The Internet Archive may not be the first place you look for old-time country sounds, but some old-time radio and 78 rpm record collectors have digitized an amazing amount of 20th century American culture.
I'll come back and edit this, but wanted to put a few links out where new old-time music friends can find them today.
Sorry if there are spelling errors, and if you have to cut and paste the links into a browser. The first draft of this was done with my left thumb on a smartphone during a singing class at Augusta Heritage Center. (https://augustaheritagecenter.org)
Most of these are radio. Some are 1950s TV. The Delmore brothers sell their gospel song book, the Willis Brothers swing "Hillbilly Heaven." All Star Western Theatre combines accordion and guitar western harmonizing with short dramatic productions with cowboy movie stars of the forties. Pat Daniels Hillbilly Boys sold Hillbilly flour with Texas Swing, while Hank Williams sold Mother's Best flour with his country blues. Plenty here to explore.
https://archive.org/details/otr_countrymusictime
https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Delmore_Brothers_Singles
https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Certified_Delmore_Brothers
https://archive.org/details/GrandOldOpry-28april1956
https://archive.org/details/HankPennyHisRadioCowboys-01-10
https://archive.org/details/charlottecountry00holt Booklet PDF
https://archive.org/details/RanchParty1957
https://archive.org/details/0029OldTimeRadioReunion
https://archive.org/details/otr_countrymusictime
https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Mothers_Best_Flour_Singles
https://archive.org/details/OTRR_The_Hillbilly_Boys_Singles (Pat O'Daniel & the...), 74 episodes
https://archive.org/details/OTRR_All_Star_Western_Theatre_Singles
https://archive.org/details/otr_geneautry
https://archive.org/details/RoyRogers01-10
Here, mostly about music; oldtime-radio research at JHeroes; more general blog, other journalism; and on Mastodon as newsie.social/@BobStep
Friday, August 07, 2015
Tuesday, August 04, 2015
Some songs from Augusta
After singing along with these songs in Paul Brown's workshops at Davis & Elkins College's Augusta Heritage old-time music week, I compulsively went off looking for alternative versions, additional lyrics, and YouTube videos.
Cumberland Gap
https://youtu.be/t4Jawe-M2yc
Deadheads and suckers
https://youtu.be/N1byRXjV2LU
Tempy Roll Down Your Bangs
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=18014
Railroad Bill (with brakemans vest, nancy hanks verse)
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/riley-puckett-railroad-bill-information.html
Trouble in Mind
https://youtu.be/8a54Nz6aYYY
My home is across the blue ridge mountains
https://youtu.be/Z7i1CQv74aE
Walking in my sleep
https://youtu.be/LoRFJd47rtU
Poor Ellen Smith
murder case, Winston Salem c.1897
http://www.murderbygaslight.com/2010/07/poor-ellen-smith.html
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/us/02land.html?pagewanted=all&referrer=