Red River Dave
The Yodelling Cowboy Sings
Yodelling cowboy Red River Dave had a remarkably interesting career. Among other things, he made one B-Western movie and several musical shorts, made one of the world’s first television broadcasts (via an experimental station at the World’s Fair in 1939), and built a career largely by focusing on event songs, like this CD’s title song.
But except for the title song and the classic story song, “Little Red Caboose Behind the Train,” the songs in this collection are folk or country songs, e.g., “She’ll be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” and “Letter Edged in Black,” and Western songs. It opens with “Back in the Saddle Again” and continues with “Empty Saddles,” “Home on the Range,” “The Last Roundup” and some that are less well-known but, for me, interesting discoveries, e.g., “Wagon Trail” and “Little Dogie Stray.” At least one, “Her Name was Rosita,” is closely associated with Dave, and his Western swing renditions of “What is Life without Love” and “You’ll Always be My Sweetheart” are among my personal favorites in this collection. He’s in especially good voice on the latter.
Paul Hazell compiled and annotated this Jasmine release. It’s been out for a while but is still available from your favorite CD source.
Track List
1. BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN
2. AMELIA EARHART’S LAST FLIGHT
3.LETTER EDGED IN BLACK
4. WHAT IS LIFE WITHOUT LOVE?
5. EMPTY SADDLES
6. DON’T CALL MY NAME
7. YOU’LL ALWAYS BE MY SWEETHEART
8. OLE FAITHFUL
9. TIME WILL TELL THE STORY
10. HOME ON THE RANGE
11. HER NAME WAS ROSITA
12. THE LAST ROUNDUP
13. WAGON TRAIL
14. SHE’LL BE COMING ROUND THE MOUNTAIN
15 .WHITE CROSS ON THE HILLSIDE
16. I’VE NOBODY TO LOVE
17. LITTLE RED CABOOSE BEHIND THE TRAIN
18. LIVING A LIE OVER YOU
19. TEARDROPS IN MY HEART
20. WHY SHOULD I FEEL SORRY FOR YOU NOW
21. TWENTY-ONE YEARS
22. TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
23. YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS
24. THE CONVICT AND THE ROSE
25. I’M A MARRIED MAN
26. LITTLE DOGIE STRAY
27. SEARCHING FOR YOU BUDDY