| George Jones & The Smoky Mountain Boys | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | February 17, 2017 |
| Genre | Country, Country Gospel |
| Label | Universal Music LLC |
George Jones & The Smoky Mountain Boys is a studio album by American country music artists George Jones and The Smoky Mountain Boys, who served as Roy Acuff's long-time backing band.
The album was recorded in one session in the early 1970s but had remained unreleased. In the liner notes writer Bill Bentley states, "Finding these tapes now is like discovering a long-lost script that offers secrets from a long gone world. The dozen selections are a peek into a precious freedom, and what a true pioneer can do when the music calls out to them. George Jones recorded more albums than just about any other country singer, but he never made one like this. This is the sound of music played by people who lived their lives serving the true spirit, and sung by a man who walked this world only once." The album is composed of country classics and Gospel standards, several of them composed by Acuff, who was a profound musical influence on Jones. As Jones biographer Rich Kienzle observes, Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys "had an unforgettable dynamic: his fiddling and rough-edged, deeply emotional vocals were accompanied by a raw, traditional string ensemble.” In a 2006 interview with Ray Waddell of Billboard, Jones stated, "I loved Roy Acuff with all my heart, and I never dreamed I'd be able to meet him or see him onstage, or especially become good friends with him." Acuff duets with Jones on his signature song “Wabash Cannonball.” [1]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Low and Lonely" | Floyd Jenkins | 2:20 |
| 2. | "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" | Fred Rose | 3:02 |
| 3. | "Branded Wherever I Go" | Roy Acuff | 1:59 |
| 4. | "We Live in Two Different Worlds" | A.P. Carter | 2:36 |
| 5. | "Beneath That Lonely Mound of Clay" | Acuff | 2:50 |
| 6. | "The Precious Jewel" | Acuff | 2:55 |
| 7. | "Wabash Cannonball" | Carter | 2:00 |
| 8. | "The Great Speckled Bird" | Guy Smith | 3:13 |
| 9. | "Don't Make Me Go to Bed and I'll Be Good" | Hugh Cross | 4:34 |
| 10. | "The Great Judgement Morning" | R.E. Winsett | 3:43 |
| 11. | "Wreck on the Highway" | Dorsey Dixon | 2:32 |
| 12. | "Night Train to Memphis" | Owen Bradley/Marvin Hughes/Beasley Smith | 2:18 |
George Glenn Jones was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice and phrasing. For the last two decades of his life, Jones was frequently referred to as "the greatest living country singer", "The Rolls-Royce of Country Music", and had more than 160 chart singles to his name from 1955 until his death in 2013.
Roy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful. In 1952, Hank Williams told Ralph Gleason, "He's the biggest singer this music ever knew. You booked him and you didn't worry about crowds. For drawing power in the South, it was Roy Acuff, then God."
Benny Edward Martin, was an American bluegrass fiddler who invented the eight-string fiddle. Throughout his musical career he performed with artists such as the Bluegrass Boys, Don Reno, the Smoky Mountain Boys and Flatt and Scruggs, and later performed and recorded with the Stanley Brothers, Hylo Brown, Jimmy Martin, Johnnie and Jack, and the Stonemans, among others. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2005.
"The Great Speckled Bird" is a hymn from the southern United States whose lyrics were written by the Reverend Guy Smith, and transcribed by singer Charlie Swain. It is an allegory referencing fundamentalist self-perception during the Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy. The song is in the form of AA, with each section being eight bars in a two-beat meter, with these sixteen bars forming the musical background for each verse. It is based on Jeremiah 12:9, "Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour." It was recorded in 1936 by Roy Acuff. It was also later recorded by Johnny Cash and Kitty Wells, Pearly Brown (1961), Hank Locklin (1962), Marty Robbins (1966), Lucinda Williams (1978), Marion Williams, and Jerry Lee Lewis. George Jones & The Smoky Mountain Boys also recorded it in the early 1970s.
