2004 - The Delmore Brothers, Alton (b. 1908) and Rabon (b. 1916), were one of the great early country harmonizing duos who recorded from 1933 to the early '50s and were a significant influence on other sibling duos such as The Louvin Brothers and The Everly Brothers. Their later recordings, from about 1944 on, are fairly widely available but the earlier sides on this 87 track, 4CD set have been harder to find until now. Unusually for that time the Delmores would switch high and low harmony parts from song to song or even within the same song, and whether performing their own songs, traditional ones or gospel they brought a strong bluesy feeling to both their music and their vocals. The subject matter of the songs the duo recorded in the '30s was also akin to the blues, covering such disparate topics as unrequited love, marital problems, the urge to travel to escape from a poor life, plus the nostalgic and more sentimental songs that yearn for days of long ago. This is a typically authoritative JSP coverage of the duo's best early recordings, with extensive essay detailing their life and career.
87 Songs
- CD 1: “Chicago 1933 - New Orleans 1935”
- AIN'T GOT NOWHERE TO TRAVEL
- SMOKEY MOUNTAIN BILL AND HIS SONG
- GONNA LAY DOWN MY OLD GUITAR
- LONESOME YODEL BLUES
- BROWN'S FERRY BLUES
- I'M MISSISSIPPI BOUND
- I'VE GOT THE BIG RIVER BLUES
- THE GIRLS DON'T WORRY ABOUT MY MIND
- BURY ME OUT ON THE PRAIRIE
- THE FROZEN GIRL
- LONESOME JAILHOUSE BLUES
- BLUE RAILROAD TRAIN
- WHEN IT'S SUMMERTIME IN A SOUTHERN CLIME
- BLOW YO' WHISTLE FREIGHT TRAIN
- DOWN SOUTH
- BROWN'S FERRY BLUES- PART 2
- I GOT THE KANSAS CITY BLUES
- ALABAMA LULLABY
- THE FUGITIVE'S LAMENT
- I'M GOING AWAY
- I LONG TO SEE MY MOTHER
- LORENA, THE SLAVE
- CD 2: “Charlotte North Carolina 1936-1937”
- THE NASHVILLE BLUES
- THE LOVER'S WARNING
- I'M WORRIED NOW
- TAKE AWAY THIS LONESOME DAY
- PROMISE ME YOU'LL ALWAYS BE FAITHFUL
- DON'T YOU SEE THAT TRAIN
- IT'S TAKEN' ME DOWN
- THAT YODELIN' GAL- MISS JULIE
- I'M GONNA CHANGE MY WAY
- HAPPY HICKEY- THE HOBO
- LONESOME YODEL BLUES-NO.2
- PUT ME ON THE TRAIL TO CAROLINA
- MY SMOKEY MOUNTAIN GAL
- TAKE ME BACK TO THE RANGE
- NO DRUNKARD CAN ENTER THERE
- SOUTHERN MOON
- FALSE HEARTED GIRL
- THE BUDDED ROSE
- THE BLIND CHILD
- ARE YOU MARCHING WITH THE SAVIOUR
- NO ONE
- CD 3: “Charlotte North Carolina 1937-1938 - Rocky Hill South Carolina 1938-1939”
- LEAD ME
- I NEED THE PRAYERS OF THOSE I LOVE
- I'VE GOT THE RAILROAD BLUES
- THE WEARY LONESOME BLUES
- HEAVENLY LIGHT IS SHINING ON ME
- WONDERFUL THERE
- SINGING MY TROUBLES AWAY
- THEY SAY IT'S SINFUL TO FLIRT
- TILL THE ROSES BLOOM AGAIN
- WHEN WE HELD OUR HYMN BOOKS TOGETHER
- HI DE HO BABY MINE
- GOODBYE BOOZE
- CARELESS LOVE ( BRING MY BABY BACK)
- IN THAT VINE COVERED CHAPEL IN THE VALLEY
- THE CANNON BALL
- 15 MILES FROM BIRMINGHAM
- WHERE IS MY SAILOR BOY
- JUST THE SAME SWEET THING TO ME
- A BETTER RANGE IS HOME
- DON'T LET MY RAMBLIN' BOTHER YOUR MIND
- WABASH BLUES
- GO EASY MABEL
- CD 4: “Atlanta Georgia 1940 - New York 1940-1941”
- OVER THE HILLS
- THE DYING TRUCKDRIVER
- SCATTERBRAIN MAMA
- HAPPY ON THE MISSISSIPPI SHORE
- RAININ' ON THE MOUNTAIN
- SEE THAT COON IN THE HICKORY TREE
- THE STORMS ARE ON THE OCEAN
- BACK TO BIRMINGHAM
- THE EASTERN GATE
- GOD PUT A RAINBOW IN THE CLOUDS
- THERE'S TROUBLE ON MY MIND TODAY
- SILVER DOLLAR
- OLD MOUNTAIN DEW
- IN THE BLUE HILLS OF VIRGINIA
- MAKE ROOM IN THE LIFEBOAT FOR ME
- WHEN IT'S TIME FOR THE WHIP-POOR WILL TO SING
- WILL YOU BE LONESOME TOO?
- BROKEN HEARTED LOVER
- I NOW HAVE A BUGLE TO PLAY
- BABY GIRL
- GOSPEL CANNONBALL
- HONEY I'M RAMBLIN AWAY
