Russell Tony - Country music records: a discography, 1921-1942

Country Music Records A Discography, 19211942

By Tony Russell With editorial research by
Bob Pinson
Assisted by the staff
of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Oxford New York
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without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Russell, Tony.
Country Music Records: A Discography, 19211942 / by Tony Russell; with editorial research by
Bob Pinson assisted by the staff of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 0-19-513989-5
1. 2. 2.

Country musicTo 1951Discography.
I. Pinson, Bob. II. Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum (Nashville, Tenn.). III.

A large number of people have contributed to this work, with no other motive than wishing to see things done right and no other reward than my gratitude and a promise of acknowledgment. A large number of people have contributed to this work, with no other motive than wishing to see things done right and no other reward than my gratitude and a promise of acknowledgment.

That promise I am happy now to keep. In the early 1970s, curious about the recording history of this music that had begun to fascinate me, I started gathering the few discographies of country artists that had been published in collectors magazines and tentatively began to compile some of my own. I came to realize that much of the root-and-trunk information grew in the gardens of jazz and blues discographers, who had long before obtained for their own purposes copies of crucial record company files or, where such files no longer existed, had gone far in reconstructing them. I made contact with one of the keenest members of this fraternity, Bert Whyatt, who over the years has lent me, sometimes for years, such basic source material as Columbia, OKeh, and ARC matrix listings and label numericals (originally furnished to the discographical community by Helene Chmura of Columbia Records), Gennett matrix files (painstakingly transcribed many years earlier by Dan Mahony), and much else. Though publishing relatively little himself, Bert has contributed immeasurably and with unstinting generosity to the work of others. For my part, I can say with perfect accuracy that without his assistance this project could hardly have begun.

I was encouraged from the start and later given much practical help by several of the leading collectors of country records, in particular, David Crisp, Gene Earle, David Freeman, and Frank Mare, who have responded promptly and attentively to innumerable requests for information. David Crisp has not only been an authoritative source of data on Australian issues of country material, but he has checked many of the entries, including some of the longest and most complicated, against his enviable collection. I much appreciate his unflagging encouragement. Gene Earle furnished copies of important label numericals and gave Bob Pinson, my colleague from the Country Music Foundation, and me many hours access to his richly stocked shelves. Frank Mare offered me similar hospitality and let me inspect his copy of a vital Gennett ledger. Many entries herein are based on data gathered by David Freeman, Richard Nevins, and the late Guthrie T.

Meade, including their invaluable primary research into music featured in reissue albums on Freemans County and Nevinss Morning Star labels. They preceded me by some years in documenting the recording history of early country fiddlers and string bands, yet they unselfishly shared their work and gave me numerous leads that enabled me to augment it. I am also grateful to Rich Nevins for organizing the circulation of parts of the manuscript to a panel of collectors, for timely financial assistance at a late stage of the project, and for his constant encouragement. Anyone engaged in the discography of American vernacular music must soon come upon the legacy of its pioneers. Though I never dealt with them in person, I have gratefully derived much essential data from the files and writings of George Blacker, Floy Case, John Edwards, Will Roy Hearne, John K. Robert M. W. W.

Dixon, co-author of Blues & Gospel Records 18901943, lent me a mass of Brunswick/Vocalion data, while Howard Rye, co-author of the fourth edition of that exemplary work, drew on his experience as a blues and jazz discographer to clarify many areas of mystery. Richard K. Spottswood, in compiling his enormous discography of the music of Americas ethnic communities, followed a similar path to my own in the territory of Cajun recordings and discovered much information that I have gratefully borrowed. But his contribution goes further for, in examining company files for his own work, he was able to amplify or illuminate parts of mine. Robert Olson has been the most assiduous discographer of citybilly artists, and I am indebted to his extensive work on the entries for such figures as Vernon Dalhart, Carson Robison, Frank Luther, Frank Marvin, Bob Miller, and the McCravy Brothers. I am glad to acknowledge, at Bobs request, some of his own sources, in particular the Victor discographer Ted Fagan, the Canadian Dalhart collector Jerry Ormond, and the Australian discographer Mike Sutcliffe.

Bob also provided copies of label numericals that he and various colleagues have assembled individually and/or collaboratively. In Texas, Kevin Coffey has conducted a remarkable amount of skillful firsthand research into the history of western swing, and most of the entries in that category have profited from his work. Kevins informants are too numerous to list, but I thank them all. I owe Richard Weize of Bear Family Records special thanks for the wealth of data he elicited from MCA files and for his constant interest in the entire project. John Stoten lent his expertise as the major collector of country records released in Britain. I am also grateful for his research, first published in Old Time Music, into Indian pressings of country material.

I also thank Rob Allingham, who has been a prime source of information on country recordings issued in South Africa, and acknowledge my debt to the voluminous work of the Canadian discographer Alex Robertson. I have also drawn, indirectly, on the Canadian discographical work of Eric Wadin. Richard Johnsons close knowledge of the Gennett ledgers enabled me to refine the dating of this companys complex activities. Among the other collectors and researchers who have contributed to this book, I should especially mention Joe Bussard, Norm Cohen, Harlan Daniel, Steve Davis, Bob Healy, John Larsen, Kip Lornell, Donald L. Nelson, Robert Nobley, Robert K. S. (Stan) Turner, Gayle Dean Wardlow, and Charles K. Wolfe. Wolfe.

But some of these need to be singled out. Norm Cohen made it possible for Bob Pinson and me to examine the holdings of the John Edwards Memorial Foundation, at the time when it was held at the University of California at Los Angeles; in addition, he has shared his thoughts on the structure and methodology of country discographies. Bob Oermann and Mary Bufwack gave me much data from their extensive research into the women of country music and also a delightful pied--terre on several of my visits to Nashville. Charles and Mary Dean Wolfe too have been frequent and liberal hosts to this visiting discographer. No one who has given much time to the study of early country music needs to be alerted to Charles Wolfes prolific and varied writings on the subject, many of which are digested or excerpted in these pages. Charles has also acted as a clearinghouse of information from all directions and given me the chance to join him on many rewarding investigations in the field.

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