sized book that includes a full length biography by Bruce A. McGuire with many first-hand comments by Wilma Lee, alongside a mass of rare photographs, record label reproductions and a detailed discography of the Rich-R-Tone, Columbia and Hickory recordings, all featured in this collection.

For more information on this box set and other Bear Family releases, please contact Yvonne Saunders at Rollercoaster Records, Rock House, London Road, St. Mary’s, Stroud, Glos GL6 8PU.

phone: 01453 886252; fax: 01453 885361; e-mail: info@rollercoasterrecords.com

BIG MIDNIGHT SPECIAL – full track listing:

Disc 1 - The Little Rosewood Casket; What Will I Do; Two Little Orphans; Wicked Path Of Sin; This World Can't Stand Long; Tramp On The Street; Matthew Twenty-Four; My Dreamboat Is Drifting; Girl In The Blue Velvet Band; What Good Will It Do; Blue Mountain Girl; I Love No One But You; Willy Roy (The Crippled Boy); Thirty Pieces Of Silver; What's The Matter With This World; Moonlight On West Virginia; No One Now; He Will Save Your Soul (From The Burning Fire); I Dreamed About 'Mom Last Night; On The Banks Of The River; I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow; The White Rose; The Legend Of The Dogwood Tree; The Message Came Special; Faded Love; The Golden Rocket; Mother's Prayer; The Ghost Train

Disc 2 - I'm Taking My Audition (To Sing Up In The Sky); Walking My Lord Up Calvary Hill; All On Account Of You; Stoney (Are You Mad At Your Gal); The West Virginia Polka; Sunny Side Of The Mountain; You Tried To Ruin My Name; Have Mercy On Me; I Cried Again; The Clinch Mountain Waltz; My Lord's Gonna Shake My Hand; Will The Lord Let You In; Idle Gossip, Idle Words; Don't Play That Song (On The Juke Box Tonight); What Can I Say; You Belong To Somebody Else; Are You Walking And A-Talking For The Lord; You Can't Take It With You (When You Go); You Can't Feel The Way I Do; Brand New Baby; Bamboozled; Can You Forget; Each Season Changes You; Just For A While; How It Hurts To Cry Alone; Please Help Me To Be Wrong; We Make A Lovely Couple (You And I); Not Anymore; Far Beyond The Starry Sky; I Dreamed Of A Hillbilly Heaven; The West Virginia Polka (advert)

Disc 3 - I Want To Be Loved; This Crazy, Crazy World; Row Number Two, Seat Number Three; I've Been Cheated Too; It's Just As Well (& AL TERRY); I'm Not The Girl (& AL TERRY); This Thing Called Man; Loving You; X Marks The Spot; The Tramp On The Street; My Heart Keeps Crying; He Taught Them How; Diamond Joe; I Tell My Heart; Come Walk With Me; Is It Right; Big Midnight Special; Walking My Lord Up Calvary Hill; The Canadian Reel; Home Sweet Home; Heartbreak Street; There's A Big Wheel; Rachel's Guitar; Night After Night; Johnny, My Love (Grandma's Diary); More Love; This Old House; Train, You Took My Baby; Heartaches Don't Lie; I Gotta Laugh (To Keep From Crying); Wreck On The Highway; Trouble Ahead; The Mighty Battle Cry

Disc 4 - Doin' My Time; Have Faith In Me; Matthew Twenty Four; Six More Miles; Teardrops Falling In The Snow; I'm Reading Your Letter Again; When God Comes And Gathers His Jewels; Singing Waterfall; Thirty Pieces Of Silver; At The First Fall Of Snow; Philadelphia Lawyer; On The Evening Train; Help Me Understand; The Legend Of The Dogwood Tree; Every Hour And Every Day; Satisfied; There's A Higher Power; Keep Your Eyes On Jesus; Family Bible; The Black Sheep Returned To The Fold; The Way Worn Traveler; Glory Land March; Wandering Soul; This World Can't Stand Long; When My Time Comes To Go; The Story Of The Three Nails; I Couldn't Care Less; Big John's Wife; This Train; Pirate King.

OUT WEST WITH "BONANZA"

Johnny Bond Shakes This Shack

Two new releases from Germany’s Bear Family Records have western connections …. Bonanza was one of television’s most successful of the 1960s, and Johnny Bond who appeared in numerous Singing Cowboy movies.

Various Artists Bonanza (Bear Family BCD 16584 AS)

Bonanza (LORNE GREENE); Bonanza (BUDDY MORROW); Bonanza (JOHNNY CASH); Bonanza (AL CAIOLA); Bonanza (FARON YOUNG); Gimme A Little Kiss (Will 'Ya' Huh) (MICHAEL LANDON); Be Patient With Me (MICHAEL LANDON); Fight, Fight (MICHAEL LANDON); Linda Is Lonesome (MICHAEL LANDON); Without You (MICHAEL LANDON); Linda Is Lonesome (2nd version) (MICHAEL LANDON); Bonanza (DAVID ROSE); Ponderosa (DAVID ROSE); Hoss (DAVID ROSE); Hoedown At Virginia City (DAVID ROSE); The Shifting Whispering Sands (JOHNNY CASH & LORNE GREENE); Saga Of The Ponderosa (LORNE GREENE); Erzahit von der Ponderosa (Promotion Single) (VATER CARTWRIGHT); Bonanza (RALF PAULSEN); Wir Warten Jeden Sonntag auf Bonanza (RALF PAULSEN); Die Cowboys von der Ponderosa (RALF PAULSEN); Little Joe (BONANZA TRIO); Bonanza (NORDWINDS); Zu der Ponderosa Reiten Wir (HEINO); Die Sage der Ponderosa (GUNTER GABRIEL).

Making its debut in 1959 and continuing telling the story of the Cartwright Family way into 1973, the western series Bonanza still continues to be seen on various television screens throughout the world some 35 years after it finished production, making it one of tv’s all-time most successful series. Back in 1993 Bear Family Records paid its own tribute to the show with a four cd box set (BCD 15684 DI) featuring its’ various cast members – and now comes up with a supplementary disc that stretches the Bonanza theme beyond those actors immediately associated with the show.

Kicking off the collection are various interpretations of the theme title, the first being by headlining star, Lorne Green (aka Ben Cartwright), followed by chart versions by Johnny Cash and guitarist Al Caiola alongside further covers by country’s Faron Young and bandleader Buddy Morrow. Further recordings by Lorne Greene (who recorded an album for RCA Victor and enjoyed country chart success with Ringo and Waco) are Saga Of The Ponderosa and a revival of the Rusty Draper hit narrative The Shifting, Whispering Sands in which he’s joined by Johnny Cash. Another of the show’s stars, Michael Landon (aka “Little Joe”) also pursued a short-lived recording career and six of his titles are to be found here, including the single Gimme Me A Little Kiss (Will Ya Huh?). Material by the show’s other two stars, Pernell Roberts and Dan Blocker, are featured items in the aforementioned box set.

There’s four theme tracks given over to the show’s British born musical director, composer and conductor David Rose although the title theme wasn’t one of his compositions – that honour goes to Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The 25 track collection concludes with eight recordings made by German artists, inspired by the tv series. Packaged in an attractive gatefiold sleeve, the cd is accompanied by a full colour, 56 page booklet which provides information on the show and its stars alongside an extensive photo gallery.

