county label index

county label index

these lovable lps were out of print but partially available now
as reissued cds at county sales:
box 191, floyd, virginia, usa 24091
i hope all titles will be completely reissued again.

someone who have some messages about related matters,
please feel free to contact me. *s are my want titles.

the 200 series
*co-201 J. & B. Spangler
Old Virginia Fiddlers

*co-202 Eck Robertson
Famous Cowboy Fiddler - 1063

the 400 series
each lp in the collectors 400 series is devoted to a single artist or group
and features their classic recordings, re-issued from the original 78's.

co-401 the stripling brothers
complete recordings 1928-29

co-402 the delmore brothers
1933-41 recordings

co-403 roane county ramblers
complete recordings 1928-29

co-404 wade mainer
and the sons of the mountaineers

co-405 hillbillies
1920's recordings

co-406 roy hall
and his blue ridge entertainers

co-407 blue ridge highballers
1926 recordings

co-408 kelly harrell
and the virginia string band

co-409 lake howard
with guitar 1930's

co-410 east texas serenaders
early western swing 1927-30

co-411 riley puckett
"waiting for the evening mail"

co-412 fiddling doc roberts
"old times tunes" fiddle

the 500 series
classic old-time country recordings from the 1920's, 30's and 40's.

*co-501 A Collection of Mountain Mountain Fiddle Music

*co-502 A Collection of Mountain Ballads

*co-503 A Collection of Mountain Mountain Fiddle Music Vol. 2

co-504 mountain songs
various old-time string bands

co-505 charlie poole
and the north carolina ramblers-vol.1

co-506 skillet lickers 1926-29
with tanner, mcmichen, stokes.

co-507 old-time fiddle classics
arthur smith, mcmichen, kessingers, etc.

co-508 mountain sacred songs
original recordings by great old-time bands

co-509 charlie poole
and the north carolina ramblers-vol.2

co-510 the red fox chasers
old-time string band from north carolina 1928-31

co-511 mountain blues
sam macgee, dock boggs, dick justice

co-512 a day in the mountains-1928
mountain humor, various string bands

co-513 grayson & whitter
songs and ballads, recorded 1927-30

co-514 hell broke loose in georgia
georgia fiddle bands

co-515 mountain banjo songs & tunes
recorded 1925-33

co-516 charlie poole
and the north carolina ramblers-vol.3

co-517 texas farewell
texas fiddlers 1922-30

co-518 echoes of the ozarks-vol.1
string bands 1925-31

co-519 echoes of the ozarks-vol.2
classic string bands 1925-31

co-520 echoes of the ozarks-vol.3

co-521 uncle dave macon
early recordings 1925-35

co-522 old-time ballads from the southern mtns
various bands 1927-30

co-523 old-time mountain guitar
finger-style guitar 1926-1930

co-524 da costa woltz's southern broadcasters
ben jarrell and frank jenkins

co-525 fiddler's convention in mtn city, tenn
1925-29 recordings

co-526 skillet lickers-vol.2
with tanner, puckett, stokes, mcmichen

co-527 old-time fiddle classics-vol.2
1920's recordings

co-528 traditional fiddle music of mississippi-vol.1
narmour & smith, carter bros. etc.

co-529 traditional fiddle music of mississippi-vol.2

*co-530 ??

co-531 old-time string band classics
various old-time bands 1927-33

co-532 leake county revelers 1926-31
"saturday night breakdown"

co-533 round the heart of old galax-vol.1
featuring emest v. stoneman-late 1920's

co-534 round the heart of old galax-vol.2
featuring the ward family

co-535 round the heart of old galax-vol.3
various artists 1924-37 recordings

co-536 kessinger brothers
featuring clark kessinger 1929-30

*co-537 ??

