[78-L] Hank, the Yodeling Ranger

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cary Ginell" <soundthink at live.com>
> Can you list the record numbers? If you do, I can give you recording dates 
> for probably all of these. Snow started recording for Canadian Bluebird in 
> 1936. He moved over the U.S. in 1949, so there's a 13-year period you're 
> looking at.
> Cary Ginell
>> Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 12:59:21 -0800
>> Just digging through a recently acquired record collection and found 12 
>> 10" RCA VICTOR "BLUEBIRD SERIES" label 78s pressed in Canada, all 
>> recordings of Hank The Yodeling Ranger or Hank the Singing Ranger.  Some 
>> of these sound a lot like Jimmy Rodgers.  A little research revealed 
>> these are actually some early Hank Snow recordings.  WOW!  Imagine what 
>> might have been if Jimmy Rodgers had lived another 30-40 years.
>>
>> Anyway, I know very little about Canadian pressings and was wondering 
>> when these were issued.  Some of the numbers start with 55-xxxx and 
>> others are in the 4xxx series.  All say made in Montreal.  Most are light 
>> blue labels, a couple are dark blue.  I thought they might have been from 
>> an album, but the numbers are not sequential, as you'd expect from an 
>> album set.
>> Any info would be appreciated.
>>
Hank Snow (as well as Wilf Carter) cut their first sides for the Canadian 
versiom of the Bluebird
label (pressed by VTM(C), whose ledgers were apparently lost or 
stolen...?!). BB(C) used a
rather complicated numbering system, divided between Francophone and 
Anglophone discs.
I deal this in my DG! BB(C) used a bloc of numbers in the B4700-4999 range; 
the numbers
were used by BB(US) for Irish material (to further confuse things, a few of 
these were issued
and sold in Canada; there was a small market in our "maritimes" for this 
Irish material!).
Originally, B4951-4999 were used for Anglophone (virtually all c&w) 
recordings, while
B4900-4950 were used for Qubecois sides. Both series quickly ran out; 
Anglophone discs
were re-started at B4501, and Francophones at B4801. The former reached well 
into the
B47xx's; the latter was assigned a new B1### series (which extended into the 
B12##'s
before being dropped!).

After Victor's adoption of the ##-#### system, BB(C) (remember that this was 
during
the AFM strike!) started using new BB number series...mostly in 5x-xxxx!

Steven C. Barr