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O. J. Sikes New Radio Show Online "Western Music Time" on the Nostalgia Radio programs page of the www.BostonPete.com web site. O.J.'s E-Mail

THE ORIGINAL ATOMIC POWER

    -Fred Kirby

 

                                                Cattle CD 252

SWEET PRAIRIE WINDS

-Janet Bailey

 

                                                                RRMCD002

If you grew up in the Southeast, especially in the NC/SC area, chances are, one of your cowboy heroes was Fred Kirby. This singing cowboy was an influential figure in western music in the region from the 1930s through the 1980s. He directed his efforts principally to children.

    Although he did appear in at least one motion picture, his primary vehicles were radio and television (he was a major fixture on  Charlotte's clear channel WBT & WBTV). He spent most of his last years performing at a summer attraction for kids in the N.C. mountains. Kirby recorded for Bluebird, Columbia, Decca, MGM and others, but his recordings have been hard to find for many years. This is the only Fred Kirby CD available.

    Here, the Cattle label presents 26 selections from 1938-50,  four of which are rare cowboy songs, which makes them particularly interesting: "Where the Longhorn Cattle Roam," "Home ( Answer to Home on the Range)," "Night Time on the Prairie," and "Get Along Old Paint." Others are from the country genre (with occasional yodeling), gospel and patriotic songs, many of which he wrote and are quite good.

    Fred Kirby also performed and recorded with "Whitey & Hogan and the Briarhoppers," producing an unusually smooth group sound on Cattle CD # 253, THE CAROLINA PLAYBOYS SING & PLAY COUNTRY & WESTERN CLASSICS. 
Both CDs may be ordered from: Frontier Music 
Box, 157
Jenks, OK 74037

What a beautiful job! I've heard Janet Bailey's earlier recordings, and they were nice, but I like this new one much better.

    There's an amazing story behind this project. Janet was stationed with the UN in Bosnia, and wound up recording her tracks at the Pavarotti Performing Arts Center there. On the other side of the world (in California), producer (and Sons of the San Joaquin fiddler) Richard Chon worked his magic to complete the project.

    The result is a most enjoyable album of classic and contemporary western love songs. Instrumentation is beautifully arranged, with acoustic guitars, steel (played western style), an occasional electric guitar solo, drums, bass and, of course, Richard's fiddles. The 12 selections are a mix of new material, traditional songs and standards. Janet even sings one in Spanish (and very nicely!). CDs $15 ppd ($20 outside the U.S.) from Janet Bailey
 6365 S.W. 196th Ave.
 Aloha, OR 97001 
 

A TRIBUTE TO PATSY MONTANA

-Judy Coder

ALWAYS IN MT HEART

-R.W. Hampton

                                                        RealWest RWP 6003-2

As I walked past a WMA festival jam session, I heard Judy Coder singing an old Dale Evans song. I forgot where I was going and stopped to listen. (For the record, it was a Tim Spencer composition called "Two Seated Saddle," recorded by Dale and Patsy Montana. It's on this new CD.)

    I made it a point to hear Judy perform whenever I could that week. She's a champion yodeler, but that's not the reason I was interested in her music. She has a terrific voice!

    Judy comes from a background of bluegrass, but grew up on classical music! That explains the banjo on some of these recordings, and the beautiful voice on all of them.

    She does "Two Seated Saddle" faster on the album than she did it in the jam session, and I like the slower version better (it's closer to the way it was written), but when you hear some of the other rarely performed gems like "Shine on Rocky Mountain Moonlight," you'll see why I was impressed. "Texas Plains," "Cowboy Yodel," "Yodel, Sweet Molly" and "I Was Born in the Ozark Mountains" are among the standouts in this collection of 14. 
$17 ppd from Judy Coder
 Branson Star Records
100 Havenhurst 
Pineville, MO 64856.

   

One of R.W. Hampton's early CDs is on my list of 25 All-Time Best Western Albums. This new one of love ballads ranks right up there with it! In the few weeks it's been out, I've already seen it convert skeptics into fans. It's that good!

    On new songs like "When She Cries, 'Don't Go'," co-written with Ian Tyson, and Luke Reed's "Adobe Walls," and on standards like "Whispering Pines" and Lilly Dale," R.W.'s rich, cowboy-style baritone voice sets the warm, relaxing mood. Ian Tyson joins R.W. in singing "What Does She See in That Cowboy?," and you'll love Rich O'Brien's gorgeous guitar intro to "Spanish Eyes," another of the real beauties in this collection.

