Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites? (songs/tunes)

Subject: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Fortunato
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 01:44 PM

Susette and I are putting together a couple of sets of Honky-Tonk and Western Swing songs for the band and I'd like to know what you folks have as favorites.

If you've something obscure please give any info you can.

Please list the famliar one's as well, we aim to please an audience just like you (if one exists).

cheers,

chance

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Once Famous
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 02:02 PM

To me, honky-tonk and western swing are two different but related styles.

Two pioneers in each area that you should seek out are anthologies by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys as well as Ernest Tubb & the Texas Troubadors.

Ahhhhhhhh, take it Leon!

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Scoville
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 02:06 PM

Yes, they are different kinds of music but, of course, you're allowed to play both.

I like "Maiden's Prayer" but, oddly, I don't care for the original Bob Wills version. Jay Ungar and Lyn Hardy recorded a great version of it in the mid-Seventies but I don't think the record is available any more (Catskill Mountain Goose Chase).

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: GUEST,Auggie
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 02:46 PM

and now you take it, Johnny Gimble

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 03:08 PM

San Antonio Rose, Waltz Across Texas, Across The Alley From The Alamo,
I'm Walkin' The Floor Over You. Away Out There (Sons Of The Pioneers).
I'll think of a few more.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Western Swing fiddle stuff too?
From: MickyMan
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 03:50 PM

All right now you fellow mudcatters ... I'm sort of piggybacking on this thread to ask a question of those who are knowledgeable about Western Swing FIDDLE STYLES. I'm seeking out some related listening examples for use with the middle school string orchestra that I direct. We are working up a great arrangement of the western classic "Swinging Fiddles" and I'd love to feed them some other Western Swing to wett their pallets for future interest. What I would love to hear about would be some single anthology CD that concentrates on classic fiddle music in that style alone. That's lots easier than compiling a big bunch of seperate tunes ... but please send me whatever comes to mind. Many thanks, Mickyman

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Mooh
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 04:03 PM

Not much to add except you should hear some Asleep At The Wheel for another take on western swing. Mooh.

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: GUEST,tunesmith
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 04:19 PM

I love the Merle Haggard's Bob Wills' tribute album. Merle's version of "Corine, Corina" is just so up! Hank Williams' " Move It On Over" is a great song that sort of falls into both camps ( i.e. Honky Tonk/Western Swing) and, of course, sounds - melodically - like the inspiration for " Rock and the Clock".

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: GUEST,tunesmith
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 04:20 PM

That should read " Rock Around the Clock"!

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: RangerSteve
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 05:53 PM

Anything that Ray Price did before he became a lounge singer.

Check out Rose, the Record Lady (sorry I don't have the exact web address, but a google search will provide it) There's more honky-tonk music there than you can imagine.

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: RangerSteve
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 05:54 PM

Oh,yeah, I forgot to mention "City Lights" by Ray Price is the ultimate "crying in your beer" song.

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: open mike
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 08:15 PM

i just listened to a one hour special celebrating Bob Will's 100th
birthday..and there were some gems! Many had a woman with a call and
response sort of echo--not sure who that is...maybe Carolina Cotten,
or Darla Daret, Ruth McMasters or Ramona Reed. a couple of the songs
that stood out were Cherokee Maid (or maiden?) and Sugar Blues--which
is a rare one.http://www.texasplayboys.net/Biographies.htm
http://www.xtrememusician.com/info/artists/profiles/8159.html
the radio programmer said one of the band members, who was actully
active and popular before Bob Wills came on the scene, went to
prison for murdering his wife, and was not heard from. Does any
one know this band members' name? oh found him--Spade Cooley more here:
http://www.metnews.com/articles/reminiscing022703.htm
http://nfo.net/usa/weswing.html
Spade Cooley was the original "king of western swing"
the title went to Bob Wills only after Spade's death.

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Arkie
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 09:34 PM

Some Bob Wills favorites:
Bubble In My Beer
New Spanish Two Step
Miss Molly
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
When You Leave Amarillo, Turn Out The Light

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 12:25 AM

Basically, anything that Tommy Duncan sang with the Texas Playboys. what a voice and delivery.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 12:47 AM

wett their pallets

mickeyman made me laugh

good luck with your young fiddlers

b4 you get their pallets too wett, you might want to whet their palettes

2 c what wuz funny, you may need to look up pallet

keep the rosin on your bow

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 12:58 AM

"Palates?"

