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The MP3s available for download on this blog are from collections of western swing 78s and Radio Transcriptions donated by a small group of devoted collectors. Our main purpose is to share and introduce to others this great and mostly unknown music. Here at WS on 78 we try not to post music that's available for purchase. So please don't request any CDs. And please support the Western Swing music labels by purchasing their CDs. All downloads are free and compiled as ZIP or RAR files and need to extracted with Winzip, Winrar or any similar software.
Thanks to our pal Lonesome Lefty from Lonesome Lefty's Scratchy Attic/ we now have enough new Bill Boyd sides to complete set 11. Thank you Lefty!
Track Listing ------------- 1. Ain't She Coming Out Tonight (Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers) (3:18) 2. Closed For Repairs (Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers) (2:24) 3. Come Easy, Go Easy (Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers) (3:25) 4. Meant For Me (Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers) (2:58) 5. On The Texas Plains (Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers) (2:42) 6. Ridin' On A Humpback Mule (Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers) (2:47) 7. Somebody's Been Using It (Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers) (3:16) 8. That Ramshackle Shack (Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers) (2:22) 9. The Broken Man (Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers) (3:00) 10. The Letter I Never Did Mail (Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers) (2:57) 11. The Rambler's Rag (Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers) (2:51)
Leon Chappel remains a sadly unrecognized progenitor of western swing, later recording a clutch of singles for Capitol that are fascinating for their mutant hillbilly-blues approach. Born Horace Leon Chappelear in Gilmer, TX, on August 1, 1909, he dropped his first name by 1929, when he teamed with friends Joe and Bob Shelton to form the Lone Star Cowboys. After launching their career at Tyler, TX, station KGKB, the three relocated to Shreveport, LA, where they signed to station KWKH. Sans his fellow Lone Star Cowboys, Chappelear made his recorded debut for the Gennett label with 1932's Jimmie Rodgers-inspired "Trifling Mama Blues" before reuniting with the Sheltons in mid-1933 to back singer Jimmie Davis on a session for Bluebird. Davis helped land the Lone Star Cowboys a deal with Victor, resulting in seminal early western swing sides like "Deep Elm Blues" and "Just Because." Musical differences nevertheless prompted Chappelear to split with the Sheltons soon after, and after forming a new group he christened Leon's Lone Star Cowboys, his music swerved even closer to jazz, spearheaded by the kinetic fiddle playing of Lonnie Hall and a series of clarinetists.
Leon's Lone Star Cowboys signed to Decca in mid-1935, recording just a handful of sides for the label before tragedy struck: while returning from a September live date, the vehicle carrying Chappelear crashed, and he was hospitalized with severe head injuries. Although he survived the incident, there is much conjecture that he never fully recovered, as evidenced by the erratic course of his remaining years; nevertheless, within six months Leon's Lone Star Cowboys were again recording for Decca and playing live on KWKH, although the group relocated to Shreveport station KRMD soon after, reportedly due to subpar performances. Chappelear took the opportunity to shuffle the roster, creating a new 12-piece lineup that was in many respects his tightest and most dynamic, but after a final 1937 session, Decca terminated the band's contract. The next decade of Chappelear's life is in large part a mystery -- he effectively retired from music to become a policeman, but his law enforcement career ended in ignominy when he was convicted of accepting bribes, possibly resulting in a prison sentence. From there, he worked for several years as a pipe fitter.
By the time he resurfaced in the late '40s, Chappelear had abbreviated his surname to "Chappel," and was playing in a new honky tonk outfit called the Lone Star Ramblers. Somehow he reconnected with Jimmie Davis, fresh off his first stint as governor of Louisiana, and was invited to join Davis' backing band, the Sunshine Boys. After signing to Capitol, Davis called in a few favors and landed Chappel a Capitol deal of his own. Beginning with his 1951 label debut, "Slow Down Sweet Mama," his latter-day music boasted an almost anachronistic sound marrying bluesy, boozy juke-joint country with trace elements of his western swing roots. "I'm a Do-Right Daddy" followed that summer, but Chappel did not issue his third and ultimately final Capitol single, "Don't Dog Me 'Round," until late 1953 -- by most accounts, he spent the long layoff as a truck driver and pipe layer, and after Capitol dropped his contract, he returned to Shreveport, working at as a superintendent at the city dog pound. Health problems dating back to his earlier car crash continued to plague Chappel throughout his life, and after the disintegration of his marriage, he slipped into a deep depression, finally committing suicide while visiting his sister in Gladewater, TX, on October 23, 1962. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Special Thanks to Dennis Flannigan for helping with this download
Track Listing ------------- 1. 31st Street Blues (Leon's Lone Star Cowboys) (2:45) 2. Goin' Up To Dallas (Leon's Lone Star Cowboys) (2:41) 3. Mama Don't Allow It (Leon's Lone Star Cowboys) (2:55) 4. Mistreated Blues (Leon's Lone Star Cowboys) (3:04) 5. MY LITTLE GIRL (Leon's Lone Star Cowboys) (2:44) 6. SENTIMENTAL GENTLEMAN FROM GEORGIA (Leon's Lone Star Cowboys) (2:43) 7. TOODLE-OO SWEET MAMA (Leon's Lone Star Cowboys) (2:24) 8. Travelin' Blues (Leon's Lone Star Cowboys) (2:32)
Our friend Lightnin' Wells has once again donated a great set of tunes. 18 of these songs are from his post war "WWII that is" collection of 78s. The other two tracks are a two part radio broadcast of T. Texas Tyler live at the Riverside Rancho!
Track Listing ------------- 1. When The Sun Goes Down (Jesse Rogers) ( 2:55) 2. I Love The Name Of Texas (Jesse Rogers) ( 2:47) 3. Ridin' Down The Canyon (Jesse Rogers) ( 3:00) 4. Old Conestoga Wagon (Jesse Rogers) ( 3:01) 5. I Been Down In Texas (Deuce Spriggins) ( 2:41) 6. What's The Matter With You (Deuce Spriggins) ( 2:44) 7. Smoke Smoke Smoke (Deuce Spriggins) ( 2:56) 8. Yes She Does (Smoky (Buck) Rogers) ( 2:57) 9. Carry Me To Tucumcari (Smoky (Buck) Rogers) ( 2:57) 10. Spanish Fandango (Smoky (Buck) Rogers) ( 2:35) 11. Trail To San Antone (Ambrose Haley and his Ozark Ramblers) ( 3:08) 12. Kansas City Kitty (Ambrose Haley and his Ozark ramblers) ( 3:02) 13. Texas Tornado (Tex Russell and his Hollywood Cowboys) ( 3:05) 14. She Took! (Johnnie Lee Wills and his Boys) ( 2:26) 15. Thigamajig (Johnnie Lee Wills and his Boys) ( 2:13) 16. Savannah River Rag (Oklahoma Wranglers) ( 1:56) 17. My Pinto Kicked Me In The Pants (Hal McCoy) ( 2:35) 18. That Cheap Look In Your Eye (Pee Wee King) ( 2:43) 19. T. Texas Tyler Radio Broadcast-pt.1 (T. Texas Tyler) (10:50) 20. T. Texas Tyler Radio Broadcast-pt.2 (T. Texas Tyler) (13:03)
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Sample Song - "Somebody's Been Using It"
