Saturday, October 31, 2015

Bluegrass Today Recognizes Joe Bussard on Red Rooster Party

Dick Bowden
We were delighted to see an article written by long time WHUS listener, Dick Bowden, in the premier web-based bluegrass music news site, Bluegrass Today.  Dick captured how Joe came to be on Red Rooster Party very well.  Take a look at the article here.


Tune in to WHUS every Sunday between 2 and 4pm ET for Red Rooster Party.  Joe Bussard's Country Classics will appear on the show, usually at the first half-hour mark following the show start or the end of a sports preemption.  It's at 91.7 FM in eastern Connecticut and surrounding areas of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and it streams at fm.whus.org everywhere else.

Joe Bussard in his basement studio



Sunday, October 25, 2015

Playlist - 10/25/2015 - Joe Bussard #3 and Much More

Hi Folks.

We almost had a full two hours today because the sports preemption was not as destructive as usual.


Some of Joe Bussard's Collection of 78s
We began with a regular Red Rooster Party program and at the first half-hour mark turned the airwaves over to Joe Bussard for his third program on WHUS Red Rooster Party. Joe included a couple of songs appropriate for upcoming Halloween.  You can hear Joe's third show at this link. You can also hear Joe's first show here, and his second show here.

We also introduced some tracks from a new collection titled The Year Of Jubilo that was produced by Joe Bussard from 78s from his collection of songs and tunes of the War Between The States.

We also heard from the late Bill Keith (who just passed Friday 10/23), Benton Flippen, Jimmy Driftwood, Patti Powell, Johnny Horton, Connie SmithGeorge & Melba, Ernest Tubb, The Louvin Brothers, The Browns Ferry Four, The Blue Sky Boys, The Cooke Duet, and The Carter Family (post-Maybelle).



It is unusual to have anything newer than the 1960s on Red Rooster Party, but this show introduced great new music with an old aesthetic in the form of David Peterson's new gospel album, Spencer Branch old-time and bluegrass band from E. Tennessee, and The South Carolina Broadcasters' new album.


We hope you enjoyed our old music, even the newer variety.  We love feedback which you can provide in the comments below.  If you would like to contact Joe Bussard directly, you can do so at e-mail address joesvintage78@aol.com   
Joe loves to hear from you!

See you next week at 2pm ET.


Jim Beaver


Artist / Song / Album / Label / Year
  • Golden Gate Quartet / Ride On Moses / Complete Recorded Works Volume 6 / Document / 1950
  • Doc & Chickie Williams / Listen To The Mockingbird / One Heart One Life / Wheeling / unk
  • George Jones / The Race Is On / She Thinks I Still Care / Bear Family / 1965
  • Bradley Kincaid / Some Little Bug Is Goin' To Get You Some Day / A Man and His Guitar (Vol. 2) / JSP Records / 1933
  • The South Carolina Broadcasters / J'ai Passe Devant Ta Porte / Tell Me Truly / John Boy & Billy / 2015
  • Bill Keith & Jim Rooney / Devil's Dream / Livin' On The Mountain / PrestigeFolklore / 1963
Joe Bussard's Country Classics #3 
  • Gid Tanner & His Skillet-Lickers with Riley Puckett & Clayton McMichen / Molly Put The Kettle On / 78 RPM Single / Columbia / 1931
  • The Tennessee Ramblers / Tennessee Traveler / 78 RPM single / Vocalion / 1929
  • Buddy Starcher / In Memory of Halloween / 78 RPM Single / 4-Star / 1946
  • The Prairie Ramblers / The Ghost And The Graveyard / 78 RPM Single (unissued) / ARC / 1935
  • The Prairie Ramblers / The Music Goes 'Round And Around / 78 RPM Single / Perfect / 1936
  • Jimmie Rodgers / Jimmie's Mean Mama Blues / 78 RPM Single / Victor / 1930
  • Wade Mainer & Sons of the Mountaineers / Lonely Tomb / 78 RPM single / Bluebird / 1938


  • Ernest Stoneman / Pass Around the Bottle / The Year Of Jubilo / Dust-to-Digital / 1927
  • Da Costa Woltz’s Southern Broadcasters / John Brown's Dream / The Year Of Jubilo / Dust-to-Digital / 1927
  • Benton Flippen and the Smokey Valley Boys / Polly Put The Kettle On / Beware Of Dog / Heritage / 2006
  • Jimmy Driftwood / Tennessee Stud / Voice of the People / Monument / 1966
  • Patti Powell / Long Haul Widow / The Wheeling Years / Self-released / 1971
  • Johnny Horton / Honky Tonk Man / Columbia Country Classics - Honky Tonk Heros Vol. 2 / Columbia / 1956
  • Connie Smith / If It Ain't Love (Let's Leave It Alone) / The Lost Tapes / Country Rewind / 1970s
  • Connie Smith / Long Black Limousine / The Lost Tapes / Country Rewind / 1970s
  • George Jones & Melba Montgomery / I Let You Go / She Thinks I Still Care / Bear Family / 1963
  • Ira & Charlie Louvin / The Last Old Shovel / A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers / Gusto / 1960
  • The Brown's Ferry Four / Rockin' On The Waves / Rockin' On The Waves / JSP / 1946
  • Ernest Tubb / You Nearly Lose Your Mind / The Definitive Collection / MCA / 1942
  • The Blue Sky Boys / When Heaven Comes Down / Classic Country Remastered: Atlanta,GA-New York City 1940-1947 / JSP Records / 1949
  • Spencer Branch / Rest For The Wicked / Ashe County Outlaws / Self-released / 2015
  • David Peterson / Old Time Power / Old Time Power / Self-Produced / 2015
  • The Cooke Duet / Jesus Is A Way Maker / The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow / Self-released / c.1966
  • The Carter Family / I'll Be Satisfied / The Acme Sessions 1952,56, Disc A / JSP Records / 1952
  • The South Carolina Broadcasters / We Shall Meet Someday / Tell Me Truly / John Boy & Billy / 2015

Playlist - 10/18/2015 - Joe Bussard's Country Classics #2 for WHUS

Hi Folks.

