"Western Swingin'" 85 Tracks From Three Golden Decades Of Western Swing 1935-1957

"Terrific three-disc sampler of Western Swing." - UNCUT
"A Great, Nostalgic Sound Spread over 85 Tracks." - WORD MAGAZINE
“They have done a great job compiling all the major contributors to the genre over 30 years... Western Swingin' offers a great opportunity to pick up some new favourites." - RECORD COLLECTORFantastic Voyage’s third set in an ongoing survey of the sounds which shaped country music and rock ’n’ roll concentrates on the golden age of western swing, from the thirties through to the fifties. The infectious sound of western swing, which brought string-band instrumentation to jazz- and blues-based repertoire, had its origins in Texas. In 1931 a trio of musicians were renamed the Light Crust Doughboys by a canny mill owner and sponsor of a local radio show. The Doughboys in turn spawned massively successful spin-off bands led by Milton Brown and Bob Wills respectively. The popularity of western swing spread throughout the south-western states and on to the fertile music scene in California, encouraging bands to expand their line-ups, some reaching the proportions of a small orchestra. Among the most successful outfits were those led by Spade Cooley, T Texas Tyler, Tex Williams and Hank Thompson.

All these artists, and many more are represented across the generous 85 tracks, which include the seminal western swing instrumental, “Taking Off” (Milton Brown’s band, featuring the lap-steel guitar of Bob Dunn), and Bob Wills evergreens like “Steel Guitar Rag”, “San Antonio Rose”, “Take Me Back To Tulsa” and “Faded Love”. The set is divided into three themes, disc one covering the aforementioned hits and evergreens, disc two exploring jazz-derived repertoire, and disc three doing the same for the blues, a genre which increasingly attracted the western swing bands. Titles like “Good Rockin’ Tonight” would enjoy renewed popularity when covered by Elvis Presley and other rockabilly cats. Western Swing enjoyed a revival – and some crossover to rock audiences – in the seventies at the hands of Asleep At The Wheel and Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen. In 2010 Willie Nelson collaborated on an album with Asleep At The Wheel, while contemporary band The Hot Club Of Cowtown brings its blend of hot jazz and western swing to enthusiastic audiences worldwide.

trax disc 1:

1. Steel Guitar Rag - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 2. Shame On You - Spade Cooley & His Orchestra 3. Pistol-Packin' Mama - Al Dexter & His Troopers 4. Take Me Back To Tulsa - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 5. Big Beaver - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 6. Drivin' Nails In My Coffin - Floyd Tillman 7. Stay A Little Longer - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 8. Never Trust A Woman - Tex Williams & His Western Caravan 9. Tennessee Waltz - Pee Wee King & His Golden West Cowboys 10. Roly Poly - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 11. Faded Love - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 12. Panhandle Rag - Leon McAuliffe & His Western Swing Band 13. Crazy ‘Cause I Love You - Spade Cooley & His Orchestra 14. Taking Off - Milton Brown & His Brownies 15. Rag Mop - Johnnie Lee Wills & His Boys 16. Sugar Moon - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 17. New Spanish Two-Step - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 18. The Lonesome Hearted Blues - Moon Mullican & The Showboys 19. Get Along, Cindy - Milton Brown & His Brownies 20. Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis 21. Steel Guitar Stomp - Hank Penny 22. New San Antonio Rose - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 23. Detour - Spade Cooley & His Orchestra 24. Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) - Tex Williams & His Western Caravan 25. Cherokee Maiden - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 26. A Big Ball’s In Cowtown - Hoyle Nix 27. Rootie Tootie - Pee Wee King & His Golden West Cowboys

28. Take It Away, Leon - Leon McAuliffe

trax disc 2:

1. St Louis Blues - Milton Brown & His Brownies 2. There’ll Be Some Changes Made - W Lee O’Daniel & His Lightcrust Dough Boys 3. White Heat - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 4. Sugar - Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers 5. She’s Sweet (Ain't She Sweet) - The Tune Wranglers 6. Everybody’s Truckin - Modern Mountaineers 7. Sally’s Got A Wooden Leg - Sons Of The West 8. Rubber Dolly - Bob Skyles & His Skyrockets 9. Jeep’s Blues Port - Arthur Jubileers 10. The Hesitation Blues - Milton Brown & His Brownies 11. You Gotta Ho-De-Ho (To Get Along With Me) - Swift Jewel Cowboys 12. Rosetta - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 13. Too Long - Johnnie Lee Wills & His Boys 14. Watcha Gonna Do? - The Hi-Flyers 15. It’s A Long, Long Way To Tipperary - Jimmie Revard & His Oklahoma Playboys 16. Down By The O-H-I-O - Milton Brown & His Brownies 17. One Sweet Letter From You - Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers 18. Bass Man Jive - Ocie Stockard & The Wanderers 19. Pussy, Pussy, Pussy The Light Crust - Doughboys 20. Some Of These Days - Milton Brown & His Brownies 21. It’s All Your Fault - Wade Ray & Noel Boggs 22. Slow Poke - Pee Wee King & His Golden West Cowboys 23. Twin Guitar Special - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 24. I've Found A New Baby - Bill Mounce & The Sons Of The South 25. Stompin’ At The Honky Tonk - Bob Dunn & His Vagabonds 26. Keep On Truckin’ - Smoky Wood & His Wood Chips 27. In The Mood - Ole Rasmussen & His Nebraska Cornhuskers 28. Whatcha Know, Joe? - Johnnie Lee Wills & His Boys 29. Artistry In Western Swing - Tex Williams & His Western Caravan

trax disc 3:

1. Louise, Louise Blues - Brown's Musical Brownies 2. Corrine Corrina - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 3. Feels Good - Hartman's Heart Breakers 4. My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It - T Texas Tyler & His Oklahoma Melody Boys 5. Never No Mo' Blues - Tommy Duncan & His Western All Stars 6. Sittin’ On Top Of The World - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 7. She’s A Hum-Dum Dinger - Buddy Jones 8. Milk Cow Blues - Johnnie Lee Wills & His Boys 9. Fan It! - Swift Jewel Cowboys 10. Let Me Play With Your Poodle - Hank Penny 11. Joe Turner Blues - Adolph Hofner & His Texans 12. Kangaroo Blues - Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers 13. Woodchip Blues - Smoky Wood & The Woodchips 14. Cocaine Blues - Roy Hogsed & His Rainbow Riders 15. Pipe Liner's Blues - Modern Mountaineers 16. Mama Don’t Like No Music - Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers 17. The Right String But The Wrong Yo-Yo - The Jubileers 18. Mean Mistreater Blues - Bob Dunn's Vagabonds 19. Brain Cloudy Blues - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys 20. My Bank Account Is Gone - Jesse Ashlock 21. You Played On My Piano - Hank Penny & Jaye P Morgan 22. I Don’t Know - Billy Jack Wills & His Western Swing Band 23. Knockin' Blues - Ann Jones & Her Western Sweethearts 24. Good Rockin' Tonight - Hank Thompson & His Brazos Valley Boys 25. And I Shook - Les "Carrot Top"Anderson & Redd Harper 26. Hound Dog - Tommy Duncan & The Miller Brothers 27. Hey, Miss Fannie - Bennie Leaders 28. Rock And Roll Fever - Cecil Campbell & His Tennessee Ramblers

…served by Gyro1966...