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Jimmy Swan – Honky Tonkin’ In Mississippi

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jimmyswanBear Family BCD 15578 AH
I Had a Dream – Juke Joint Mama – I Love You Too Much – Triflin’ on Me – The Last Letter – The Little Church – Mark of Shame – Losers Weepers – One More Time – Lonesome Daddy Blues – Frost on My Roof – Why Did You Change Your Mind – Hey Baby Baby – It’s Your Turn to Cry – Good and Lonesome – Country Cattin’ – The Way That You’re Living – Lonesome Man – I Love You Too Much – Don’t Conceal Your Wedding Ring – No One Loves a Broken Heart – It Takes a Lonesome Man – Honky Tonkin’ (In Mississippi) – I Love You Too Much – It Takes a Lonesome Man – Rattlesnake Daddy – Asleep in the Deep – Walkin’ My Dog – Good and Lonesome – Why Did You Change Your Mind
In his carreer Jimmy Swan recorded for various labels including Trumpet, MGM, and Decca. This compilation covers a period going from 1952 to 1968 and it’s amazing to see how his music saw little evolution during these 16 years. While country music radically changed, he sticked to his brand of raw and rural honky tonk heavily influenced by Hank Williams (sadly his political views also belonged to a bygone era). Many songs in this set of mostly self penned numbers remind of the lovesick blues boy. Lonesome Daddy Blues Triflin’ On Me, One More Time and Honky Tonkin’ are respectively variations around Long Gone Lonesome Blues, Lovesick Blues, I’m So Lonesome I could Cry and Honky Tonk Blues. He also played a couple of hillbilly boogie/proto rockabilly like Country Cattin’ and Rattlesnake Daddy that are worth the price of the cd alone. If you dig Hank Williams and country music before it changed for the worse, you’ll like this one.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Ernest Tubb – Thirty Days (Gonna Shake this Shack Tonight)

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Ernest Tubb - Thirty Days
Ernest Tubb – Thirty Days

Bear Family BCD 16866
Thirty Days / I’m A Long Gone Daddy / Mean Mama Blues / Jimmie Rodgers’ Last Blue Yodel / Walking The Floor Over You / I Ain’t Goin’ Honky Tonkin’ Anymore / Filipino Baby / So Round So Firm So Fully Packed / My Tennessee Baby / You Nearly Lose Your Mind / Tomorrow Never Comes / Tennessee Border #2 / Drivin’ Nails In My Coffin / So Doggone Lonesome / Let’s Say Goodbye Like We Said Hello / Don’t Forbid Me / Don’t Brush Them On Me / The Same Thing As Me / Counterfeit Kisses / Two Glasses Joe / Kansas City Blues / Have You Seen My Boogie Woogie Baby / This Troubled Mind O’Mine / My Hillbilly Baby / I’ll Get Along Somehow / Do It Now / Mister Blues / White Silver Sands / Crazy Arms / Tennessee Saturday Night.

Bear Family has released numerous boxed sets covering the whole career of the Texas Troubadour and I dream about them at least once a month but it may be a bit too much or too pricey (or both) for the casual listener. Fortunately, they have launched the “Gonna Shake This Shack” serie which is more affordable. This release gives a good overview on Tubb’s recording from the early 40’s to the early 60’s and focuses on his uptempo sides.
The selection is very well done and you won’t find any filler here. This album includes some Jimmie Rodgers (his first idol) inspired songs (Mean Mama Blues), his early hits (Walking the Floor Over You; You Nearly Loose Your Mind), honky tonk classics and succesfull attempst at mixing rock’n’roll to his own style (Chuck Berry’s Thirty Days). Listening to this side you realize the major role of Tubb in setting the standard for post-war country, instrumentation (electric guitar, steel guitar, fiddle, bass, rhythm guitar) that’ll pave the way to Hank Williams to name the most famous.
Needless to say that as usual with the German label it comes with a superbly designed and fully illustrated 32 page booklet that tells you all the details you want to know (and even more). A nice addition to your collection.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

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