Protobilly: The Minstrel & Tin Pan Alley DNA of Country Music 1892-2017

JSP Records JSP5202

Format: 3xCD, Compilation, Limited Edition, Stereo, Mono
Country: UK
Released: October 25, 2019
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Old Time, Country, Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
Disc One
101 Casey Jones: Billy Murray
102 Casey Jones: Fiddlin' John Carson
103 Southern Casey Jones: Jesse James
104 Steamboat Bill: Arthur Collins
105 Casey and Bill: Earl McDonald's Original Louisville Jug Band
106 Steamboat Bill Boogie: Delmore Bros.
107 Red Wing: Frank C Stanley & Henry Burr
108 Red Wing: Doc Williams & the Border Riders
109 Just Break the News to Mother: George J Gaskin
110 Take the News to Mother: Louvin Bros.
111 In the Shadow of the Pines: Royal Fish & Vernon Archibald
112 In the Shadow of the Pine: Kelly Harrell
113 Are You From Dixie?: Billy Murray & Irving Kaufman
114 Are You From Dixie: Grandpa Jones
115 Home, Sweet Home: Eleanora de Cisneros
116 Home, Sweet Home: Don Reno
117 The Party That Wrote Home Sweet Home, Never Was a Married Man: Ed Morton
118 The Man Who Wrote Home Sweet Home, Never Was a Married Man: Mack Woolbridge & Charlie Parker
119 I'm Alabama Bound: Prince's Orchestra
120 Alabama Bound: Papa Charlie Jackson
121 Unter dem Doppleadler: Olbrig's Zither Trio
122 Under the Double Eagle: Bill Boyd's Cowboy Ramblers
123 Blue Bell: Harry Macdonough
124 Blue Bell: Merle Travis
125 Virginia Bluebell: Eddie Adcock
126 The Foolish Frog: May Irwin
127 The Foolish Frog: Frank Corso
Disc Two
201 Haul The Woodpile Down: Charles A Asbury
202 Hold That Wood-Pile Down: Uncle Dave Macon
203 Darling Nellie Gray: The American Quartet
204 Darling Nellie Gray: Roland Cauly & Lake Howard
205 Darling Nellie Gray: Louis Armstrong & the Mills Brothers
206 I Got Mine: Arthur Collins & Joseph Natus
207 I Got Mine: Frank Stokes
208 Go Easy Mabel: Edward Meeker
209 Go Easy Mabel: Delmore Bros
210 Smoke Goes Up the Chimney: Dan W Quinn
211 Smoke Goes Up the Chimney: Fiddlin' John Carson
212 When the Bees Are In the Hive: Peerless Quartet
213 When the Bees Are In the Hive: Bill Monroe
214 Don't You Leave Me Here: Charles Johnson's Original Paradise Ten
215 I'm Alabamy Bound: Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
216 Don't Go Down In the Mine, Dad: Stanley Kirkby
217 Dream Of a Miner's Child: Keith Whitley
218 I Loved You Better Than You: Byron G Harlan & Frank C Stanley
219 I Loved You Better Than You: The Carter Family
220 I Loved You Better Than You: Johnnie and Jack
221 By The Watermelon Vine: Edison Male Quartet
222 Lindy: Proximity String Quartet
223 Who Broke The Lock: Cousins and DeMoss
224 Who Stole De Lock: The Georgia Browns
225 Who Stole The Lock: Jack Bland & his Rhythmmakers
226 Lovesick Blues: Emmett Miller
227 Lovesick Blues: Hank Williams
228 I'm the Father of a Little Black Coon: Charles A Asbury
Disc Three
301 May Irwin's Bully Song: May Irwin
302 Bully Of the Town: Gid Tanner & the Skillet Lickers
303 Fille de la Fille: Vin Bruce
304 Turkey in the Straw: Billy Golden
305 Turkey Buzzard Blues: Peg Leg Howell & Eddie Anthony
306 Old Dan Tucker: Harry C Browne
307 Old Dan Tucker: Gid Tanner & the Skillet Lickers
308 The Arkansas Traveler: Len Spencer
309 The Arkansaw Traveler: Jilson Setters (J.W Day)
310 Arkansas Traveler: Clayton McMichen & his Georgia Wildcats
311 The Girl I Loved in Sunny Tennessee: S.H Dudley & Harry Macdonough
312 Sunny Tennessee: Floyd County Ramblers
313 Nigger Blues: George O'Connor
314 The Blues Ain't Nothing But: Georgia White
315 I'se Gwine Back to Dixie: Brilliant Quartet
316 I'se Gwine Back to Dixie: Uncle Dave Macon
317 Baby Mine: Elizabeth Spencer
318 Going Around This World: Leslie Keith
319 All Night Long: Anna Chandler
320 All Night Long: Roy Acuff & his Crazy Tennesseeans
321 Laughing Rag: Sam Moore & Horace Davis
322 Mexican Rag: Darby & Tarlton
323 I Don't Care If I Never Wake Up: Silas Leachman
324 My Money Never Gives Out: Arthur Collins
325 My Money Never Runs Out: Banjo Joe (Gus Cannon)
326 My Money Never Gives Out: Dom Flemons & Guy Davis
[Notes]
This 3 CD reissue anthology is the first to track 20th century American vernacular music of old time country, bluegrass, jazz and blues by tracing their beginnings in 19th century blackface minstrelsy and Tin Pan Alley. The set includes a 76 page booklet with song annotations, sheet music covers, photographs and period graphics, biographies and discographies Driven by songwriting and publishing songs are refashioned again and again showcasing stylistic as well as lyrical changes over the past 100 years The foundation of the American popular songbook traces its beginnings to the Vaudeville, Circus, Minstrel, Music Hall and Theatre stages of the mid-late 1800s The songs spread throughout the country and world creating a new musical tapestry that included both black and white performers of all backgrounds By aligning performances from the earliest cylinder recordings with later 78 rpm, LP and CD versions, PROTOBILLY brings to life 81 historic recordings more than half never before reissued all brilliantly remastered to vividly demonstrate the checkered and enormously powerful elasticity of American music.

