Country Chat - 1st July 2020

1st July. The coronavirus has just taken one of my dearest friends John Dodds, who I had known through Country Music for 60 years. We didn’t see much of each other because he lived in North East England and I just about as far south as you can imagine. He was always a jovial chap who seemed to hardly have a care in the world and would do anything you asked at the drop of a hat. He had many a friend in the music collectors world, none more so than the late Rodney McElrea who left us a few years earlier. Yes, I’ll miss those e mails John and the positive look upon life that you had.

I’m sure that many of you know someone in a similar situation, and I wish I had room to mention all those who dedicated their lives to the cause of preserving Country Music, especially in it’s Golden Years up to 1962. The next twenty five years saw a new form of Country music with the Outlaws from Texas to California making a name for themselves. I admit that it was good music to listen to, but it was grown upon the rich soil of others before them. Willie, Waylon & Johnny Cash & Co certainly left an impression upon the scene, but since their demise, Country Music has strayed a long way from its roots in my opinion. It’s in a coma with no one taking up the reins to lead into another era.

Our three new CDs are ready and I am really pleased with our selection this month. The longer we continue, the rarer the music and artists will become, and I hope that you will treasure them.

Firstl we have another set of radio programmes from the Kansas Jay Hawk, Carson Robison & his Buckaroos. Carson appeared upon hundreds of recordings in which he didn’t get a mention but you could always hear his voice or the sound of his distinctive guitar in the background. Carson’s songs were all so touching and he had the knack of picking you up and putting you in the scene of the song whether it be western orientated or a disaster song or even an old time love song. He was a true pioneer and master of the recording studio. I cut my teeth on the recordings he made during the 1930s by buying the 78s in second hand shops when I first started seriously collecting hillbilly music.

Secondly comes a man with one of the greatest voices I ever heard in the Country Music circle, Redd Stewart. We have selected all of his King Records plus a few early RCA Victor and Do Re Me label from 1962. Redd had quite a career going for him before he teamed up with Pee Wee King, where he stayed as lead singer for many years. We hope that you’ll enjoy listening to our selection and never get tired of hearing him perform. He had a voice that could handle any type of song that you threw in front of him, so “Sing it again, Redd”

Thirdly, we visit the California scene again with songs from around the San Francisco Bay area 1944-52 this time. We owe a special thanks to Kevin Coffey for his work on this, carefully selecting the tracks and doing the research. Songs by Ray Wade, Don Churchill, Dusty Dale and Arvada Miller have long awaited a release on these shores.

Since the virus has hit the country so hard we have been getting a lot of complaints regarding postal delivery, mostly to USA and Canada. But if I can say again to those who are still waiting for their order, IT IS NOT OUR FAULT All orders are dealt with on the day that we receive them and are posted in the pillar box for collection the same day. If you must complain, do it to the Royal Mail or US Mail service, not that you’ll get any satisfaction, it’s just a case of sit and wait. I can assure you that you’ll get no delays from us when ordering.

I will have to tell you sooner or later that my health may be on the decline, which is to be expected at 84 years old. However I will continue to work as hard as I can to give you the best that I have to offer.

There are thousands of other songs and performers that have to be promoted and preserved, so there’s no chance of the music drying up. We must preserve the past as we are the only ones that care two hoots about it all. I really give up on the younger generation for not caring about the years that have gone by, except when it suits them and they go about destroying statues of people that made our nation. If it weren’t for those people we wouldn’t be having the riots that we are getting now. The antagonists just wouldn’t be here to pillage and destroy. However that’s another story to consider, and nothing to do with our kind of music.

So please take care and be serious regarding your health, the music still needs you!

DAVE, BRIAN & BARRY, The BACM BOYS

All Country Chat newsletters

January 2021

Nov/Dec 2020