co-538 charlie monroe
"on the noonday jamboree" 1944 radio

co-539 charlie monroe
"the songs of..." more 1944 radio

co-540 charlie poole
and the north carolina ramblers-vol.4

co-541 nashville: the early string bands-vol.1
pioneer grand ole opry performers

co-542 nashville: the early string bands-vol.2
pioneer grand ole opry performers

co-543 earl johnson/clodhoppers
"red hot breakdown" 1927-29

co-544 georgia fiddle bands-vol.2
skillet lickers, john carson

co-545 uncle dave macon/fruit jar drinkers
"go long mule"

co-546 fiddlin' arthur smith/dixieliners-vol.1
early opry fiddle

co-547 fiddlin' arthur smith/dixieliners-vol.2
early opry fiddle

co-548 riding in an old model t
toodies, wobbles, rags 1927-35

co-549 old-time harmonica classics
virtuoso country harmonica performances 1923-1937

co-550 border radio
carter family, mainer's mountaineers, cowboy slim rinehart

county 201
J. & B. Spangler
Old Virginia Fiddlers

track listings:
1.1 Midnight Serenade - Spangler & Pearson
1.2 Leather Britches - Spangler & Wood
1.3 Tommy Love - Spangler & Pendleton
1.4 Coon Dog - Spangler & Wood
1.5 Schotische - Spangler & Wood
1.6 Walking In My Sleep - Spangler & Wood
1.7 Mississippi Sawyer - Spangler & Wood

2.1 Jenny Lind Polka - Spangler & Wood
2.2 Susanna Gal - Spangler & Pendleton
2.3 Saro - Spangler & Wood
2.4 Georgia Camp Meeting - Spangler & Wood
2.5 Rock The Cradle Joe - Spangler & Wood
2.6 Hop Light Ladies - Spangler & Wood
2.7 Patrick County Blues - Spangler & Pearson

county 202
Eck Robertson
Famous Cowboy Fiddler - 1063

track listings:
1. Texas Wagoner
2. Stomptown Stomp
3. Lost Indian
4. Grigsby's Hornpipe
5. Rye Whiskey
6. Lost Goose
7. Sally Johnson
8. Billy In The Lowground
9. Beaumont Rag
10. Grey Eagle
11. Dusty Miller
12. Hell Among The Yearlings
13. Say Old Man Can You Play The Fiddle?
14. Get Up In The Cool
15. Hawk Got The Chicken
16. Un-named "D" Tune
17. Bonaparte's Retreat
18. Forky Deer
19. Done Gone

county 401
The Stripling Brothers
The Lost Child

track listings:
a1: the lost child
a2: coal mine blues
a3: horse shoe bend
a4: june rose waltz
a5: ranger's hornpipe
a6: kennedy rag
b1: wolves howling
b2: pallet on the floor
b3: dance all night
b4: red river waltz
b5: big eyed rabbit
b6: big footed man in the sandy lot

county 402
the delmore brothers
1933-1941 recordings

track listings:
a1: the nashville blues
a2: clue railroad train
a3: broken hearted lover
a4: happy on the mississippi shore
a5: til the roses bloom again
a6: brown's ferry blues
b1: back to birmingham
b2: don't you see that train
b3: big river blues
b4: gonna lay down my old guitar
b5: fugitive's lament
b6: honey i'm ramblin' away

county 403
roane county ramblers
complete recordings 1928-29

track listings:
a1: green river march
a2: southern no.111 (oct15,28)
a3: callahan rag
a4: everybody two-step
a5: step high waltz
a6: mccarroll's breakdown
b1: free a little bird-1930 model
b2: hometown blues
b3: roane county rag
b4: tennessee waltz
b5: alabama trot
b6: johnson city rag

personnel:
james mccarroll: fiddle
luke brandon: guitar
john kelly: mandorin
howard wyatt: banjo