The Skillet Lickers: Old Time Fiddle Tunes And Songs From North Georgia

County Records CD-3509

Format: CD, Album, Remastered
Country: US
Released: 1996
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Old-time
[Tracklist]
01 Rocky Pallet (2:52) Oct 29, 1929
02 Rock That Cradle Lucy (2:56) Oct 29, 1929
03 Soldier's Joy (2:55) Oct 29, 1929
04 Sal's Gone To The Cider Mill (3:00) Apr 14, 1930
05 Ride Old Buck To Water (3:08) Dec 4, 1930
06 Molly Put The Kettle On (3:10) Oct 24, 1931
07 Hell Broke Loose In Georgia (3:01) Oct 29, 1929
08 Fly Around My Pretty Litte Miss (3:16) Oct 23, 1928
09 Liberty (3:19) Oct 22, 1928
10 Devilish Mary (3:21) Oct 22, 1928
11 Cackling Hen And Rooster Too (3:13) Dec 4, 1930
12 Miss McLeod's Reel (2:55) Oct 24, 1931
13 Pretty Little Widow (3:12) Oct 23, 1928
14 Dixie (3:12) Mar 29, 1927
15 Broken Down Gambler (3:11) Dec 5, 1930
16 Leather Breeches (3:04) Apr 14, 1930
[Credits]
Bert Layne, Clayton McMichen, Lowe Stokes (fiddles) Gid Tanner (fiddle/banjo/vocals) Riley Puckett (guitar/vocals) Fate Norris (banjo)
Liner Notes: Norm Cohen & Richard Nevins, Art Direction, Design: Rebecca Pittard, Production Coordinator: Gary B. Reid, Digital Mastering: Robert Vosgien, Remastering: Rich Nevin

[Notes]
The vinyl LP was released in 1973 as COUNTY-526. The single-disc compilation Skillet Lickers contains 16 tracks that the hillbilly musical comedy group recorded between 1926 and 1931, including "Ride Old Buck to the Water," "Dixie," and "Leather Breeches." The Skillet Lickers were one of the most popular groups of their time, and although their music and humor has dated considerably in the decades since, the musical talents of fiddler Gid Tanner remain impressive, and this compilation is the best way to hear him and his group.

