Subject: RE: Songbook: Ascher and Little Jimmy
From:
JohnInKansas
Date: 02 May 02 - 05:59 AM
A "by chance" discovery at a garage sale recently was:
Asher Sizemore and Little Jimmie's Family Circle Songs 1938 edition
Mountain Ballads, Old Hymns, Children's Songs, Cowboy Songs
Published by Asher and Little Jimmie, P.O. Box 7, Laurel Indiana
copyright 1937 by Asher Sizemore
Contents:
A Baby's Prayer at Twilight Blue Eyes Chawin' Chawin' Gum
Cowboy Jack Don't Wait Till Mother's Hair Has Turned
From Jerusalem to Jericho Gathering Buds God's Album of Love
Got the Wind in My Face Has Anybody Seen My Kitty
Hero of a Mad Stampede How Beautiful Heaven Must Be
I Love Little Willie I Only Want a Buddy
I Want to Do Something For Jesus If You Change My Name to a Number
I'm Going Back to the Valley Jesus Loves Me Little Boy Blue
Little Jimmie's Rhymes Little Joe the Wrangler
Little Miss Muffet's Cake Mama's in Heaven
Memories of My Old Kentucky Home My Little Home in Tennessee
My Little Rooster My Old Braning Iron My Pony
My Saddle Is Always My Home My Sunlit Mountain Home
My Tennessee Rose Our Indiana Farm Picture From Life's Other Side
Shake Hands with Mother Again Sour Wood Mountain
That Beaurtiful Homeland The Boogger Bear
The Cottage at the Ending of the Lane The Cowboy's Dream
The End of the Trail The Flood Disaster of 1937
The Little Rambler The Lily of the Valley The Poor Miner's Life
The Range is Heaven to Me The Royal Telephone
There's a Home Up in the Mountains Way Down on the Farm
We'll Understand It Better By and By You Can't Do Wrong and Get By
Front matter includes, 6 "family photos" of Little Jimmie, Nancy Louise, Mother, Buddy Boy, Baby Brother "Joda," and Ascher. Little Jimmie is shown in one picture with "his Banjo" and Ascher/Dad with guitar.
Background in one picture shows another songbook, "Asher Sizemore, Little Jimmie's Fireside Treasures."
Intro by David Stone, of radio station WSM (where?) follows:
Dear Radio Friends:
As I walked into the studios of WSM on a cold, frosty morning some four
or five years ago I was greeted by a man and a small boy. As the giant
fifty thousand watt transmitter of WSM went on the air that bleak
winter morning the voices of that little boy and his dad blended in
songs I had never before heard. That was my meeting with Asher and
Little Jimmie.
Since meeting this famous father and son on that dull, grey morning, I
have followed their progress and watched their little radio program
grow into one of the most popular features on the air. Throughout these
years we have worked together on WSM and "The Center of Population
Network" and my close association with Asher and Little Jimmie has
brought many pleasant experiences. Fan mail from every state in the
Union and from many foreign countries has poured in.
Visitors from many distant points have called at the studios of WSM to
get a glimpse of this friendly little boy and his dad. The fan letters,
which come from far and near, represent the scrawls of little children,
the grown ups and the aged who turn their dials at the end of each day
listen to songs which bring cheer and drive away the dull care of the
day. Letters from listeners high up in some towering city apartment,
letters from families gathered in their little homes, messages from
farmers who have finished the toils of the day, from miners far down in
the depths of the earth and from seamen far out on the waters, all go
to make up the stacks of mail which pour in, expressing appreciation
for the songs which bring back memories of "the family circle" so well
expressed in the melodies written and sung by Asher and Little
Jimmie.
Usually a radio season for Asher and Little Jimmie lasts from October
until April or May, after which a personal appearance tour of two or
three months is arranged. Programs are given in theatres and
auditoriums. Then comes a trip to the Indiana farm and home life is
enjoyed during the summer months. While Dad attends to the running of
the large farm, the boys, Little Jimmie and Buddy Boy and baby sister,
Nancy Louise, enjoy life in the great out doors on the farm. The
ponies, horses, cows, chickens and dogs are their playmates during the
summer months. As fall draws near dad busies himself with writing new
songs for the coming radio season.
