Sagebrush Swing in Bloomington, MN

This 20-song collection highlights some rare selections from
Foy Willing
and the
Riders of the Purple Sage
. A few of the probable sources for these tracks are the
Armed Forces Radio Service
programs Command Performance, Melody Roundup, or perhaps the stateside broadcast All-Star Western Theatre. In fact, the latter presented
Willing
and company on a fairly regular basis. An earlier incarnation was founded in the mid-'30s by
Buck Page
, who named the group after
Zane Grey
's 1912 western novel.
took advantage of their increasing personnel turnover, which was largely due to the demands of World War II. After
Page
's incarnation had ended,
formed his own version and it was ultimately those in this lineup of the
who became multimedia stars, making regular appearances on radio and in the cinema. This CD is an excellent compendium, capturing them at their peak and sporting some of their best-loved material. Among the more familiar tunes are
"Ragtime Cowboy Joe,"
"Tumblin' Tumbleweeds,"
"Red River Valley,"
"Carry Me Back to the Lone Prairie,"
and
"You Are My Sunshine."
Their unique up-tempo
Western swing
style features an airtight vocal harmony blend, such as that heard on
"There's a Rainbow Over the Range,"
"Out on the Texas Plain,"
and most prominently when covering
the Sons of the Pioneers
' classic,
"Timber Trail,"
which is marked by a striking
a cappella
introduction. The sound quality is excellent throughout and is equally impressive as so few vintage recordings exist circa the early- to mid-'40s. ~ Lindsay Planer