(liner notes from original LP)
driving west out of knoxville, tennessee, on the new
interstate highway 40 for the first time, a country music
lover will most likely look twice and perhaps muse a bit at
the sign that lets you know you're entering roane county-
a place made famous in country song by the blue sky boys,
grandpa jones, bill monroe and others in the now classic
hills of roane county. as it happens, besides being the
home of the ill-fated subject of the song, the "beartiful
hill in the midst of roane county" were also home to a
number of country recording artists down through the
years, among them the roane county ramblers, the driving
fiddle band whose 12 recordings from the late 1920's all
appear on this album. in fact, as you drive west past the
village of kingston, the interstate highway passes right over
land on which fiddle james ("jimmy") mccarroll once lived

mccarroll, a farmer who has spent his entire life in the
immediate area, now lives in a small house not far off the
highway. luke brandon, a barber whose booming guitar
runs enlivened the ramblers' distinctive sound, still lives in
rockwood, just down the road, as does john kelly, mando-
rin player and manager of the band. kelly up until recently
operated a small general store on the outskirts of rock-
wood. only howard wyatt, the banjo player, has left the
county, living now in washington, d.c.

in many respects the roane county ramblers were
typical of the dozens of rural string bands who made com-
mercial recordings prior to world war 2. they were success-
ful amateur musicians who obtained a recording contract
with a major company through a local record shop owner.
they made a small number of records which sold well
locally and, in fact, at least one of their discs achieved fairly
good sales throughout the south. and, after their brief
recording career, they returned to relative obscurity, back
at home in their regular jobs.

actually, the roane county rambles never really left
their homes and jobs, though for a few years they did travel
a good deal, mainly to various fiddlers' conventions in
tennessee, georgia, and other southern states. unlike a
few better known performers who made music their liveli-
hood, the ramblers were content to keep music a sideline.
and, as it was for many other similar groups, it proved to
be an enjoyable sideline and a fairly rewarding one, finan-
cially-especially during the lean depression years.

exactly how james mccarroll developed his unique
fiddle style remains a mystery. his mother and father both
played the instrument, as did his grandmother, and he
learned tunes from all of them while growing up. there are
heavy traces of what could be called a "georgia" style in
his fiddling, and it is known that he had more than slight
contact with a number of georgia musicians, including
members of skillet lickers and earl johnson. this is
not as usual as would first appear, as there was apparently
a well-established travel corridor between the roane county
area and chattanooga, some 70 or 75 miles to the south.
chattanoga was in fact a central point for many north
georgia musicians, and evidently it was not unusual for
them to travel throughout the northeastern part of tennes-
see for fiddle contests. from reports, it appears that even
the big contests at la follette, tennessee might show more
musicians from the chattanooga are and north georgia
than from kentucky, for example, which is only a few
miles away. in any case, it is clear that mccarroll was quite
used to competingwith the georgians, and he recalls vying
with earl johnson at contests in harriman, tennessee and
knoxville even after world war 2.

the similarities with earl johnson's music are indeed
striking, and are perhaps most apparent in mccarroll's
renditions of callahan rag, alabama trot and especially
johnson city rag. but to suggest that one may have
influenced the other would be precarious, as it is not even
established whether they were in contact before either
musician ever recorded. there is the possibility that they
(and others) could have learned directly or indirectly from
a common source. but there clearly seems to be some
connection.

the roane county ramblers cut their first session at
johnson city, tennessee on october 15, 1928. this session
produced their most popular recording, southern no.111,
and the two waltzes, which also sold well. they were called
back the next year to record 12 more tunes, six in atlanta
in the spring, and six in johnson city again in october. of
the 16 tunes recorded, 4 were not released. howard wyatt
and luke brandon also had one vocal record released
around the same time.

mccarroll learned both callahan rag and green river
march from his grandmother, who was part indian. he
refers to them as "indian pieces."

southern no.111 is the tune mccarroll is best remem-
bered for locally. the train celebrated in the piece ran from
knoxville to danville, kentucky, by way of harriman and
oakdale,tennessee. oakdale, which was not far from
where the ramblers lived, was a breaking point for the rail-
road crews. the tune was later recorded and made popular
again by j. e. mainer, who learned it from the ramblers'
record.

