"Hillbilly Houn'Dawgs And Honky Tonk Angels" 1951-1957

Bob Jones was one of those rock & roll true believers who existed entirely behind the scenes. A record collector who parlayed his love for old records into a career mastering for such specialty reissue imprints as Charly, Ace, and Bear Family, he also ran his own vinyl-only reissue label called Detour Records in the '80s…...Jones dug deep into the vaults of several labels and assembled tight, thematic collections that packed a real punch, but unfortunately they, like the 45s he compiled, never saw a revival in the CD age. As a tribute to the departed Jones -- he died of cancer in 2009 -- Bear Family reissued five of these collections in 2014, including this 1989 LP, Hillbilly Houn' Dawgs & Honky Tonk Angels. This is a deep dive into the vaults of RCA/Victor, rounding up selections recorded at various RCA studios between 1952 and 1956. Some of the names will be familiar to serious country listeners -- Charline Arthur, Bob King, and the Davis Sisters have small, dedicated cults, while Terry Fell wrote the standard "Truck Driving Man" -- but the sounds will likely feel more familiar to a wider audience. The album alternates between hopping country boogie, straight-ahead Hank Williams weepers, two steps, and honky tonk, sometimes finding some weird cracks between all these sounds, such as Wade Ray's "I Need a Good Girl Bad," which swings so loosely it sounds more R&B than country, and Jack Turner's "Walkin' the Chalk Line," which would've qualified as a Johnny Cash parody if it hadn't been recorded prior to "I Walk the Line." This illustrates how expertly this collection was chosen: it was assembled with a real ear for what's worthwhile, balancing near-novelties and oddities with rip-roaring forgotten gems. (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic)

trax:
1. Hound Dog - Jack Turner & His Granger County Gang 2. Moblin' Baby Of Mine - Eddie Marshal 3. Beatin' Out The Boogie (On The Mississippi Mud) - Lee Bell 4. Burn That Candle - Charline Arthur 5. I Need A Good Girl Bad - Wade Ray 6. Love Me To Pieces - Janis Martin 7. Let's Make A Fair Trade - Bob King & His Country Kings 8. What About Tomorrow - Charline Arthur 9. Caffeine And Nicotine - Curtis Gordon 10. That's What I Like - Terry Fell 11. First On Your List - Jack Tucker 12. Rock-A-Bye Boogie - The Davis Sisters 13. Is It True - Melvin Endsley 14. You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet - Curtis Gordon 15. Get Ready With Those Tears - Lee Bell 16. Walkin' On The Chalk Line - Jack Turner
…served by Gyro1966...