Willings,Foy & The Riders Of The Purple Sage Texas Blues: The Classic Years 1944-50 CD

Taking their name from the landmark 1912 western novel by Zane Grey "Riders Of The Purple Sage", Foy Willing And The Riders Of The Purple Sage were a country group who combined recording and performing with appearing in a string of Western movies in the later heyday of the genre in the '40s and early '50s. Foy Willing, who hailed from Texas, landed up in California in the early '40s and became popular on radio, forming the band around the same time. With their screen commitments they did not record prolifically, but had five country hits through the second half of the 1940s. This 48-track 2-CD set comprises most of the A & B sides of their releases on the Capitol, Decca, Majestic, Varsity and Columbia labels during this era, including a release with the orchestra of Louis Prima. It features all their career chart entries including the No. 3 country hit "Texas Blues", the No. 4 hit "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" and the No. 6 hit "Detour" along with the Top 20 hits "Anytime" and "Brush Those Tears From Your Eyes". Noted for their fine vocal harmonies, their style reflected their Hollywood outlook, with more then a hint of western swing about it, even though they recorded many songs by top Nashville writers. This collection offers a solid and representative overview of the key era of their career. They clearly had a significant influence on the west coast, their name being borrowed in the '60s psychedelic era by The New Riders Of The Purple Sage, a west coast country-rock band that was part of the genesis of Grateful Dead.

1. Hang Your Head in Shame 2. Texas Blues 3. No One to Cry to 4. 160 Acres 5. Address Unknown 6. Detour 7. Someone Won Your Heart Little Darlin' 8. Vout Cowboy 9. Mary Lou 10. Cool Water 11. Have I Told You Lately (That I Love You) 12. Live and Learn 13. Chained to a Memory 14. Darling What More Can I Do 15. Divorce Me C.O.D 16. So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed 17. No One to Cry to 18. I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now 19. Wait'll I Get My Sunshine in the Moonlight 20. Tumbling Tumbleweeds 21. Twilight on the Trail 22. Holiday for the Blues 23. Where the Cool Clear Water Spills 24. Be My Darlin' 25. When the Sun Goes Down 26. That's What I Like About the West 27. Never Trust a Woman 28. Blue Shadows on the Trail 29. Little White House 30. I Couldn't Believe It Was True 31. Sometimes 32. Kentucky 33. I'm Waltzing with a Broken Heart 34. Any Time 35. I Had My Heart Set on You 36. You Told a Lie 37. Sometime 38. I'll Have Somebody Else 39. Lay Your Little Head on My Shoulder 40. Just a Little Lovin' 41. Brush Those Tears from Your Eyes 42. Rose of Old Pawnee 43. I Care No More 44. Goodbye and Good Luck 45. Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend) 46. I Cried Myself to Sleep Over You 47. Stampede 48. Someone in Tennessee