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THE O. J. CORRAL
Music, Book & Movie  REVIEWS
BY
O. J. SIKES
UPDATED 04/27/03
Pages 12, 13 & 14 are New
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of Academy of Western Artists Members on the Reviews
Ride Ranger Ride
    -Cass County Boys
                                                                    Cattle CCD 273

 
Buckin' A! Records
    -The Buckarettes
                                                       BKNA-CD-123

 
Gene Autry called the Cass County Boys "the best" when they were inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame in 1996. They were his Boys, riding with him accross the TV and motion picture screens and singing with him on records, radio and personnal appearances for 12 glorious years in the '40s & 50's.
    The Cass County Boys were superb musicians, a trio with Fred Martin on accordion, Bert Dodson on bass and Jerry Scoggins on guitar. Their vocal harmony was warm and smooth, and they recorded numerous sessions with Gene, but also on their own for major labels.
    Recordings on this new CD are from a series of World Transcriptions, made between 1949 & '52. Sound quality is superb and song selection is excellent, with many rare gems among the 24 songs. Steel guitarist Noel Boggs and fiddler Carl Cotner join the trio for 3 great instrumentals that are sure to set toes a-tappin'. All others are the Boys alone.
    The rare cover foto is from the 1946 film, Sioux City Sue and was supplied by the Autry Foundation and Autry Qualified Interest Trust. I was pleased to write the liner notes.
    Don't miss this one! It's the Cass County Boys' only CD to date, and it's terrific! $23 ppd from Frontier records, P.O. Box 157, Jenks, OK 74037

 
New Mexico has more good musicians than you can shake a stick at, and this new group is settin' the woods on fire thereabouts. The 3 women and one man are particularly good at harmony, and their use of acoustic instruments has helped them develop a nice "sound."
    The first song on their new CD, "Cowboys & Rodeos," is a great tune, performed originally, a few years ago, by a Canadian all-women group called Quartette. Another of my favorites on the album, "There's a Moon in the Sky," is from the pen of Pee Wee King. These great songs have been forgotten by other musicians, so it's a real treat to hear them resurrected by this fine group. And they do a terrific rendition of Wylie Gustafson's more recent "Jitterbug Boogie" as well.
    Some of their own compositions are added to those mentioned above and a few standards. They refer to themselves as more of a "barn band" than a "bar band"!   Lots of variety and some really good work from this fine new group. Write P.O. Box 268, Santa Fe, NM 87504-0268 or e-mail buckarettes@cybermesa.com .

 
Ghost Train
    -Hot Club of Cowtown
                                                    High Tone records HCD8147

 
By the Old San Joaquin
    -Wayne Austin & the Sierra Sidekicks
                                                               
darkHorse t.r.a.d.i.t.i.o.n.s

 
As soon as it was issued, this CD was given a rave review by the New York Times!  It's the 4th album by this amazing group of super-talented musicians.
    Seven of these 12 tunes are originals, and they hold their own alongside the standards here. Anyone who has ever had even the slightest bout of insomnia will relate to Whit Smith's lyrics on "Sleep," and his delivery is superb. He also wrote "It Stops with Me," and the melody and rhythm on this one take you straight back to the 1930s!
    I just love to hear fiddler Elana Fremerman sing. She has the ability to pull the audience right into the palm of her hand when she sings onstage. And her musicianship is unequalled. Just listen to her traditional "Fuli Tschai (Bad Girl)"---and both Whit and their remarkable pard, bassist Jake Erwin, also shine on this one. It's a showpiece, but when you hear what they do with "You Took Advantage of Me," with it's tasteful solos, excellent fills and wonderfully swingin' rhythm, you can see that this small band has depth. No wonder they walked with an armload of awards at the WMA festival!
    Everything here is good, but my favorites, in addition to those mentioned above, are the upbeat "Forget-Me-Not" and "Secret of Mine." There are also ballads, a waltz and a traditional fiddle tune; something for everyone.
    See Hot Club in person, if you can. If you can't, buy this album while you wait!  In stores, or High Tone Records, 220 4th Street, #101, Oakland, CA 94607

 
Wayne Austin's smooth baritone has garnered a base of fans on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. So it's no surprise that the co-producer of this 15 song project is a Canadian, Randall Cousins.
    It's Wayne's second project. He's incorportated more of his originals here than on his first CD, and his compositions are first-rate. There are quite a few you'll hear for the first time.
     Most of his compositions have a California theme, celebrating his home state. "Adios Querida: the Ballad of Joaquin Murietta," is a true representation of an episode in the life of the notorious bandit from the days of the California Gold Rush. The lively "Sierra Trails" and the lovely "California Moon" are also among my favorite renditions here, as is one Wayne didn't write, "Bandanas and Chaps and Old Cowboy Hats." And there are a couple of traditional songs as well.
    If you know Wayne's music, you'll notice a difference between this CD and the first one in terms of the accompaniment. This is easiest to hear if you compare the treatment given "By the Old San Joaquin" and "Sierra Timber Winds," two of his finest compositions. Both appear on both CDs.
    This CD will have a special appeal to musicians who are looking for good, new material and to fans who are looking for a fine Western voice. Contact Wayne Austin, P.O. Box 1325, Lodi, CA 95245 or WayneNRuby@aol.com

 
High Lonesome Cowboy
    -Peter Rowan & Don Edwards
                                                           Western Jubilee