A new book with brand new songs is published every year and the
inspiration for many of their songs comes from life on the farm. After
the new songs are completed the happy little family leaves the farm,
returning to city life and the daily radio broadcasts. The boys take up
their studies, attending school every day. After each day of study and
rehearsal for their programs, into .the car they jump with dad and down
to the studio they go, radiating sunshine and happiness.
It is a pleasure to recommend this new 1938 edition of "Family Circle
Songs." It is my sincere hope that you will enjoy playing and singing
these fine melodies in your home just as millions enjoy hearing them
over the radio.
Sincerely yours,
DAVID STONE.
The songs are not particularly memorable (i.e. I don't remember hearing many of them) but the collection as a whole does bring back very early childhood memories of the kind of music that was around in my area prior to about 1948. Family acts that included (used?, exploited?) very young children were quite popular. I have recollections of there being popular "Daddy and littel Whatzis" acts, but I can't recall whether "Ascher and Little Jimmie" might have been one I might have heard. Of course, Little Jimmie could probably vote and drink legally by the time I would have heard of them.
A quick web search for "Ascher Sizemore" turns up no bio information, although I did find three of the A & LJ books, inclucing the one I have, at Old Time Country and Western Music Souvenirs and Song Books
The David Stone intro indicates that they put out a new book every year, but - based on my experience with promises by similar acts - the three listed may be the only ones that actually appeared:
Old Fashioned Hymns and Mountain Ballads as sung by Asher Sizemore and Little Jimmie. 1933. Are You Angry with Me Darling?, Are You Tired of Me, My Darling?, Barbara Allen, Chawin' Chawin' Gum, Gathering Buds, God's Radio, I'll Never Get Drunk Any More, I Miss My Mother and Dad, In the Valley of Kentucky, Little Cowboy Jim, Mother and Home, My Horses Ain't Hungry, My Little Rooster, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, Put My Little Shoes Away, Remember Dark Calvary, Shake Hands with Mother Again, Sweet Hour of Prayer, The Dying Boy's Prayer, The Dying Cowboy, The Dying Girl's Farewell, The Great Physician, The Old Fashioned Meeting, The Orphan Girl, , What'll I Do with the Baby-o?, When the Roses Bloom Again, Will It Be an Unbroken Family?, You Can't Do Wrong and Get By. 7" x 10.5" Very nice condition. (005cm1227b) $25.00
Asher Sizemore and Little Jimmie's Hearth & Home Songs. 1935. A Dream of a Miner's Child, Blue Eyes, Gathering Buds, Home on the Range, I Love Little Willie, I Ride an Old Paint, Jesus Bids Us Shine, Little Cowboy Jim, Little Feet Be Careful, Little Jimmie's Good-Night Prayer, My Little Black Dog, New Birmingham Jail, That Tumbled Down Cabin, The Boogger Bear, The Engineer's Child, The Forgotten Soldier Boy, The Hard Working Miner, The White Rose, Travel Life's Path with a Smile, Two Little Orphans, When the Mountain Laurels Bloom, Wildwood Flower, My Old Coon Dog, and more. 6.5" x 9.5" Spine splitting. (005cm0215s) $25.00
Asher Sizemore and Little Jimmie's Family Circle Songs. 1938. A Baby's Prayer at Twilight, Blue Eyes, Cowboy Jack, From Jerusalem to Jericho, Gathering Buds, God's Album of Love, Got the Wind in My Face, Hero of a Mad Stampede, I Want to do Something for Jesus, Little Boy Blue, Little Joe the Wrangler, Mama's in Heaven, Memories of My Old Kentucky Home, My Little Rooster, My Pony, My Saddle is Always My Home, My Tennessee Rose, My Pony, The Boogger Bear, The Lily of the Valley, The Royal Telephone, There's a Home Up in the Mountains, 'Way Down on the Farm, We'll Understand It Better By and By, You Can't Do Wrong and Get By, and More. 6.5" x 9.5" Spine splitting. (005cm0215t) $25.00
Apparently my $6 for the Family Circle Songs wasn't too bad a deal, although my copy was rather "ratty." I have scanned the pages into a Word doc, and it prints legibly. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get the file to less than 19MB, so sending someone the whole thing as an email attachment is rather hopeless. Individual music pages (TIF file) run about 300KB, so if someone really wants an individual song, they may PM an email addy to me and I'll try to reply.
I'm still debating whether it's worth working some of the songs up as MIDI/NoteWorthy/Lyric posts, so would welcome comment on whether anyone thinks thereis really something useful here.
John
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