JOHNNY BOND - Put Me To Bed (Bear Family BCD 16810 AH)

The Little Rock Roll; Alabama Boogie Boy (1); The Son Of Old Casey; Put A Little Sweetnin' In Your Love; I'll Be Here (After You're Gone); Honky-Tonk Fever; Fast Women And Sloe Gin; Livin' It Up; Keep Your Cotton Pickin' Hands Off My Gal; Lay It On The Line; Somebody's Pushin'; Sale Of Broken Hearts; That's Just What I'll Do; Wild Cat Baby; Don't Take It Away; Wildcat Boogie; Broken Doll; Louisiana Swing; Number Nine Blues; All I Can Do Is Cry; Lonesome Train; Put Me To Bed; It Ain't A Gonna Happen To Me; Tennessee, Kentucky And Alabam’; Barrel House Bessie; Bartender's Blues; Women Make A Fool Out Of Me; Tennessee Walking Horse; Put Me To Bed #2; I'm Pounding The Rails Again

Although he might not be among the most known of the veteran country music performers – and badly represented on compact disc – Oklahoma born Johnny Bond enjoyed a extremely busy and prolific career. With roots in western swing, he had association with three of Hollywood’s most successful singing cowboys, first spending time as a member of the Jimmy Wakely Trio (being heard on radio and seen in several movies) then, from 1940 to 1956, was lead guitarist for Gene Autry, touring the world as a featured performer with Autry’s show. Then he joined forces as business partner and associate of longtime friend Tex Ritter and, in 1977, published the official biography of America’s “most beloved cowboy”, The Tex Ritter Story.

Also, from 1953, he focused his personal career on television, joined the West Coast’s Town Hall Party as regular performer and primary writer in 1953, remaining with the show until its demise in 1962, as well serving in the same capacity in the spin-off syndicated series, Ranch Party. (Several of his television performances can be seen in the Bear Family DVD Johnny Bond At “Town Hall Party” – BVD 20009 AT). In the early 1960s Bond became the host/writer of Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch Show.

On the recording front Johnny Bond signed with Columbia Records in 1941, being given a contract by Art Satherley, with his first session including his original rousing, country blues I’m Pounding The Rails Again, the final track in this cd’s 30 song collection ….. the latest release in Bear Family’s “Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight” series. Bond remained with Columbia until 1957, recording a diverse repertoire of country material, with the more uptempo, country-boogie styled offerings selected for this collection. Among his other original compositions are Put Me To Bed (recorded twice), Barrel House Bessie, Number Nine Blues, Tennessee Kentucky and Alabam’ and Tennessee Walking Horse, and all possess a sly yet lively sense of humour perfectly conveyed by Bond’s easy, clear-cut vocal performances. Other tracks include the Cajun influence Louisiana Swing (penned by Sheb Wooley) and the pseudo rockabilly original The Little Rock Roll, and there’s also four hitherto unissued items – Don’t Take It Away, Fast Women And Sloe Gin, The Son Of Old Casey and Alabama Boogie Boy.

With the majority of tracks recorded on the West Coast, there’s plenty of opportunity for honky-tonk piano, flowing steel guitar, harmonica licks and the occasional burst of fiddle thanks to studio aces like Joe Maphis, Wesley Tuttle, Noel Boggs, Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West while the Nashville tracks include such “A” team musicians as Harold Bradley, Grady Martin, Farris Coursey and Bob Moore. Adding up to a collection that’s perfect fare for all real country music devotees (especially of the post-wear variety), the cd comes with a 28 page booklet in which Packy Smith throws light upon Johnny Bond’s career and recordings, as well as a selection of photographs and detailed discography.

Johnny Bond - who recorded for Starday (where he enjoyed the comedy hit 10 Little Bottles in 1963) and several other labels following his sojourn with Columbia - died on June 12, 1978. He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. Now Bear Family pays fine tribute to the singer, composer and comedian with a superlative collection.

MAC WISEMAN

Bear Family Releases 2nd Box Set Of Recordings

Towards the end of this new 4 cd box set by veteran Mac Wiseman there’s the song, You Can’t Go Into The Red Playin’ Bluegrass – it’s almost a personal statement for an artist who’s been at the forefront of bluegrass and old-timey music for around half a century. Possessing one of the finest, purist voices in country music, Virginia born Wiseman has always kept busy, keeping up regular stage appearances and recording schedule, the results of both have always collected enthusiastic reaction from both critics and public alike.

MAC WISEMAN - ON SUSAN’S FLOOR (Bear Family BCD 16736 DK)

Although Mac Wiseman might have the reputation as a bluegrass entertainer, it would be unjust to pigeonhole him merely as such: his music has far broader audience appeal as clearly heard in this collection. Covering the years 1965-79, the realms, with bluegrass as a base, stretch from traditional styled musicianship to the commercial sounds of ‘70s Nashville.

Following on from Bear Family’s first Wiseman box set (‘Tis Sweet To Be Remembered bringing together his complete Dot and Capitol recordings: 1951-64), this collection reprises recordings from a surfeit of labels, the longest association being with RCA Victor, and record producers, among them ‘Cowboy’ Jack Clement who put the artist in the charts with the novelty Johnny’s Cash and Charley’s Pride.

After his departure from Capitol, at the time that the label was about to put virtually all its resources behind The Beatles and The Beach Boys, and in the absence of any other deal, Wiseman created his own label, Wise Records, on the strength of a song pitched to him by the Country Gentlemen, Bringing Mary Home. Recorded at the RCA Studios in Montreal in 1965, it tied in with a Canadian label (Rodeo Records) and the resulting album mainly comprises Canadian and Irish material, one of the latter – My Molly Bown – quickly established itself an essential part of the Wiseman performance repertoire. The following year he moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he tied down a job at WWVA, the home of the Wheeling Jamboree, as well as setting up his own booking agency and music publishing operations, both with the title Wise-O-Man. Around the same time he began a spate of recording, producing three albums for his former label, Dot, and a fourth for Rural Rhythm.

Each of the Dot albums presented a different music genre - bluegrass, folk and pop – the idea coming from the label’s founder Randy Wood who believed in the album concept, a reverse thinking from several of the other record executives who continued to think singles. The bluegrass album, produced by Mac Wiseman and simply titled Bluegrass, is regarded as one of the artist’s best and had back-up support from the Osborne Brothers among the accompanying musicians. The titles included a couple of Wiseman originals The Bluebirds Are Singing For Me and The Day You Went Away as well as several country classics, Don’t Make Me Go To Bed, We Live In Two Different Worlds and I’ll Be All Smiles Tonight among them. The folk and the pop albums were both produced by Bonnie Guitar who, like Wiseman, had mixed artistic talents with executive duties during the earlier Dot days. As the title implied, Songs of The Dear Old Days presented a more ancient side to the folk repertoire and included Put My Littler Shoes Away, Wreck Of The Old C&O No. 5 and May I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight Mister. The pop collection, A Master At Work, was an album that befuddled most of the Wiseman fans, with several of the songs dating back to the 1940s, a time when he worked three hour shifts as a radio dj playing pop material.

In May 1966, the same month as he recorded the Dot albums, he also recorded a 20 track collection for Uncle Jim O’Neal’s outlet, Rural Rhythm, and titled Old Time Country Favorites. Produced by Lee Sutton, the songs were picked by O’Neal, though Wiseman was well familiar with most of them, which included Bringing In The Georgia Mail, Sittin’ On Top Of The World, The Waltz You Save For Me, Corinna Corinna and I Saw Your Face In The Moon.

