Search - Various Artists :: When I Was a Cowboy 1

The genuine article

Darryl Nightingale | 06/17/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Raw and unaffected singing from the 1920's, with sparse musical accompaniment, sometimes just a lone guitar. Excellent sound, considering the age of the recordings.This is seminal music, on a par with the greatest blues recordings of this era, not only in historic importance, but also in sheer originality, enjoyment, and virtuosity. It's roots music, and in it you can still hear an echo of even earlier British origins, for example, in the droning fiddle accompaniment on two tracks by the Cartwright Brothers.The musical culture represented on this disc is not just the precursor of all that has happened since in country music, but is an important corner-stone in the subsequent development of popular music as a whole. Where, for example, would Elvis have been without it?Here's an artist listing which matches the Amazon-provided track listing above (so you can compare this compilation with any others you might own):1.Cartwright Brothers 2.Crain, Edward L. 3.Farley, J.D. 4.Allen, Jules 5.Sprague, Carl 6.Martin & Roberts 7.Maynard, Ken 8.Crowder Brothers 9.McClintock, Harry 10.Patterson, Patt & His Champion Rep... 11.Cartwright Brothers 12.Arkansas Woodchopper 13.Sprague, Carl 14.Lonesome Luke & His Farm Hands 15.Miles, Arthur 16.Miles, Arthur 17.McClintock, Harry 18.Powder River Jack / Lee, Kitty 19.Maxwell, Billie 20.Taylor's Kentucky Boys 21.Devall, Dick 22.Maynard, Ken 23.Watts & WilsonVolume two in the series (also available from Amazon) is every bit as good. Enjoy."