The Sons Of The Pioneers "Cowboy Classics" (RCA Victor, 1948) (78rpm)
The group had been around since the 1930s and had a huge backlog of 78rpm singles and innumerable radio transcriptions, material that was exhaustively mined in decades to come. It's worth noting, though, that their earliest albums were issued as hardbound folios of 78rpm discs; I believe this was their first proper album and it was not released as a long-play twelve-inch until 1952, partly because their label, RCA Victor, had invested instead in the equally innovative 7" 45rpm single format, which they introduced in 1949. As a result, many of the early Sons Of The Pioneers albums were re-released on long player albums in the early 'Fifties, after RCA finally adopted the format.
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Cowboy Hymns And Spirituals" (RCA Victor, 1949) (78rpm)
Similarly, this set first came out as a 78rpm folio, and was reissued on LP in 1952. Many of the early Sons collections also came out on seven-inch sets, sometimes as small, cardboard-bound box sets.
The Sons Of The Pioneers & Roy Rogers "Roy Rogers Sings And Tells About Pecos Bill" (RCA Victor, 1949)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Garden Of Roses" (RCA Victor, 1950)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Western Classics" (RCA Victor, 1953) (LP)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Twenty-Five Favorite Cowboy Songs" (RCA Victor, 1956) (LP)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "How Great Thou Art" (RCA Victor, 1957) (LP)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "One Man's Songs" (RCA Victor, 1957) (LP)
An homage to songwriter, publisher and country music power broker Fred Rose (1898-1954) who co-founded the Acuff-Rose publishing company along with Opry star Roy Acuff, an institution that is often cited as one of the bedrocks that transformed Nashville from just another venue into a central hub of the modern music industry. Fred Rose, who died young in 1954 after suffering a heart attack, was closely associated with the career of Hank Williams and claimed partial authorship of several Hank Williams classics, including the song "Kaw-Liga," which is included in this set from The Sons. He also wrote the Bob Wills novelty number, "Roly Poly," and the shimmering, mournful ballad, "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain," which was a hit for Roy Acuff back in 1947, and later was famously revived by Willie Nelson nearly three decades later.
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Wagons West" (RCA-Camden, 1958) (LP)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Cool Water" (RCA Victor, 1960) (LP)
(Produced by John Norman & Neely Plumb)
Certainly one of the most recognizable, widely distributed and longest-in-print of all the Sons Of The Pioneers albums, a nostalgic set that looks back at the classic recordings of Roy Rogers and others, as well as the original recordings of the Sons themselves. Chances these particular recordings are the versions of western classics such as "Empty Saddles," "Riders In The Sky," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," "Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo" and "Cool Water" that are best known to most listeners, particularly little cowpokes who were of a certain age when this first album came out.
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Lure Of The West" (RCA Victor, 1960) (LP)
(Produced by John Norman & Neely Plumb)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Westward Ho!" (RCA Victor, 1961) (LP)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Tumbleweed Trail" (RCA Victor, 1962) (LP)
(Produced by John Norman & Neely Plumb)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Our Men Out West" (RCA Victor, 1963) (LP)
(Produced by John Norman & Darol Rice)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "...Sing Hymns Of The Cowboys" (RCA Victor, 1963) (LP)
(Produced by Darol Rice)
An all-gospel set that includes a couple of songs from Stan Jones (author of "Ghost Riders in the Sky") and several more credited to Bob Nolan...
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Trail Dust" (RCA Victor, 1963) (LP)
(Produced by John Norman & Darol Rice)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Country Fare" (RCA Victor, 1964) (LP)
(Produced by Darol Rice)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Down Memory Trail With The Sons Of The Pioneers" (RCA Victor, 1964) (LP)
(Produced by John Norman & Darol Rice)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "...Sing Legends Of The West" (RCA Victor, 1965) (LP)
(Produced by John Norman & Darol Rice)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "...Sing The Songs Of Bob Nolan" (RCA Victor, 1966) (LP)
(Produced by John Norman & Darol Rice)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "...Sing Campfire Favorites" (RCA Victor, 1967) (LP)
(Produced by John Norman & Darol Rice)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "South Of The Border" (RCA Victor, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by John Norman & Darol Rice)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" (RCA Victor, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by John Norman & Darol Rice)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "The Sons Of The Pioneers Visit The South Seas" (RCA Victor, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Abbott & Darol Rice)
Mostly a Hawaiian-themed set, backed with fairly predictable pop standards -- stuff like "Beyond The Reef," "Blue Hawaii," "Harbor Lights" and "Tiny Bubbles" -- and sadly, not much in the way of hapa haole Hawaiian novelty numbers. Recorded in Hollywood instead of Honolulu, this is more Don Ho, and less of a Gabby Pahinui kinda thing. But still, I'm sure it has its kitschy thrills. This also appears to have been the last album in the Sons Of The Pioneers' long stint with the RCA label, a pretty remarkable run which found them weathering numerous changes in the country music industry, though not quite making it through the posh countrypolitan era.