Within the period of a month he had recorded 56 tracks and, by September, all four albums had been released which, by the artist’s reckoning, “must be some sort of landmark”. However, after that burst of activity, he didn’t return to the recording studios until May 1968, this time laying down one single for MGM (Got Leavin’ On Her Mind c/w She Simply Left), as a ploy by producer Jack Clement to get the artist a deal with RCA Victor. The single secured a mid-chart placing, interesting RCA enough to sign Wiseman to a deal that would last almost five years. Jack Clement remained as his producer most of the time, with a number of the songs culled from the Clement catalogue including familiar titles and recent successes like Ballad Of A Teenage Queen, Guess Things Happen That Way, Got Leavin’ On Her Mind, All I Have To Offer You Is Me, Me And Bobby McGee, Ring Of Fire and The Day The World Stood Still alongside the aforementioned novelty, Johnny’s Cash And Charley’s Pride (a song that played around with many other artists’ names in the lyrics). Another new song to emerge during this period was the sensitive On Susan’s Floor, written about Nashville’s Sue Brewer who had always a welcome, and a place to stay, for struggling songwriters and the like. Written by Vince Matthews, and subsequently frequently recorded, Mac Wiseman had the original version of a song that’s gained near cult status over the years.

Adding to his sojourn at RCA was Wiseman’s association with Lester Flatt, now split from Earl Scruggs. Flatt has signed with the label roughly the same time as Wiseman and it was more than just a reunion of old friends – he had worked briefly with Flatt & Scruggs in 1948, soon after the duo had left Bill Monroe – and led to a recording partnership that stretched over three albums. This material appears on the Lester Flatt box set, Flatt On Victor (Bear Family BCD 15975 FI).

The final tracks in this collection were recorded for Churchill, a deal tied up by songwriter/producer Bob Millsap who kicked things off with a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Never Going Back Again. “Bob was a visionary, I guess – he figured that I could handle that kind of material” the artist recalls. Even stranger was teaming him with veteran big band leader Woody Herman (who, reportedly, had wanted to make a country record), resulting in a fun revival of My Blue Heaven. Both these singles made the country charts and together with a third, the Kingston Trio song Scotch And Soda, gave Mac Wiseman his greatest period of chart activity and radio play in many years. The recordings also clearly revealed that the artist could handle such music diversity with equal ease.

The four cds (adding up to 114 tracks) are accompanied by a hardcover, 60 page booklet, featuring an essay penned by Colin Escott detailing this period of Mac Wiseman’s career. Profusely illustrated with photographs, the book also contains a full discography.

Today, Mac Wiseman is one of the few survivors from the early days of bluegrass. He connects the music to the folk and parlor songs that preceded it, and sings with the same unaffected sincerity. That's why so many generations know him as “The Voice With A Heart”.

For more information on this collection and other Bear Family releases, please contact Yvonne Saunders at Rollercoaster Records, Rock House, London Road, St. Mary’s, Stroud, Glos GL6 8PU. phone: 01453 886252; fax: 01453 885361; e-mail: info@rollercoasterrecords.com

ON SUSAN'S FLOOR: full track details:

Disc One - Maple Sugar Sweetheart; Bringing Mary Home; Legend Of The Irish Rebel; The Ghost Of Bras D'or; Prince Edward Island Is Heaven To Me; What A Waste Of Good Cornlikker; My Nova Scotia Home; When Its Apple Blossom Time In Annapolis Valley; My Molly Bawn; Atlantic Lullaby; My Cape Breton Home; Pistol Packin' Preacher; Wreck Of The Old 97; Little Mohee; Corinna.Corinna; Sittin' On Top Of The World; How Many Biscuits Can You Eat; Ring Those Golden Bells; I Saw Your Face In The Moon; I'll Be All Smiles Tonight; The Waltz You Saved For Me; Just Over In The Gloryland; My Grandfather's Clock; Little Blossom; There's More Pretty Girls Than One; Rovin' Gambler; Sourwood Mountain; Midnight Special; Mary Of The Wildmoor; The Black Sheep; Bringing In The Georgia Mail; Turkey In The Straw.

Disc Two - We Live In Two Different Worlds; Tragic Romance; I'll Be All Smiles Tonight; This Is Where I Came In; You're The Best Of All The Leading Brands; Don't Make Me Go To Bed And I'll Be Good; The Bluebirds Are Singing For Me; New Black Suit; How Lonely Can You Get; Since The Day You Went Away; Darling Little Joe; A Million, Million Girls; The Letter That Never Came; Wreck Of The C&0#5; The Black Sheep; The Legend Of The Haunted Woods; Put My Little Shoes Away; The Letter Edged In Black; Ballad Of The Lawson Family; The East Bound Train; My Mother's Old Sunbonnet; May I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight Mister; Molly Bawn; White Silver Sands; When It's Springtime In The Rockies; Little Bird; You're The Only Star In My Blue Heaven

Disc Three - A Maiden's Prayer; Just A Baby's Prayer At Twilight; At The Rainbow's End; Lonely City Park; This Is Where I Came In; Me And My Memory; The Isle Of Capri; Forever And Ever; Got Leavin' On Her Mind; She Simply Left; The Things You Have Turned To; Johnny's Cash And Charley's Pride; Mama, Put Your Little Shoes Away; Crystal Chandelier; All I Have To Offer You (Is Me); Wrinkled. Crinkled, Wadded Dollar Bill; Ring Of Fire; Me And Bobby MoGee; Ballad Of A Teenage Queen; Guess Things Happen That Way; The Day The World Stood Still; The Easy Part's Over; Big River; The Little Folks; Sweet Sadness; I'll Still Write Your Name In The Sand; I'd Rather Live By The Side Of The Road; Sing Little Birdie; Colours

Disc Four - Song Of The Wildwood; At The Crossroad; Let Time Be Your Friend; On Susan's Floor; Let's All Go Down To The River; Sunny Side Of The Mountain; Eight More Miles To Louisville; Keep On The Sunny Side; Will The Circle Be Unbroken; A Tragic Romance; It Rains Just The Same In Missouri; City Of New Orleans; Catfish John; You Can't Go In The Red Playin' Bluegrass; It Comes And Goes; Dixie Hummer; I've Got To Catch That Train; Never Going Back Again; Goodbye Mexico Rose; Dancing Bear; Scotch And Soda; Me And The Boys; Two Hundred Dollars; 45s-8x10s; My Blue Heaven (& WOODY HERMAN); If I Could Be With You (It Must Be True) (& WOODY HERMAN)

NASHVILLE STARS ON TOUR

Jim Reeves, Chet Atkins, Bobby Bare & Anita Kerr Singers in Europe

Bear Family releases unique 4 CD, DVD & Book Box Set

Back in April 1964, at a time when Beatlemania was taking over the world, RCA Records went against the grain by taking country music to Europe. With Jim Reeves headlining a high profile package, the lineup also featured Chet Atkins and Bobby Bare with the Anita Kerr Singers providing the background vocals, adding that necessary enhancement to the still relatively new, smooth Nashville Sound.

Billed as “The Sound of Tomorrow”, the tour took in such locations as Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Brussels, packing a busy 19 day schedule that comprised public concerts and military bases, television appearances, recording and media interviews. It was a hot package: Jim Reeves, in spite of the British invasion, rode the country and pop charts with 25 Top 10 hits in the Billboard charts, together with substantial overseas success; Bobby Bare had crossed over to the pop charts with Shame On Me and Detroit City; and Chet Atkins, co-founder of the Nashville Sound and hit-making record executive, was fast on the way to becoming acknowledged as one of the world’s finest guitarists. Even the Anita Kerr Singers, whose vocals graced numerous hit records, had enjoyed success in their own right with Joey Baby.

This box set documents the tour in sound, vision and print. Although previously presented under the title Nashville Stars On Tour, the event had been casually covered with a single LP release. This new collection, thanks to radio and television tapes, tells a much fuller story with material that has never previously seen the commercial light of day.