Branded Man is the fourth studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers. It was released on Capitol Records in 1967.
"I Saw the Light" is a country gospel song written by Hank Williams. Williams was inspired to write the song while returning from a concert by a remark his mother made while they were arriving in Montgomery, Alabama. He recorded the song during his first session for MGM Records, and released in September 1948. Williams' version did not enjoy major success during its initial release, but eventually it became one of his most popular songs and the closing number for his live shows. It was soon covered by other acts, and has become a country gospel standard.
Memories of Us is an album by American country music artist George Jones, released in 1975 on the Epic Records label. It peaked at #43 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. It is Jones’ 51st Album Release.
"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" is a song written by songwriter Fred Rose. First recorded by Elton Britt in 1946, then made more popular by Roy Acuff in 1947, the song has been covered by many artists, including Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Russell, Charley Pride, and Elvis Presley. Most notably, the song was recorded by Willie Nelson as part of his 1975 album Red Headed Stranger. Both the song and album revived Nelson's success as a singer and recording artist.
The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music was a multi-volume set of recordings released by the Smithsonian Institution. Released in 1981, the collection contains 143 tracks deemed to be significantly important to the history of country music.
Grand Ole Opry's New Star is the debut studio album released by George Jones in November 1956 with Starday Records. Produced by Jones' manager Pappy Daily, the album was recorded during early sessions in 1954, throughout 1955, and other sessions in 1956. It is also the first album to be released on the Starday label, a label only four years old.
Harold Bradley "Shot" Jackson was an American country guitarist best known for playing Dobro and pedal steel guitar. He also designed and manufactured guitars under the name Sho-Bud.
Beecher Ray "Pete" Kirby, better known as Bashful Brother Oswald, was an American country musician who popularized the use of the resonator guitar and Dobro. He played with Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Roy Milton Huskey was a prominent American upright bass player in country music from Nashville, Tennessee. Huskey performed alongside musicians such as Chet Atkins, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, George Jones, Steve Earle, Doc Watson and many others. His father, Roy Madison "Junior" Huskey, was also a notable bass player.
I Wanta Sing is an album by country singer George Jones. It was released in 1977 on the Epic record label.
Howdy Forrester, born Howard Wilson Forrester, was an American bluegrass fiddler and a popularizer and practiser of the "Texas" or "show fiddle" style. He was a long-time member of Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys.
"Wreck on the Highway" is a classic bluegrass song most commonly associated with Roy Acuff.
Home in San Antone is a 1949 American Western musical film directed by Ray Nazarro, and starring Roy Acuff, The Smoky Mountain Boys, The Modernaires, Doye O'Dell, Lyn Thomas, and Bill Edwards. The film was released by Columbia Pictures on April 15, 1949.
Love...& Other Sad Stories is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released in 1978 on MCA Records and was produced by Buddy Killen. The album was Anderson's 28th studio recording in his career and was among his final MCA albums. The record included the song, "I Can't Wait Any Longer". Issued as a single, it became a major country hit and minor crossover hit in 1978. It was Anderson's biggest hit single in several years and relaunched his career as a country pop vocalist. The album itself would also receive reception from writers and would chart in music publications.
A Tribute to Roy Acuff: The King of Country Music is a studio album by American country artist Hank Locklin. It was released in February 1962 via RCA Victor Records. It was co-was produced by Chet Atkins and Anita Kerr. The project was a tribute record to fellow country artist and Grand Ole Opry member Roy Acuff. It featured a collection of 12 songs recorded famously by Acuff up to that point in his own career. The album received positive reviews and reception from critics following its release.
"Freight Train Blues" is an early American hillbilly-style country music song written by John Lair. He wrote it for Red Foley, who recorded the song with the title "I Got the Freight Train Blues" in 1934. The tune was subsequently recorded by several musicians, with popular renditions by Roy Acuff in 1936 and 1947. Bob Dylan later adapted it for his self-titled debut album (1962).