Texas Hillbillies / Various Texas Hillbillies / Various CD

This amazing set is compiled by the Grammy Award winning producer Chris King from his own amazing collection of scarce 78s and discs. There is not another set like this. Superb, entertaining and important music. The music us superbly remastered as well as expertly packaged and presented so the set is attractive for both the hard core collector and the more casual buyer of American Roots. This four-disc set is a treasure trove of previously lost or at least deeply obscure material: early recordings of Texas string bands and soloists, all originally issued on 78 rpm discs between 1922 and 1937. The restored sound is pretty impressive, especially on the later tracks (there's only so much you can do to pretty up a 96-year-old shellac recording), but even where the sound is atrocious the music is sometimes shockingly good. Just cue up Eck Robertson's 1922 solo recording of "Sallie Gooden," and prepare to be amazed. Also impressive is the array of styles and band configurations on offer here: you'll of course hear plenty of classic Texas-style fiddling, but also the odd Irish tune, early versions of later Western swing standards and rags, and cowboy songs, all played by a wide variety of ensembles and soloists. As a pure listening experience, these discs will appeal mainly to hardcore fans of the genre, but as a library purchase this set can be considered essential to any folk or country collection.

1. AC?(Eck) Robertson - Sallie Gooden 2. Lewis Brothers - Sally Johnson 3. Lewis Brothers - Bull at the Wagon 4. Prince Albert Hunt's Texas Ramblers - Blues in a Bottle 5. Prince Albert Hunt's Texas Ramblers - Traveling Man 6. Red Headed Fiddler - Paddy on the Hand Car 7. Red Headed Fiddler - the Steeley Rag 8. Cartwright Brothers - San Antonio 9. Cartwright Brothers - Zacatecas 10. East Texas Serenaders - Dream Shadows 11. East Texas Serenaders - Babe 12. Fox Chasers - Eighth of January 13. Fox Chasers - Forked Deer 14. Oscar ; Doc Harper - Beaumont Rag 15. Oscar ; Doc Harper - Billy in the Low Ground 16. East Texas Serenaders - Gulf Waltz 17. East Texas Serenaders - Mineola Rag 18. Red Headed Fiddlers - Texas Quickstep 19. Red Headed Fiddlers - Never Alone Waltz 20. AC?(Eck) Robertson - Ragtime Annie 21. Henry C Gilliland ; AC (Eck) Robertson - Turkey in the Straw 22. East Texas Serenaders - Acorn Stomp 23. East Texas Serenaders - Shannon Waltz 24. Wa Hinton - Leather Britches 25. Dick Devall - Tom Sherman's Barroom 26. Smith's Garage Fiddle Band - Cuban Two Step Rag 27. Red Headed Fiddlers - Cheat 'Em 28. Red Headed Fiddlers - Far in the Mountain 29. East Texas Serenaders - Sweetest Flower 30. East Texas Serenaders - Combination Rag 31. Ms Dillehay - Mexican Beans 32. Ms Dillehay - Mother-In-Law 33. Cartwright Brothers - Utah Carrol 34. Cartwright Brothers - Get Along Little Dogies 35. Hugh Roden ; His Texas Night Hawks - Possum Rag 36. Hugh Roden ; His Texas Night Hawks - Crazy Rag 37. East Texas Serenaders - Del Rio Waltz 38. East Texas Serenaders - East Texas Drag 39. Oscar Harper's Texas String Band - Sally Johnson 40. Oscar Harper's Texas String Band - She Gave Up 41. Smith's Garage Fiddle Band - Beaumont Rag 42. Smith's Garage Fiddle Band - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star 43. Eck Robertson ; Family - the Island Unknown (PT 1) 44. Eck Robertson ; Family - the Island Unknown (PT 2) 45. Arthur Miles - Lonely Cowboy (PT 1) 46. Arthur Miles - Lonely Cowboy (PT 2) 47. Lewis Brothers - Caliope 48. Lewis Brothers - When Summer Comes Again 49. Fiddlin' Jim Pate - Prisoner Boy 50. Fiddlin' Jim Pate - Texas Farewell 51. Cartwright Brothers - on the Old Chisholm Trail 52. Cartwright Brothers - When the Work's All Done This Fall 53. AC?(Eck) Robertson - Sally Johnson and Billy in the Low Ground 54. AC?(Eck) Robertson - Done Gone 55. Prince Albert Hunt's Texas Ramblers - Wake Up Jacob 56. Prince Albert Hunt's Texas Ramblers - Waltz of Roses 57. Red Headed Fiddlers - Ragtime Annie 58. Red Headed Fiddlers - Texas Waltz 59. East Texas Serenaders - Arizona Stomp 60. East Texas Serenaders - Shannon Waltz 61. Eck Robertson ; Family - Brilliancy Medley 62. Eck Robertson ; Family - Amarillo Waltz 63. East Texas Serenaders - Three in One Two-Step 64. East Texas Serenaders - Meadow Brook Waltz 65. Oscar ; Doc Harper - Dallas Bound 66. Oscar ; Doc Harper - Terrell Texas Blues 67. Eck Robertson ; Family - Brown Kelly Waltz (PT 1) 68. Eck Robertson ; Family - Brown Kelly Waltz (PT 2) 69. Hugh Roden ; Roy Rodgers - Chicken in the Garden 70. Prince Albert Hunt's Texas Ramblers - Houston Slide 71. Smith's Garage Fiddle Band - Tom ; Jerry 72. Eck Robertson ; Family - There's a Brown Skin Girl Down the Road Somewhere 73. Oscar ; Doc Harper - Twinkle Little Star 74. Oscar ; Doc Harper - Bitter Creek 75. Solomon ; Hughes - Ragtime Annie 76. Solomon ; Hughes - Sally Johnson 77. Capt MJ Bonner - Yearling's in the Canebrake/The Gal on the Log 78. Capt MJ Bonner - Dusty Miller/Ma Ferguson 79. Oscar Harper's Texas String Band - Kelly Waltz 80. Oscar Harper's Texas String Band - Bouquet Waltz 81. East Texas Serenaders - Ozark Rag 82. East Texas Serenaders - Louisa Waltz 83. Eck Robertson ; Dr JB Cranfill - Great Big 'Taters 84. Eck Robertson ; Dr JB Cranfill - Run, Boy, Run 85. Fox Chasers - Red Wing 86. Fox Chasers - New Broom 87. Red Headed Fiddlers - St Jobe's Waltz 88. Red Headed Fiddlers - Fatal Wedding 89. Cartwright Brothers - Mammy's Little Black-Eyed Boy 90. Cartwright Brothers - Pickanniny Lullaby 91. East Texas Serenaders - Beaumont Rag 92. East Texas Serenaders - Serenaders' Waltz