by Steve Hathaway
DUDE MARTIN - MacGregor & Sollie transcription sessions
DUDE MARTIN & HIS HILLBILLIES
Although MacGregor paperwork logged this group as Dude Martin
& his Hillbillies at a time when Martin
& his band were appearing on Oakland radio as Dude Martin
& his Nevada
Nite Herders, initial
releases bore no artist credit
whatsoever and only a small
fraction of the sides recorded were ever pressed
under the Hillbillies name.
10-inch 78rpm discs
were issued, at least initially, as all of the earliest
MacGregor & Sollie
discs apparently were,
without song titles
or artist credit
on labels. Later
pressings of some of these
early discs may bear title and artist
credit, however.
Remaining 10-inch discs
were issued issued
as by Dude Martin Cowboy
Group (some releases
may simply bear the credit
“Cowboy Group”).
Releases marked
† are 16-inch, 33⅓rpm, multi-track radio transcriptions issued
under the pseudonym
The Okies. These are reissues
of earlier 10-inch issues.
MacGregor used the Okies pseudonym for recordings by several other
groups, too, and releases under this name included not only recordings by Martin but also recordings by the Colorado
Hillbillies and Al Clauser & his Oklahoma
Outlaws.
Indeed, at least
one Okies release
(MacGregor LB 2281)
contains no songs
by Martin at all. Remaining 16-inch transcriptions were issued as by Dude Martin & his Westerners
(or in the apparent singular
case of LB. 546 as by Dude Martin & his Hillbillies).
There are possibly further
16-inch transcription releases
not detailed here.
A number of recordings made on March 1937 by Al Clauser
for MacGregor, and on March 19 at MacGregor’s
Hollywood studios for Brunswick-ARC, were issued by MacGregor under Martin's name (as by Dude Martin
& Cowboy Group).
Since these are not actually Dude Martin recordings, they are not detailed here. See the separate Al Clauser discography for details.
Personnel listed for each session
is based on aural evidence
and surviving documentary evidence, and many details have been
confirmed by Barbara McSwain Colton,
Dude Martin's sister, who performed with the band as a vocalist during
this period. Vocal credits are not given on labels nor in any surviving paperwork. Those listed here have been established through
aural identification. Thus vocal ID’s are
listed only for recordings in the possession of the compiler.
28 September 1935 MacGregor &
Sollie Recording Studios,
865 Mission Street,
San Francisco, California.
Dude Martin (John S. McSwain), leader/guitar/vocal¹; Curtis T. (Ted) “Sage”
Wolff, fiddle; Shorty
Burke (David Brissell), bass/vocal; Happy Gordon (Earle Teasdale),
vocal².
|
MATRIX
|
TITLE
|
10-inch 78rpm
|
16-inch 33⅓rpm
|
|
MS 1701
|
Big Corral ¹
|
177
|
LB 2159A†
|
|
MS 1702
|
There's A Blue Sky
²
|
178
|
LB 556
|
|
MS 1703
|
Ragtime Cowboy Joe
|
179
|
LB 574
|
|
MS 1704
|
Charlie Brooks and Nellie
Dare ¹
|
180
|
LB. 546
|
|
MS 1705
|
Strawberry Roan¹
|
181
|
LB. 546
|
|
MS 1706
|
Eleven More Months And
Ten More Day ¹ ²
|
182
|
LB 556
|
|
MS 1707
|
Tumbling Tumble Weeds
|
183?
|
|
|
MS 1708
|
Riding Down The Old Texas
Trail ²
|
184?
|
LB 556
|
|
MS 1709
|
Rounded Up In Glory
|
270
|
LB 574
|
|
MS 1710
|
Ridin' Home²
|
|
LB 556; LB 565
|
|
MS 1711
|
Moonlight On The Prairie ²
|
249
|
LB 565
|
|
MS 1712
|
Carry Me Back To The
Lone Prairie
|
250?
|
|
|
MS 1713
|
Little Girl Dressed In Blue
|
unissued?
|
|
|
MS 1714
|
Swiss Yodel
|
unissued?
|
|
|
MS 1715
|
High Toned Dance ¹
|
185?
|
LB 2159A†
|
NOTES; Question marks
indicate that there
is uncertainty as to whether
original takes or remakes of these recordings made on 30 Oct 1935 were issued.
