VA - Hillbilly Boogie [2002] (4 x CD's)

 

AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC

VA - Hillbilly Boogie [2002] (4 x CD's)

This has to be the most comprehensive, glorious, and flat-out ass-kicking country (hillbilly) boogie collection ever assembled. While it's true that the U.K.'s Proper label is controversial with some other reissue labels for their elaborate, budget-priced collections (in their boxes you get four well-mastered CDs and a full booklet complete with exhaustive liner notes and deluxe photos for less than $35 American), what cannot be debated is their quality both in terms of packaging and compilation research. On these four discs are 100 tracks of nothing but hillbilly boogie jams that cut across time periods, subgenres, labels, and styles to present the only truly accurate representation of this period in the development of country music and rock & roll available. The four discs are arranged thematically, which was the only way to present this much material in any organized fashion, with the boogie woogie represented regionally, instrumentally, and in terms of name recognition (tunes named after people) and tracks that charted. Along with name artists such as Chet Atkins, whose "Boogie Man Boogie" was one of his first vocal performances, Bill Haley, Merle Travis, Arthur Smith, Tennessee Ernie Ford, the Maddox Brothers & Rose, the Delmore Brothers, and Tillman Franks & His Rainbow Boys (featuring Faron Young on vocals), there are untold surprises not only in the most obscure titles, but in the uncovered treasures by talent no one would ever associate with the medium.

Two of these are rare boogie tracks by Hawkshaw Hawkins ("Doghouse Boogie") and Cowboy Copas ("Hangman Boogie"). The pair died together in a plane crash and was never associated with the boogie. Another surprise is the inclusion of Hank Snow's "Rhumba Boogie"; in both style and arrangment it is one of the most radical songs he ever recorded. Most revelatory, however, is the track "Zeb's Mountain Boogie" by Brad Brady, who is actually legendary country producer Owen Bradley & His Tennesseans. This song by Bradley, who was synonymous with the slick, silky sound that made Patsy Cline a household name, is a raw, woolly, and greasy boogie jam that is one of the sweatiest in the set. Billy Haley's tracks are with the Saddlemen, his pre-Comets band, but they rock harder than "Rock Around the Clock." Also, in Tillman Franks listeners hear the alter ego of none other than Webb Pierce. With the Ernie Ford, Haley, and Arthur Smith cuts, listeners have the true underpinnings of the savage kind of rockabilly made infamous by Gene Vincent, Sonny Burgess, and Johnny Burnette. It's out of control, nearly off the rails eight-bar boogie that features the pedal steel and electric guitar more prominently than the piano -- which is also a key fissure in the music that early rock & roll split off from. There are also forms here such as the Cajun boogie of Harry Choates and the jazzed-out Western swing pursuits by Jim Boyd, with the prominent piano in a dual role with the pedal steel, and Spade Cooley, Jerry Irby, and Curley Rash. This collection is the crossroads where the old barrel-house music of the early 20th century met the Southern blues met the swing bands and flipped itself over into hot rod rock & roll. Hillbilly Boogie is indispensable for anyone interested in American roots music in general or in the development of country and rock & roll in particular. Let it rock, boogie man boogie, or just go home. (Allmusic review by Thom Jurek)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Zeb Turner Travelling Boogie 2:41

