It recently came to my attention that I've posted a scant few hillbilly or country records here on the flu. So, considering that a good portion of my collection of shellac are just that, I'll start today to pick up the hillbilly deficit with none other than Jimmie Rodgers, the father of country music. Labels don't really do justice to his contribution to music. Let's just call this music of the American vernacular, as you would about the photographs of Walker Evans, or the writing of Mark Twain. Rodgers, who only recorded for less than six years, has more in common with Blind Willie McTell, Louis Armstrong and Woody Guthrie, than the slick redneck neo-hipster posers of Music Row today. Doug Sahm said it best a few years back, when he took a poke at the current state of "country": "Who said Bob Wills' fiddles was a joke? All's you know it had been been replaced by laser beams and smoke..." None of that here. From the laudanum haze of the TB ward, I give you Jimmie Rodgers, The Singing Brakeman...
Download: GONE mp3
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Download: GONE by Doug Sahm
*** SPECIAL BONUS mp3 GONE ***
Jimmie Rodgers on YouTube! Here, Here, and Here.
Buy Jimmie Rodgers music at Amazon
Buy Doug Sahm music, Here.
Read more Here.
Nope -- doesn't hurt a bit!
ReplyDeleteThanks, in particular for Charlie Parker's "The Gypsy." Having just stumbled over Doug Sahm's version, it was lovely synchronicity.
Do you have Miss The Mississippi? That's my fave Jimmie tune right now, as I've been waltz-obsessive lately.
ReplyDelete"We're gonna have a mess a chicken!"
JSG
sadly, i don't. but i do have a version of dylan doing it from the same session as kaatskill serenade.
ReplyDeleteshall i email it to you?
Thanks -- it is swell. JR version on it's way to ya.
ReplyDeleteBTW, happy Charlie Parker's b-day.
Cheers,
JSG
This is the best music blog ever!
ReplyDeleteum... the bonus JR with the carter family... amazing... thanks mucho for posting that!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYup, splendid !
ReplyDeleteted where do you come up with this scratchy crap?! ain't you got nothin with no laser beams in it?? how bout some vangelis 78s?!
ReplyDeleteThe Magnificent Krane has spoken!
ReplyDelete