Discs 1 and 2 presents the Stockholm concert (April 14). The first disc kicks off with the “back-up” musicians and singers, Reeves’ Blue Boys (Leo Jackson, Dean Manuel, Henry Strzelecki and Ken Buttrey) and the Anita Kerr Singers (Anita Kerr, Dottie Dillard, Louis Nunley and Gil Wright), presenting a handful off songs before Bobby Bare takes the stage for a five song set commencing with Shame On Me and including a medley of inventive impersonations that takes in such as Tex Ritter, Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff, Gene Autry and Elvis Presley. The disc concludes with a dozen numbers from Chet Atkins finely displaying his distinctive guitar work alongside informative and interesting dialogue.

The second disc is wholly devoted to Jim Reeves’ performance, working his way through ten of his most popular songs – I Love You Because, Four Walls, He’ll Have to Go, Adios Amigo and Mexican Joe among them – his smooth, attractive vocals instantly revealing why he achieved such immense popularity (which continues to this day) and ensuring a ecstatic reaction from the audience.

Disc 3 is titled “The German Concert”, with the first 18 tracks featuring the artists on stage. This is followed by recordings derived from a tv show (“Western Songs Marke Nashville”) taped off-air by a Dutch collector. The original tapes contained inherent defects, subsequently minimized by engineering techniques, but otherwise probably would have never have seen the light of day. The disc concludes with Jim Reeves being interviewed by broadcaster/journalist Kitty Prins.

Following the success of the tour, the German record executives decided to follow up by requesting that several of the artists record songs in the German language, to be released specifically for that market. 22 such songs make up the fourth cd and, besides offerings by the Anita Kerr Singers and Bobby Bare, recordings were also made Willie Nelson (newly signed to RCA), Jim Ed Brown, Stu Phillips and Skeeter Davis. (A full track listing follows below). Jim Reeves was also scheduled to record in Germany but tragedy, just three months later, ensured that it was never to be - nor a proposed tour of the British Isles, a project discussed during a promotional visit to London that followed the European visit.

Accompanying the audio comes the pictures, with the 63 minute DVD catching all the artists in concert at the Njaadhallen Sportshall in Oslo, Norway. Recorded as a television special, the quality is excellent (albeit it in black and white, naturally for the period) and provides the only visual insight into this ground-breaking tour. Launched with the Blue Boys’ instrumental Steel Guitar Rag, the Anita Kerr Singers go through three finely arranged numbers before a young Bobby Bare performs four hits that launched a lasting career. Chet Atkins, in a seven song set, makes guitar picking seem simplicity itself (!) and Jim Reeves concludes the concert performances with equal ease, presenting those smooth vocals that were not only an essential ingredient of the Nashville Sound but also the formula that was to ensure a worldwide appreciation that has continued into the 21st century. Prior to the concert performance, the DVD commences with the artists arriving at Shiphol Airport, Amsterdam (April 17) and Reeves singing I Love You Because in the airport lounge.

Historic facts, in German and English text, are recalled in the 112 page, hardcover book and backed up with a mammoth treasure trove of photographs, reproductions of press clippings and promotional items.. Providing an accurate slant on the German aspect of the tour, Richard Weize provides a first hand account from notes that he had written for the “European Hayride” fanzine, several years before his obsession with country music led to the creation of Bear Family Records. Now, over 40 years later, Weize comes full circle by installing the experience in an invaluable box set that gives country (and pop) fans a genuine gem.

For more information on this set and other Bear Family releases, please contact Yvonne Saunders at Rollercoaster Records, Rock House, London Road, St. Mary’s, Stroud, Glos GL6 8PU. phone: 01453 886252; fax: 01453 885361; e-mail: info@rollercoasterrecords.com

Please note that Bear Family Records are imports and product is available for media use at a special price. For more details, please contact Rollercoaster (as above).

Complete track listing of Nashville Stars On Tour:

CD1: THE STOCKHOLM CONCERT, PART 1

1. JIM REEVES’ BLUE BOYS: Steel Guitar Rag / Introduction
2. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: Oh Lonesome Me
3. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: I'll Hold You In My Heart
4. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: Georgia On My Mind
5. THE BLUE BOYS: Wheels
6. BOBBY BARE: Shame On Me
7. BOBBY BARE: 500 Miles Away From Home
8. BOBBY BARE: Medley Of Impersonations
9. BOBBY BARE: Detroit City
10. BOBBY BARE: Jambalaya
11. THE BLUE BOYS: San Antonio Rose
12. CHET ATKINS: Alabama Jubilee
13. CHET ATKINS: Windy And Warm
14. CHET ATKINS: Drown In My Own Tears
15. CHET ATKINS: Wildwood Flower
16. CHET ATKINS: Yes Ma'am
17. CHET ATKINS: My Town
18. CHET ATKINS: Medley: Greensleeves / Streets Of Laredo
19. CHET ATKINS: Chets chats
20. CHET ATKINS: Show Me The Way To Go Home
21. CHET ATKINS: Yankee Doodle Dixie
22. CHET ATKINS: The Peanut Vendor
23. CHET ATKINS: Tiger Rag
24. CHET ATKINS: Gravy Waltz

CD 2: THE STOCKHOLM CONCERT, PART 2

1. JIM REEVES: Billy Bayou
2. JIM REEVES: I Love You Because
3. JIM REEVES: Bimbo
4. JIM REEVES: Four Walls
5. JIM REEVES: Yonder Comes A Sucker
6. JIM REEVES: He'll Have To Go
7. JIM REEVES: Adios Amigo
8. JIM REEVES: I Can’t Stop Loving You
9. JIM REEVES: Mexican Joe
10. JIM REEVES: Danny Boy

CD 3: THE GERMAN CONCERT

1. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: Night Train To Memphis
2. BOBBY BARE: 500 Miles Away From Home
3. CHET ATKINS: Windy And Warm
4. JIM REEVES: Billy Bayou
5. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: Georgia On My Mind
6. BOBBY BARE: Shame On Me
7. CHET ATKINS: Java
8. CHET ATKINS: The Peanut Vendor
9. JIM REEVES: Welcome To My World
10. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: Oh Lonesome Me
11. BOBBY BARE: Detroit City
12. CHET ATKINS: Wildwood Flower
13. JIM REEVES: Four Walls
14. JIM REEVES: He'll Have To Go
15. CHET ATKINS: Greensleeves - Streets Of Laredo
16. GROUP: Auf Wiedersehn

CD 4: THE GERMAN LANGUAGE RECORDINGS

1. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: Jenny Darling
2. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: Singapur(La-Di-Da-Songs)
3. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: Bye, Bye Baby (Bye Bye Blackbird)
4. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: Cowboy's Heimweh (Home On The Range)
5. BOBBY BARE: Rosalie
6. BOBBY BARE: Alle glauben dass ich glücklich bin
7. WILLIE NELSON: Whisky Walzer
8. WILLIE NELSON: Little Darling (Pretty Paper)
9. JIM ED BROWN: I Heard From A Memory Last Night
10. BOBBY BARE: Good Old Tennessee
11. BOBBY BARE: Das Haus auf der Sierra
12. BOBBY BARE: Wilder Wolf und Brauner Bär (So ist das Leben)
13. BOBBY BARE: Molly Brown
14. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: Sentimental Cowboy
15. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: I'm Happy Baby
16. JIM ED BROWN: Mickey
17. JIM ED BROWN: Renate und Karin
18. JIM ED BROWN: Golden Girl
19. JIM ED BROWN: Schöne Mädchen, die können nicht treu sein
20. STU PHILLIPS: Irgendwann sagt man Goodbye
21. STU PHILLIPS: Ol' Kentucky
22. SKEETER DAVIS: G. I. Johnny

