Slim Bryant R.I.P.

Country jazz guitarist Hoyt "Slim" Bryant died on May 28 at the age of 101. He passed away at St. Clair Hospital in Dormont, Pennsylvania, where he lived his last years.

Bryant became famous as the guitarist of fiddler Clayton McMichen in the 1930s and also toured with the Skillet Lickers in the late 1920s. During the 1940s and 1950s, he was a country music star in Pittsburgh and hosted his own TV show on KDKA for 19 years. He also wrote numerous songs, including "Mother, Queen of My Heart", recorded by Jimmie Rodgers.

Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes

Watch this amazing performance of Carl Perkins and the boys doing their hit "Blue Suede Shoes"!

The Ohio Valley Sound

Check it out, a new blog on the blogger sky. Scott brings you 45s from the Ohio Valley area, ranging from the 50s to the 70s, mostly country and gospel. Here's the link: http://ohiovalleysound.blogspot.com/

Johnny Cash set

A set of Johnny Cash recordings. "Hey Porter" and "Folsom Prison Blues" are re-recordings for Columbia from the early 1960s, while "Big River" and "Cry, Cry, Cry" are 1961 TV live recordings. "Five Minutes to Go" was the soundtrack for the movie of the same name, in which Cash played the role of a crazy killer. Last but not least, "I Got Stripes" is a 1959 Columbia recording. I choose these recordings because I think they are much overlooked by fans, for example the great "Five Minutes to Live" (my favorite here) can't even be found on YouTube (which has nearly everything of Cash). Hope you enjoy these!

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1. Big River (1961 TV recording)
2. Cry, Cry, Cry (1961 TV recording, from the same show as "Big River")
3. Five Minutes to Live
4. Folsom Prison Blues
5. Hey Porter (1961)
6. I Got Stripes (1959)

Happy Birthday Marshall!

Both clips are from 1959 at the Town Hall Party. In my opinion, these early videos of Cash and the Tennessee Two are amazing just to see how they were on stage in their beginnings. I was looking for a clip of "I Got Stripes" on YouTube in which Cash introduces the band to the public and making some jokes about Luther and Marshall before playing the song, but I wasn't able to find it.

Marshall Grant was born on May 5, 1928, and is now 82 years old. He lives in Mississippi with his wife and enjoys his retirement. In 1954, Grant was working as an auto mechanic in Memphis, Tennessee, at the time he met Johnny Cash. Cash was coming from the Air Force and settled down in Memphis. Soon, Cash formed a band with Grant and guitarist Luther Perkins (sometimes, also steel guitarist Red Kernodle played with them). They auditioned for Sun in 1954 and got their first single out in 1955. From that day on, Grant was on the road with Cash until 1980, when he left the band. Grant also served as a road manager for Cash and managed the Statler Brothers until his retirement in 2002. Happy Birthday Marshall!

Mud on RAK

This 45 is one of my favorites. Although no country, rock & roll or old-timey, it got a strong rock & roll feeling to it. Mud was a British glam rock band much in the vein of The Sweet, T Rex or Gary Glitter and had several hits in the UK and Germany during the 1970s. This one is from 1974 and peaked at #6 in the UK and at #9 in Germany. Hope you like it!

Download "Rocket" and "The Ladies"

Don't worry...

... I'm back in a few days. Had lots of work to do in the last days. But I'm prepared for new posts and new CRH compilations are in work, hope they can be posted over the next weeks!

Omar & the Stringpoppers

Omar & the Stringpoppers - Crazy Baby


Omar & the Stringpoppers - Cottonpickin'

Never saw such a wild rockabilly band. I knew them before I discovered these clips on YouTube, but actually wasn't aware of their raw stage appereances. In the first video, Omar's strings are down-and-out and the second one is a cover of "Cottonpickin'", an instrumental originally recorded by Mickey Hawks and the Night Raiders in 1959. Very well done!

Hank Williams awarded

Country music hero Hank Williams was honored by the Purlitzer Price Board with the Purlitzer Pirce in a special categories. According to the organisation, Williams is one of the most outstanding persons in American music, brought country music to the American culture and influenced thousands of musicians (both of his era and later artists).

Williams, who died in 1953 at the age of 29, is one of the few persons to receive a special Purlitzer price, among them Bob Dylan. Read the full story at hillbilly-music.com.

Gateway Rock & Roll Soundalikes

The second volume of the soundalike series. This comp deals with rock & roll covers made for the Gateway label out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Gateway was part of the Rite Record Productions, founded in 1950 by Carl Burckhardt. Rite started his budget label activities in 1952 by launching its new labels Gateway, Big 4 Hits and Kentucky (later more labels followed). We have the great Delbert Barker here covering some nice Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. Rite sold his budget outfits in late 1957/early 1958 and concentrated on its custom pressing service, which began in 1955 (see the That's All Rite blog for Rite custom pressings).

Download

track list:
1. Bob LaMont - Dim Dim the Lights
2. Dick Warren - Rock Around the Clock
3. Delbert Barker - So Doggone Lonesome
4. Delbert Barker - Blue Suede Shoes
5. Delbert Barker - Heartbreak Hotel
6. Marv Lockard - Don't Be Cruel
7. Billy St. Claire - Shake, Rattle and Roll
8. Buddy Thomas -Wear My Ring Around Your Neck
9. Earl Robbins - Teddy Bear
10. Jack Daniels - Tutti Frutti