Classic Recording Sessions - On This Date (6/7)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys - 73 years ago

Monday, June 7, 1937

Brunswick Warehouse, Dallas, TX

Bob Wills: fiddle, vocal; Tommy Duncan: vocal; Herman Arnspiger: guitar; Sleepy Johnson: guitar, fiddle; Johnnie Lee Wills: banjo; Leon McAuliffe: steel guitar; Joe Ferguson: bass; Smokey Dacus: drums; Jesse Ashlock: fiddle; Cecil Brower: fiddle: Al Stricklin: piano; Everett Stover: trumpet; Ray DeGeer: clarinet, sax; Zeb McNally: sax; Robert Dunn: trombone.

Porter Wagoner - 53 years ago

Friday, June 7, 1957 (9:00 pm - 1:30 am)

RCA Victor Studio, Methodist Television, Radio & Film Commission, 1525 McGavock St., Nashville, TN

Porter Wagoner: vocal, guitar; Red Gale: vocal; Hank Garland: guitar; Hamilton Wilson: guitar; Don Warden: vocal; Basil Burnette: steel guitar; Ernie Newton: bass; Louis Dunn: drums; Marvin Hughes: piano.

Producer: Chet Atkins

I'm going to let the music of these two sessions do most of the talking today. Other than to pose a point to consider: 20 years span these two sessions, and I think it's interesting to note the huge advancement in country music in that time. Now, take a current hit on country radio, then back up to a random Garth Brooks or Reba track from 1990 and see if that much has changed in the past 20 years. A lot of factors go in to that, I realize, so it's not a perfectly clean comparison. But even still, it's a pretty staggering difference. I hope you enjoy today's two recording sessions.

Classic Recording Sessions - On This Date (6/6)

Spade Cooley - 64 years ago

Thursday, June 6, 1946

CBS Studio (Radio Station KNX), 6121 Gower & Sunset Blvd., Hollywood 28, CA

Spade Cooley: fiddle; Tex Williams: vocal; Smokey Rogers: guitar, vocal; John Weis: guitar; Noel Boggs: steel guitar; Muddy Berry: drums; Andrew Soldi: fiddle; Paul Feathersone: harp; Pedro DePaul: accordion; George Barmby: accordion; unknown: piano & bass.

This is a historic date for Spade Cooley as it was his last with vocalist Tex Williams and the majority of the band featured on this session. It was also his last for Columbia. After this, Cooley would move to RCA Victor with a less successful band, both artistically and commercially. Tex Williams took a good part of this band with him to Capitol Records where he had several hits of his own. This session is steel guitarist Noel Boggs's first with Cooley. Though Boggs continued with Cooley after this session, the magic for the Spade Cooley band was pretty much gone. They did have some success after these recordings, but the golden era was pretty much past. Seems like we're ending on a down note, so hopefully that doesn't detract from this wonderful recording session we're featuring today. Hope you enjoy it...