DVD: THE OSLO CONCERT; PLUS…

1. The arrival at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, Holland on Friday April 17, 1964
2. Jim Reeves sings I Love You Because in the Airport Lounge with his guitar
The Njardhallen Sportshall, Oslo, Norway on Wednesday April 15, 1964:
3. Introduction
4. THE BLUE BOYS: Steel Guitar Rag
5. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: Oh Lonesome Me
6. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: I'll Hold You In My Heart
7. THE ANITA KERR SINGERS: Georgia On My Mind
8. BOBBY BARE: Shame On Me
9. BOBBY BARE: 500 Miles Away From Home
10. BOBBY BARE: Jambalaya
11. BOBBY BARE: Detroit City
12. CHET ATKINS: Alabama Jubilee
13. CHET ATKINS: Wildwood Flower
14. CHET ATKINS: Yes Ma'am
15. CHET ATKINS: Malaguena
16. CHET ATKINS: Greensleeves / The Streets Of Laredo
17. CHET ATKINS & THE BLUE BOYS: Peanut Vendor
18. CHET ATKINS & THE BLUE BOYS: Tiger Rag
19. JIM REEVES: I Love You Because
20. JIM REEVES: Bimbo
21. JIM REEVES: Four Walls / The Blue Canadian Rockies / Four Walls
22. JIM REEVES: Yonder Comes A Sucker
23. JIM REEVES: Adios Amigo

TWO SIDES OF
JACK SCOTT & WANDA JACKSON

Two of rockabilly’s foremost artists, Jack Scott and Wanda Jackson, have cd releases featuring their ballad recordings, complimenting their earlier rock compilations. All these releases are packaged in attractive digipacks, where the sleeve opens up to reveal a booklet (with detailed notes, photographs and discography) accompanying the disc.

JACK SCOTT - Jack Rocks (Bear Family BCD 16841 AR)

Leroty; Two Timin’ Woman; Goodbye Baby; Go Wild Little Sadie; I Never Felt Like This; The Way I Walk; Midgie; Save My Soul; Baby She's Gone; Geraldine; What Am I Living For; Baby, Baby; Good Deal Lucille; Cruel World; Lonesome Mary; Patsy; Found A Woman; One Of These Days; True True Love; Strange Desire; Grizzily Bear; Meo Myo; Wiggle On Out; Flakey John; The Road Keeps Winding; Greaseball

JACK SCOTT - The Ballads Of Jack Scott (Bear Family BCD 16847 AR)

What In The World’s Come Over You; I’m Dreaming Of You; Baby Marie; Oh Little One; My Dream Come True; My True Love; Bella; With Your Love; There Comes A Time; So Used To Loving You; It's My Way Of Loving You; It Only Happened Yesterday; True Love Is Blind; Fancy Meeting You Again; Is There Something On Your Mind; A Little Feeling Called Love; Steps One And Two; I Prayed For An Angel; I Knew You First; I Hope, I Think, I Wish; I Don't Believe In Tea Leaves; Separation's Now Granted; What A Wonderful Night Out; This Is Where I Came In

Although most of the rock ‘n’ rollers and rockabilly acts came from the South, Jack Scott was an exception to the rule. A Canadian born Italian, whose real name was Giovanni Dominico, he was raised in Ontario before the family moved to Detroit when he was eleven years old. His father was a musician and the youngster, possessing similar talents, listened to country music and dreamt about appearing on the Grand Ole Opry. But his musical directions changed somewhat when Elvis came on the scene. At that time he was working with a local group and hauling their acetates around to local record shops eventually led to a short-lived (with no success) deal with ABC-Paramount. The break-through came with his original songs when Leroy and My True Love were released as single by Carlton Records. Leroy first claimed the attention but, when flipped, My True Love wound up as one of the biggest hits of 1958. The two contrasting styles provide the kick-off points on the two different cds now available from Bear Family.

As a rocker, Jack Scott is regarded as one of the best. Possessing a tough guy image, he delighted the youthful rock ‘n’ rollers by maintaining regular chart appearances with such as Geraldine, Goodbye Baby, Save My Soul, I Never Felt Like This and The Way I Walk on Carlton, then, later, Patsy on Top Rank. The second label also gave him a couple of massive hits as a ballads singer – What In The World’s Come Over You (arguably his most well known title?) and Burning Bridges (his biggest seller) alongside Oh Little One, It Only Happened Yesterday and Is There Something On Your Mind. He concluding his chart era on Capitol Records with more ballads, A Little Feeling (Called Love), My Dream Come True and Steps 1 And 2. The discography reveals that Scott’s band accompanied him on the Carlton recordings, but no details are available for the Top Rank releases, though his backing group, The Chantones, was present throughout. The two cds conclude with tracks recorded for RCA’s Groove label, following his signing by Chet Atkins in 1963. Incidentally Scott had always wanted to be signed to RCA as it was the home of his idol, Elvis Presley.

The two cds were compiled by Trevor Cajiao (editor: Now Dig This) and the informative notes penned by West Coast rock ‘n’ roller Deke Dickinson.

Presenting the female slant, Bear Family now releases the “Ballads” of Wanda Jackson to compliment her “Rocks” collection issued a few months ago ……

WANDA JACKSON - Wanda Rocks (Bear Family BCD 16631 AR)

I Gotta Know; Baby Loves Him; Honey Bop; Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad; Cool Love; Fujiyama Mama; (Let's Have A) Party; I Wanna Waltz; Money Honey; Long Tall Sally; Mean Mean Man; Rock Your Baby; Kansas City; Fallin'; Sparkling Brown Eyes; Hard Headed Woman; It Doesn't Matter Anymore; Lonely Weekends; Tweedle Dee; Riot In Cell Block #9; Funnel Of Love; Tongue Tied; There's A Party Goin' On; Lost Weekend; Man We Had A Party; Stupid Cupid; Brown Eyed Handsome Man; Who Shot Sam; Slippin' And Slidin'; My Baby Left Me; Sticks And Stones; Let My Love Walk In; You Bug Me Bad; Yakety Yak; Searchin'

WANDA JACKSON The Ballads Of Wanda Jackson (Bear Family BCD 16848 AR)

The Tip Of My Fingers; In The Middle Of A Heartache; The Last Letter; I May Never Get To Heaven; I Need You Know; We Could; Sinful Heart; Heartbreak Ahead; Please Call Today; Little Charm Bracelet; Just Call Me Lonesome; Making Believe; I'd Rather Have You; Right Or Wrong; Just Queen For A Day; Is It Wrong; Don't Ask Me Why; Let Me Talk To You; I Can't Make My Dreams Understand; A Date With Jerry; Why l'm Walkin'; I Cried Again; Between The Window And The Phone; If I Cried Every Time You Hurt Me; One Teardrop At A Time; Little Things Mean A Lot; Have You Ever Been Lonely; Day Dreaming; So Soon; May You Never Be Alone

Wanda Jackson was the most successful contender in the minimal female rock ‘n’ roll/rockabilly stakes, although she started off as a country singer, the music that she later returned to before concentrating her greater activities to gospel music.

