Dick Curless – Don’t Fence Me In – The Early Recordings, 1956-1960 ( JASMCD3769 )
Review By OJ Sikes
Dick Curless is best known as a country singer, with hits like “Tombstone Every Mile,”but he was also a remarkably good singer of Western songs, especially in his early years.
17 of the 28 tracks on this disc are Western, ranging from traditional songs like “Red River Valley,” “The Old Chisholm Trail” and “Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie” to movie songs like “High Noon” and the title song. His pleasant, deep voice sounds a little like Rex Allen’s on “Careless Love” and there are hints of Tex Williams’ sound on “Buffalo Gal.” It’s also nice to hear him introduce “Cowboy Jack,” “Whoopie Ti-Yi- Yo,” “Home on the Range” and another track or two before he sings them.
“Big Rock Candy Mountain” is one of the several folk songs Curless sings here. It’s a song attributed to folk singer Harry McLintock, but is closely associated with Burl Ives, who brought it to national prominence. Ives used to tell the story about visiting the actual mountain in Utah. Upon arrival at the base of the mountain, he saw a group of tourists looking at a sign by the trail, so he went over to see what they were reading so intently. The sign said, “Big Rock Candy Mountain, discovered by Burl Ives in 1700.”
Widely available.
Dick Curless – Don’t Fence Me In Track List
1. THE CRAWDAD SONG
2. ROCK ISLAND LINE
3. DON’T FENCE ME IN
4. THE BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN
5. ROVIN’ GAMBLER
6. MOLLY DARLING
7. THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS
8. LITTLE LIZA JANE
9. CARELESS LOVE
10. BUFFALO GAL
11. NEW SAN ANTONIO ROSE
12. LITTLE BROWN JUG
13. HIGH NOON (Do Not Forsake Me)
14. THE STRAWBERRY ROAN
15. RED RIVER VALLEY
16. COWBOY JACK
17. ON TOP OF OLD SMOKEY
18. HOME ON THE RANGE
19. BURY ME NOT ON THE LONE PRAIRIE
20. THE OLD CHISHOLM TRAIL
21. I RIDE AN OLD PAINT
22. WHOOPIE TI-YI-YO
23. GREEN GROW THE LILACS
24. THE LAST ROUND UP
25. THE STREETS OF LAREDO
26. THE FOGGY, FOGGY DEW
27. CHINA NIGHTS
28. BLUES IN MY MIND