Bop A Hula

by Jimmy C. Newman

Overview

Forty-seven songs cut by Jimmy C. Newman for Dot Records between late 1953 and February of 1958, showcasing the singer in his early prime -- Newman's recordings go back to 1946, but these were the ones where he hit his stride. The sound is a mix of Cajun and country, with the strong influence of Ernest Tubb, whom Newman grew up idolizing along with Gene Autry -- Tubb's lead guitarist Billy Byrd even played on Newman's first sessions (alongside Chet Atkins), although Jimmy's real sound can be heard on the songs from his second and third sessions, which prominently feature Cajun fiddler Rufus Thibodeaux. Newman's earliest Dot sessions, directed by Fred Rose (who was then looking for a successor to the recently deceased Hank Williams), show him working in a hillbilly vein, on songs like "You Didn't Have To" and "Cry, Cry Darling" -- the early sessions also show Newman with a marked lisp from a badly fitted gold tooth, which was later corrected. Surprisingly, a lot of the better material here, such as "Do You Feel Like I Feel About You," was not released until a decade later, when Dot started putting out albums on Newman and dipped into their vaults. Disc two includes Newman's attempts to crack the rock & roll and pop markets, with numbers like "Bop a Hula," "Step Aside Shallow Water," and "Carry On," which work to varying degrees (the last is considered a classic by rockabilly fans) but were more aberrations than a genuine new direction for him. When asked to do an Elvis-like piece like "I Can't Go On This Way" (complete with the Jordanaires, who also appear on the same session's cover of Jim Reeves' "Need Me"), however, he gave a good account, and rock & roll history buffs will find at least a half-dozen tracks worth hearing on this disc. ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	06/27/1994
Label:	Bear Family Records
UPC:	4000127154699
Rank:	96700

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Diggy Liggy Lo
2. Night Time Is Cry Time
3. You Don't Want Me to Know
4. Do You Feel Like I Feel About You
5. Day Dreamin'
6. Dream Why Do You Hurt Me So
7. Crying for a Pastime
8. Angel Have Mercy
9. I Thought I'd Never Fall in Love Again
10. God Was So Good
11. Let's Stay Together
12. What Will I Do (What'll I Do)
13. I've Got You on My Mind
14. Seasons of My Heart
15. Come Back to Me
16. I Wanta Tell the World
17. You Didn't Have to Go
18. Cry, Cry Darling
19. Can It Be Right
20. Your True and Faithful One
21. What Will I Do (What'll I Do)
22. I'll Always Love You Darling
23. Once Again
24. Let Me Stay in Your Arms

Disc 2

25. Bop a Hula
26. Step Aside Shallow Water
27. Carry On
28. With Tears in My Eyes
29. Once Again
30. Blue Darlin'
31. Let Me Stay in Your Arms
32. I Thought I'd Never Fall in Love Again
33. Yesterday's Dream
34. Let the Whole World Talk
35. Honky Tonk Tears
36. What Will I Do (What'll I Do)
37. Last Night
38. No Use to Cry
39. The Way That You're Living (Is Breaking My Heart)
40. What a Fool I Was to Fall (For You)
41. A Falling Star
42. I Can't Go on This Way
43. Need Me
44. A Sweet Kind of Love
45. Cry, Cry Darling
46. You're the Idol of My Dreams
47. Need Me

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jimmy C. Newman   Primary Artist,Vocals
Paul Yandell   Guitar (Electric)
The Jordanaires   Choir/Chorus
Chet Atkins   Guitar (Electric)
Eddie Hill   Guitar (Rhythm)
Fred Rose   Piano
Rufus Thibodeaux   Fiddle,Ukulele
Ray Edenton   Guitar (Rhythm)
Buddy Emmons   Guitar (Steel)
Anita Kerr   Piano
Tommy Jackson   Fiddle
Buddy Harman   Drums
Hank Garland   Guitar (Electric)
D.J. Fontana   Drums
Don Helms   Guitar (Steel)
Floyd Cramer   Piano
Jerry Rivers   Fiddle
Millie Kirkham   Choir/Chorus
Billy Byrd   Guitar (Electric)
Ernest Ernie Newton   Bass
Sonny Burnette   Guitar (Steel)
T. Tommy Cutrer   Drums
Sonny Tramble   Guitar (Steel)
"Papa" John Gordy   Piano
Bob Foster   Guitar (Steel)

Technical Credits

Jimmy Swan   Composer
Eddie Miller   Composer
Fred Rose   Composer,Producer
Don Gibson   Composer
Leslie Lyle   Composer
Jimmy C. Newman   Composer
Rufus Thibodeaux   Composer
Quinton Claunch   Composer
Darrell Edwards   Composer
J.D. Miller   Composer
Colin Escott   Liner Notes,Photography
Richard Weize   Discography,Reissue Producer
Jim Reeves   Composer
Tom Anderson   Composer
George Jones   Composer
Wiley Barkdull   Composer
Bill Cantrell   Composer
Mike Harber   Composer
Bob Gene   Composer
Rebecca Everett   Mastering
Bud Deckelman   Composer
Hoffmann Nienburg   Artwork
James Joiner   Composer
Jay Miller   Photography
George Anselmo   Composer
Madge Broadway   Composer
Paul Howard   Composer,Composer
Georgia Miller   Composer
Sonny James   Composer