Hailing from Maud, Oklahoma, the daughter of a country fiddler, Wanda Jackson had music in her blood and, although she spent the greater part of her childhood in Los Angeles, she returned to her home state in her quest to become a singer in a western swing band. She was discovered by Hank Thompson who, impressed by her talent, invited her to sing with his band and secured her a deal with Decca Records. Later she signed with Thompson’s own label, Capitol, after the executives became similarly convinced of her talents! Her debut single, I Gotta Know, looked in two directions at once, shuttling between rockabilly and country, and Joe Maphis and Buck Owens were among the backing musicians on this and several subsequent sessions. Around the same time she developed a friendship with Elvis Presley, having played a few dates with him, and when she returned to Hollywood’s Capitol Studio in September 1956, one of the songs she recorded was Honey Bop, co-written by Mae Axton (who, of course, also co-wrote Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel). She never thought she could sing rock ‘n’ roll but her father, Tom Jackson (now her manager) persuaded her otherwise. Honey Bop launched her rockabilly career, and the record was followed up by such as Fujiyama Mama (a massive hit in Japan, following plays on AFN) and (Let’s Have A) Party (where she was backed by Gene Vincent’s Blue Caps). The “Rocks” collection mainly spotlights recordings after Party and includes some originals (Mean Mean Man and Rock Your Baby) and covers of other hits of the day including Long Tall Sally, Money Honey, Kansas City, Lonely Weekends, Brown Eyes Handsome Man and Who Shot Sam.

In between the rockers came the more gentle ballads which, over the years, have been generally overlooked in favour of her uptempo, fiercer material. Now, with the just released “Ballads” collection , songs like Making Believe, Is It Wrong, Tips Of My Fingers, Why I’m Walkin’, The Last Letter, In The Middle Of A Heartache and We Could not only are given the attention they deserve but also well reveal this singer’s country pedigree. And, by the early ‘60s, when the audience memories of Party were fading fast, it was the return to country music that ensured her commercial longevity, establishing Wanda Jackson as one of the top female country singers of the decade, placing her in the prestige company of Patsy Cline, Jean Shepard and Loretta Lynn and scoring two dozen hits in a ten year period.

Wanda Jackson’s story is told in the cds’ accompanying booklets – the “Rocks” essay, written by Colin Escott, and discography running to 48 pages and the “Ballads” to a lesser, though still highly informative, to 27 pages authored by Deke Dickinson. Both have a mass of photographs, with the latter selected from a particularly glamorous shoot.

For more information on these and other Bear Family releases, please contact Yvonne Saunders at Rollercoaster Records, Rock House, London Road, St. Mary’s, Stroud, Glos GL6 8PU. phone: 01453 886252; fax: 01453 885361; e-mail: info@rollercoasterrecords.com

FRANKIE LAINE

In common with his multitude of fans worldwide, Bear Family Records was deeply saddened to receive the news that Frankie Laine has passed away on Tuesday, February 6, 2007. He was 93 years old and had sold well over 100 million records in a recording career that spanned almost 60 years.

Born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio, he was an entertainer who broke away from the soft-styled crooners of the post-war years like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. Once described as “the man with tonsils of steel”, his hard-edged, big baritone vocal styling was an important influence on many singers who followed in the 1950s, among them Johnnie Ray and Elvis Presley.

Beginning his career in the Chicago dancehalls of the 1930s – where he set a dance marathon world record, dancing with a partner for 3501 hours over 145 consecutive days – he made his major recording debut on Mercury in 1946 and scored his first million seller the year later with That’s My Desire. Working with longtime friend and pianist Carl Fischer and producer Mitch Miller, he established his distinctive styling with Mule Train (1949) and Cry Of The Wild Goose (1950), both songs becoming essential items in the Laine repertoire.

When Mitch Miller left Mercury for Columbia in 1951, Frankie Laine quickly followed, creating a partnership that was second to none and producing such hits as Jezebel, Rose Rose I Love You, I Believe, Answer Me, Moonlight Gambler, Hey Joe, Granada, Rain Rain Rain and The Kid’s Last Fight, alongside duets with several other Columbia artists, the most prolific teaming being with Jo Stafford. Another of his early successes was the theme to the 1951 Gary Cooper movie High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me) and it opened up the pathway to recording other themes including Blowing Wild, Gunfight At OK Corral, 3.10 To Yuma and, most memorably, tv’s Rawhide. His final western theme came at a request from Mel Brooks, who asked him to sing over the credits of his western parody Blazing Saddles.

Frankie Laine also recorded a number of western styled songs in his Columbia sessions, causing the singer to be erroneously cited as “country”, although he did record a country album – titled A Country Laine - in Nashville in the mid 1980s.

In 2000, Bear Family Records – with the co-operation of Frankie Laine – released the first of three box sets comprising all of the singer’s material for Mercury and Columbia Records. Bear Family has also issued compilation cds of his western material as well as all the duet recordings with Jo Stafford.

Frankie Laine, one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century, will be greatly missed. Happily his music will never die.

For more information on the Frankie Laine releases, please contact Yvonne Saunders at Rollercoaster Records, Rock House, London Road, St. Mary’s, Stroud, Glos GL6 8PU. phone: 01453 886252; fax: 01453 885361; e-mail: info@rollercoasterrecords.com

FRANKIE LAINE on Bear Family:

That Lucky Old Sun (BCD 16361 GK) (picture disc + 6 cds - Bel-Tone, Atlas and Mercury: 1944-51)

I Believe (BCD 16367 FL) (6 cds - Columbia 1951-55)

Rawhide (BCD 16522 1L) (9 cds – Columbia 1956-64)

On The Trail (BCD 15480 AH)

On The Trail Again (BCD 15632 AH)

The Duets (with JO STAFFORD) (BCD 15620 AH)

THE JOHNNY CASH CONNECTION

Bear Family Records Issue 3 New CDs

"Walk The Line" Director Inspired by Bear Family Box Sets

Johnny Cash has always attracted new listeners over the decades, appealing to one generation after another – the most recent discovering him after the release of the box office smash biopic, “Walk The Line”.

Bear Family Records began issuing Johnny Cash product in 1978, first as single vinyl albums and, later, with career-defining cd boxed sets at a time when no one else seemed to care. Along with its’ catalogue of previously issued and unissued recordings, the German based record label unearthed a wealth of visual material for fans and collectors, along with informative and entertaining liner notes.

Bear Family were especially proud that, in a recent interview with the publication 'Musik Express’, James Mangold, director of “Walk The Line”, revealed: "I would not have made this movie if I had not come across the Johnny Cash CD box sets released by Bear Family Records…It definitely was the pictures and the text in those Bear Family box sets that gave me the right feeling for the whole era."

Now Bear Family makes available three new cd collections that have the Cash connections ……

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Deep Roots Of Johnny Cash (Bear Family BCD 16844 AR)

Leadbelly & The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet - Pick A Bale Of Cotton; Bing Crosby - Danny Boy; Jimmie Rodgers - Blue Yodel #1 (T For Texas); Burl Ives - The Wayfaring Stranger; Lonnie Donegan - Rock Island Line; Vernon Dalhart - The Engineer's Dying Child; Merle Travis - Dark As A Dungeon; Paul Robeson - Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes; Blue Sky Boys - Down On The Banks Of The Ohio; Leadbelly - On A Monday (I Got Stripes); Jimmie Rodgers - My Mother Was A Lady; Bradley Kincaid - The Letter Edged In Black; Tex Ritter - Sam Hall; Johnny Western - Delia's Gone; The Carter Family - The Winding Stream; Jimmie Davis - You Are My Sunshine; Bing Crosby - Galway Bay; McMichens's Melody Men - Missouri Waltz; Goebel Reeves - The Tramp's Mother (There's A Mother Always Waiting There At Home); Leadbelly - Cotton Fields (In Them Cotton Fields Back Home); Bradley Kincaid - I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen; Blue Sky Boys- Mary Of The Wild Moor; Jimmie Rodgers - The One Rose; BONUS TRACK: June Carter & Carl Smith - Time`s A-Wastin`

After many releases by Johnny Cash, here’s a chance to sample the kind of music that the Man in Black heard in his youth and early days of his professional career. Here, mainly, is the music of the South – country, blues and gospel – plus the occasional folk and pop offering. The word ‘eclectic’ only begins to do justice to this playlist, as old-time country acts like Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family, Bradley Kincaid and Goebel Reeves rubs shoulders with later counterparts Jimmie Davis, Merle Travis and the Blue Sky Boys; black ground breakers Leadbelly and Paul Robeson with the equally iconic Bing Crosby, the latter perhaps providing an inspiration for Cash’s Irish balladry?

