CD

CD

CD

Pure greatness! This set compiles all of the early work of the one and only Hag, from his early days at the indie Tally Records, through his first several years at Capitol. Pretty much everything Hag recorded up to and including Mama Tried – and not a stinker in the bunch! Includes all of the early album tracks plus singles and alternate versions, including "I Threw Away The Rose", The Bottle Let Me Down", "Mama Tried", "I'm A Lonesome Fugitive", "Green Green Grass Of Home", his absolutely perfect version of "Folsom Prison Blues" – all of the greats! Also included in the fantastic package is a huge book full of info about Hag's, let's just say, interesting personal life, recording details, tons of photos – flawless! CD

Impeccable guitar genius from the great Merle Travis – who was not only pivotal enough a figure to have an influential style of jazz-tinged country guitar named after him, but also a great songwriter – and this is one of the best early LPs to his name! The Merle Travis Guitar features solo guitar pieces by Merle that roll from meandering waltz patterns to blazingly fast country licks – comparable to some of the great, and now kind of overlooked Chet Atkins records of the 50s for the skill and tunefulness – but this is more of a stylistically focused set – Travis style! Titles include the Travis originals "Blue Smoke", "Saturday Night Shuffle", "Walkin The Strings" and "Rockabye Rag", plus "On A Bicycle Built For Two", "Bugle Call Rag" and more. This CD version includes 7 bonus tracks from earlier Travis 78s, some with vocals, including his masterpiece "Sixteen Tons" – plus "Sweet Temptations", "Blues Stay Away From Me", "Done Rovin" and more. 20 tracks in all. CD

Weird, wacky stuff that we can't help but like! Jenks Tex Carman was a strange dude who recorded for Capitol in the early 50s – singing pared down country ditties peppered with lots of mush-mouth gibberish that he claimed was Cherokee – it's NOT. He also added lots of odd Hawaiian slide guitar, hence the title. If you like the oddball stuff as much as we do, or you just want to clear the room of the in-laws or other unwanted guests, Jenks is your man! Most of his early Capitol sides are here, including "Hillbilly Hula", "Another Dream Gone Wrong", "Hilo March", "Locust Hill Rag", "Samoa Stomp", "Dixie Cannonball", "Sweet Luwanna", "Indian polka", "Don't Feel Sorry For Me", "Gonna Stay Right Here", and lots more. 20 tracks in all. CD

A searing collection of work from two of the coolest cats to ever handle an electric guitar in the 50s – the duo of Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant, a pair who made some really incredible singles for Capitol Records – most of which are collected in this massive 34 track set! West and Bryant are the stuff of legend – a pairing of tight plucked electric guitar and quick-fingered slide steel – and although the duo have been given coverage elsewhere, they're always in the best hands when handled by Bear Family – who do a wonderful job here of picking all the right tunes, and supporting the music with great notes and some very detailed session information too. The set includes loads of instrumentals – including "Flippin The Lid", "Hop Skip & Jump", "Space Man In Orbit", "Speedy's Special", "This Ain't The Blues", "Bryant's Shuffle", "Truck Driver's Ride", "Totem Pole Dance", and "Water Baby Blues" – plus some numbers cut with vocals by Eddie Kirk, Ella Mae Morse, Jean Shepard, and Tex Williams! CD

Rare sounds from the west coast hub of country music – a surprisingly rich legacy of early rockabilly from the Bakersfield scene! The package is a treasure trove of tunes we've never heard before – and stands as a nice alternate to better-known work on labels like Chess, RCA, and King – with a rich array of under-discovered tracks that were originally issued on Capitol, Liberty, Decca, and many other small labels at the time! The notes are as great as the music – a really thoughtful, historical presentation of the music – along with loads of photos and label scans – almost a mini version of the bigger Bear Family box sets – with 31 tracks that include "Untied" by Tommy Collins, "Don't Go Baby" by Al Coker, "Hot Dog" by Corky Jones, "Daddy Loves Mommyo" by Tommy Duncan, "Go Crazy Man" by Bill Woods, "We're Gonna Bop" by Alvadean Coker, "I Used To Love You" by Bill Carter, "Monkey Bite" by Al Hendrix, "I Used To Love You" by Bill Carter, "Seal Rock" by Ernie Kelly, and "Stood Up Blues" by Custer Bottoms. CD