Eck Robertson et al "Rare And Unissued Fiddle & String Band Music 1947-1950" (2020, Ramco) - It is with great pleasure to announce that the first unheard recordings to surface in 3 decades by country music's first recording artist, Eck Robertson, were officially released on September 10th, 2020, on the recently resurrected Phoenix, AZ record label, Ramco. Ramco's legacy extends to the earliest days of Phoenix, AZ recording history. Clay and Floyd Ramsey's recording studio, Ramsey's (later, Audio Recorders), started in the late 1940's cutting national distributed square dance records and by the mid-50's was putting out groundbreaking and enormously popular rock 'n roll by the likes of Duane Eddy, Sanford Clark and Lee Hazlewood. A collection of material was recently discovered from the Ramsey's archives, songs that hadn't been heard since they were made 70 years ago. Leading the pack are 3 songs by Eck Robertson, considered to have made the first country music recordings in 1922. The highly influential fiddler recorded only through 1929, one song "Brilliancy Medley" making it onto Harry Smith's highly influential set, Anthology Of American Folk Music. In the CD era, an albums worth of 1960's field recordings was issued as well as a few stray tracks from festival appearances, but nothing has ever been discovered from the 35 year period between his 1920's commercial sessions and his 1960's "rediscovery", until now. Fans of Eck will find the master fiddler in surprisingly top shape, performing driving renditions of trademark classics, "Sally Goodin" and "Texas Waggoner", as well as "Lost Indian". Other fiddlers rounding out the hour long collection are western swing hall-of-famer and Bob Wills family alumni, Curly Lewis, El Paso based champion fiddler and Old Timer Records artist, Ardell Christopher, Phoenix based champion fiddler and Old Timer record artist, Roy Sexton, exciting unknowns, Carl Griswold and Charles Fenwick, plus amazing obscure mandolin player Everett Helman, and manic fiddle-less old-time band, Charley Mundy's Western Band.
Ramco Records is owned and run by John P. Dixon, top Arizona music historian, owner of the Ramsey Archives, and producer of a dozen or so Bear Family Records comps in addition to the many Arizona related reissue CD's he has produced on his own various labels. New releases by the Ramco imprint include the definitive collection of Phoenix garage rockers, Phil & The Frantics, plus a vinyl EP by The Suicide Kings. For more information visit http://azmusicdude.com/
"Rare And Unissued Fiddle & String Band Music '47-'50" was compiled by Joe Baker, produced by John P. Dixon, mastered by Bruce Connole, with inspiration and spiritual guidance from Al Perry.
The CD can be purchased on
