Playlist 11/2/2008 - Kenny & Bettyanne, Hank, Homer & Jethro, Eddy, Buell, Uncle Dave, Grandpa, Al, and J. E.

Another short show because of a UCONN sports preemption, but we packed in some interesting old music in our hour.

We played a song each from the husband/wife team of Kenny and Bettyanne Roberts. Kenny was the first to record "Blue" which was a hit much later for Lee Ann Rimes. Bettyanne is a fine songwriter and singer, and "Right In Front of Me" is a song she wrote and sang.

We played a couple of Hank Williams songs from a 1949 radio show and then a Hank Williams song parody from Homer & Jethro.

We found several 1945 radio broadcasts of Eddy Arnold and The Checkerboard Fun Fest, and put on one of those shows that included the DeZurik Sisters, known as the "Cackle Sisters" on the Fun Fest.

In an acknowledgment of current events, we played some early 20th century songs about elections and politics (we are strictly an apolitical show and only play historical political songs). From the early old time and hillbilly songs we picked, it seemed the primary issue of concern for Buell H. Kazee, the Carolina Night Hawks, and Uncle Dave Macon between 1927 and 1929 was the repeal of prohibition. On a slightly more serious note, Grandpa Jones took sides against communism in support of private property in 1952.

We finished with a couple of old string band tunes from and Al Hopkins & His Buckle Busters and J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers. The latter did a song he heard a drunken fiddler perform just prior the man being hit and killed by a passing train. J. E. went back the next day to the scene of the mishap, collected the remains of the man's fiddle, and repaired it to be one of his first instruments.

You can hear the show again at this link.

Jim & Marti

Title / Artist / Album / Label

• Hattie Dalton "Old Red Rooster Party" Introduction (1994)
• Religion Is A Fortune (1949) / The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet / Complete Recorded Works Vol. 6 / Document
• Blue (1988) / Kenny Roberts / You're My Kind of People / Bluebonnet
• Right In Front of Me / Bettyanne Roberts / The Singer - The Songwriter / Self produced
• You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave) (1949) / Hank Williams / The Final Sessions / Proper
• A Tramp On The Street (1949) / Hank Williams / The Final Sessions / Proper
• Your Clobbered Heart (1953) / Homer & Jethro / Volume 3 / B.A.C.M
• Eddy Arnold and The Checkerboard Fun Fest (1945) / Radio Program with The Cackle (DeZurik) Sisters, Louis Buck, Shelby Jean Davis, Speedy McNett, etc.
• Election Day In Kentucky - Part 1 (1929) / Buell H. Kazee / Mountain Frolic / JSP
• Election Day In Kentucky - Part 2 (1929) / Buell H. Kazee / Mountain Frolic / JSP
• Governor Al Smith For President (1927) / Carolina Night Hawks / Music From The Lost Provinces / Old Hat
• Governor Al Smith (1928) / Uncle Dave Macon / Classic Sides / JSP
• I'm No Communist (1952) / Grandpa Jones / You're Never Too Old For Love / B.A.C.M
• Black Eyed Susie (1927) / Al Hopkins & His Buckle Busters / Mountain Frolic / JSP
• Drunkard's Hiccups (1939) / J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers / 1935-1939 / B.A.C.M

Playlist 10/19/2008 - Kenny Roberts: King of the Yodelers

Happy Birthday, Kenny Roberts!

We are very fortunate to have a music legend living nearby in New England. Kenny Roberts, King of the Yodelers, though born in Tennessee, grew up near Athol, Massachusetts, and got his start in music while a teen in New England working with Yodeling Slim Clark, and then the Down Homers.

WW2 interrupted things for a while in the 1940s, but along the way Kenny trained his wartime replacement, Bill Haley (yes, THAT Bill Haley), who relinquished the job when Kenny returned. Kenny then recorded a beautiful 78 RPM picture disc on the Vogue label, "Out Where The West Winds Blow," that introduced his future wife and songwriter, the beautiful Bettyanne, to his unbelievable singing voice.

A string of solo songs followed on the Coral label (a division of Decca) that included the huge hit "I Never See Maggie Alone" which reached the #9 position on the pop charts in 1949 and #4 on the country charts, followed by "Choc'late Ice Cream Cone."

Kenny won the World Championship Yodeling title at Madison Square Garden in 1964 singing the most amazing version of "She Taught Me To Yodel" that has ever been sung.

Kenny celebrated his 82nd birthday on October 14, so we celebrated on RRP by replaying an interview we had with Kenny two years ago after his 80th birthday, and then topped it off by having Kenny join us live at the end of the show.

