Merle Travis - The Very Best of Merle Travis

Title: The Very Best of Merle Travis Artist: Merle Travis Release Date: 9/17/2002 Label: Varese Album Type(s): Greatest Hits UPC: 030206637021 Genre: Country Styles: Traditional Country, Instrumental Country, Country Boogie, Americana Moods: Amiable/Good-Natured, Lively, Innocent, Organic, Confident, Playful, Sentimental, Freewheeling, Gentle, Light, Refined/Mannered, Reflective, Relaxed, Smooth, Stylish, Warm, Earnest, Complex, Earthy Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 0 Number of Discs/SwapaCD Credits: 1

1. 16 Tons
2. Detour Jimmy Wakely, Wesley Tuttle, and Merle Travis
3. Texas Tornado [Instrumental]
4. Nobody
5. John Henry
6. I'll See You in My Dreams [Instrumental]
7. Hominy Grits
8. Guitar Rag
9. Gambler's Guitar
10. Bye Bye Blues [Instrumental]
11. Follow Through
12. Medley: No Vacancy/Smoke, Smoke, Smoke/I'll See You in My ...

Year Type Label Catalog # 2002 CD Varese 066370

No other editions were found for this album.

With a guitar style so innovative that it has its own name (Travis picking), a comfortable, warm voice, and considerable skills as a songwriter, Merle Travis was a triple-threat performer, merging folk and country with jazz and swing textures, all rolled into a comfortable, down-home populist tone. This collection features live performances drawn from the Jimmy Wakely Radio Show in the mid-'50s, and while it is titled The Very Best of Merle Travis, it really isn't, with only "16 Tons" (a huge crossover hit for Tennessee Ernie Ford in 1955) falling into the "best-of" category. That said, this is a charming set of tunes, with the live setting giving Travis a little room to stretch out and improvise on guitar (he was playing electric by this point in his career), and the radio format is perfect for letting loose his natural good old boy charm. The sound quality is clear and uncluttered, making this an ideal compilation for die-hard Travis collectors. It isn't, however, the place to start for the casual listener. One of the tracks here, the instrumental "Bye Bye Blues," was recorded two decades later, in 1976, and for some reason was inserted in the running order. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

Name Credits Bill Pitzonka Art Direction, Design Cary E. Mansfield Collection Jimmy Wakely Producer Jon Guyot Smith Photography, Liner Notes, Collection, Compilation Steve Massie Digital Remastering