A fascinating, very enjoyable 24 track collection (that runs for almost 68 minutes), the selection has been carefully chosen from the singer's critically acclaimed work for American Recordings label, as well as his solo vocal / acoustic guitar work recently issued as 'The Personal Files.' According to Bear Family’s founder Richard Weize: “We searched deep and found the versions of these songs most likely to have been the inspiration for Cash's work. Now you can listen, as Cash himself did, to these historic recordings”.

Detailed liner notes in the accompanying booklet 34 page discuss the songs, the artists, and the impact they had on Johnny Cash. These tracks offer a deeper insight into the mind of this artist and are a part of what nourished him during his formative years. And, as an appetizing bonus, the collection concludes with a much-requested song from 'Walk The Line' that doesn't appear in the soundtrack album – Time’s A-Wasting, a duet that June Carter recorded with her then-husband, Carl Smith in 1953.

JOHNNY SEAY - Blue Moon Of Kentucky (BCD 16153 AH)

Blue Moon Of Kentucky; My Baby Walks All Over Me; Mystery Train; When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again; Drown In My Sins; All Mixed Up; Why Can't I Just Come Home; There's Another Man; That's When It All Began; Lonesome Road; Standing Room Only; Every Day; If It Wasn't For Hard Luck; My Old Faded Rose; Hitchin' And Hikin'; It's A Shame; It Won't Be Easy To Forget; I Love You; Loneliness; Frankie's Man Johnny; Judy And Johnny; Stranger; My Time To Cry; Nobody's Darling But Mine; Ghost Riders In The Sky; Mister And Mississippi; A Man In Love

This was the thinking - Johnny Cash ... Johnny C ... Johnny Sea – and Johnny Seay began his career cashing in on one of country music’s most famous entertainers. Hailing from Gulfport, Mississippi, he possessed a deep baritone but was encouraged by his manager Shelby Singleton to adopt an even deeper voice and capitalize on the success of Johnny Cash. He recorded quite prolifically for ten years between 1958 and 1969 but this 27 track collection only spotlights his studio work for NRC, owned by Atlanta music publishing giant Bill Lowery, and Philips, an offshoot of Mercury Records that then had Singleton at the helm of the Nashville office. In fact Johnny C. was enough of a fan of Johnny S. to offer him a song, My Old Faded Rose, which worked out as a Top 20 hit in 1965, while the latter chalked up his first chart appearance six years earlier with a cover of Cash’s Frankie’s Man, Johnny. Confusing? His other chart hits in this collection are My Baby Walks All Over Me, the Billy Mize composition associated with Waylon Jennings and Bob Luman, and My Old Faded Rose which brings back the JC connection as it was written by Johnny Cash and June Carter.

Johnny Seay displayed his skills as a writer on several of the NRC recordings - which, incidentally, saw backup musicianship from Jerry Reed (guitar) and Ray Stevens (piano) – while his Philips output allowed him a wider choice of material including Buddy Holly’s Everyday and the standards When My Blue Moon Turned To Gold Again and Blue Moon Of Kentucky. But, overall, his time at Philips was mainly spent working the Cash route, a direction that the artist didn’t particular like as he was keen to work his own way in folk music. After two years he broke away from the Philips-Singleton stranglehold and, after being left with no returns for his massive selling Day For Decision (on Warner Bros), decided the music business wasn’t for him and headed west to a cowboy’s life in Texas. The whole story is detailed by writer Colin Escott in the cd’s accompanying 28 page booklet, recognizing an artist who’s been overlooked for over a quarter of a century!

GLEN SHERLEY - Live At Vacaville, California (BCD 16153 AH)

Dialogue; Looking Back In Anger; Greystone Chapel; FBI Top Ten; Portrait Of My Woman; Dialogue; Mama Had Country Soul; Pick A Bouquet; Dialogue; If This Prison Yard Could Talk; Step Right This Way; Frisco Song; Keep Steppin'; Measure Of A Man

In March 1971 a staggering, uncompromising album was released on the independent Mega Records (a label then riding high with Sammi Smith’s distinctive Help Me Make It Through The Night). The album had been recorded at Vacaville Prison, California, and the artist was an inmate, Glen Sherley, serving time for armed robbery. The Johnny Cash connection came about three years earlier when he had been passed a tape of Sherley’s original song, Greystone Chapel, which he quickly recorded as part of his Folsom Prison concert album. Another of Sherley’s songs, Portrait Of My Woman, was covered by Eddy Arnold and enjoyed Top 30 success.

A top team of Nashville sessionmen – Chip Young (lead guitar), Bobby Thompson (dobro/rhythm), Lloyd Green (steel), Henry Strzelecki (bass) and Jerry Carrigan (drums) – backed Shirley when he recorded his album before a full house at Vacaville on January 31, 1971, and the result shows the singer’s complete assurance as an entertainer, mixing powerful prison orientated dialogue with equally powerful songs. It was released a couple of weeks after Sherley was paroled, enjoyed much critical acclaim and secured a short chart run, while he started playing dates with Cash. Greystone Chapel was his only chart single. Sadly Glen Sherley’s success was shortlived and, finding life outside jail did not live up to his expectations, took his life on May 11, 1978. The whole, sad story is told in the cd’s accompanying 20 page booklet.

Over the years Glen Shirley – Live at Vacaville, California has enjoyed underground cult status and remains as strong and compelling today as it did when it originally saw the light of day 35 years ago.

GONNA SHAKE THIS SHACK TONIGHT

Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb & Various Artists Compilations In Bear Family’s Country Boogie Series

Following in the path of its long-running That’ll Flat …. Git It! series, which presented a couple of dozen cds spotlighting rockabilly culled from the various record labels, Bear Family Records launched another, destined long-to-run series a couple of years ago under the title Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight. Whereas rockabilly drew from country and r ‘n’ b roots, this new series spotlighted the overlooked and generally neglected country boogie, disproving the myth that country boys didn’t get hip to the jive until Elvis came along. From the mid-1940s onward, country musicians were really shaking the shack. If you’ve ever wondered where the first generation rockabilly stars got half their style and half their cool, Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight provides the answer.

Already released in the series are compilations from Johnny Bond, The Carlisles, “Little” Jimmy Dickens, Red Foley, Pee Wee King, Maddox Bros & Rose and Faron Young, Bear Family Records now makes available another three, crammed packed cds …… this time featuring various artists from the RCA Victor vaults alongside compilations from two of country music’s most legendary and most distinctive sounding country entertainers, Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb.

VARIOUS ARTISTS Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight!

