Joaquin Murphey - various songs on Western Swing 78 blog

Lap steels, resonators, multi-neck consoles and acoustic steel guitars

Moderator: Brad Bechtel

User avatar
Brad Bechtel
Moderator
Posts: 8146
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm

Joaquin Murphey - various songs on Western Swing 78 blog

Post by Brad Bechtel »

http://westernswing78.blogspot.com/2009 ... rphey.html

This is one of my favorite music blogs, and they've posted a collection of songs featuring Joaquin Murphey. (They also quote from my site and give credit...go figure!)

As with all of their stuff, the recording quality is variable, but it's great to have this all in one place.
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars
Ron Whitfield
Posts: 6895
Joined: 15 Nov 2002 1:01 am
Location: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
Contact:

Sweet find!

Post by Ron Whitfield »

Thanx!

If only I could dload...
Mitch Drumm
Posts: 2664
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake

Post by Mitch Drumm »

That looks like the Joaquin compilation that Jeremy Wakefield put together some years back and sent out to a few Joaquin fanatics.
User avatar
Andy Sandoval
Posts: 5176
Joined: 22 Jul 2004 12:01 am
Location: Bakersfield, California, USA
Contact:

Post by Andy Sandoval »

Ron Whitfield wrote:Thanx!

If only I could dload...
All you gotta do is click on the download link below the album contents list.
Ron Whitfield
Posts: 6895
Joined: 15 Nov 2002 1:01 am
Location: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
Contact:

Sez you!

Post by Ron Whitfield »

:lol: Andy, I don't have a PC at present, and what I'm using has it's limits. But Brad has graciously offerred to zip me the files to enjoy. But thanx! :)
User avatar
Stan Schober
Posts: 611
Joined: 19 Aug 2009 3:05 pm
Location: Cahokia, Illinois, USA

Post by Stan Schober »

Brad, Thank You so much for the link to this wonderful collection !
User avatar
CrowBear Schmitt
Posts: 11624
Joined: 8 Apr 2000 12:01 am
Location: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
Contact:

Post by CrowBear Schmitt »

Thanx Brad
gotta love Murph ;-)
User avatar
Bill Leff
Posts: 1886
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Santa Cruz, CA, USA

Post by Bill Leff »

What a great blog site!

Thanks so much for sharing this with us Brad.

-Bill
User avatar
Guy Cundell
Posts: 901
Joined: 31 Jul 2008 7:12 am
Location: More idle ramblings from South Australia
Contact:

Post by Guy Cundell »

Much appreciated. Many thanks.
User avatar
Drew Howard
Posts: 3910
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: 48854
Contact:

Post by Drew Howard »

Brad,

Thanks a ton for the link. It's a huge win for us fans.

Drew
User avatar
Kevin Brown
Posts: 621
Joined: 15 Jun 2005 12:01 am
Location: England
Contact:

Post by Kevin Brown »

Im really struggling too download this, the decompressing part was left running all last night and still running this morning, an emabarrasing waste of energy, just looking at that list of downloadable titles makes me drool.
If any kind soul could put this on a disc for me you'd have a friend for life over here, I'll pm my address should this happen, many thanks
Paul DiMaggio
Posts: 318
Joined: 5 Dec 2008 9:03 am
Location: Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada

Post by Paul DiMaggio »

Darn!This is one of those "maybe I should burn my steel guitar" moments.Mr Murphey is just plain incredible.Thanks for posting this,Brad.
User avatar
Kevin Brown
Posts: 621
Joined: 15 Jun 2005 12:01 am
Location: England
Contact:

Post by Kevin Brown »

Just like to say a big thanks to Bill Leff for helping me out, I now have the files
User avatar
Guy Cundell
Posts: 901
Joined: 31 Jul 2008 7:12 am
Location: More idle ramblings from South Australia
Contact:

Post by Guy Cundell »

These recordings are just fabulous!! but I am left wanting more. 8 or 16 bars of JM just isn't enough but I guess that is a fairly standard approach for big swing bands.

I have ordered "Spade Cooley live at the Santa Monica Pier 1945/46" from the Bear Family in the hope that maybe he stretches out a bit more live but I'm not holding my breath. I expect that the arrangements live will be as tight as on the recordings.

What great accordion playing throughout this collection!!

"Artistry in Western Swing" is a wild track. Touches of Ellington here and there. I was thinking that maybe it was recorded in the late 50s but it is credited as being recorded with Tex Williams and was cut in 1948.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 25337.html

I would love to be able to date of the rest of this collection. Any suggestions?
User avatar
Andy Volk
Posts: 10251
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Boston, MA
Contact:

Post by Andy Volk »

Artistry in Western Swing was originally (at the time) a famous post-war arrangement by the Stan Kenton band named (I think) Artistry in Rhythm. This was considered fairly hip and progressive in big band circles and that a "country" group would cut it lick for lick was (and still is) mind blowing. Western Swing musicians were the equal or better of many big band musicians. This kind of music was later labled "third stream".
Mitch Drumm
Posts: 2664
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake

Post by Mitch Drumm »

Guy:

These recordings were all made between about 1946 and 1954.

