Western Swing

[cosmic gumbo]

Actually, how you wear your western scarf is much more important than which guitar you use.



Meanwhile, a telecaster was good enough for Jimmy Bryant and Bill Frisell....Bigsby, wtf?

[nopedals]

Speaking of Roy Lanham, try googling "Smiley Burnette Show OTR"; you can pick up a CD with 50 shows for about $5. Lanham and the Whipporwills are on all of them; Lanham does a smoking guitar instrumental on every show, and backs up the singers on the rest of the show. I find Burnette's cornball humor to be a lot of fun, too. One of the best radio shows ever.

Lanham guitar style is immediately recognizable; on a lot of tunes he plucks the strings with his fingers rather than strumming to get a piano like sound, and has chops unlimited.

[neatomic]

Actually, how you wear your western scarf is much more important than which guitar you use.

thats right!..and it helps if its a nudie...

haha



cheers

ps- my fave ray price track…scarf, nudie and some nice guitars in back

[Stuart Elliott]

The Jazz Rhythm website has a very nice series of shows on western swing with lots of music, some that even WS fans might not know.

Here's the link.

[MarkRhodes]

The Jazz Rhythm website has a very nice series of shows on western swing with lots of music, some that even WS fans might not know.

Here's the link.

Thanks for the link! That's some nifty music.

[SierraTango]

Taste, finesse and great ensemble work from Bruce Forman's Cow Bop. So L-5 thru what looks like a DR sure does the Western Swing guitar tone right. Plus the incredible chops of Mr. Forman-love those Eldon Shamblin runs!

[Stringswinger]

Hard to beat a Gibson archtop through a Fender tube amp for tone. That said, Bruce Forman would sound great playing a Silvertone solid body guitar through a Crate amp. Bruce once told me that no matter what guitar he plays, it always sounds like him and that if he ever finds a guitar that doesn't, he will buy it!

[wintermoon]

cool arrangement.
wonder what Bob Wills thought of Monk?
;^)

[MarkRhodes]

What's the story behind "I'm Sittin' On Top Of The World"?

[Dennis D]

......Every time I hear that song I think of Patsy Cline singing it live on that country show. At the end, one of the guys in the band lets out a howl of approval !

.....as Waylon wrote:

" It don't matter who's in Austin,
Bob Wills is still the King"...

[Greentone]

When Western Swing was really coming on strong in the southwest, the early incarnations of the Fender Pro Amp were the king bee on stages. First in the few woody cabs, then in the luggage linen cabs (so-called tweed), the Pro was the "big" amp. It was designed for steel guitar, but the electric guitarists used it, too.

The octal preamp gave it just the right sound. The simple volume (instrument), volume (microphone), tone arrangement of the Pro Amp up through the 5C5 made for a very useful, very toneful setup.

I have an octal Pro. It sounds excellent for the the Western Swing, Charlie Christian jazz, T-Bone Walker jump blues, etc. The 15" alnico Jensen (I have that, but I currently am using a Weber 15a150) is an exceptionally good speaker with an archtop _or_ a solid-body Fender.

[Stuart Elliott]

What's the story behind "I'm Sittin' On Top Of The World"?

The repertoire of early Western Swing bands included quite a few blues. "Sitting on Top of the World" was one of these. It was first done by the African American Mississippi Sheiks in 1930. Then by Bob Wills in 1936. It's notable enough to have a wikipedia page.

Wills recorded "St. Louis Blues" at his first record session. Other black blues that become Western Swing standards include "Milk Cow Blues" (Kokomo Taylor) and "Corrine Corina" (Bo Carter/Missippi Sheiks), "Four or Five Times" (Jimmie Lunceford/McKinney's Cotton Pickers). There are no doubt others.

There are even a few Western Swing tunes that jumped the other way. The most notable is Hank Penny's "Bloodshot Eyes," which was a big hit for Wynonie Harris.

[neatomic]

can't recommend this mississippi sheiks comp enough…stop and listen…on yazoo label

dylans mined these guys as well, besides sittin..he's covered their the world is gone wrong & i've got blood in my eyes for you..two great tracks



cheers

[neatomic]

btw, if you are new to bob wills and looking for an entry point..or just need a past love rekindled..be sure to check out the tiffany transcriptions..multi volumes of 1946-47 recordings cut in san francisco for radio syndication

my fave is vol 9..jr barnard nice

cheers

[Petimar]

btw, if you are new to bob wills and looking for an entry point..or just need a past love rekindled..be sure to check out the tiffany transcriptions..multi volumes of 1946-47 recordings cut in san francisco for radio syndication

my fave is vol 9..jr barnard nice

the Tiffanies are my favorite Bob Wills along with For The Last Time. In addition to wonderful guitar playing, they have the great electric mandolin playing of Tiny Moore.

[dingusmingus]

Speaking of Junior Barnard on the Tiffany Transcriptions, I just transcribed one of those transcriptions. Great solo that's a model of harmonic clarity. If someone told me this was a Charlie Christian solo, I'm sure I'd believe it.

[campusfive]

For those that need a link to that solo - it starts at about 3:55

[MarkRhodes]

Speaking of Junior Barnard on the Tiffany Transcriptions, I just transcribed one of those transcriptions. Great solo that's a model of harmonic clarity. If someone told me this was a Charlie Christian solo, I'm sure I'd believe it.

Thanks! I'll give this a go tonight.

[dingusmingus]

Thanks! I'll give this a go tonight.

Great, let me know if you spot any mistakes or better fingerings!

[dingusmingus]

For those that need a link to that solo - it starts at about 3:55

Thanks Jonathan!
(And let me say how much I enjoy your blog--thanks for putting so much great info out there!)

[campusfive]

Cheers, man!

[reventlov]

Thanks for posting, campusfive

[goldenwave77]

I love Western Swing...been a fan of Asleep at the Wheel for years...I guess you can say this is the original redneck jazz.

I saw Asleep at the Wheel in Tarrytown, NY (just north of NYC) a few yrs. ago. Really nice old theater here that seats maybe 3000, great-sized venue. Fine, fine show. I remember they played a great version of "Nuages". Just fine, fine musicians with really great interplay. Ray Benson has kept them a top-rate band for a long time, even though the personnel have changed slightly over the years.

Sad to say probably won't see them around here anymore. They didn't even sell out the house: Ignorant borough-politans in New York. (A cosmopolitan is someone who is home anywhere in the world: A borough-politan is someone who feels only at home in the 5 boroughs of New York City, and immediate environs.)

(My son is a freshman at Wake Forest in North Carolina. Brad Paisley is playing a FREE concert at the college. I told him he better get his little behind out there to the concert, if he wants to see one of the baddest tele-twangers around.)

[MarkRhodes]

(My son is a freshman at Wake Forest in North Carolina. Brad Paisley is playing a FREE concert at the college. I told him he better get his little behind out there to the concert, if he wants to see one of the baddest tele-twangers around.)

A Demon Deacon, eh? Yeah, he should definitely check out Brad Paisley. That guy can play and then some. I think this calls for some "Spaghetti Western Swing!"

[MarkRhodes]

Some "Hot Guitar Rag" from George Barnes

Here's a very young Glenn Campbell tearing it up with Phil Baugh