Surviving MacGregor paperwork
on desposit at the Library
of Congress is sometimes difficult
to decipher with absolutely certainty regarding the particular session
at which some masters were recorded, and which takes were pressed
for issue, etc.
Identification is made more difficult
by the fact that many of the songs are unavailable for audition at this point. It appears
possible from paperwork, though unlikely,
that the remake
(“A” takes) of both MS 1707 &
1714, for example,
were recorded at the above session. It appears
far more likely
that they were cut at the same time other
remakes were made,
on October 30. Also, it seems likely
that a first version
of MS 1715 was recorded
at this date,
though a handwritten notation on the master sheets
would appear to indicate that the master
recording ultimately used was recorded
on October 30, despite the lack of “A” take designation that the other
October 30 remakes were assigned.
It is also seems that in some cases that two different takes were issued
in some cases,
one version in the 10-inch
78rpm series and another on later 16-inch
33⅓ discs. For instance, it appears
as if MS 1716 was issued on LB 565, while MS 1716 A may have been
used for the original 10-inch
issue. Similarly,
the original take MS 1708 is on LB 556 but it is uncertain whether the original
10-inch issue used MS 1708 or MS 1708 A. Until it is possible
to audition the recordings in question, the exact details
of some issues will remain unanswerable.
14 October 1935 MacGregor &
Sollie Recording Studios,
865 Mission Street,
San Francisco, California
Dude Martin (John S. McSwain), leader/guitar/vocal¹; Curtis T. (Ted) "Sage" Wolff, fiddle; Shorty
Burke (David Brissell), bass/vocal³; Happy Gordon (Earle Teasdale),
vocal².
|
MS 1716
|
Chisholm Trail ¹ ³
|
186?
|
LB 565
|
|
MS 1717
|
Home On The Range
|
253?
|
|
|
MS 1718
|
Git Along Little Dogies
¹
|
254
|
LB. 546
|
|
MS 1719
|
Goodbye Old Paint
|
255
|
|
|
MS 1720
|
Clementine
|
256
|
|
|
MS 1721
|
Hand Me Down My Walking
Cane
|
257?
|
|
|
MS 1722
|
When The Work’s All
Done Next Fall
|
258
|
|
|
MS 1723
|
Cowboy Jack
|
unissued
|
|
|
MS 1724
|
Red River Valley ¹
|
260
|
|
|
MS 1725
|
Cowboy’s Nightmare ¹
|
261
|
|
|
MS 1726
|
Little Old Sod Shanty
|
262?
|
|
|
MS 1727
|
Roll On Silvery Moon
|
263
|
|
|
MS 1728
|
Seeing Nellie Home
|
264
|
|
|
MS 1729
|
Lonesome Valley
|
265
|
|
|
MS 1730
|
Cowboy’s Dream
|
266
|
|
|
MS 1731
|
Valley Of Dreams
|
|
|
30 October
1935 MacGregor & Sollie
Recording Studios, 865 Mission Street,
San Francisco, California
Dude Martin (John S. McSwain),
leader/guitar/vocal; Curtis T. (Ted) "Sage" Wolff, fiddle; Bud McDonald (James Kness), bass/guitar/ vocal⁴; Ralph Jordan, vocal⁵/guitar/bass.
|
MS 1707 A
MS 1708 A
MS 1712 A
|
Tumbling Tumble Weeds
Riding Down The Old
Texas Trail Carry Me Back To The
Lone Prairie
|
183?
184?
250?
|
|
|
MS 1713 A
|
Little Girl
Dressed In Blue
⁵
|
251?
|
LB 565
|
|
MS 714 A
|
Swiss Yodel
|
252?
|
|
|
MS 1715 (A?)
|
High Toned Dance ¹
|
185?
|
LB 2159A†
|
|
MS 1716 A
MS 1717 A
|
Chisholm Trail
Home On The Range ⁴
|
186?
