Hi! Here are my new favorites, be it Hillbilly bop, Bluegrass, Honky Tonk, Country rock-a-ballad, or even a bit of Western swing. CARL BUTLER was on Capitol, and cut mainly unclassifiable Hillbilly/Bluegrass sides. I’ve chosen his great « No Trespassing » from 1951, complete with hiccups and banjo/fiddle. Then to early Honky tonk with WEBB PIERCE. One of his very early sides on Decca (1951): « California Blues » (78 rpm – I will be moving soon, so already packed all my precious shellacs and can’t have a label scan). Back to Hillbilly bop with a fairly obscure artist, JACK HUNT (Capitol, 1953) and lazy vocal on « All I Can Do Is Sit Ad Cry ». A short insight into MERLE LINDSAY’s career. He fronted the Oklahoma scene from the mid-forties, and had numerous sides on many labels; here we hear « Mop Rag Boogie » (MGM). A nice Country Rockaballad from 1958 on the Sandy label out of Alabama by JERRY FOSTER « Locked Away From Your Heart ». I love his sincere vocal. Finally a late 60s Hillbilly Bop by KED KILLEN (Western Ranch), « Hey Pretty Mama ». I don’t know an awful lot of him, except that his style dates from at least 15 years earlier. Couldn’t find his work except on a Cattle LP moons ago, or a Tom Sims Cassette. Enjoy the selections! Bye…

 

 Carl Butler - No trespassing [2:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Webb Pierce - California blues (78 rpm) [3:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jack Hunt - All I Do Is Sit And Cry [2:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Merle Lindsay - Mop Rag Boogie [2:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jerry Foster - Locked Away From Your Heart [2:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Ked Killen - Hey! Pretty Mama [2:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

HILLBILLY BOOGIE !

Essential component of Rock’n’Roll, this Country stream goes as far as the 30’s. Following the Boogie Woogie wave (1928, Pinetop Smith), everyone includes a boogie in his repertoire : swing big bands (Count Basie : « Basie boogie »), western swing orchestras (Spade Cooley : »Three way boogie », or smaller combos – Country (Tennessee Ernie Ford : « Shot gun boogie », 1951) or Blues (Amos Milburn : « Amo’s Boogie », 1946 – one of thousand artists). And the phenomenon will last a good twenty years. Fast tempo is good for dancers, as in « Hillbilly Boogie » (Jerry Irby, 1949 –Pete Burke at the piano).

Piano style was transposed to

-  guitar (Arthur Smith, « Guitar Boogie », 1945),

-  harmonica (The Milo Twins, « Truck Driver’s boogie », 1949),

-  mandolin (The Armstrong Twins, « Mandolin Boogie », 1949),

- violin (Curley Williams, « Fiddlin’ Boogie », 1949),

- steel-guitar (Speedy West, « Stratosphere Booie », 1954),

- accordion (Nathan Abshire, « Lu Lu Boogie », 1947),

- banjo (The McCormick Brothers, « Red Hen Boogie », 1954),

- vocal too of course (Wesley Tuttle, «Yodelin’ Boogie », 1949).

You can recognize a Hillbilly boogie by the presence of a powerful stand-up bass, often slapped : you can hear here the monumental « Bull Fiddle Boogie » by PeeWee King (Redd Stewart on vocal)(1949).

Numerous other instruments can be found in hillbilly boogie such as saxophone, muted trumpet or clarinet.

And until now I’d only speak of titles including « boogie » ! There were thousands others on this tempo, not always fast, but « uptempo ». Finally it became the standard in hillbilly music, what we call now Hillbilly Bop. One example between hundred is  Downie Bowshier’s « Tight Shoe Boogie » (King, 1953). The song complains about shoes too tight to dance to the bop. It is doubly ironic, since Bowshier was confined to a wheel chair.

Recommended listening :

We are well treated these times, because there is a plethora of compilations.

- « Country boogie 1939-1947 » (Frémeaux et associés 161) – 36 classic recordings just before and after WWII, from « Oakie Boogie » (Jack Guthrie) to « Square Dance boogie » (Johnny Lee Wills), to « Saturday night boogie » (Al Dexter). A good choice from Gérard Herzaft, the famous compiler.

- « Hillbilly Bop, Boogie & The Honky Tonk », a serie of 3 double-CDs from Jasmine (UK) at bargain price. Buy in confidence, you won’t be sorry !

- « Hillbilly Boogie » Proper (UK) boxset (4 CD). 100 tunes for £ 10.99. All the greats are here.

- « King Hillbilly Bop’n’Boogie » (UK Ace 854) does concentrate on one of the genre’s best postwar labels. Many uncommon tracks.

-Hillbilly Boogie » (Columbia Legacy 53940) – 20 essential tracks (1990)  

- If you are looking for something else, try to find (remoted from current catalog) « A Shot In The Dark – Tennessee Jive », a 7-CD Bear Family boxset devoted to Nashville’s small labels from 1945 to 1955.

 

 Amos Milburn - Amo's Boogie [2:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Pee Wee King - Bull Fiddle Boogie [2:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Wesley Tuttle - Yodelin' Boogie [2:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Tennessee Ernie Ford -Shot gun boogie [2:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Riley Walker - Uranium Miner's Boogie [2:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Nathan Abshire - Lu Lu Boogie [2:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Milo Twins - Truck Driver's Boogie [2:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Merle Lindsay -Mop Rag Boogie [2:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 McCormick Brothers - Red Hen Boogie [2:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Johnny Barfield - Doin' The Boogie Woogie [2:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Jerry Irby - Hillbilly Boogie [2:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Donnie Bowshier - Tight Shoe Boogie [2:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Bobby Soots - Boogie Woogie Blues [2:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download