02 Johnny Tyler & The Riders Of The Rio Grande Freight Train Boogie 2:32

03 Jimmie O'Neal And The Colorado Hillbillies Streamliner Boogie 2:48

04 Lonnie Glosson Pan American Boogie 2:43

05 Harry Choates Louisiana Boogie 2:25

06 Jeff Durham & His Rhythm Playboys Tennessee Boogie 2:37

07 Zeb Turner Tennessee Boogie 2:52

08 Curley Williams & His Georgia Peach Pickers Georgia Boogie 2:56

09 Gene O'Quinn Texas Boogie 2:22

10 Red Pleasant & The Southern Serenaders Mississippi Boogie 2:09

11 Jack Guthrie & His Oklahomans Oakie Boogie 2:29

12 Hardrock Gunter Dixieland Boogie 2:15

13 Pete Burke Trio Kentucky Waltz Boogie 2:31

14 Delmore Brothers Mobile Boogie 2:44

15 Rocky Rauch & His Western Serenaders Colorado Boogie 2:07

16 Jean Davidson Fort Worth Boogie 2:27

17 Jim Boyd Waxachachie Boogie Woogie Dishwasher Boy 2:29

18 Wayne Raney & Delmore Brothers Del Rio Boogie 2:46

19 Milo Twins Downtown Boogie 2:24

20 Billy Hughes' Buccaroos Out Of Town Boogie 2:40

21 Billy Briggs North Pole Boogie 2:40

22 Spade Cooley Three Way Boogie 2:41

23 Tennessee Ernie Ford Smokey Mountain Boogie 2:42

24 Curley Rash & His South Texas Playboys Humble Road Boogie 2:20

25 Delmore Brothers Peach Tree Street Boogie 2:41

CD2

01 Charline Arthur I've Got The Boogie Blues 2:41

02 Billy Briggs Pretty Baby Boogie 2:31

03 Maston Music Makers Slick Chick Boogie 2:50

04 Earl Songer & His Rocky Road Ramblers Mother-in-Law Boogie 2:39

05 Johnny Bond & His Red River Valley Boys Mean Mama Boogie 2:55

06 Jesse James Jesse James Boogie 2:34

07 Johnny Tyler & The Riders Of The Rio Grande Old MacDonald Boogie 2:14

08 Milo Twins Baby Buggie Boogie 2:11

09 Maddox Bros & Rose George's Playhouse Boogie 2:43

10 Tommy Kizziah & His West Coast Ramblers Long Tom Boogie 2:18

11 Wayne Raney Jack & Jill Boogie 2:49

12 Zeb Turner Boogie Woogie Lou 2:41

13 Brad Brady (Owen Bradley & His Tennesseans) Zeb's Mountain Boogie 2:34

14 Art Gunn & His Arizona Playboys Boogie Woogie Blues 2:23

15 Rip Ramsey & His Texas Wanderers Rip Ramsey Boogie 2:45

16 Walt McCoy & His Western Wonders Richey Boogie 2:35

17 Rhythm Boys Porky's Boogie Woogie On Strings 3:12

18 T. Texas Tyler T. Texas Boogie 2:31

19 Texas Bill Strength Paper Boy Boogie 2:19

20 Walt McCoy & His Western Wonders Cowboy Boogie 2:38

21 Wayne Raney Lost John Boogie 2:41

22 Merle Travis Merle's Boogie Woogie 3:02

23 Bennie Hess & His Nation Playboys Bennie Hess Boogie 2:53

24 Don Whitney G.I. Boogie 2:26

25 Dick Dyson & His Blue Bonnet Boys Hal Billy Boogie 2:51

CD3

01 Chet Atkins Boogie Man Boogie 2:50

02 Johnny Barfield Boogie Woogie 2:39

03 Turner Bros (Red & Lige) Boog-Boog Boogie 2:45

04 Jerry Irby With His Texas Ranchers Super Boogie Woogie 2:51

05 Village Boys Boogie Woogie In The Village 2:48

06 Johnny Barfield Doin' The Boogie Woogie 2:43

07 Delmore Brothers Hillbilly Boogie 2:45

08 Jimmy Bryant Boogie Barn Dance 2:33

09 Hank Harral & His Palomino Cowhands Dream Band Boogie 2:53

10 Tillman Franks Hayride Boogie 2:43

11 Hardrock Gunter Boogie Woogie On A Saturday Night 2:48

12 Arthur Smith's Sensational Trio Country Boogie 3:00

13 Jerry Irby & His Texas Ranchers Hillbilly Boogie 2:33

14 Bill Haley & The Saddlemen Green Tree Boogie 2:50

15 Charlie Harris with R.D. Hendon's Western Jamboree Cowboys No Shoes Boogie 3:01

16 Wes Holly Shufflin' Shoes Boogie 2:51

17 Big Jeff & The Radio Playboys Juke Box Boogie 2:26

18 Freddie Burns & His Ranch Boys Juke Box Boogie 2:29

19 Delmore Brothers Boogie Woogie Baby 2:47

20 Jack Padgett The Texas Wrangler Boogie Woogie Gal 2:22

21 Art Gunn & His Arizona Playboys Cornbread Boogie 2:49

22 Wayne Raney Catfish Boogie 2:39

23 Cousin Deems Sanders & His Goatherders with Walt McCoy Goatburger Boogie 2:54

24 Bill Haley & The Saddlemen Sundown Boogie 2:29

25 Billy Briggs Alarm Clock Boogie 2:25

CD4

01 Vance Morris & His Alabama Playboys Crazy About The Boogie 2:48

02 Merle Travis Crazy Boogie 2:48

03 Bill Mack Crazy Baby Boogie 2:33

04 Arthur Smith's Hot Quintet Guitar Boogie 3:25

05 Armstrong Twins Mandolin Boogie 2:58

06 Hubert Friar & Hillbilly Hicks Joe's Mandolin Boogie 3:00

07 Jesse James & Band Piano Pete's Boogie 2:21

08 Arthur Smith's Hot Quintet Banjo Boogie 2:44

09 Mustard & Gravy Be Bop Boogie 2:23

10 Wayne Raney Real Hot Boogie 2:39

11 Don Whitney Red Hot Boogie 2:35

12 Tommy Durden & The Westernaires Hula Boogie 2:55

13 Tennessee Ernie Ford The Shotgun Boogie 2:36

14 Tillman Franks & His Rainbow Boys (Faron Young Vcl) Hot Rod Shotgun Boogie #2 2:49

15 Hawkshaw Hawkins Doghouse Boogie 2:42

16 Roy Hall & His Cohutta Mountain Boys (Frankie Brumbalough Vcl) Dirty Boogie 2:52

17 Roy Hogsed Snake Dance Boogie 2:06

18 Hank Snow Rhumba Boogie 2:48

19 Bill Nettles & His Dixie Blue Boys Hadacol Boogie 2:47

20 Buster Doss & His Arkansas Playboys Playboy Boogie 2:19

21 Hardrock Gunter Hesitation Boogie 2:31

22 Al Dexter & His Troopers New Broom Boogie 2:38

23 Cowboy Copas Hangman Boogie 2:35

24 Roy Hall & His Cohutta Mountain Boys Mule Boogie 2:40

25 Butterball Paige I'm Too Old To Boogie Anymore 2:40

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