Spade Cooley

AJ Azure · From: Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.

Neat movie AND at about 4:20 as well 7:00 AND 9;14, steel. Is that Murphy?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RkM2igp82Ec&feature=related

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

Yes, that's Joaquin Murphey on steel guitar. You can see him at around 7:00 on the video sitting on a bale of hay, and there's a close up shot of his double neck Bigsby guitar at the end of the video.

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AJ Azure · From: Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.

forget the itchy toosh syndrome, isn't it hard to carry a bale of hay to every gig? and just where do you put your cables? hehe

Billy Tonnesen · From: R.I.P., Buena Park, California

I am going to post on "Stories" my first meeting with Spade Cooley !

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

Looks like that guitar has horseshoe pickups. It's a different looking instrument than I have ever seen.

Jussi Huhtakangas · From: Helsinki, Finland

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

Great stuff ! Those of us who came up during the Western Swing era really miss the sounds of Spade Cooley...who would ever imagine using a harp in W/S?
And, amazingly, he used two upright bass players which was very unusual. It was a great era. Spade had some mighty fine musicians in his band.

Randy Reeves · From: LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA

the late great Marian Hall told me she had a short stint in his all female band. after learning this I checked out Spade Cooley and rediscovered an era of western swing my late father enjoyed. every now and then I watch some 'hay bale barnyard' show on the tiny round black and white TV.

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

Keoki, not all of Spades guys were great. They had one Klutz. That was me when I subbed. CC

Gary Lynch · From: Creston, California, USA

The Spade Cooley band played all around where I lived in So Cal. The Santa Monica pier was a regular gig. Our tiny town of La Habra had a once a year event called the Corn Festival. Sounds corny right? Spade Cooley and the band often played it during the 1950's. I have 8mm home movies of the band playing and at break time some members of the band including Spade Cooley kissing my mother while my father took the footage. I did not think much about it until these last few years. That band really put on a show with humor and some hot rod licks as well. Those guys were really talented and practiced a lot to get there.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

No doubt that is silent footage, but WOW, still, what a treasure! And, I'll bet it's in color. Whoa!

That's pure Americana that will never be repeated.
Preserving that easily destructable celluloid is a must, as it belongs in a museum somewhere soon, where we can all enjoy it!

Scott Thomas · Posted 24 May 2008 10:31 am

I consider myself a Joaquin Murphy fan, and have most the the Spade Cooley material available on CD, but I tend to agree with whoever described that band as some of the best musicians at the service of some of the worst material and arrangements. I feel Spade watered down the music with the smooth fiddle sections/accordian accompaniments to appeal to a more "sophisticate audience". In so doing, he gutted the music (western swing) of its drive and urgency.

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

Scott writes: "I feel Spade watered down the music with the smooth fiddle sections/accordion accompaniments to appeal to a more "sophisticate audience". In so doing, he gutted the music (western swing) of its drive and urgency."

Well, of course I respect your opinion even though I tend to disagree with you. Spade seemed to have a darned good technical background. He played the "fiddle" with the precision of a highly trained violinist. It would not surprise me a bit to learn that most, if not all of his violinists had a strong classical training background. They were excellent readers, the accordion was a neat fit in the grande scheme of things. Of course, Joachim was indispensible on steel. I enjoyed those arrangements, some of which
other W/S groups later tried to copy. It would sure be nice if someone came along today with a sound as big as Spade produced in W/S. I guess the closest would probably be "Asleep At The Wheel". JMHO

Scott Thomas · Posted 24 May 2008 11:35 am

Keoki, I understand that you have been involved in creating arrangements for a big band? I will have to defer to your expertise on the technical challenges involved in doing that. In the end, it just comes down to what sort of music one likes, of course. As a steel guitar fan, I tend to focus on Murphy and Boggs in that band. I liked Hank Penny's vocals too.

I have some transcriptions of Spade's radio broadcasts. There is some banter between himself and the MC in which they talk about "the east coast critics in their ivory towers" who looked down on that sort of music. Makes me think that Spade was making a conscious effort to shed the "hillbilly" or yokel image with his sound around that time.

It's interesting to me that at about the same time, Bob Wills and Billy Jack Wills were actually stripping the music down to the earlier leaner ensembles of the 30's. Cutting back on horn sections etc. Could have been the economics of the time, as the big bands were losing money, but the arrangements were hipper and more adventurous--taking in elements of bop.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

For me, the earlier Spade was far more interesting and exciting. He shmaltzed it up considerably as time went on into the 50s. Still quality music, but not as fun, by a gazillion miles.

It was typical of the musical times in general, as almost everybody went 'smoother' with thier once robust (can't believe I'm using that word!?!) sound post 1950. It tends to happen to most all genres of music sooner or later. It's deffinitely a sales/marketing strategy that usually leaves the 'music' aspect in the dirt.

Mark Roeder · From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

I agree with most of you on Spade Cooley. I found myself sifting through arrangements looking for that moment of hot soloing. I found when Murphy and others went to Tex Williams' band their solos really opened up.
Mark

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