mccarroll says he got his idea for everybody two-
step from dill pickles rag. exactly why the title was
chosen is unclear, as there was already a popular tune by
that name.

mccarroll's breakdown is the tune jimmy used at most
fiddle contests that he entered. he based the tune on gid
tanner's version of buckin' mule.

tennessee waltz is similar to wednesday night waltz,
one of the biggest selling country records of the 1920's (as
done by the leake county revelers). in addition to the
step high waltz, mccarroll also recorded 3 other waltzes
which were not released. one of these was the popular
green valley waltz which was in fact recorded and issued
by another local band, the mccartt brothers and andy
patterson.

mccarroll leaned georgia fox trot from a fellow
named joe james, who played it on a mandorin. for some
reason the record company retitled it alabama trot when
issuing it.

johnson city rag was learned from mccarroll's father
as jordan is a hard road to travel. the new title was
apparently given to the tune at the second johnson city
recording session. the tune (and the playing) is quite
reminiscent of earl johnson's recording of i lost my girl,
which was in fact recorded just a month later

-david freeman

county 404
wade mainer
& the sons of the mountaineers
original recordings 1937-1941

track listings:
a1: old ruben
a2: poor drunkard's dream
a3: i won't be worried
a4: lonely tombs
a5: you may forsake me
a6: ramshackle shack
a7: mansions in the sky
b1: rambling boy
b2: memory lane
b3: look on and cry
b4: wild bill jones
b5: pale moonlight
b6: the precious jewel
b7: don't leave me alone

county 405
the hill-billies

track listings:
a1: johnson boys
a2: cindy
a3: fisher's hornpipe
a4: soldier's joy medley
a5: silly bill
a6: black eyed susie
b1: sally ann
b2: bristol tennessee blues
b3: cluck old hen
b4: c.c.&o.#558
b5: texas gals
b6: round town gals

(liner notes from original LP)
This band gave hillbilly its name. Beginning in 1925, it made
the first recordings of many tunes and songs that are now old standards
It made the first movie to feature country music in 1928, was the first
country band to tour widely, brought country music to Washington and
New York, and played for Presdint Coolidge.

On most of their recordings The Hill Billies featured the excellent
twin fiddles of Charlie Bowman and A. E. "Tony" Alderman, the
resonant voice of Al hopkins and, at various times, the old-time banjo
wizardry of John Rector, Jack Reedy and Walter Bowman. Guitarists
Elbert Bowman, Joe Hopkins, and Walter "Sparkplug" Hughes served
time with the group, as did early slide guitarist Frank Wilson and
pioneer recording fiddler, Uncle "Am" Stuart.

Other fiddlers who played with the Hill Billies were Fred Roe,
"Dad" Williams, and Ed Belcher. Henry Rowe helped introduce the
string bass to country music as a member of this band. Elmer and John
Hopkins played harmonica and uke and took part in the riotous
routines tha were a hallmark of the band.

The Hill Billies were from the Blue Ridge of the Southern
Appalachians and probably preserved some older tunes. But the
stereotype of the head-of-the-holler band which they helped to create
does not fit them. The Hill Billies were showmen, they played what
they heard and liked, and they travelled widely. Simply put, they were
a commercial coutry music band, the first one to have any real success
in show business.

Their radio shows, recordings, and shenanigans on vaudeville stages
of the mid and late twenties made The Hill Billies well known at a time
when the recording industry needed a short and highly descriptive name
for the music of the rural South that it had just begun to record. But
this group left more than a name - it left a legacy of fine recordings
collected for this LP, the first devoted to this pioneering band.

A boolet enclosed with this LP contains additional information and
photos of The Hill Billies.

