[78-L] Texas Jim Lewis/Tex Russell question

[krabgrass at aol.com]

Cary,

Thank you for contacting Kevin. He forwarded the information you've posted below. It fills in blanks I didn't even know. And reminded me to send Kevin an interview I did with Jim Lewis almost twenty years ago. So, one thanks to both you and Kevin, and Kevin, I'll mail the interview within a week.

Dennis



Message: 1
Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:11:08 -0500
From: soundthink at aol.com
Subject: [78-L]  Question on Texas Jim Lewis recordings
To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
Message-ID: <8CB3E28234FDD9C-538-16B7 at webmail-db02.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



Hi Cary --

?

I guess I'll send this to you and let you forward it. I'm not sure exactly what 
info is required here, since the 3 Tex Russell releases are detailed there from 
the Online disco, but I'll?write what I know. I've corresponded?with Dennis 
Flannigan, but I can't tell if the question you're forwarding me?is from Dennis 
or from the other guy, I'll copy this to Dennis and let one of you forward it to 
the other guy if he is the one who wants to know more.

?

The Tex Russell session appears to have occurred around May-June 1946 and the 
pseudonym, using Tex's middle name, etc, was employed because Tex was still 
under contract to Decca, although apparently pretty disgruntled. I have 4 of the 
six songs (don't have "Put Your Little Foot" & its flip) and will be glad to 
record them for whoever is interested. It's a great session and it is, oddly 
enough, on my MP3 player at this time along with the other Alladin western 
session from this period, the "Joe Maverick" session, which is just the very 
early Western Caravan, with Slim Newman added on vocals.So I've been listening 
to this session lately.

?

The note you forwarded mentions that Jack Rivers recorded for Alladin under his 
name, but that is not the case. He sang at this session on "Texas Tornado" 
(credited on label as Jack Lewis), but his own recording of "Texas Tornado" was 
issued on the Trilon label, cut probably a month or two after this session and 
featuring a similar group. 

?

The band on the Alladin session is very similar if not identical to the one seen 
and heard on Tex's Soundies session, cut in May 1946. It includes: Texas Jim, 
leader & presumably guitar; Jack Rivers, lead guitar; Tommy Sargent, steel 
guitar/guitar; Dude Jackson, vocal; Coby Jones, vo
cal; Max Fidler (Max is the 
soloist), Vern Greenlaw and probably Les Shear, fiddles; Billy Liebert, 
accordion; Hal Deam, piano (great!); 

Ray Graham, drums; Buddy Hayes, bass. I've done this off the top of my heard, so 
I might be missing something, but I think that's pretty close. A great lineup 
and the arrangements and solos are top notch. Would love to hear the 3rd record. 
This personnel is from my research, so if anyone uses it, please give me a 
nod...

?

The Joe Maverick session is really good, too, though Slim Newman's vocals are a 
bit odd (Smokey Rogers sings one song as Joe Maverick). Good solos from Cactus 
Soldi, Johnny Weis and Pedro dePaul...

?

Let me know if there's anything else I can add or clarify -- 

?

Kevin