If you missed it, you can go here to listen.

Kenny loves to get letters and frequently responds. You can write to Kenny and Bettyanne at:

Kenny Roberts
165 Allen Street
Athol, MA 01331

Kenny and Bettyanne also have e-mail which is not quite as reliable as snail mail:

kennybett (at) verizon.net be sure to replace the (at) with "@"

Songs played during the interview:

Kenny Roberts' first recording...

Out Where The West Winds Blow (1946) / Kenny Roberts and the Down Homers / Vogue 78RPM Picture Disc

Kenny said he sold over a million of this next song which was also his biggest hit. It reached #9 on the pop charts and #4 on the country charts...

I Never See Maggie Alone (1949) / Kenny Roberts / Jumpin' & Yodelin' / Bear Family

This next song is probably the most amazing demonstration of yodeling you will ever hear...

She Taught Me To Yodel (1953) / Kenny Roberts / Jumpin' & Yodelin' / Bear Family

Kenny's wife, Bettyanne, is a fine songwriter and singer. She wrote and performed the following song about an adopted child...

Pretty (1988) / Bettyanne Roberts / The Singer - The Songwriter / self-released

The following song was nearly as popular as "Maggie." Kenny performed it regularly on his children's television shows...

Choc'late Ice Cream Cone (1950) / Kenny Roberts / Jumpin' & Yodelin' / Bear Family

Kenny still performs and records occasionally, and still retains his wonderful voice. The following song is one of his later country recordings...

Those Pretty Eyes (1988) / Kenny Roberts / Then and Now / Longhorn

Happy Birthday, Kenny Roberts!

Playlist 10/5/2008 - Nick Reynolds, Children's Songs, Classic Country

Hi Folks.

We were preempted again as seems to be the case nearly every week during UCONN soccer season, but we managed to slip in an hour's worth of RRP.

We paid tribute to recently-departed Kingston Trio member Nick Reynolds by playing two of the Kingston Trio's biggest hits that Nick happened to sing, and played earlier songs from whence the Trio's versions came.

We also debuted a recently-released CD from the Yazoo label of children's songs from the early 20th century, and we finished with some good ole early and classic country, including an earlier 1935 version of "You're Bound To Look Like A Monkey" from Milton Brown (dedicated to the WHUS sports crew, of course) to augment the 1952 Hank Penny version we played two weeks earlier, and squeezed in some Delmore Brothers tunes and a great country song from RRP friend Kenny Roberts.

Tune in next week when Jeff and Earl, two great listeners, will be picking the tunes and shooting the bull.

Thanks for listening.

Jim & Marti

Title / Artist / Album / Label

• Massa's In The Cold, Cold Ground (1937) / Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet / Complete Recorded Works Volume 1 / Document
  
• The Ship That Never Returned (1966) / Sara & Maybelle Carter / Sara & Maybelle Carter / Bear Family
• Wreck Of The Old Southern 97 (1924) / Vernon Dalhart / Country Music Pioneers on Edison / Document
• M.T.A. (1959) / The Kingston Trio / Collector's Series / Capitol
• Tom Dooley (1964) / Doc Watson / The Essential Doc Watson / Vanguard
• Tom Dooley (1958) / The Kingston Trio / Collector's Series / Capitol
• I Am Just What I Am (1938) / Homer Briarhopper (Homer Lee Drye) / The Story That The Crow Told Me Vol. 1 / Yazoo
• Pretty Little Pink (1929) / Bradley Kincaid / The Story That The Crow Told Me Vol. 1 / Yazoo
• King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-me-o (1929) / Chubby Parker / The Story That The Crow Told Me Vol. 1 / Yazoo
• Hop Along Peter (1938) / Fisher Hendley & His Aristocratic Pigs / The Story That The Crow Told Me Vol. 1 / Yazoo
• Blue Yodel (1927) / Jimmie Rodgers / Howdy - 25 Hillbilly All-Time Greats / Living Era
• Red Wing (1927) / Riley Puckett / Howdy - 25 Hillbilly All-Time Greats / Living Era
• Hey, Good Lookin' (1952) / Hank Williams / American Music Legends Volume Two / Cracker Barrel
• You're Bound To Look Like A Monkey (1935) / Milton Brown & His Musical Brownies / Daddy Of Western Swing / Proper
• In The Blue Hills Of Virginia / The Delmore Brothers / 1940-1941 / JSP
• Make Room In The Lifeboat For Me (1940) / The Delmore Brothers / 1940-1941 / JSP
• A Mighty Pretty Waltz (1952) / Kenny Roberts / Jumpin' & Yodelin' / Bear Family