Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s

Subject: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: Downeast Bob
Date: 19 Jul 00 - 09:45 AM

I'm interested in learning about the earliest folk recordings that Mudcatters remember. Here's what I recall:

The first recorded "folk" records I can remember hearing were those of Josh White and Burl Ives who recorded on major labels for white, urban middleclass listeners. Must have been in the late 40s. As a teenager in Chicago I gradually became attracted to the records in the collections of some of my friends' parents. I was fascinated by the anti-conscription album of the Almanacs with Josh White. Was Burl on that one, too? And the Spanish Civil War songs by the Almanacs. Tony Kraber, singing cowboy songs. Woody Guthrie's Dustbowl Ballads, Library of Congress field recordings of both black and white musicians. There was also Richard Dyer-Bennet, but while he recorded some wonderful songs, I couldn't stand his high-pitched, classical sounding singing style.

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: SINSULL
Date: 19 Jul 00 - 10:03 AM

My Dad had some ancient 78 recordings:
"The Train That Never Returned Again"
"There's A Big Rock In The Road"
"Poor Folk" and of course
"Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer"
Anybody have the lyrics to "Poor Folk"? It starts
"Haven't got a nickle
Haven't got a dime
Wonder why we're poor folk all the time."

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: Jim the Bart
Date: 19 Jul 00 - 10:06 AM

My parents had some ole "cowboy" 78's - A lot of C'n'W, too. The Delmore Brothers and Gene Autrey are two that I remember.

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: Marymac90
Date: 19 Jul 00 - 12:04 PM

My dad serviced jukeboxes (now don't go makin' sumthin' dirty outta that-you KNOW what I mean!!!) in the post-war years, after he finished servicing planes for the Army Air Corps(now there you go again-get your mind outta the gutter!)

He brought home a lot of 78's from the jukeboxes. When I was about 9 or 10 or so, I discovered these and began playing them. I remember being most interested by the novelty records, but no titles are coming to my mind. I don't know if he had any country music from that era-too bad-but I do remember big band-type arrangements.

I enjoyed these records immensely, but they were stored in stacks, and being very brittle, many broke as time went on. The remainder were probably trashed when my dad sold his house, (as full of clutter as it was), to my cousins, who cleaned it out, fixed it up, and sold it. The obvious family heirlooms and antiques were passed on, but I'm sure lots of good old "stuff" was dumpsterized!

Marymac

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: celticblues5
Date: 19 Jul 00 - 12:17 PM

This is kind of a tangent to the conversation, but does anyone know where to even buy a player that will play 78's anymore? I hauled a bunch home when my father died (you're right, Marymac, they DO tend to crumble!), but haven't been able to play them. His old player appeared to be beyond repair, and I haven't been able to buy another.

A second question - what is the best way to clean these old records? I'm almost afraid to wipe them off with a cloth, since there are liable to be little crumbles here & there in the grooves.

(To add to the list, his were mainly big band & pop of the time - Nat King Cole, etc.)

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 19 Jul 00 - 12:33 PM

Celticblues, here are a few websites you can try:
Nauck's Vintage Records http://www.78rpm.com/
Diamond Cut Productions http://www.diamondcut.com/
City of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society http://members.aol.com/clpgs/clpgs.htm
Roger Wilmut's Home Page: Music Hall; 78rpm records http://www.rfwilmut.clara.net/index.html
jabw_vintage/78rpmbeginners http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jabw_vintage/newbeg.htm
(If they're all still in business)

Steve (too knackered to do the blue clicky things!)

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: IanC
Date: 19 Jul 00 - 01:04 PM

Wasn't born until 1954 but I've got a collection of 78s from the 20s and 30s with English folk dancing music. Mainly bought as a single lot from an Oxfam shop (complete with case) for £5. Came from "The Order of Woodcraft Chivalry" and included most of the folk dance tunes I'd learned to dance to as a child, including morris and sword dance tunes.

Really great!

Cheers!
Ian

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: reggie miles
Date: 19 Jul 00 - 11:19 PM

Celticblues5, the best needles to use for playing 78's, from what I've gathered, are those on late fities or early sixties turntables. Usually part of Hi-Fi or early stereo component systems, many have a two sided stylist that can be flipped, one side has a diamond needle for more modern records (45's or Lp's) and the other side a ruby colored needle for 78's. It's kinder to those old grooves than the old steel needles on those windup models. Though some of these early systems have now become collectables there are still many that I run accross on a fairly regular basis at various garage sales and thrift stores. Many of these systems have three or four speed capabilities (16-33-45-78rpm). Keep your eyes peeled and you should be able to find one.

I play alot of musical saw these days. Imagine my surprise to find an old 78 called "Sawing A Woman In Half". I think I'll add that to the act.