    Highly recommended. 
Contact your local merchant or
 WWW.RWHampton.com
 

JOHN WESLEY HARDIN (Was an Outlaw)

    -Kenneth Harvick, Fredda Jones, Tommy Patterson & Greg Cole

I RECKON I'M A TEXAN 'TIL I DIE

    -Mark Abbott

Like history? Go to the www.iluvhistory.com web site. There, you'll learn the fascinating history of notorious western figure John Wesley Hardin, and what led to this CD about his life. The CD's title might seem to say it all, but it doesn't.

    The title song, composed by Tommy Patterson and sung (very well, I might add) by Kenneth Harvick, is followed by a narration titled "The Gentleman Killer." In 11 minutes, Harvick tells Hardin's story, as written by historian Fredda Jones.

    The last entry on the CD (there are only 3 entries--2 songs and a narrative) is a Patterson composition called "The Legend," very nicely performed by producer Greg Cole. Good music and fascinating history all the way through. CDs $15.95 ppd from the web site or 
Fredda Jones 
P.O. Box 252 
Comanche, TX 76442

When I first heard this CD, I knew immediately what I wanted to suggest to readers: "buy it!" It's fantastic! Superb western swing!

    Mark Abbott has been playing bass and fiddle on western swing sessions for years. Where has he been hiding his vocal talent? You'll hear it here.

    Of course, the vocals aren't the only thing that attracted my attention. It's great music all around, from start to finish! Old pards Tom Morrell, Rich O'Brien, Tim Alexander, Tommy Allsup, Curly Hollingsworth and other outstanding musicians work with Mark on these 14 standards. Interesting liner notes tell a bit about each player and include endorsements from Leon Rausch, Red Steagall and Don Edwards. 
CDs $15, tapes $12 + $2 s&h from 
Mark Abbott 
P.O. Box 7770 
Ft. Worth, TX 76111.

HIS NAME IS WONDERFUL

    -Wesley & Marilyn Tuttle

Singing in the Saddle: The History of the Singing Cowboy

    -by Douglas B. Green

 

                                                                                        Vanderbilt University Press
Book Review

My collection of religious albums is small. Each piece has been selected very carefully over many years. Each is excellent, but the crown jewel is this recent release from Marilyn and Wesley Tuttle.

    It's not so much the song selection; the songs are good, but most are new to me. There's not much variety; all are slow, performed with reverence. It's the voices! They are perfectly beautiful, both in duets and individually.

    Supporting instrumentation (organ, piano and guitar) is tastefully done, the key word being "supporting." Instruments do not dominate. They remain in the background, giving prominence to those wonderful voices.

    Marilyn and Wes each have two solo numbers in the set of 12. Recorded in a single day in the early 1960s, it became their last gospel LP. Glowing liner notes for the CD were written by Wayne Austin. The album is not western, but it's performed by two western legends and is highly recommended. $15 ppd from 
Wesley & Marilyn Tuttle 
623 Orange Grove Ave. 
San Fernando, CA 91340.

This is the most comprehensive, most thoroughly researched and in my view, most readable book ever published on the singing cowboys. There have been other good books, to be sure, but this one takes the prize. Even the most seasoned pros will learn something from reading it.

    But it's more than just a source of information.  The author's writing skills make it fun to read. It's fascinating!

    The author, noted historian Douglas B. Green, covers the entire period leading up to the movie cowboys in only 68 of the book's 360 pages. It's condensed, but very interesting; no dry history here. Then, he reviews the roles of a few key players in the 1930s, illustrating the contributions of Billy Hill, Gene Autry and the Sons of the Pioneers in particular, and others now almost forgotten but important in those early years.

    You'll learn the title of the first published Western song, the difference between "movie cowboys who sang" and "singing cowboys," and new details on how Gene Autry's "sound" changed as his Melody Ranch radio show began. There's lots of material on all the stars you know, and some you may not know, plus 149 photos, most of which are rare. It includes a ten page time line (1822-2001); members of the Sons of the Pioneers, listed by vocal position and instrument played, from their beginning through 2002; new insight into the movie studio system that brought music to the silver screen; highlights of the various eras from then till now, and much more gleaned from extensive interviews with the stars and others, conducted over decades. Birth, death and other dates alone must have taken years to compile. You'll even learn the names of the Republic Rhythm Riders---Green doesn't miss a trick! It's all here!

    This book is a must for every Western music enthusiast and should figure prominently in every Western film enthusiasts'  library as well. Don't miss it! Cloth $34.95 (prices may vary). Online or check your favorite book store .