253?
|
LB. 546
|
|
MS 1721 A
|
Hand Me Down My Walking
Cane ¹
|
257?
|
LB 645
|
|
MS 1727 A
|
Roll On Silvery Moon
|
262?
|
|
|
MS 1728 A
|
Seeing Nellie Home
|
263
|
|
|
MS 1729 A
|
Lonesome Valley
|
264
|
|
|
MS 1732
|
Rolling Stone
|
267
|
|
|
MS 1733
|
Kingdom Comin’ ¹
|
268
|
LB 2159†
|
|
MS 1734
|
Nevada Memories
|
269
|
|
NOTE: MacGregor LB 645, on which “Hand Me Down My Walking
Cane” (MS 1721 A) appears
pseudonymously, was devoted to Rhubarb Red & his Rubes and other recordings on the same disc are by this group, not Martin.
As mentioned above,
it appears from MacGregor’s listing of Dude Martin masters
that the issued
version of "High Toned Dance" (MS 1715) was recorded at the above session, despite
lacking any "A" take designation to indicate this.
(MS 1734) released on 269 as “Stars Are Shining Bright In Old Nevada”
14 December 1935 MacGregor & Sollie Recording Studios, 865 Mission
Street, San Francisco, California.
Dude Martin (John S. McSwain),
leader/guitar/vocal; Curtis T. (Ted) "Sage" Wolff, fiddle; Harry T. (Ted) "Hezzie" Johnson, accordion; Bud McDonald (James
Kness), bass/guitar/vocal; Ralph Jordan, vocal⁵/guitar/bass.
|
MS 1735
|
Little Ah Sid ⁵
|
317
|
LB 2159†
|
|
MS 1736
|
Chime Bells
|
318
|
|
|
MS 1737
|
Little Brown Jug ¹
|
319
|
LB 2159†
|
|
MS 1738
|
Little Shirt Me Mother
Made For Me ¹
|
320
|
LB 2159†
|
|
MS 1739
|
Old Joe
Clarke ⁵
|
321
|
LB 2159A†
|
|
MS 1740
|
Camptown Races
⁵
|
322
|
LB 2159A†
|
|
MS 1741
|
Little Joe The Wrangler ¹
|
323
|
LB 2186†
|
|
MS 1742
|
Gold Coast Express
|
324
|
|
|
MS 1743
|
When Round Up Time Is Over ¹
|
325
|
LB 796†
|
|
MS 1744
|
My Niobrara Gal
|
326
|
|
|
MS 1745
|
The Old Mill Wheel
|
327
|
|
|
MS 1746
|
Boots and Saddle
|
328
|
LB 574
|
|
MS 1747
|
Buffalo Girls
|
329
|
LB 2159A†
|
|
MS 1748
|
Chicken Reel
|
330
|
LB 2159†
|
|
MS 1749
|
Mrs. Mcleod’s Reel
|
331
|
LB 2159A†
|
|
MS 1750
|
The White Coekade-
|
332
|
LB 2171†
|
|
MS 1751
|
Listen To The Mockingbird
|
333
|
LB 2159A†
|
|
MS 1752
|
Oklahoma Blues
⁵
|
334
|
LB 796†
|
|
MS 1753
|
Wreck of the Old 97 ¹
|
335
|
LB 796†
|
|
MS 1754
|
Twenty One Years ¹
|
336
|
LB 796†
|
|
MS 1755
|
Old Time Religion⁴
|
337
|
LB 2159†
|
|
MS 1756
|
Golden Slippers
|
338
|
LB 2186†
|
|
MS 1757
|
Get Away, Old
Man, Get Away
|
339
|
|
|
MS 1758
|
The Cowboy's Reel
|
340
|
LB 2171†
|
|
MS 1759
|
Soldier's Joy
|
341
|
LB 2171†
|
|
MS 1760
|
Bury Me ’Neath The Willow⁴
|
342
|
LB 2171†
|
|
MS 1761
|
When The Roses Bloom
For The Moonshiners
|
343
|
|
|
MS 1762
|
New River Train
¹
|
344
|
LB 2171†
|
|
MS 1763
|
Southern Home
⁵
|
345
|
|
|
MS 1764
|
4000 Years Ago ¹
|
346
|
LB 2186†
|
15 February 1935 MacGregor & Sollie Recording
Studios, 865 Mission
Street, San Francisco, California.
