Williams,Tex Capitol Years 1946-51 CD

Tex Williams was one of the leading figures in the distinctive sub-genre of country known as Western Swing, beginning his career as the vocalist in the highly successful band of Spade Cooley during the early 1940s, before leaving to launch his own band. He developed a highly distinctive approach to the music with a large 12-piece orchestra which he called the Western Caravan, with a dynamic blend of electric and steel guitars, fiddles, bass, accordion, trumpet and drums, and occasional other instruments so that their music ranged from country square dance and polkas to mainstream country, with Williams also specialising in his individual brand of "talking blues". He topped both the pop and country charts in 1947 with a classic example of that style "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette!", which effectively launched his career, and over the next few years he had a further dozen hits, subsequently falling out of favour until a chart comeback in the mid-'60s. This great-value 54-track 2-CD set comprises selected A & B sides of his forty or so releases on the Capitol label during these years, before he moved to RCA in 1951. It naturally features his landmark No. 1, along with the other dozen country chart entries he had during this era, including the somewhat politically incorrect No. 2 hits "Never Trust a Woman" and "Don't Telephone, Don't Telegraph (Tell a Woman)". As a fairly substantial overview of his output in this key period of his career, it showcases his ability to range across the spectrum of the styles in a highly individual and entertaining fashion.

1. The California Polka 2. Rose Of The Alamo 3. I Got Texas In My Soul 4. The Leaf Of Love 5. Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) 6. Roundup Polka 7. Big Bass Polka 8. Cowboy Polka 9. Miss Molly 10. ThatÆs What I Like About The West 11. Downtown Poker Club 12. Never Trust A Woman 13. What It Means To Be Blue 14. DonÆt Telephone, DonÆt Telegraph, Tell A Woman 15. Blue As A Heart Ache 16. Artistry In Western Swing 17. Happy Birthday Polka 18. Suspicion 19. Flo From St. Joe Mo 20. Banjo Polka 21. Pretty Red Lights 22. Who' Me' 23. Foolish Tears 24. Just A Pair Of Blue Eyes 25. Talking Boogie 26. Life Gets Tee-Jus, DonÆt It' 27. Big Hat Polka 28. The Traveling Salesman Polka 29. Old Paint's Complaint 30. Hurry, Don't Delay 31. I Cried Myself To Sleep 32. You Broke Your Promise 33. Castle Of My Dreams 34. Johnstown Polka 35. Ham And Eggs 36. A ; E Rag 37. Rakes Of Mallow 38. Hot Pretzels 39. Cotton Eyed Joe 40. Bluebird On Your Window Sill 41. Crocodile Tears 42. The Winter Song 43. With Men Who Know Tobacco Best (It's Women Two To One) 44. Three Little Girls In Blue 45. Great Big Needle 46. Birmingham Bounce 47. Wild Card 48. Don't Make Love To Mary 49. Tulsa Trot 50. She Didn't Even Kiss Me Goodbye 51. I Lost My Gal From Memphis 52. Good Night Cincinnati 53. Black Strap Molasses (Wheat Germ Bread) 54. I Want To Be Near You (You're The One, The One)