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Western Country" (Granite Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Cliffie Stone)
California country icon Cliffie Stone picked up the slack and gave the Sons a temporary home as they retrenched into the Southern California dude ranch scene. Their latter-day, mid-'Seventies vocal lineup was Ray Lanham, Billy Liebert, Lloyd Perryman, Rusty Richard and Dale Warren, with musical backing from Stone's son, Curtis Stone on bass guitar, along with a Granite Records studio crew that included Bobby Bruce (fiddle) Archie Francis (drums), Tommy Morgan (harmonica), Albert Vescovo (dobro and guitar) and guitarist Jimmy Wyble. The repertoire was mostly what you'd expect, a bunch of familiar western music chestnuts, such as "Cool Water," "Home On The Range," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and "One More Ride," but there were a couple of surprises, particularly a cover of Billy Joe Shaver's "Willie The Wandering Gypsy & Me" and a new tune, "Indian Woman," which was penned by bandmember Rusty Richards.
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Celebration, Volume One" (Silver Spur Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Dale Warren & Green Daniel)
Oh, but wait: there's more! This double album was recorded in celebration of the group's fiftieth anniversary... Technically they may have been jumping the gun a little, as the group officially started out in 1933, as the Pioneer Trio, but who are we to quibble? At any rate, this was a late-edition lineup of the band, joined by various West Coast country old-timers as well as some younger folks. The Sons now included veteran guitar picker Roy Lanham, who had settled into the SoCal dude ranch scene, along with album producer Green Daniel on keyboards, bassist Luther Nallie, Rusty Richards and Dale Warren. One eye-raising band member was Dale Warren's wife, fiddler Margie Ann Warren (1922-2018) who -- as "Fiddlin' Kate" was a prominent member of Cliffie Stone's posse, both as a 1950's studio musician and as a cast member of the Town Hall Party TV show (and member of Joe Maphis's band!). Also notable are some of the new kids: playing drums is Scott ("Cactus") Moser, who would soon co-found the chart-topping top forty band Highway 101 along with Curtis Stone. Also on board was rhythm guitarist Gretchen Peters, who later moved to Nashville and became one of the hottest professional songwriters of the later 1990s and 2000s, with a prolific side career as a solo artist; she would have been about twenty-five years old when this album was made.
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Celebration Volume One" (Texas Pioneer Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Dale Warren, Green Daniel, Thomas J. Pitts & Jeff Storie)
A few years later, the double album above was broken down into two single albums, released on a label in Texas. These are straight reissues of the original material, with the same musicians and the tracks kept in the same order, though with different album art. I'm sure some of their future releases were also new recordings, though the vast output to come was reissue material, including a lot of highly welcomed explorations into their Depression-era and wartime performances, music which had been largely lost to the tides of time until the collector labels started popping up, right around this time. See below in the "best-ofs" section for some of these releases.
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Celebration Volume Two" (Texas Pioneer Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Dale Warren, Green Daniel, Thomas J. Pitts & Jeff Storie)
Discography -- Best-Ofs
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Symphonies Of The Sage" (Soundies, 2001)
The best of the singing cowboy bands, performing in their prime during a 1940-41 lull in their recording career. These transcription discs have great sound quality and even greater song selection. The brother duo of Hugh and Karl Farr provide excellent lead and backup on fiddle and guitar, the vocals are peppy and precise as always. Fans of the Pioneers sound will have to snap this one up -- it's rare material that's seeing CD release for the first time ever. Very nice... highly recommended!
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Country Music Hall Of Fame Series" (MCA Records, 1991)
Outstanding retrospective of the best "cowboy" bands ever; from their first 1934 recordings with Roy Rogers in the band, to their final Decca sessions in 1954 (when none of the original members were left in the band). The disc includes charming topical songs among the standard ride 'em, cowboy sentimental schmaltz (such as the New Deal propaganda of "When Our Old Age Pension Check Comes To Our Door" and the post-Pearl Harbor "Private Buckaroo.") To be sure, the Sons were formulaic, but it's such a sweet sound, you gotta love it. Highly recommended!
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Columbia Historic Series" (Columbia Records, 1988)
More classic material, also highly recommended. This set is perhaps a bit smoother, and more polished than the others reviewed above, though every bit as enjoyable. Cowboy music doesn't get better than this!