Dude Martin (John S. McSwain), leader/guitar/vocal ¹; Curtis
T. (fed) "Sage" Wolff, fiddle; Harry T. (Ted) "Hezzie" Johnson,
accordion; Ralph Jordan,
guitar/bass/voeal⁵; Happy Gordon (Earle
Teasdale), bass/vocal².
|
MS 1765
|
Oh Susannah ¹
|
499
|
LB 2282†
|
|
MS 1766
|
Goodbye, My Lover,
Goodbye ²
|
500
|
LB 2186†
|
|
MS 1767
|
Soulwood Mountain ¹ ²
|
501
|
LB 2186†
|
|
MS 1768
|
One More River To Cross ¹ ²
|
502
|
LB 2171†
|
|
MS 1769
|
Jim Crack Com ¹
|
503
|
LB 2070†
|
|
MS 1770
|
Walk In Jerusalem Just Like John
¹
|
504
|
LB 2069†
|
|
MS 1771
|
Birmingham Jail ¹
|
505
|
LB 2171†
|
|
MS 1772
|
Cowboy's Meditation ⁵
|
506
|
LB 2069†
|
|
MS 1773
|
In The Days of'
49
|
507
|
|
|
MS 1774
|
Sweet Betsy From Pike
¹
|
508
|
LB 2186†
|
|
MS 1775
|
Jesse James ²
|
509
|
LB 2070†
|
|
MS 1776
|
Dear Evelina ²
|
510
|
LB 2070†
|
|
MS 1777
|
Goin’ Down To Town ¹
|
511
|
LB 2186†
|
|
MS 1778
|
The Midnight Special ¹
|
512
|
|
|
MS 1779
|
Oklahoma Sweetheart ¹
|
513
|
|
|
MS 1780
|
Hear Dem Bells ¹
|
514
|
|
|
MS 1781
|
Nelly Was A Lady
|
515
|
|
|
MS 1782
|
The Letter
Edged In Black
|
516
|
|
|
MS 1783
|
Hallelujah I’m A Bum
|
517
|
|
|
MS 1784
|
Irish WashelWoman (Hoe
Down)
|
518
|
|
|
MS 1785
|
The Dying Cowboy
|
437
|
|
|
MS 1786
|
She Sleeps Beneath The Daisies
|
438
|
|
|
MS 1787
|
I Wish I Was Single Again
|
439
|
|
|
MS 1788
|
Rocky Mountain Express
|
440
|
|
|
MS 1789
|
Ridin’ That Old Crooked Trail
|
441
|
|
|
MS 1790
|
Will You Love Me When My Hair Has Turned
To Silver
|
443
|
|
|
MS 1791
|
Round-Up In The Sky
|
444
|
|
|
MS 1792
|
Take Me Back To Dream By The Old Mill Stream
|
445
|
|
|
MS 1793
|
Kickin’ Mule
|
446
|
LB 2070†
|
|
MS 1794
|
The Girl Who Played
Injun With Me
|
442
|
|
THE OKIES - MacGregor transcriptions, c. 1940-mid 1940s.
Early in its transition from reliance on 10-inch 78rpm
discs in its radio transcription service to a more common
issue of such material on 16-inch, 33⅓rpm
multi-track discs, which appears to have occurred
around 1940, the C.P. MacGregor
transcription company pressed
a number of items under the name The Okies.
However, no suchgroup existed,
at least not as a recording group for MacGregor. The Okies discs were, in fact, reissues
of earlier recordings by different
artists that MacGregor collected under The Okies banner. Used in this series were recordings by Dude Martin
from 1935–6, recordings by Al Clauser
from 1937, and by the Colorado Hillbillies from 1938.