- Joe Wilson

county 406
roy hall
& his blue ridge entertainers

track listings:
a1: loving you too well
a2: come back little pal
a3: can you forgive
a4: natural bridge blues
a5: i wonder where you are tonight
a6: the wrong road
a7: where the roses never fade
b1: don't let your sweet love die
b2: lonesome dove
b3: little sweetheart come & kiss me
b4: polecat blues
b5: the bridge at the foot of the hill
b6: wabash cannonball
b7: the best of friends must part someday

county 407
Blue Ridge Highballers
1926 Recordings

track listings:
1.1 Darling Child
1.2 Going Down To Lynchburg Town
1.3 14 Days In Georgia
1.4 Sandy River Belle
1.5 Flop Eared Mule
1.6 Skidd More

2.1 Darneo
2.2 Soldier's Joy
2.3 Wish To The Lord I Had Never Been Born
2.4 Round Town Girls
2.5 Under The Double Eagle
2.6 Green Mountain Polka

county 408
kelly harrell
& the virginia string band

track listings:
a1: for seven long years i've been married
a2: the henpecked man (feb1929)
a3: charles giteau (mar1927)
a4: cave love has gained the day (feb1929)
a5: in the shadow of the pine (mar1927)
a6: row us over the tide (12aug1927)
b1: my name is john johanna (mar1927)
b2: charley, he's a good old man
b3: i'm nobody's darling on earth (mar1927)
b4: henry clay beattie (mar1927)
b5: i have no loving mother now (12aug1927)
b6: my wife, she has gone & left me (mar1927)

personnel:
kelly harrell: vocal
raymond hundley: banjo
alfred steagall: guitar
posey rorer: fiddle
lonnie austin: fiddle replaced on a6, b5
henry norton: vocal in tenor on a6, b5

anyone who is a fan of jimmie rodgers' recordings is well acquainted with his
classic rendition of away out on the mountain. however, rodgers' fans may not be
aware that the composer of that song was kelly harrell, one of the finest mountain ballad
singers to record in the 1920's. in fact, had harrell been a yodeler, he would most likely
have recorded the song himself and not been persuaded by ralph peer to sell it to victor's
new recording star, jimmie rodgers.

crockett kelly harrell was born on september 13, 1889, in draper's valley, wythe
county, virginia. he spent most of his youth working in the textile mill at fries, virginia,
although he did spend some time working at other mills in virginia and alabama. while
working in fries, harrell struck up a friendship with another textile worker, henry
whitter, who shared his interest in music; whitter played harmonica and guitar while
harrell was a singer. (harrell sang in the choir at his church and his brother was the choir
director at another church.) whitter, who began making records in 1923 for the okeh
recording company, tried to persuade harrell to go with him, but harrell wasn't inter-
ested at that time. however, after he heard whitter's recordings he decided that he could
do at least as wel, if not better.

so in january of 1925 he left fieldale, virginia, where he had moved in 1924, and
set off alone for new york to get an audition. victor record company apparently liked
what they heard, for they recorded four songs on wednesday, january 7, 1925. studio
musicians were used to back harrell since he played no instrument to accompany himself.
the songs recorded were released for sale as mountaineer's song with violin and guitar.
this was an appropriate description, for harrell's songs were a mixture of 19th century
american mountain ballads and some earlier british ballads. with this kind of repertoire,
it is not surprising that harrell did not like to be called a 'country singer' and always re-
ferred to himself as a 'ballad singer.'

having returned to virginia, harrell apparently changed his mind about recoring
with whitter. in august of 1925 he accompanied whitter to asheville, north carolina,
to record for okeh. at this particular session whitter provided guitar and harmonica
backup for harrell's rendition of eight ballads. one of the ballads, the wreck on the
southern old 97 was issued in a longer version on a 12" record. although this song had
been whitter's first record, released in january, 1924, the okeh recording directors spec-
ifically asked harrell to record it as well, because harrell's enunciation was much clearer
than his friend's, and his singing much less nasalized.