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Ultimate Collection" (MCA-Nashville/Hip-O, 2002)
Although I can't say that I'm wild about the cover art, this is a really, really nice collection of classic Sons material, spanning the band's career from 1934-54, when they were absolutely at their peak. This collection easily supersedes the "Hall Of Fame" disc listed above -- the sound quality is much warmer, and the programming is great. Then again, there isn't that much overlap between the two, so there's really no reason not to own them both. Great stuff -- one of the most listenable cowboy albums out there!
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Under Western Skies" (Varese Sarabande, 2005)
The seemingly inexhaustible supply of old western-themed singing cowboy material featuring the Sons Of The Pioneers -- Roy Rogers' pals and longtime backing band -- continues unabated with this fine set of radio transcriptions of undocumented provenance. This is actually very early material for the Sons, apparently dating back to the 1930s. They already sound somewhat jaded and businesslike, doling out perfect little cowboy songs like convicts stamping license plates. Actually, though, that's one of the things I like about these old radio performances, is hearing the live, showbiz side of these old artist's careers, how they handled their obligatory, perfunctory commercial duties, and how they sounded, as the consummate professionals they were... And make no mistake, this disc gives a good glimpse at the band in its early years...
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Western Harmony And Hot Swing, v.1" (BACM, 2005)
The Sons Of The Pioneers "Western Harmony And Hot Swing, v.2" (BACM, 2005)
Sons Of The Pioneers & Roy Rogers "Way Out There: The Complete Recordings: 1934-1943" (Bear Family Records, 2009)
A stunning 6-CD set that features all the early work of the fabled Sons Of The Pioneers, who were perhaps the finest singing cowboy crew of the golden era before World War II. One of the key members was singer Roy Rogers, who went on to become one of the biggest movie stars in America, and whose own early solo recordings are also included here. This collection spans their peak years, with some of the finest songwriting and best musicianship the genre ever saw. On board are the guitar and fiddle team of Hugh and Karl Farr, who bring a jazzy zest to many songs, while the harmonies of Bob Nolan, Tim Spencer and Roy Rogers are nothing short of sublime. Yup, the big hits such as "Cool Water," "One More Ride" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" are all included, as are dozens of less well-known but no less enjoyable cowboy oldies. The set includes all the band's commercial recordings, along with over fifty tracks that were unreleased until now(!) A real treasure trove for fans -- a lot of this music has been released elsewhere, but this big box set sure is a class act!
Tributes & Related Records
Hugh & Karl Farr "Hot 'N' Bluesy Fiddle/Guitar And Twin Guitar Duets: 1934-1940" (Country Routes Records, 1992)
Wow. The Farr Brothers were the backup pickers who added the musical punch to many of the best old recordings of the Sons Of The Pioneers, and of Pioneers alumnus Gene Autry. Left to their own devices, they knocked out a slew of great instrumentals, like the ones on this disc. The surprising thing is how completely jazzy these tracks are. If you like old recordings from the likes of Django Rinehardt, or Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti's duets, then you owe it to yourself to check this disc out. It's hot and sweet, and very listenable.
Hank Snow "Snow Under Western Skies" (Bear Family Records, 2008)
A cowboy-themed set from Canadian country superstar Hank Snow, gathering oldies from his pre-Nashville days, radio recordings and songs from his 1965 Sons Of The Pioneers tribute, Heartbreak Trail. Ride 'em, cowboy!
Tim Spencer "Circuit Ridin' Preacher" (Sacred Records, 1958) (LP)
A founding member of the Sons Of The Pioneers, songwriter Tim Spencer had a spiritual conversion in the 1940s, and gave up secular singer for religious music... He stuck with RCA Records for a while, running their religious music department, then founded his own label, Manna Records, in the '50s. This album features Spencer and his family singing on a set of music, including the title track, a western-tinged narrative sung to the same melody as "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic."
Links
Hick Music Index
Probably the greatest of the "singing cowboy" bands, The Sons Of The Pioneers were one of the most popular country acts of the 1930s, '40s and '50s. Pairing the smooth, amiable vocals of Bob Nolan and the zippy guitar and fiddle of brothers Hugh and Karl Farr, the Sons Of The Pioneers sound was, quite simply, classic. The group went through many different lineups, including the original trio of Bob Nolan, Roy Rogers and Tim Spencer, and later on such stalwarts as Deuce Spriggens, Doye O'Dell and Lloyd Perryman. The Sons frequently backed Rogers in film and on record, well after he had changed his name (from Leonard Skye) and emerged as one of the biggest Hollywood cowboy stars. Spencer and Nolan both left the band in 1949, though it continued on in name for decades to come. Here's a quick look at some of their classic work...