RCA Country Legends

by The Sons of the Pioneers

Overview

The Sons of the Pioneers recorded for RCA labels from 1944 to the late '60s, a period that came long after the group had waxed the originals of "Cool Water" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," and also after the former Leonard Slye (aka Roy Rogers) had moved on to a solo career. Still, the backbone of the group -- vocalists Bob Nolan and Tim Spencer plus the hot fiddle-guitar tandem of Hugh and Karl Farr -- remained intact, and the Pioneers often wrote excellent material. Their volume in the RCA Country Legends series includes only 16 tracks, but it's a perfectly selected compilation, perhaps skimping on the hits but, in the process, taking in all manner of intriguing material. These latter-day versions of "Cool Water" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" may not exert the primal force of the originals, but they're equal in quality and, thanks to the Pioneers' long screen time in Westerns during the '40s, just as familiar to listening audiences. Steering away from the obvious hits, the compilation includes the controversial antiwar screed "Old Man Atom," a pair of 1946 instrumentals from the Farr Brothers that illustrate how far the influence of jazzmen Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang permeated, and "Blue Shadows on the Trail," their contribution to Walt Disney's Melody Time (which also reunited them with Rogers). It also finds them easily adjusting to changing times with a pair of late-'40s honky tonk chestnuts ("Grievin' My Heart Out for You" and the slightly outsized "Cigareetes, Whusky and Wild, Wild Women") and a 1952 cover of the early trucker hit "Diesel Smoke." ~ John Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	06/08/2004
Label:	Bmg / Sbcmg / Sony Music / Sony Music Entertainment
UPC:	0886975022328
Rank:	30818

Tracks

1. Cool Water
2. Room Full of Roses
3. Baby Doll
4. Cigareetes, Whusky and Wild, Wild Women
5. Riders in the Sky
6. Teardrops in My Heart
7. Wind
8. Tumbling Tumbleweeds
9. Pins and Needles (In My Heart)
10. Grievin' My Heart Out for You
11. Blue Shadows on the Trail [From Walt Disney's "Melody Time"]
12. Old Man Atom
13. Diesel Smoke
14. (Don't Your Conscience Ever Bother You) Hang Your Head in Shame
15. South Ii My Soul
16. Farr-Away Blues

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Sons of the Pioneers   Primary Artist
Roy Rogers   Primary Artist,Vocals
The Farr Brothers   Primary Artist
Dick Roberts   Guitar (Steel)
Erno Neufeld   Fiddle,Violin
Lloyd Perryman   Guitar,Vocals
Buddy Dooley   Bass
Robert W Conzelman   Drums
Rex Call   Fiddle
Fred T. Travers   Accordion
Eddie Martin   Guitar (Steel)
Milton Delugg   Accordion
Nick Pisani   Fiddle,Violin
Robert Barene   Fiddle,Violin
Speedy West   Pedal Steel
Bob Nolan   Vocals
Karl Farr   Guitar
Tim Spencer   Vocals
Muddy Berry   Drums
Pat Brady   Bass,Vocals
Rex Koury   Organ
Tommy Doss   Vocals
Frank Messina   Accordion
Earl Joaquin Murphey   Guitar (Steel)
Deuce Spriggins   Bass
Ken Curtis   Vocals
Ken Carson   Guitar,Vocals
Chet Atkins   Guitar
John Mayhew   Saxophone
Hugh Farr   Fiddle,Violin,Vocals,Mandolin
Joe Maphis   Guitar
Perry Botkin   Guitar
George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher   Bass
Noel Boggs   Guitar (Steel)

Technical Credits

Art Rush   Audio Production,Producer
Steve Sholes   Audio Production,Producer
Walt Heebner   Audio Production,Producer
O.J. Sikes   Memorabilia,Photography
Vern Partlow   Composer
Bob Nolan   Composer
Karl Farr   Composer
Jimmie Davis   Composer
Eliot Daniel   Composer
Rich Kienzle   Liner Notes
Tim Spencer   Composer,Producer
Henri Rene   Producer
Caleb Martin   Composer
The Farr Brothers   Performer
Kuhl Rush   Producer
Steve Nelson   Composer
Irving Bibo   Composer
Stan Jones   Composer
Bob Newman   Composer
Hugh Farr   Composer
Fred Rose   Composer
Darcy Proper   Mastering
John Hudson   Memorabilia,Photography,Product Manager
Johnny Lange   Composer
Rob Santos   Compilation Producer
Vaughn Horton   Composer