Listed below are known
issues under The Okies name,
with explanation of the source
of the various recordings used.
|
TITLE
ISSUE #
MacGregor LB 2069
(026)
Hillbillies Request
|
ACTUAL ARTIST
Colorado Hillbillies
|
ORIGINAL MASTER #
MS 3219
|
ORIGINAL
1322
|
|
Cowboy's Meditation
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1772
|
506
|
|
Walk In
Jerusalem Just Like John Old Joe
|
Dude Martin Colorado Hillbillies
|
MS 1770
MS 3202
|
504
none?
|
|
MacGregor LB 2070
(031)
Dear Evelina
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1776
|
510
|
|
Eighth of January
|
Colorado Hillbillies
|
MS 3204
|
1310
|
|
Kicking Mule
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1793
|
446
|
|
Jim Crack Corn
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1769
|
503
|
|
Jesse James
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1775
|
509
|
|
MacGregor LB 2159
(0140)
Chicken Reel
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1748
|
330
|
|
Little Ah Sid
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1735
|
317
|
|
Old Time Religion
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1755
|
337
|
|
Little Shirt That Mother
Made For Me
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1738
|
320
|
|
Little Brown Jug
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1737
|
319
|
|
Kingdom Coming
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1733
|
268
|
|
MacGregor LB 2159A
(0139)
Listen To The
Mocking Bird
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1751
|
333
|
|
High Toned Dance
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1715
|
185
|
|
McCleod's Reel
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1749
|
331
|
|
Big Corral
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1701
|
177
|
|
Buffalo Gals
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1747
|
329
|
|
Camptown Races
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1740
|
322
|
|
Old Joe Clark
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1739
|
321
|
|
MacGregor LB 2171
(0142)
One More
River To Cross
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1768
|
502
|
|
Birmingham Jail
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1771
|
505
|
|
Soldier's Joy
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1759
|
341
|
|
Bury Me Beneath The Willow
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1760
|
342
|
|
White Cockade
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1750
|
332
|
|
The Cowboy's Reel
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1758
|
340
|
|
New River Trail
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1762
|
344
|
|
MacGregor LB 2186
(0141)
Sweet Betsy
From Pike
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1774
|
508
|
|
Four Thousand Years Ago
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1764
|
346
|
|
Goodbye My Lover Goodbye
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1766
|
500
|
|
Sourwood Mountain
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1767
|
501
|
|
Golden Slippers
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1756
|
338
|
|
Goin' Down To Town
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1777
|
511
|
|
Little Joe The Wrangler
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1741
|
323
|
|
MacGregor LB 2187
(0160)
Eighth of January
|
Colorado Hillbillies
|
MS 3204
|
1310
|
|
Lonely Rider Grey Eaglenone Blue Eyed Ellen
|
Colorado Hillbillies Colorado Hillbillies Colorado Hillbillies
|
MS 3209
MS 3203
MS 3210
|
1315
none? 1316
|
|
Zeb Tumey’s Gal
|
Colorado Hillbillies
|
MS 3221
|
1324
|
|
Liza Jane
|
Colorado Hillbillies
|
MS 3211
|
1317
|
|
MacGregor LB 2281
(????)
Cackling Hen
|
Colorado Hillbillies
|
MS 3216
|
none?
|
|
Kitty Wells
|
Colorado Hillbillies
|
MS 3217
|
1321
|
|
Massa’s In The Cold,
Cold Ground
|
Al Clauser
|
MS 2805
|
989
|
|
Haste To The Wedding Old Joe Clarke
Wait For The Wagon
|
Al Clauser
Colorado Hillbillies Colorado Hillbillies
|
MS 2802
MS 3202
MS 3208
|
983
none? 1314
|
|
MacGregor LB 2282
(0241)
Arkansas Traveller
983
Gal I Left Behind
Me
|
Al Clauser
Colorado Hillbillies
|
MS 2282
MS 3214
|
1320
|
|
Cowboy’s Dream
|
Colorado Hillbillies
|
MS 3206
|
1312
|
|
Shack By The Railroad Track
|
Colorado Hillbillies
|
MS 3207
|
1313
|
|
Oh Susannah
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1765
|
499
|
|
MacGregor LB 796 (1337)
Oklahoma Blues
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1752
|
334
|
|
Wreck of the Old 97
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1753
|
335
|
|
When Round Up Time Is Over
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1743
|
325
|
|
Twenty One Years
|
Dude Martin
|
MS 1754
|
336
|
