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From: swinginwest.com
Date: June 20, 2005
Although I review just about every Western Swing CD released and most of them are found on my "Swingin' West" web site I feel that this is so important to our music that I took the liberty to include it here in it's entirety.
Album: Bob Wills' Music, Stories, and Testimonies- 3 CD Set Artist: Narration by Larry Scott with Music and Interviews This new three CD set is something that every serious Bob Wills fan and collector will want to have in their music collection. The greatest radio voice of Western Swing music, Larry Scott has compiled this Western Swing gem.
The first CD of this three CD set is the December 1973 radio show that Larry did in conjunction with the release of the classic final Bob Wills album set, For The Last Time. It includes interviews with Western Swing icons such as Cindy Walker, Art Satherly, Tommy Allsup and Dr. Charles Townsend as well as many of Bob Wills' original Texas Playboys. You will hear Leon McAuliffe, Smoky Dacus, Johnny Gimble, Eldon Shamblin and so many others. In addition, full recordings of Bob Wills as well as portions of others by Bob are played which will certainly set the stage for the second and third CDs of this set.
The second and third CD has Larry narrating, this time a complete Dallas, 1976 radio show with the Original Texas Playboys Under The Direction of Leon McAuliffe. In addition to interesting conversation bits there are 24 tunes by this group featuring Leon McAuliffe and his steel guitar as well as vocals by Leon Rausch, Joe Ferguson and Johnny Gimble. Johnny also plays his most enjoyable fiddle as also does the late and legendary Keith Coleman a short time before his passing. Other Texas Playboy favorites in this group are drummer Smoky Dacus and piano player Al Stricklin. Al is also joined by 1976 Asleep At The Wheel piano player Floyd Domino to do Boogie Woogie In G. Also joining the group is former Leon McAuliffe Cimarron Boy, Bob Kiser playing bass and longtime Light Crust Doughboys banjo player Marvin Montgomery.
This 1976 broadcast includes from the Bob Wills library the opening and closing theme as well as San Antonio Rose, Steel Guitar Rag, The Kind Of Love, Faded Love, You're OK, The End Of The Line, La Golondrina, My Confession, Osage Stomp, Maiden's Prayer, Home In San Antone and Bubbles In My Beer. We are also treated to a fiddle medley featuring Keith and Johnny as well as the Johnnie Lee Wills hit Milk Cow Blues and Leon McAuliffe standard Panhandle Rag. Joe Frank Ferguson warbles the Irving Berlin classic from Tommy Dorsey, Marie and Johnny Gimble sings his fan favorite Under The X In Texas. Al is featured on the instrumental Live Bait and another instrumental is Put Your Little Foot.
This set is available from Western Swing Monthly, 205 Sunshine Drive, Georgetown, TX 78628. The cost of this 3 CD set is $30, which includes shipping and handling. The web site is www.wsmonthly.com
Mike Gross,
www.swinginwest.com