Uncle Bud

In Texas among the old timers you sometimes hear about somebody going to see Uncle Bud or going to Uncle Bud's hotel. One may wonder who exactly was Uncle Bud and where was his hotel. Uncle Bud Russell worked for the Texas prison system from 1905 until 1948. His hotel was the Texas State Penitentiary. As the Chief Transfer Agent, Uncle Bud drove across Texas picking up prisoners from the county jails and taking them to Huntsville. In his career, Uncle Bud was in charge of some 115,000 prisoners. Only one prisoner ever escaped, and that prisoner was recaptured trying to cross the border at El Paso. Uncle Bud, of course, picked him up and drove him to Huntsville.

The long-driving prison agent not only made it into Texas vernacular but also made it into song. Lead Belly referenced Uncle Bud in "Midnight Special" and Lightnin' Hopkins wrote "Bud Russell Blues." Both of those fine bluesmen slept at Uncle Bud's a time or two.

Here's a link to "Bud Russell Blues":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmuzeyVqcsM

Hank, Roy, and Willie: Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain

"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" is one of the greatest songs in the history of country music. Perhaps not surprisingly, the first version that I ever heard was the iconic Willie Nelson version recorded at Autumn Sound Studios in Garland, Texas, in 1975. Willie Nelson's "Blue Eyes," like the rest of Red Headed Stranger, is stripped down, a definite departure from the orchestrations of Nashville at the time. To me, Willie Nelson's version of the song has something beautiful and essential about it.

It is interesting to note that the song, which was written by Fred Rose, was actually first recorded by Roy Acuff in the late 1940s. It is sheer joy to listen to this version on a scratchy old 78. Hank Williams also covered "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," and it is fortunate that his haunting version was captured in a 1951 live radio recording. Click the links below to hear country music legends Roy Acuff and Hank Williams sing "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," a song most folks more closely associate with Willie Nelson.

Roy Acuff version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POTHIP_GjY8

Hank Williams version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP_lxNcICqE

God Bless Jerry Garcia

Twenty-one years ago today Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead passed from this life. In early July of that year, a friend and I traveled about 650 miles from the Metroplex to Saint Louis to see them play. How fortunate we were. For me, 1995 was a rambling year. When my buddy and I left for Saint Louis, I had only been in America a few days after a stint of teaching English in South Korea. Then, after returning home from Saint Louis, I caught a Greyhound to Buffalo, Wyoming, to stay with some friends and fruitlessly look for a job before returning to Yellowstone National Park, my old standby. Back in Yellowstone, Jerry Garcia was a folk hero, and the day that he died I quietly put the flag at half-mast in front of the Grant Village post office.

In honor of Jerry Garcia, here is a 1966 recording of the Grateful Dead playing "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean," which was written by Dallas blues legend Blind Lemon Jefferson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZZSdhz9GrI

 
 

I Stand Corrected

I do my best to provide the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the dadgum truth on this blog. However, I just learned that there were actually two unrelated Blue Bonnet record labels in North Texas in the middle of the last century. Who would have thought that? The one in Fort Worth was in business in the 1950s and 1960s. The one in Dallas was only around for three years in the late 40s. The 78s I found were from the Dallas label, which released records by obscure local country acts as well as well-known performers such as Hank Thompson and Al Stricklin.

Here is a link to a Dallas Observer article that provides some interesting information:

http://www.dallasobserver.com/music/good-rockin-last-night-6405791

The label below is from the Dallas music company.

One Man's Treasure

 This weekend at a used book and record store I happened across some old 78 rpm records being sold for 78 cents each. One of the records was "Runnin' Around" by Woody Carter and His Hoedown Boys on the now-defunct Lucky 7 label. I gave the 10 inch record a spin on the turntable, and the clever little ditty gave me a laugh. When I tried to find the song online to share, all I came across was a synth-pop tune by the same name. To my knowledge, no synth-pop was ever recorded on shellac records.

I also scored a handful of 78 rpm records on the (also) now-defunct Blue Bonnet label. Blue Bonnet was a Fort Worth record company, and the albums I found were of western swing acts like Buster, Stoney, and the Buckaroos. I will clearly have to do some research to find out more about Blue Bonnet Records. It's hard to believe that you can buy a couple of albums more than sixty year old for about the same price as a Dr. Pepper at your local convenience store. I imagine that whoever traded the records in must have gotten about a quarter each. Clearly one man's trash is another man's treasure.