 
Silver Dew on the Bluegrass Tonight
    -Denver Darling
                                                               
British Archive BACM CD D 26

 
Primitive voices and unskilled musicians make old field recordings an acquired taste. But what happens when you take the old songs and dress them up with arrangements and performances by Don Edwards, Peter Rowan, Norman Blake and Tony Rice? You get a new appreciation for traditional cowboy music and it's rural roots! There's one song on this new CD I didn't particularly like (because of the way the harmony was arranged), but I thought the rest were first-rate!
    The lively "Take Me Back to the Range" and "Buddies in the Saddle" are complemented by the traditional "The Night Guard" and the haunting melody of "Ramblin' Cowboy." The captivating story-song, "Reno Blues (Philadelphia Lawyer)," is followed by the instrumental, "The Old Grey Mare Came Tearing Out of the Wilderness." It's the album's only instrumental but the acoustic musicianship is superb throughout.
    These renditions are quite different from what we heard on the silver screen and most of what is performed today. It's a fusion of mountain string-band and cowboy music, making this CD a unique and, for me, exciting listening experience. This is not unexpected, given Don's interest in traditional cowboy music.
    As Don says, "(The music) came out of Appalachia...(which was then) the frontier. And then it went on to the Ozarks, and that was the frontier." This album links what became cowboy music, with it's roots. In my view, it's an outstanding piece of work!
    Available in stores, or call (800) 707-2353.

 
Although Denver Darling is better-known today as a composer, this CD reveals that he had a beautiful, smooth voice and made some excellent recordings. In fact, one of his biggest records is the title song, one he didn't write!
    He did compose one that was a hit for Roy Rogers, "Silver Stars, Purple Sage, Eyes of Blue," and Darling's recording is included here. A number of his other compositions are here, too, such as "Deep Delta Blues," "I Need Someone to Tell My Troubles To,"      "Juke Joint Mama," "Tears for Souvenirs" and "Just a Little Song Each Morning."
    None of these were really big hits, but Denver Darling's voice and his band were good enough to record better-known songs like "When Your Hair has Turned to Silver" and "I Come from Missouri." Interestingly, his "Don't Let Your Sweet Love Die" has the same lyrics as the bluegrass standard, but a totally different melody!
    Denver Darling was sometimes called "The Illinois Cowboy" because of his origins, but he gained fame on New York radio in the 1940s. During this time, he recorded for Decca, DeLuxe and MGM, and it is these recordings that are represented in this collection of 20 songs. $20 ppd from Frontier Music, P.O. Box 157, Jenks, OK 74037 or $14 ppd (minus jewel case) from British Archive of Country Music, "Greensleeves" 451 Folkestone Road, Dover, Kent, CT17 9JX, U.K

 
Country Pioneer
    -Rusty Richards
                                                    Varese Sarabande 302 0663 922

 
The Very Best
    -Merle Travis
                                                           
Varese Sarabande 302 066 370 2

 
While he was still a stuntman and actor, Rusty Richards often sang on the set. In fact, in the liner of this CD, there's a photo showing Rusty picking his guitar and singing for friends during a break in the filming of an episode of Rawhide. In the unlabeled photo are Robert Mitchum's brother John, director Richard Bartlet, actress Deborah Paget and Burt Reynolds, who was soon to become Rusty's close friend.
    The album was initially issued on Jimmy Wakely's Shasta label in 1960 as an LP of folk songs. It contains only one Western song, a beautiful rendition of "Red River Valley."  But there are other beauties here. Listen to "Molly Darling," "The Rovin' Gambler" (Wakely's voice stands out as one of the back-up singers on this one), "The Convict and the Rose" and "The  Letter Edged in Black."
     There's a little of Rusty's famous yodeling as well. Sidemen for the session included legendary guitarists Roy Lanham, Joe Maphis, Neal Levang and Noel Boggs. Quite a crew!
    Interestingly, when the cuts were collected to assemble this CD, one of the "bonus" tracks had been labeled incorrectly and found its way onto the disc by mistake. The tenor singing "Don't Let Me Down" is not Rusty, but another singer. The voice sounds a little like Rusty's, so no suspicions were aroused until it was too late! This small flaw can be overlooked---and you can jump over it with your CD player, if you wish. Who knows? Maybe it will become a collector's item!
    A fine, rare sample of Rusty's early work, recorded four years before he joined the Sons of the Pioneers. Widely available

 
  When Merle Travis used his thumb to pick bass runs while he picked melodies with his fingers, he developed a style that would have a major impact on guitar music.  Indeed, he became a legend in his own time, but not only for his innovative picking style. He was an important composer and popular vocalist as well, with a long list of hits.
    Many of those, like "16 Tons," "No Vacancy," "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke" and ""Guitar Rag" are reprised here. The tracks are from Jimmy Wakely's mid-50s radio show, and Wakely can be heard introducing and talking with Merle. Sound quality is excellent, far better than many radio transcriptions and air checks.
    Travis picks a great instrumental version of Wakely's composition, "Texas Tornado" and sings Smiley Burnette's "Hominy Grits," but there's another that's even more interesting. Wakely and Wesley Tuttle sang "Detour" in the film, Song of the Sierras, and they do it together here with Travis.
    12 cuts (three are superb instrumentals, one a medley of 4 hits). An excellent collection! Widely available

 

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