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: M.Ted
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 11:35 AM

"Faded Love" is one of the great songs of any kind--"Heartaches by the Number", "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down", "Sea of Heartbreak", "Drivin' Nails in My Coffin", "I can't Stop Lovin' You" , "Oh, Lonesome Me", "Chatanooga Shoeshine Boy", "Take Me Back to Tulsa"--

A few things to remember, first, that, at least for the folks who love and listened to this music over the years, it is, more than anything else, dance music, so when you put your sets together, balance the swing numbers with waltzes, two-steps and such--if you keep the dance feel to it, all will be well--

Second thing is(and this is especially for you MickyMan)--the folks who originated this stuff thought of it as Jazz--they played Jazz rhythms, jazz solos, and often played jazz standards--Anything a jump band would play, they would play--

Third, a lot of fifties rock'n'roll, particularly rockabilly, is fair game for swing/honky tonk bands

Some folks to listen to (other than those mentioned above), Merle Travis(not the solo fingerpicking stuff), Red Foley, Faron Young, The Lightcrust Doughboys--

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 02:43 PM

"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels"

I believe there were a couple of hit songs with identical tunes and related lyrics (original plus "answer song," and maybe more than one answer). There's at least one long mudcat thread about 'em.

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 05:29 PM

Try some of the early Sons of The Pioneers when Roy Rogers was still Len Slye.
With Hugh and Karl Farr on guitar and fiddle, Tim Spencer-guitar and vocals, Bob Nolan - songwriting, bass and vocals, Len Slye - guitar and vocals, they had the closest jazz harmonies including 3-piece yodel harmonies, as well as instrumental breaks from the Farr brothers that equaled anything done by Eddy Lang and Joe Venuti, or even (dare I say it?) Django and Stephane.
Some call it Western Movie music, but I believe it's among the tightest Western Swing sound you'll hear.
My opinion.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Wesley S
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 05:59 PM

Roly Poly - But it's politically incorrect nowadays.

And don't forget Bob Wills first band - The Light Crust Doughboys - from Burris Mills !!

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: GUEST,Paranoid Android
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 06:07 PM

http://recordlady.webgcs.com/main2.htm
Link to Roses site as mentioned byRangersteve

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: number 6
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 06:17 PM

Bob Will's 'Milk Cow Blue' has to be mentioned in this thread.

"Ahhhhhhhh, take it Leon!" .... sounds so smooth MG, you got it !!

Something a bit more current should not be forgotten here and that is 'Freightliner Blues' by another Texan, the late great Townes van Zandt

sIx

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Kaleea
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 08:26 PM

Let's get it right, it's Western SwAYng, ya'll! My Daddy grew up near Tulsa with some of those Wills boys after the Wills moved up to Oklahoma when they were still "kids."   They were all the rage locally, & it didn't take much time for them to be playing on "the circuit." The Wills bros. were also some of the forerunners of "Rock & Roll" & went beyond the Boogie covering alot of the early R&B songs. My Daddy says that you could often find those Wills boys in the old "juke joints," which were just shacks out in the country where you could swig your "likker" from a jug or fruit jar, jammin with (gasp!!) "colored" piano & guitar players. Because this was in front of his grown grandkids, I asked him how he knew, & he just laughed--& so did we! Musicians have frequently ignored race/color/creed 'cause they were too busy having fun jammin'!
[maybe that's when you know you're really a musician--see other thread on this subject]

Some of Daddy's (& mine,too) favs:

Oklahoma Rag
Panhandle Rag
Tulsa Waltz
Tulsa Stomp
Cowboy Stomp
Spanish Two Step
Mexicali Rose
My Window Faces the South
Steel Guitar Rag
Bob Wills Stomp
That Hot Lick Fiddlin' Man
You Are My Sunshine

   MickeyMan, the above, but also, listen to the Blue Yodels, which kids like the "jazzy" sound of & are great for teaching the intervals & octave jumps; the various "______ Blues" as they are also liked by the kids & help them to understand that Folk/Jazz/Bluegrass have the same roots. I like the "Gamblin Polka Dot Blues" depending on how young the kids are or the religiousosity of the parents. You can simplify the melodies by ignoring alot of the fiddle ornamentation & make it easy, adding ornamentation as the kids get better. Sort of like the Cotton Eyed Joe or Old Joe Clarke. The various "Spanish" tunes & songs usually have a slower, lovely melody with interesting percussive possibilities for string players.

these are also good for teaching:

Sunbonnet Sue--(basic melody)
Cotton Eyed Joe--(lyrics & sections most folks haven't heard)
Bluein' the Blues--(easy, bluesy tune)
Bob Wills Schottische--(multiple fiddles on the recordings)
Lone Star Rag--(good for teaching kids an *easy* change in meters)
Texas Playboy Rag--(a good concert play-a-round tune for kids)
Bob Wills Boogie--(a good one for fiddle)
Ride On--(ditto)
Ida Red--(can play basic melody or fiddle licks)
Beaumont Rag--(just simplify the licks a bit & it's great)
Twin Guitar Special--(if you can write out the gospel-ish thirds, this is great)
    Good Luck,
         Kaleea

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Ron Davies
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 10:49 PM

Hey Chance, you know so many already.