harrell had been working in danville in 1903 when the wreck of the "old 97"
actually occurred. his local reputation was such that two men who were composing
ballads about the incident sang their versions for harrell, seeking his advice on how the
ballads should sound. harrell's familiarity with these men and their ballads allowed him
to testify in 1929 on behalf of victor talking machine company in a suit involving the
claim of david george of gretna, virginia, to the sole authorship of the song.

following the asheville sesssion, harrell continued his work as a loom-fixer in the
fieldale mill. in the meantime his reputation as a singer brought him into contact with
other singers and musicians of the area, including john "red" patterson, a banjoist and
singer who was then living in fieldale, and charlie poole and posey rorer of the well-
known north carolina ramblers. this company of musicians and singers would some-
times travel together, playing at country stores, school houses and square dances. harrell
was not especially fond of performing before large crowds, so he generally limited his
engagements to singing in private homes or at small gatherings at country stores.

in march of 1927, with 10 records to his credit, harrell traveled to camden, new
jersey to make what probably were his finest records. he was accompanied by his own
group, the virginia string band, made up of raymond hundley on banjo, alfred steagall
on guitar, and posey rorer on fiddle. hundley and steagall were both from fieldale and
had been playing since childhood. posey rorer was a regular member of charlie poole's
band but often recorded with other bands as well. rorer's fiddling and hundley's three-
finger banjo picking gave harrell's recordings at this session a heavy 'charlie poole flavor'.

from this session came harrell's powerful performance of in the shadow of the
pine, a sentimental ballad first published in 1895. his henry clay beattie was based on a
brutal murder that took place in richmond, virginia, in the summer of 1911. my name
is john johanna was an often-recorded minstrel song to which harrell added his own
unique touch. other titles from this session included charles giteau, i'm nobody's dar-
ling on earth and my wife, she has gone and left me.

when kelly harrell returned home, he told his wife that he liked new jersey so well
that he wanted to move to camden and buy a house right across the river from the victor
studios. unfortunately for kelly, his wife did not share in his enthusiasm and so the
harrells remained in fieldale!

later that year harrell began to plan another recording trip and was looking for a
tenor to accompany him. the owner of a local grocery store, knowing of the search,
introduced him to henry norton, a wholesale grocery dealer from danville, and more
important, a tenor singer. harrell and norton arranged a sunday afternoon practice ses-
sion and after its successful conclusion made plans to meet in charlotte, north carolina.
they recorded there for victor on august 12, 1927, in a studio set up in the charlotte
observer building.

at this session norton, who played no instruments, sang tenor behind two of
harrell's recordings, row us over the tide and i have no loving mother now. while
norton was in the studio he also sang tenor with red patterson's piedmont log rollers
who had accompanied harrell and the virginia string band from fieldale. (lonnie austin
of leaksville, north carolina, replaced posey rorer in harrell's band for this recording
trip.) norton's singing with patterson was impromptu and, as it turned out, they never
saw each other again. after the recordings were made, norton returned home to danville
where he continued his interest in religious music and quartet singing. he never performed
publicly with harrell nor recorded again.

kelly harrell's final recording session was in february, 1929, when he and alfred
steagall cut six sides for victor, including the henpecked man and cave love has gained
the day.

with the advent of the depression, harrell's recording career came to a close. he
continued his work as a loom-fixer at fieldcrest mills until his death on july 9, 1942, at
the age of 52. although he had been opposed to making records in the beginning, it was
extremely fortunate for lovers of old-time music that he changed his mind. in addition
to his own compositions, harrell preserved a rich and varied selection of anglo-american
ballads on discs for future generations, and his delivery of these songs ranks him as one of
the most fascinating singers in early recorded country music.

- c. kinney rorrer
september, 1975

county 409
lake howard
the singing farmer

track listings:
a1: little annie
a2: it's none of your business
a3: new chattanooga mama
a4: grey eagle
a5: lover's farewell
a6: walking in the light
b1: i've lost my love
b2: forsaken love
b3: streamline mama
b4: love me darling, love me
b5: chewing gum
b6: duplin county blues
b7: within my father's house