Delmore Brothers Classic Cuts 1933-1941 CD

The Delmore Brothers adapted their style with the times. At the start of their career, their then innovative approach, superseded many pioneer country artists. Toward the end of their career they adapted to the sounds of the 1940s and '50s, arguably pioneering the rockabilly sound. Alton usually took lead vocals, but they could switch high and low parts between them. Their influence on The Monroe Brothers is undoubted. Apart from harmony singing, their recordings are characterised by clear diction and clean-cut guitar playing. Born in Alabama in the early 20th century Alton and Rabon were sons of tenant farmers. Seeking better land, they moved to Tennessee. Their fortunes did not improve. The family worked on other farms as day laborers. These tough experiences would re-emerge in Delmore songs. Alton later said that the shadow of poverty never quite left them. But their mother could play and read music. She taught Alton and, settling on guitar, he became a fine musician. He also attended gospel singing schools. The early interest in gospel music was later reflected in their use of sacred material which continued throughout their career. Later, in the 1940s and early 1950s, even when they had a string of nationwide hits, they insisted on recording gospel material. By 1926 The Delmores were already working on their harmony singing and instrumental work. At some point Alton had bought a tenor guitar. Taught by Alton, Rabon could play it by the time he was ten - apparently using banjo chords. Alto chose the tenor guitar - smaller than the standard six-string guitar and having only four strings - after he'd seen a vaudeville double act use one. It was an example of their willingness to step outside rigid country traditions. By the end of their careers (Rabon died from lung cancer in 1952) the brothers had been Opry stars (and fallen out with the Opry) and written over 1000 songs including Freight Train Boogie - a key link in the Rock 'n' Roll story.

1. Ain't Got Nowhere to Travel 2. Smokey Mountain Bill and His Song 3. Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar 4. Lonesome Yodel Blues 5. Brown's Ferry Blues 6. I'm Mississippi Bound 7. I've Got the Big River Blues 8. The Girls Don't Worry About My Mind 9. Bury Me Out on the Prairie 10. The Frozen Girl 11. Lonesome Jailhouse Blues 12. Blue Railroad Train 13. When It's Summertime in a Southern Clime 14. Blow Yo' Whistle Freight Train 15. Down South 16. Brown's Ferry Blues- Part 2 17. I Got the Kansas City Blues 18. Alabama Lullaby 19. The Fugitive's Lament 20. I'm Going Away 21. I Long to See My Mother 22. Lorena, the Slave 23. The Nashville Blues 24. The Lover's Warning 25. I'm Worried Now 26. Take Away This Lonesome Day 27. Promise Me You'll Always Be Faithful 28. Don't You See That Train 29. It's Taken' Me Down 30. That Yodelin' Gal- Miss Julie 31. I'm Gonna Change My Way 32. Happy Hickey- the Hobo 33. Lonesome Yodel Blues-No.2 34. Put Me on the Trail to Carolina 35. My Smokey Mountain Gal 36. Take Me Back to the Range 37. No Drunkard Can Enter There 38. Southern Moon 39. False Hearted Girl 40. The Budded Rose 41. The Blind Child 42. Are You Marching with the Saviour 43. No One 44. Lead Me 45. I Need the Prayers of Those I Love 46. I've Got the Railroad Blues 47. The Weary Lonesome Blues 48. Heavenly Light Is Shining on Me 49. Wonderful There 50. Singing My Troubles Away 51. They Say It's Sinful to Flirt 52. Till the Roses Bloom Again 53. When We Held Our Hymn Books Together 54. Hi de Ho Baby Mine 55. Goodbye Booze 56. Careless Love (Bring My Baby Back) 57. In That Vine Covered Chapel in the Valley 58. The Cannon Ball 59. 15 Miles from Birmingham 60. Where Is My Sailor Boy 61. Just the Same Sweet Thing to Me 62. A Better Range Is Home 63. Don't Let My Ramblin' Bother Your Mind 64. Wabash Blues 65. Go Easy Mabel 66. Over the Hills 67. The Dying Truckdriver 68. Scatterbrain Mama 69. Happy on the Mississippi Shore 70. Rainin' on the Mountain 71. See That Coon in the Hickory Tree 72. The Storms Are on the Ocean 73. Back to Birmingham 74. The Eastern Gate 75. God Put a Rainbow in the Clouds 76. There's Trouble on My Mind Today 77. Silver Dollar 78. Old Mountain Dew 79. In the Blue Hills of Virginia 80. Make Room in the Lifeboat for Me 81. When It's Time for the Whip-Poor Will to Sing 82. Will You Be Lonesome Too? 83. Broken Hearted Lover 84. I Now Have a Bugle to Play 85. Baby Girl 86. Gospel Cannonball 87. Honey I'm Ramblin Away