Red Rooster Party was completely preempted on this day, but we had Joe Bussard's second show to air in spite of the preemption.  We chose to air Joe Bussard's program on the following show, Bluegrass Cafe.

Because the time was different than the usual, we are making the show available to you at this link.

The playlist is below.

Jim Beaver

All recordings from original 78 RPM singles in Joe Bussard's collection.

Artist / Title / Label / Year
  • Stripling Brothers / The Lost Child / Melotone / 1928  (opening/closing theme)
  • The Happy-Go-Lucky Boys (Clyde, Steve & Hugh) / What-Cha Gonna Do With The Baby / Bluebird / 1940
  • Jimmie Rodgers / Blue Yodel No. II (My Lovin' Gal, Lucille) / Victor / 1928
  • Furry Lewis / Big Chief Blues - Vocalion, 1927
  • Memphis Jug Band / The Memphis Shakedown / Okeh / 1934
  • Roy Acuff and the Crazy Tennesseans / Gonna Have A Big Time Tonight / ARC / 1936
  • Smilin' Jim Eanes and his Shennandoah Valley Boys / Long Journey Home / Blue Ridge / 1953
  • The Carter Family / Little Poplar Log House On The Hill / Okeh / 1940

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Playlist - 10/11/2015 - Introducing Joe Bussard

Hi Folks.

Though UCONN sports continues to whittle our show by an hour most Sundays, we are pressing forward with some of the most interesting music you can find anywhere.
Joe Bussard in his Basement Studio
Today we introduced a new program to WHUS.  As part of Red Rooster Party, we now have a half-hour program of Joe Bussard's Country Classics.  Joe is one of the worlds's best known collectors of 78 RPM shellac records of early country, hillbilly, gospel, blues, and jazz -- especially covering the 1920s and 1930s.  Joe at age 79 has spent most of his life, since he was nine years old, collecting 78 records, for years going door-to-door seeking them out from folks who had them squirreled away in closets and basements, and at old country stores with original store stock.  As a result, Joe's collection is unmatched in quality and content.  We are greatly gifted to have Joe present selections from his collection on our show, all directly from his 78s.
Joe Bussard with part of his collection
To get ready for Joe's debut show, we played a track from the new South Carolina Broadcasters album to be released Tuesday, Bradley Kincaid, Roscoe Holcomb, a 45 single from Patti Powell, Little Jimmy Dickens, and a haunting gospel number from the Cooke Duet.

Joe Bussard's segment included a number from Eck Robertson, one of the earliest country records ever made, and Uncle Dave Macon, Earl Johnson, Sam McGee, The Prairie Ramblers, the raucous Mississippi Jook Band, and the inimitable Blue Sky Boys.

You can hear Joe's first WHUS show here.

Tune in next week for more of this classic greatness on Red Rooster Party with Joe Bussard's Country Classics.  Let us know if you like what you heard.  Joe and I both love the feedback.

Joe's email is:  joesvintage78 (at) aol.com
Jim's email is:  jbeaverjr (at) gmail.com

Jim Beaver

Artist / Song / Album / Label / Year

  • Golden Gate Quartet / Travelin' Shoes / Complete Recorded Works / Document / 1938
  • The South Carolina Broadcasters / Backstep Cindy / Tell Me Truly / John Boy & Billy / 2015
  • Bradley Kincaid / Liza Up In The 'Simmon Tree / A Man And His Guitar / JSP / 1929
  • Blue Ridge Mountain Ramblers / Cricket On the Hearth / Galax, Virginia Old Fiddler's Convention / Old Blue / 2010
  • Roscoe Holcomb / Trouble in Mind / Classic Old-Time Music From Smithsonian Folkways / Smithsonian Folkways / 1961
  • Patti Powell / Your Boots Are By The Door / 45 RPM Single / Hickory / 1971
  • Skeets Martin and Friends / Wheels / Turning Back The Years (Instrumentally) / Self-released / 2001
  • "Little" Jimmy Dickens / Take an Old Cold 'Tater (and Wait) / Columbia Country Classics - Honky Tonk Heroes / Columbia / 1949
  • The Cooke Duet / Where Will I Shelter My Sheep / 45 RPM Single / Self-released / c.1966

Joe Bussard's Country Classics #1 

  • Eck Robertson / Sally Gooden / 78 RPM Single / Victor / 1922
  • Uncle Dave Macon / Whoop 'Em Up, Cindy / 78 RPM Single / Vocalion / 1926
  • Earl Johnson & His Dixie Clodhoppers / I've Got a Woman on Sourwood Mountain / 78 RPM Single / Okeh / 1927
  • The Prairie Ramblers / The Music Goes 'Round And Around / 78 RPM Single / Perfect / 1936
  • Sam McGee / Railroad Blues / 78 RPM single / Champion / 1934
  • Mississippi Jook Band / Skippy Whippy / 78 RPM Single / Melotone / 1936
  • The Blue Sky Boys / Turn Your Radio On / 78 RPM Single / Bluebird / 1940
The intro and outro for Joe's segment is "Lost Child" by The Stripling Brothers, 1928.