Early Rural String Bands

RCA Victor LPV-552

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1968
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Country
[Tracklist]
A1 Ragtime Annie: Eck Robertson 7/1/22 (3:23)
A2 Leather Breeches: W.A. Hinton 1/31/31 (2:37)
A3 Black-Eyed Susie: J.P. Nester 8/1/27 (2:52)
A4 Alabama Jubilee-Breakdown: Bill Helms & His Upson County Band 2/23/28 (3:04)
A5 Charley, He's A Good Old Man: Kelly Harrell & The Virginia String Band 8/11/27 (2:35)
A6 Bring Me A Leaf From The Sea: The Carolina Tar Heels 2/19/27 (2:55)
A7 Big Bend Gal: The Shelor Family 8/2/27 (2:43)
A8 Jaw Bone: Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers 2/6/28 (2:58)
B1 Le Valse De Gueydan: Leo Soileau & His Three Aces 1/18/35 (3:00)
B2 Medley Of Reels: Henry Ford's Old Time Dance Orchestra 1/18/26 (2:54)
B3 A New Salty Dog: The Allen Brothers 11/22/30 (2:35)
B4 Mitchell Blues: Wade Mainer & The Sons Of The Mountaineers 1/27/38 (2:45)
B5 Tanner's Hornpipe: Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers 3/30/34 (2:47)
B6 How Many Biscuits Can I Eat?: Gwen Foster 2/5/39 (2:47)
B7 Up Jumped The Devil: Byron Parker & His Mountaineers 2/9/40 (2:38)
B8 Red Rocking Chair: Charlie Monroe & His Kentucky Pardners 2/1/49 (2:23)
[Credits]
Liner Notes: Norm Cohen, Reissue Producer: Mike Lipskin, Remastered: Don Miller
[Notes]
Sure, the ugly album cover looks like an old greeting card that got stuck to a bathroom wallpaper sample. There is a strong possibility, however, that the cover of this album might not get much use, since the record itself is barely likely to leave the turntable. There isn't a bum cut on this collection of various types of American string band music, much of it recorded in the '20s and '30s, although there are a few later tracks tossed in near the end, perhaps to indicate that there is still hope. Recordings by early old-time music groups such as Bill Helms & His Upson County Band and Kelly Harrell & the Virginia String Band are simply phenomenal, the vintage recordings doing nothing to cover the hypnotic intensity of the music. Doc Walsh's performance of "Bring Me a Leaf From the Sea" is gorgeous, troubling, and unforgettable, a fine banjo performance with some lovely harmonica and vocal backing from Gwen Foster. The Appalachian tradition doesn't take over completely by any means. Awaiting the eager listener on the flip side is a Cajun number from the historic Leo Solieau, followed by an amazing "Medley of Reels" by the bizarre Henry Ford's Old Time Dance Orchestra, which features hammered dulcimer, tuba, and cimbalom. The Allen Brothers provide authentic jug band style with "A New Salty Dog." Then it is back to the mountains for a climactic set of numbers that includes the awesome Gid Tanner & the Skillet Lickers and the more up to date -- 1949, mind you -- sounds of Charlie Monroe & His Kentucky Pardners, a cool combination including both steel guitar and mandolin. "Up Jumped the Devil" with Snuffy Jenkins on banjo and Homer Sherill on violin is absolutely killer, the tempo beyond manic. This is a compilation that was put together perfectly, and somebody really "done good" with the choice of tracks. --AllMusic Review by Eugene Chadbourne

