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Others, less perceptive, failed to heed the writing on the wall and fell by the
wayside. Overnight, country music had become big business and a new
generation of stars like Pee Wee King, Rosalie Allen and Johnny Tyler was
born. We hope to create a few sparks here, by presenting some gems from the
very best of the RCA Victor roster.
Some collectors may cast a quizzical eye at the inclusion of the likes of Hal
Lone Pine, Eddie Hill and Homer & Jethro - artists not normally known for
memorable recordings - but rest assured, these are all entertaining waxings!
Quite coincidentally, all of the artists featured here were in fact well established
in the thirties. Sadly, due to space limitations, we cannot include as much detail
as we would have liked about these fascinating characters.
Pee Wee King’s career was well documented on his Bear Family Box
Set (BCD 15727), so space limitations, unfortunately force us to refer you
there for detailed information. If you don’t possess that set, then you should,
it’s great fun. In 1946, after Pee Wee’s band made a recording for the Nashville
based Bullet label, a thirteen year association with RCAVictor began, during
which, King out more songs than a country boy could shake a stick at! Amongst
this wealth of material was his 1950 cover of Johnnie Lee Wills’ hit
Rag
Mop
. Of course, Pee Wee was no stranger to the charts himself, enjoying
considerable success with such recordings as
Tennessee Waltz, Slow Poke
and
Silver And Gold.
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