Ross Rhythm Rascals

Sample Song - "Boojie Woo Blues"

UPDATE - This is a repost. Nothing new has been added. I was getting bot spammed comments on this post daily so I had to delete the old post.

The Ross Rhythm Rascals were a short lived hot western swing band that recorded 22 songs back in 1937.

Special Thanks to HillbillyWolf, Dennis Flannigan, and Paypal donators; Jody Gannon, and Scott Bookman for making this post possible!

Session info
February 16,1937; Adolphus Hotel, Dallas, Texas.
Ross Aldridge, manager/non-participant; Speck Bradley, clarinet/tenor saxophone; J.R. Chatwell, fiddle; Eugene Edmondson, bass/vocal Horace Edmondson, guitar; probably Warren Harrison, fiddle; Jack Hinson, piano; Wimpy Hutson, tenor banjo; Curly Perrin, guitar/vocal; Pat Perrin, harmony vocal

December 4,1937; Adolphus Hotel, Dallas, Texas.
Ross Atiridge, manager/non-participant; Leon Adams, tenor saxophone; Clarence Clark, trumpet/vocal; Eugene Edmondson, tenor banjo/vocal, Horace Edmondson, guitar/vocal; Jack Hinson, piano; Lonnie Mitchell, bass; George Uttinger, fiddle; possibly Joe Mendez,

Track Listing
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1. Boojie Woo Blues (Ross Rhythm Rascals) (3:02)
2. Business In F (Ross Rhythm Rascals) (2:52)
3. I'M HAPPY WHEN YOU'RE HAPPY (Ross Rhythm Rascals) (2:49)
4. Indiana (Ross Rhythm Rascals) (2:50)
5. Lonely Heart Of Mine (Ross Rhythm Rascals) (3:03)
6. Over Somebody Else's Shoulder (Ross Rhythm Rascals) (2:46)
7. Please Don't Talk About Me When i'm Gone (Ross Rhythm Rascals) (2:56)
8. She's Doggin' Me (Ross Rhythm Rascals) (3:09)
9. There Ain't Gonna Be No Me To Welcome You (Ross Rhythm Rascals) (3:03)
10. Tuck Away My Lonesome Blues (Ross Rhythm Rascals) (2:53)

Update: I just purchased a new Ross Rhythm Rascals 78 on ebay and I will add it to this post after it's transfered :-)

UPDATE! 6/11/09 Two songs in the original post were mislabeled. "Alabama Jubilee" and "Won't You Come Back To Me" are actually the Rice Brothers Gang. I've fixed the download and removed those 2 songs.

Download Here

Western Swing Videos

This is a quick little post. I just wanted to introduce to you all who don't already know him, my friend Pappy who has an unbelievable collection of Western, Country, Jazz and Blues videos on You Tube. Here's his link. Don't forget to post a comment or just say hi.
http://www.youtube.com/user/pappyredux

Joaquin Murphey

Sample Song - Honeysuckle Rose

Joaquin Murphey biography from Brad's Page of Steel

Earl "Joaquin" Murphey was discovered by Spade Cooley's band as a teenager. His approach to chord melodies and single string soloing was unprecedented for the time. One could hear overtones of Benny Goodman and Django Reinhardt in his style. Working with Cooley, he contributed outstanding solos to numbers such as "Three Way Boogie" and "Oklahoma Stomp". He also recorded incredible instrumental solos on tunes like "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Sweet Georgia Brown" as part of the cowboy vocal group Andy Parker and the Plainsmen, where he was a featured soloist.

Joaquin Murphey is held in the absolute highest regard by all who have followed him on his chosen instrument: lap steel. He did some recording on pedal steel guitar, but his reputation was formed in the mid 40s to mid 50s. He was an instantly recognizable stylist on the recordings of T. Texas Tyler, Spade Cooley, Tex Williams, Roy Rogers, Andy Parker and the Plainsmen, Smokey Rogers, and a few others. Murphey is a major inspiration to Buddy Emmons, Vance Terry, and others who have attempted to put some jazz/swing feeling into their playing. His extended improvisations on single strings are astonishing.