Old Time Southern Dance Music: String Bands Vol. 1

Old Timey Records LP-100

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1965
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Zydeco, Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Chinese Rag: The Spooney Five
A2 Moatsville Blues: Moatsville String Ticklers
A3 If The River Was Whiskey: Charlie Poole & The North Carolina Ramblers
A4 Japanese Breakdown: Scottdale String Band
A5 Crowley Waltz: Hackberry Ramblers
A6 Allen Brothers Rag: Allen Brothers
A7 Tickle Her: Hackberry Ramblers
A8 Jackson Stomp: Mississippi Mud Steppers
B1 Hawkins' Rag: Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers
B2 Hungry Hash House: Charlie Poole & The North Carolina Ramblers
B3 Train 45: Grayson & Whitter
B4 Down Yonder: Hershel Brown & His Washboard Band
B5 Dickson County Blues: Arthur Smith Trio
B6 Osson: Joseph Falcon with Clemo & Ophy Breaux
B7 Home Town Blues: Roane County Ramblers
B8 Nobody Loves Me: Hershel Brown & His Washboard Band
[Credits]
Liner Notes: Chris Strachwitz

The Skillet Lickers: Old Time Tunes recorded 1927-1931

County Records County‎– 506

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: United States
Released:
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Old Time, & Country
[Tracklist]
A1 Molly Put The Kettle On
A2 Sal's Gone To The Cider Mill
A3 Big Ball In Town
A4 Leather Breeches
A5 A Corn Licker Still In Georgia
A6 Devilish Mary
B1 Soldier's Joy
B2 Four Cent Cotton
B3 Cacklin' Hen & Rooster Too
B4 In The Woodpile
B5 Rock That Cradle Lucy
B6 Cotton Eyed Joe
[Credits]
Bert Layne, Clayton McMichen, Gid Tanner, Lowe Stokes (fiddles) Riley Puckett (guitar/vocals) Fate Norris (banjo)
[Notes]
Recorded 1927-1931

Smoky Mountain Ballads

RCA Victor – LPV 507

Series: RCA Victor Vintage Series
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Mono
Country: United States
Released: 1964
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, & Country
[Tracklist]
A1 Cumberland Mountain Deer Race: Uncle Dave Macon (2:48)
A2 Riding On That Train Forty-Five: Wade Mainer, Zeke Morris, Steve Ledford (2:33)
A3 Down With The Old Canoe: Dixon Brothers (2:49)
A4 Chittlin' Cookin' Time In Cheatham County: Arthur Smith Trio (2:32)
A5 Where Is My Sailor Boy?: Monroe Brothers (2:45)
A6 Worried Man Blues: Carter Family (2:33)
A7 On A Cold Winter's Night: J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers (2:58)
A8 On Tanner's Farm: Gid Tanner And Riley Puckett (2:51)
B1 Darling Corey: Monroe Brothers (2:06)
B2 I'm Bound To Ride: Arthur Smith Trio (2:17)
B3 Intoxicated Rat: Dixon Brothers (2:35)
B4 Railroadin' And Gamblin': Uncle Dave Macon (2:38)
B5 The East Virginia Blues: Carter Family (2:44)
B6 Ida Red: Gid Tanner And His Skillet Lickers (2:49)
B7 Down In The Willow: Wade Mainer And Zeke Morris (2:28)
B8 There's More Pretty Girls Than One: Arthur Smith Trio (3:03)
[Notes]
The RCA Victor Vintage Series has been created to bring you selected reissued performances, unavailable for some years, by great personalities of the popular, jazz and folk music worlds. All recordings in the Vintage Series have been remastered with the latest recording techniques, but the artistic values of the performances are the only consideration for inclusion. Here are truly great recordings of the past for your present and future enjoyment.