The earliest would be the Plainsmen recordings.

The latest would be Break Up Down and You Clobbered Me.

Without actually checking, I'd guess more were done pre 1950 than post 1950.

I often wonder what Joaquin was doing in the last half of the 1950s. Offhand, I can't think of any recordings. Maybe a Spade Cooley LP?
User avatar
Mike Neer
Posts: 10990
Joined: 9 Dec 2002 1:01 am
Location: NJ
Contact:

Post by Mike Neer »

Joaquin recorded Fidoodlin' with Spade Cooley in '59. That's a good record to get--Roy Lanham is also on it.
User avatar
Matt Berg
Posts: 368
Joined: 11 Feb 2009 10:07 am
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
Contact:

Billy Briggs

Post by Matt Berg »

They also have 3 volumes of Billy Briggs and the XIT Boys on that website. While Billy Briggs may not have been an inspired genius, there's something about the workmanlike steadiness of his playing that is something that I can aspire to. Seems like a good feel for typical 40's Texas roadhouse music. Check him out, I had only been familiar with him as the writer of Chew Tobacco Rag previously.
User avatar
Andy Sandoval
Posts: 5176
Joined: 22 Jul 2004 12:01 am
Location: Bakersfield, California, USA
Contact:

Post by Andy Sandoval »

Try clickin on one of the many listed links on the left side for lots more than that one Joaquin Murphey download.
Matthew Dawson
Posts: 501
Joined: 1 May 2009 1:06 pm
Location: Portland Oregon, USA

Post by Matthew Dawson »

The Johnnie Lee Wills transcriptions from this blog sometimes have some inspired steel playing on them. Anyone know who played steel on these?
Last edited by Matthew Dawson on 7 Sep 2009 11:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jussi Huhtakangas
Posts: 2134
Joined: 27 Aug 2001 12:01 am
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Contact:

Post by Jussi Huhtakangas »

Mitch, Murph is also on Spade's mid 50's Decca Dance-o-rama LP. And then there are the series of rare Club Of Spade LP's that include live recordings ( tv or radio show maybe )from the 50's. Not a whole lot of steel in them but some truly incredible cuts, including an instrumental version of I Can't Give You anything But Love; Murph swings away with a big band horn section backing him up.
Mitch Drumm
Posts: 2664
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake

Post by Mitch Drumm »

Matthew:

Buster Magness played on at least some of the Schmitt transcriptions. Tommy Elliot played with Johnnie Lee at times as well, but I don't know if he is on these particular transcriptions.

Jussi:

Yeah, I am aware of the Danceorama, but if memory serves, none of them were on Jeremy's CD of Murphey? I don't think he recorded anything for Decca after 1954.

I have those Club of Spade LPs by Tex and Spade, but have not listened to them in at least 15 years to ID Joaquin for sure.

Have you checked the Club Of Spade song titles?

The Murphey tracks I know of are:

Rock around the clock
I can't give you anything but love
Wake up susan
Night and day
Little brown jug
Sweet georgia brown
Judy
Steel guitar rag
Florida


There might be others, but my LPs are in deep storage and I can't check.

Murphey's ride on Florida may be my favorite of all of them.

I have traced about 285 recordings by Joaquin and suspect the total is in the 300-325 area.

I have always wondered about the exact date on these. Other than the "Fidoodlin" LP, the Club of Spade recordings may be the last thing he did before the Hawaii Forever cassette or the Midland LP?
User avatar
Darrell Urbien
Posts: 315
Joined: 20 Oct 2006 12:01 am
Location: Echo Park, California

Post by Darrell Urbien »

:D
Last edited by Darrell Urbien on 8 Sep 2009 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
Matthew Dawson
Posts: 501
Joined: 1 May 2009 1:06 pm
Location: Portland Oregon, USA

Post by Matthew Dawson »

Thanks Mitch! Buster is the name mentioned on the programs where I think the steel playing is really good. Now who can tell me more about the biography of Buster Magness and what tuning(s) did he use?
User avatar
Mark Roeder
Posts: 895
Joined: 25 Sep 2007 11:22 am
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Post by Mark Roeder »

Thanks for the heads up, Brad. It's great stuff. I think its helpful for the newer members (2yrs for me)when something of interest gets reposted from years ago.
www.deluxe34.com lap steel stands, Clinesmith, Gibson Console Grande, Northwesterns, The Best Westerns
https://www.facebook.com/TheBestWesterns
Post Reply