He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1980 and has recorded very little since the 50s (effectively just one LP, on pedal steel guitar). It's a shame he did not record more, but he spent all of his career in Southern California working primarily with dance bands rather than playing a million recording sessions like Speedy West.

Staying in Los Angeles and the lack of solo recordings affected his visibility with the average country fan and casual steel fan. Probably only Jerry Byrd among mainland artists is held in similar regard as a lap player - and Byrd had a totally different style and background, with virtually no work in dance bands.

Joaquin Murphey passed away on October 25, 1999 from complications caused by metastatic cancer. 

*** Just before his death Joaquin recorded some great songs that were released as a CD that you can purchase at pedalsteelmusic.com . Get it, it's excellent!

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As per request, here's a mix of Joaquin sides I know you'll enjoy.

Track Listing
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 1. Peekin',Peekin',Peekin' (Joaquin Murphey with Deuce Spriggens)      (2:34)
 2. I Can't Wait That Long (Joaquin Murphey with Dick James)            (2:49)
 3. Little Red Wagon (Joaquin Murphey with Dick James)                  (2:35)
 4. I'm Not Surprised (Joaquin Murphey with Hank Penny)                 (2:21)
 5. I Can Tell You Just As Plain (Joaquin Murphey with Jimmie Widener)  (2:50)
 6. I'm All Through Trusting You (Joaquin Murphey with Jimmie Widener)  (2:37)
 7. Jimmie's Jump (Joaquin Murphey with Jimmie Widener)                 (2:33)
 8. Baby That's The Last Straw (Joaquin Murphey with Ozie Waters)       (2:48)
 9. I Can't Get Out Of Texas (Joaquin Murphey with Ozie Waters)         (2:53)
10. Missouri (Joaquin Murphey with Ozie Waters)                         (2:44)
11. Ball Of Fire (Joaquin Murphey with Smokey Rogers)                   (2:45)
12. Chickashay Gal (Joaquin Murphey with Smokey Rogers)                 (2:08)
13. Lose Yor Blues (Joaquin Murphey with Smokey Rogers)                 (2:43)
14. Tamburitza Boogie (Joaquin Murphey with Smokey Rogers)              (2:20)
15. Ten More Miles (Joaquin Murphey with Smokey Rogers)                 (2:43)
16. Texas Song (Joaquin Murphey with Smokey Rogers)                     (2:06)
17. Trouble Then Satisfaction (Joaquin Murphey with Smokey Rogers)      (2:39)
18. Break Up Down (Joaquin Murphey with Spade Cooley)                   (1:56)
19. You Clobbered Me (Joaquin Murphey with Spade Cooley)                (2:07)
20. A Pair Of Blue Eyes (Joaquin Murphey with Tex Williams)             (2:23)
21. Artistry In Western Swing (Joaquin Murphey with Tex Williams)       (2:48)
22. You Broke Your Promise (Joaquin Murphey with Tex Williams)          (2:05)
23. I've Heard That Story Before (Joaquin Murphey with Texas Tyler)     (2:45)
24. Smile When You Speak Of Texas (Joaquin Murphey with Texas Tyler)    (2:48)
25. Along The Rio Grand (Joaquin Murphey with The Plainsmen)            (2:38)
26. Honeysuckle Rose (Joaquin Murphey with The Plainsmen)               (2:21)
27. San Antonio Rose (Joaquin Murphey with The Plainsmen)               (2:49)
28. Sweet Georgia Brown (Joaquin Murphey with The Plainsmen)            (2:43)
 

 

UPDATE - A few folks were having troubles with extracting the ZIP file so I replaced the old ZIP file with a joining set of 3 RAR files. You'll need to download all 3 parts and extract them together with your ZIP/RAR utility.

Download Part 1
Download Part 2
Download Part 3