[78-L] Sons of the Pioneers (was Bob Nolan)

Fri Oct 8 17:28:19 PDT 2010

The Sons of the Pioneers only made two sessions for ARC, both in Los Angeles in 1937; a two-day session in October and one in December. These were the last commercial recordings they made while Roy Rogers was still with them, recording under his real name, Leonard Slye. After that, they returned to Decca, but wouldn't do so until 1941. 

Hugh (1903-1980) and Karl Farr (1909-1961) were brothers born in Texas of Cherokee descent on their mother's side (Karl's middle name was Marx, and that wasn't in honor of Groucho). There was a third brother named Glen. Hugh became a hot fiddler after listening to Coon/Sanders' Kansas City Nighthawks, a group he liked to listen to on the radio. Hugh's hot fiddling was a trademark of the Pioneers' sound. He joined the Rocky Mountaineers in late 1933, when they became the Sons of the Pioneers and stayed with them until 1958. Karl Farr was the guitarist of the two, joining the SOTP in 1935. Although the two generally played in the background, they did do a serious of Venuti/Lang-inspired duets for the Standard Radio Transcription Company in late 1934 and early 1935 (some were recorded under the name The Cornhuskers). They also recorded a series of duets for NBC's Orthacoustic Recording Divisoin in 1940. Their only commercial appearance on 78 under their own names came for two discs made for RCA Victor in 1946. 

The best biography of the Sons of the Pioneers is "Hear My Song: The Story of the Celebrated Sons of the Pioneers," published by the John Edwards Memorial Foundation. The Farr Brothers' transcriptions were issued on two LPs, one on Cattle Records, the other on JEMF's own label. I'm not aware of these being issued on CD.

Cary Ginell

> Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2010 16:23:01 -0700
> From: danvanlandingham at yahoo.com
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Is this Bob Nolan that Bob Nolan?
> 
> My parents grew up listening to The Sons of the Pioneers.I'm very familiar with 
> their RCA recordings.
> What can you tell me about their recordings on ARC?Two I know less about are 
> Karl and Hugh Farr.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> From: Cary Ginell <soundthink at live.com>
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> Sent: Fri, October 8, 2010 9:20:19 AM
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Is this Bob Nolan that Bob Nolan?
> 
> 
> In 1927, the Sons of the Pioneers' Bob Nolan was "riding the rods" as a hobo. 
> His real name was Robert Clarence Nobles, born in New Brunswick, Canada on April 
> 1, 1908. Nolan was enamored with the American Southwest, which inspired all of 
> his compositions that he wrote for the Pioneers. He attended school at the 
> University of Arizona at Tucson. He arrived in Los Angeles in 1929. His first 
> role in entertainment was with a Chatauqua show, but when that didn't work out, 
> he got a job as a lifeguard. He didn't think about becoming a professional 
> singer until he answered an ad in the Los Angeles Herald for a yodeler. This was 
> in 1931. The young man conducting the audition was a 20-year-old from Duck Run, 
> Ohio named Leonard Slye. Slye (who would later become Roy Rogers) and Nolan 
> formed a trio called the Rocky Mountaineers with friend Bill Nichols. This was 
> the start of the Sons of the Pioneers.
> 
> Do not assume facts about a person just because they share the same name. 
> Nolan's biography shows that not only was he in the wrong part of the country to 
> participate in a dance band recording session, it was entirely opposite his 
> nature to do so. Nolan was an outdoorsman and a naturalist through and through. 
> His voice is very distinctive; one of the most easily recognizable in country 
> music. The only person to approximate his voice was Tommy Doss, who was in the 
> Pioneers in the 1940s after Nolan had left. 
> 
> 
> Cary Ginell
> 
> > From: bowiebks at isomedia.com
> > To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> > Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2010 08:21:21 -0700
> > Subject: Re: [78-L] Is this Bob Nolan that Bob Nolan?
> > 
> > Cary,
> > 
> > I had always assumed that the Bob Nolan who sang with the Ray Miller Orch 
> > around 1928-29 was the SOTP guy, but is he in fact the same one who was 
> > with Steele in 1927?
> > 
> > 
> > Taylor
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Cary Ginell" <soundthink at live.com>
> > To: <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> > Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 6:44 AM
> > Subject: Re: [78-L] Is this Bob Nolan that Bob Nolan?
> > 
> > 
> > >
> > > It is not the same Nolan. And the Blue Steele sides are probably 1927, not 
> > > 1937. The SOTP Nolan would never have sung in a dance band. It just wasn't 
> > > in his nature. He was a cowboy singer, through and through.
> > >
> > > Cary Ginell
> > >
> > >> Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2010 08:50:20 +0100
> > >> From: julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk
> > >> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> > >> Subject: Re: [78-L] Is this Bob Nolan that Bob Nolan?
> > >>
> > >> Dennis Flannigan wrote:
> > >> > Have Victor 21068, Blue Steele and his Orchestra (7/13/37). Vocal 
> > >> > refrain on
> > >> > both sides by Bob Nolan. Sons of the Pioneers, or just another Bob
> > >> > bob-bobbing along?
> > >> >
> > >> > df
> > >> > _______________________________________________
> > >> This has been discussed before. I think the consensus was that they
> > >> weren't the same.
> > >>
> > >> Julian Vein
> > >> _______________________________________________
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> > >> http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l
> > >
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> > 
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