But there are so many great Texas Playboys songs.

2 of my favorites of the well-known ones are: Stay All Night and Take Me Back to Tulsa (in addition to Faded Love, of course.)


2 others, perhaps not so well known, which deserve more exposure, are Dusty Skies and Brain Cloudy Blues.

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Fortunato
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 11:37 PM

"Thanks, thanks a lot,..." to all of you for your favorites, you brought quite a few to my attention that I'd forgotten or don't know at all. Tremendous response, we're printing them out to refer to.

Ron, my old pal Tex Rubinowitz used to do Braincloudy Blues so well, thanks for the suggestion.

cheers, to you all and keep 'em coming.
regards,
chance

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: GUEST,Sleepless Dad
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 11:56 PM

I've been listening to a lot of Jimmie Rodgers lately. Great stuff.

T for Texas - T for Tennessee....

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: GUEST,swngfddl
Date: 08 Mar 05 - 08:08 AM

Don't leave out Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies... Brown was the original leader of the Light Crust Doughboys (1930) with Bob Wills (fiddle) Herman Arnspiger (guitar) Milton Brown (vocals) and Truett Kimzey (announcer). Following a dispute over salaries with W. "pappy" Lee O'Daniels in 1932 he founded the Brownies. Brown gave us the first Western Swing sound. Spade Cooley is the fellow who gave the style it's name "Western Swing".
Good Luck to MickeyMan and his students..I played classical violin until I found swing..been happy for 45 years since.

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: GLoux
Date: 08 Mar 05 - 02:17 PM

There is a four CD compilation on Proper Records entitled Doughboys, Playboys and Cowboys that has Mississippi Sandman by the Modern Mountaineers...one of my favorite swing songs and it's somewhat obscure...

As far as fiddle tunes, try Black and White Rag...Johnny Gimble does a great version...

-Greg

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: GUEST,Sidewinder.
Date: 08 Mar 05 - 02:55 PM

I have been listening to Lefty Frizzell recently and he is as good an exponent of the genre as anyone. He was a particularly big influence on Gram Parsons and could deliver a tune with all the panache of the great Hank Williams himself.

Regards

Sidewinder.

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: Fortunato
Date: 09 Mar 05 - 12:00 AM

thanks, swingfiddle, and yes we know Spade Coley(sp?) and Milt Brown, and I have a few 78's and LP's, but please name your favorites.

That is, if you were sitting and listening to us bring those songs/tunes to you, what are your favorites?

thanks, to all of you and best wishes,
chance

Subject: RE: Western Swing Fiddle Best-Of Compilation?
From: MickyMan
Date: 09 Mar 05 - 07:50 PM

To the guest who caught me on "wett their pallets" ... that is indeed a bit humorous. These kids are young, but not that young, and yet they're not old enough for any other kind of wetting either. Please don't get me started.
   Regarding the fiddle tunes ... I appreciate all the great ideas, especially Kaleea's entry.
I'm not very good at finding individual tunes, downloading them, and making them playable on a CD, not to mention the legallity of all that. Once again, does anybody know of any Western Swing reissue compilation that is really aimed at showing the fiddle styles of the genre? It would be a lot easier if I could buy a CD and pull it out when we're covering this stuff.   MickyMan

(My original entry is pasted below, since this thread is getting kind of long)
Subject: RE: Western Swing fiddle stuff too?
From: MickyMan - PM
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 03:50 PM

All right now you fellow mudcatters ... I'm sort of piggybacking on this thread to ask a question of those who are knowledgeable about Western Swing FIDDLE STYLES. I'm seeking out some related listening examples for use with the middle school string orchestra that I direct. We are working up a great arrangement of the western classic "Swinging Fiddles" and I'd love to feed them some other Western Swing to wett their pallets for future interest. What I would love to hear about would be some single anthology CD that concentrates on classic fiddle music in that style alone. That's lots easier than compiling a big bunch of seperate tunes ... but please send me whatever comes to mind. Many thanks, Mickyman

And here's the perceptive "Guest's reply too ...

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 12:47 AM

wett their pallets

mickeyman made me laugh

good luck with your young fiddlers

b4 you get their pallets too wett, you might want to whet their palettes

2 c what wuz funny, you may need to look up pallet

keep the rosin on your bow

Subject: RE: Honky Tonk/Western Swing Favorites?
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 20 Apr 19 - 06:21 PM

Mentioned up thread. Back when the Jazz-Hillbilly split was newer:

YT: Farr Brothers Stomp

YT: Farr Brothers - Swingin' The Bow


Karl Marx Farr (1909–1961)
Thomas Hubert (Hugh) Farr (1903–1980)