Burn That Candle (CHARLINE ARTHUR); Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So) (HAWKSHAW HAWKINS); Truck Driving Man (TERRY FELL); I Like Your Kind of love (MELVIN ENDSLEY); Blackberry Boogie (JOHNNIE LEE WILLS); Moon Joe (LAWTON WILLIAMS); Welcome To The Club (CHARLINE ARTHUR); Ling Ting Tong (HAWKSHAW HAWKINS); I Can Hear You Cluckin’ (TERRY FELL); Hep Cat Baby (EDDY ARNOLD); ROCK-A-Bye Boogie (DAVIS SISTERS); Hound Dog (JACK TURNER); Caffeine And Nicotine (CURTIS GORDON); So Lovely Baby (JOHNNIE & JACK); If It Ain’t On The Menu (HAWKSHAW HAWKINS); Just Look, Don’t Touch, He’s Mine (CHARLINE ARTHUR); Waitin’ For My Baby (Rock, Rock) (HAWKSHAW HAWKINS); That’s What I Like (TERRY FELL); Keep A-L:ovin’ Me, Baby (MELVIN ENDSLEY); Oo Oooh Daddy (JOHNNY LEE WILLS & HIS BOYS); Lightning Jones (LAWTON WILLIAMS); Honey Bun (CHARLINE ARTHUR); It Would Be A Doggon Lie (HAWKSHAW HAWKINS); Fa-So-La (TERRY FELL); Beatin’ Out The Boogie (On The Mississippi Mud) (LEE BELL); The Christmas Boogie (DAVIS SISTERS); Walkin’ A Chalk Line (JACK TURNER); Hadacillin Boogie (HANK PENNY); Move It on Over (JOHNNIE & JACK); Satisfied (MARTHA CARSON)

(Bear Family BCD 16864 AH)

Selected from the RCA Victor archives, this 30 track, 68 minute running time, collection lays on the fiddles and steel guitars throughout, all adding to the various artists’ genuine country credibility. Whereas rockabilly would often display its’ r ‘n’ b roots, there’s no doubting the country foundation that’s heard throughout this selection.

Perhaps several of the artists may not be familiar names to contemporary country music enthusiasts, though many contributed to the music’s commercial development and enjoyed considerable success in a bygone era. Eddy Arnold is among the most well known, and still reigns as country music’s all-time top chart artist, but changed his style somewhat with the Top 10 placed Hep Cat Baby. Top 1950s duo, Johnnie & Jack make a couple of appearances, the second giving a rousing version of Hank Williams’ Move It On Over; Hawkshaw Hawkins (who died in that plane crash that also took the lives of Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas) gives a country touch to the pop hit Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So) just one of his quartet of offerings; the short-lived Davis Sisters display very fast, close harmonies on Rock-A-Boogie; Martha Carson presents her most well known title (though never a hit, strangely), the self-penned Satisfied; and western swing band leaders Johnnie Lee Wills and Hank Penny add their mid-west musical roots to the proceedings.

Among the (maybe) lesser known, Terry Fell performs the original version of the much covered Truck Driving Man; Melvin Endsley works a couple of his originals with I Like Your Kind Of Love and Keep A-Lovin’ Me, Baby; Charlene Arthur stood out from the demure image of her ‘50s female country parts – and boogied, perfectly showing her skills with such recordings as Burn That Candle and Honey Bun; and Alabama’s Jack Turner’s version of Hound Dog was one of several hillbilly covers recorded prior to Presley’s!

This selection of cuts is definitive proof that rock ‘n’ roll had hillbilly as well as R&B roots and squashes any impression that Elvis was the first to shake things up at RCA Victor! To throw even more light on the music, the cd comes with a 44 page booklet that provides a stack of information on the artists and recordings, penned by Colin Escott.

Now shake the shack more with collections from Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb, both 30 trackers and provide perfect introductions (should they be needed) to these Country Music Hall of Fame icons.

HANK SNOW The Goldrush Is Over

I'm Movin' On; The Rhumba Boogie; Unwanted Sign Upon Your Heart; The Golden Rocket; (Now And Then There's) A Fool Such As I; The Wreck Of The Old 97; Confused With The Blues; Don't Hang Around Me Anymore; Ben Dewberry's Final Run; Blue Ranger; One More Ride; Music Makin' Mama From Memphis; The Goldrush Is Over; Lady's Man; I Don't Hurt Anymore; The Reindeer Boogie; Honeymoon On A Rocketship; Southern Cannonball; Can't Have You Blues; Conscience I'm Guilty; Dog Bone; Hula Rock; Loose Talk; Squid Jiggin' Ground; The New Blue Velvet Band; Tangled Mind; On A Tennessee Saturday Night; I'm Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail; Miller's Cave; I've Been Everywhere

(Bear Family BCD 16813 AH)

ERNEST TUBB Thirty Days

Thirty Days; I’m A Long Gone Daddy; Mean Mama Blues; Jimmie Rodgers’ Last Blue Yodel; Walkin’ The Floor Over You; I Ain’t Goin’ Honky Tonkin’ Anymore; Filipino Baby; So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed; My Tennessee Baby; You Narly Lose Your Mind; Tomorrow Never Comes; Tennessee Border #2 (& RED FOLEY); Drivin’ Nails In My Coffin; So Doggone Lonesome; Let’s Say Goodbye Like We Said Hello; Don’t Forbid Me; Don’t Brush Them On Me; Counterfeit Kisses; Two Glasses, Joe; Kansas City Blues; Have You seen My Boogie Woogie Baby; This Troubled Mind of Mine; My Hillbilly Baby; I’ll Get Along Somehow; Do It now; Mister Blues; White Silver Sands; Crazy Arms; Tennessee Saturday Night

(Bear Family BCD 16866 AH)

The Hank Snow collection might well be subtitled “Greatest Hits” as it features a number of this Nova Scotia born entertainer’s chart titles, including the number ones The Golden Rocket, I Don’t Hurt Anymore, I’ve Been Everywhere and the song that truly set his career in motion, I’m Movin’ On – a record that stayed at the top of the charts for 21 weeks, the longest time that any song stayed in that position.

The possessor of a highly distinctive vocal styling – a hallmark of many country singers before shades of pop took over the contemporary country music scene – and an equally distinctive guitar picker, Snow was also the master in handling intricate and often tongue twisting lyrics – as heard by such as other hits like Music Makin’ Mama From Memphis, Lady’s Man, Rhumba Boogie, Hula Rock and, of course, the frantically fast paced I’ve Been Everywhere. His repertoire was diverse and, here, moves from hints of the West with The Blue Ranger to classic trains songs like The Golden Rocket, Ben Dewberry’s Final Run and The Wreck Of The Old ’97. He even pays tribute to his early life with a salute to the Nova Scotia fishermen with Squid Jiggin’ Ground.

Among his many achievements, Hank Snow helped put Elvis Presley on the map as a tour support act (and provided him with A Fool Such As I) and, although he may have hated rock ‘n’ rock, showed that he could create an energetic recording as good as any rockabilly.

If anyone should be credited as the originator of honky-tonk music, then Texas born Ernest Tubb must claim the honour. This 30 track collection of up-tempo recordings proves it, each track oozing character and believability, with the gritty realism and warmth making up for the instances when Tubb’s voice wavers off-key. He bridged the pre-war years of his childhood influence Jimmie Rodgers and the post-war world of the honky-tonk and the developing Nashville Sound.

Several of Tubb’s chart hits are included, among them Thirty Days, Mean Mama Blues, Tomorrow Never Comes, Let’s Say Goodbye Like We Said Hello, Drivin’ Nails In My Coffin, Two Glasses Joe, Tennessee Border #2 (a duet with Red Foley that gave a humorous variation of Hank Williams’ original) and Walkin’ The Floor