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 04:50 AM

This thread brings to mind some of my earliest memories of hearing music. I was "weaned" on 78's of Burl Ives and Tom Glazer in the 50's. In the 70's, a college roomate gave me a '78 of the weavers singing "Irene, Goodnight" and "Tzena, Tzena," which I later found out hit the pop charts when it was first released. Still later, a family friend gave me an Asch Records 78's album called "Songs Of Citizen C.I.O," sung by Tom Glazer and Josh White, and sponsored by the National C.I.O. War Relief Committee. It's a treasured album, with a cover montage of photographs showing white, black, and women industrial workers on the homefront, and several of the songs composed by Tom Glazer. They sing of hopes for a better tomorrow.

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: sian, west wales
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 06:05 AM

I seem to remember Burl Ives (Big Rock Candy Mountain) and ... Fess? Parker? (Green Grow the Lilacs). We also had a stack of Thomas L. Thomas who was a Welsh singer quite popular in the States - probably in the 30s/40s. They were the first Welsh folk song recordings I remember.

Family lore has it that the first record my older sister ever bought was Spike Jones' Chinese Ghost Riders in the Sky ... but she was 2 at the time, and I reckon it was more an excuse of my father's and uncle's for something they wanted, but wouldn't confess to buying ...

The first record I ever bought with me own cash was ... She Loves You Ya Ya Ya. O God - the mortification ...

sian

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: DougR
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 04:34 PM

Sian, West Wales: Thomas L. Thomas moved to my hometown, Phoenix, Arizona in the 1970s and lived here until he died. He had a wonderful 33RPM album of Songs from the British Isles but unfortunately I lost my copy. I've been trying to find a copy on the Intenet without success.

I got to know Tommy, quite well. He took a job as Director of Community Relations for a Savings and Loan after arriving in Arizona. He was a featured performer on "The Firestone Hour," and was a popular recital artist as was his brother, John Charles Thomas. Both were represented, I believe, by Columbia Artist Management.

Probably told you more than you wanted to know, but I got carried away when I saw his name in your post.

As to the focus of the Thread, I still have several 78s but now way to play them. They are mostly "Popular" songs of the 1940s. DougR

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: SINSULL
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 05:05 PM

sIAN,
fESS pARKER PLAYED dAVY cROCKETT IN THE dISNEY SERIES BACK IN THE 50S. hE SANG ANOTHER ONE CALLED "jINGLE jANGLE". tHANKS FOR REMINDING ME.
Damn Capslock!

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: TheOldMole
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 07:16 PM

My parents had the Burl Ives "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" album of 78s, and Paul Robeson's "Ballad For Americans." I have it now on CD, but to this day, every time I hear Robeson say, "Well, I'm tryin' to tell yuh!" I want to go and turn over the record. I recently got all the early Burl Ives stuff on CDF - Erik Darling told me he was the singer who most deeply influenced him.

And they had "Songs of the Veldt" by Marais and Miranda...anyone remember them?

And an album of folk songs for children, which I don't remember as well - one of them was "Paper of Pins."

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: DougR
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 08:26 PM

TheOldMole: What is CDF? Is that a website?

DougR

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 08:43 PM

Back in the 50s I had a friend who's father was an agent(?) for the IRS. He did some auditing at a radio station in NYC---WOV (AM). Long gone. When they changed their format they gave my friend's father their collection of records---all country. He gave me a whole batch===from T Texas Tyler to who knows who else. Songs ranged from things like T for Texas to Sweeter Than The Flowers.

In looking back now I realize I should have kept these old 78s---even though, frankly, in later years I found the lyrics insipid. But they are of a time and place.

I can only say---for myself ---thank heavens for the collectors like the Lomaxes, etc; Also for the "folkies"--for want of a better word-- who brought to me an appreciation of what roots music can say to people.

But, on a nostalgia trip now: If you are or were from the NY/NJ Metro area do you remember:

WPAT (still here--but different) and Dave Miller--Best Of the West, Thrills of the Hills, and the Tops in Pops

WAAT (gone) Don Larkin---Harkin to Larkin Barkin

Bill H

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: Jeremiah McCaw
Date: 20 Jul 00 - 11:29 PM

Interesting topic. I have 4 boxes of '78s that I HAVE to do something with in the next few days. Some albums (Broadway musicals): mostly swing, jazz and big band. Anyone interested? (I'm near Toronto, Ontario.)

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 21 Jul 00 - 02:33 AM

TheOldMole: We had the same parents, and were separated at birth.

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: Downeast Bob
Date: 21 Jul 00 - 09:40 AM

Jeremiah -- I'm interested. Send me your e-mail and let's talk about what the collection contains. Bob Baldwin [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 21 Jul 00 - 09:44 AM

My 78s are nearly all jazz but there are some Weavers and, of course, a certain recording of "Rock Island Line" !
RtS

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Jul 00 - 06:41 PM

I had forgotten the Rock Island Line and Dangerous Dan Mcgrew.

Subject: RE: Folk 78s of the 40s and 50s
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 22 Jul 00 - 02:11 AM

I'm interested in jazz recordings. Could you send me a personal message letting me know what you have? Thanks.

-chanteyranger