Looking for examples of 1950's country

[s_walker]

I have to play a guitar in a play and I have to work out my own music. The play is set in 1940's-50's in Kansas, and my character is a cowboy from Montana.

 

So basically any pointers on who I should be looking at for good examples of that genre of music would be great. Fingerpicking and especially Dobro guitar samples would be the best, but anything would be appreciated.

[rh2d]

I don't think fingerpicking really came into it's own till the later forties. Even then it was not making the statement it was to later make. If you are going to do country in those years you have to do Hank Williams Sr. "Your Cheating Heart", "Cold Cold Heart", "I've got tears in my Beer" are some of the one we all danced to back then. Hank and his D 28 was the scene. No Dobro, no fingerpicking, just country singing with that D 28. Anything else would not be accurate. The rockabilly, Elvis, and Marty Robbins did not come along till the middle to later fifties. Eddie Arnold was also very big back then, you might take a listen to some of his music. He was good and he was big in the latter forties. The steel guitar was also in just about any country song you heard. Till about the middle fifties you did not see many electrics. Fender and Gibson started to come along in the earley fifties but they weren't making a mark till later. Hope this helps, its all from memory.

[zookie]

You might also look into some cowboy songs. Check out some of Michael Martin Murphey's (sic) albums. Also listen to Riders in the Sky.

I suspect older American folk music would be appropriated as well. Songs like "Red River Valley", "Ghost Riders in the Sky", "Streets of Laredo".

[Terry Allan Hall]

Check out Gene Autrey, Roy Rogers, Rex Allen, Tex Ritter and Ernest Tubb...all of these guys were big in that era.

For fingerpicking in that era, check out Merle Travis, Chet Atkins and Mose Ranger.

[slider]

for pure and real fifites country check out the DVD seires called Town Party.

all the country greats play on them. cool stuff.

do a search on google for Golden Country.

[mojito]

Check out the "Sons of the Pioneers" the type of music they have covered would be in keeping with a cowboy from Montana in a play set in 1940s Kansas. You should be able to coem up with some good stuff or at least some inspiration.

[Jerry NT]

Originally posted by mojito Check out the "Sons of the Pioneers" the type of music they have covered would be in keeping with a cowboy from Montana in a play set in 1940s Kansas. You should be able to coem up with some good stuff or at least some inspiration.

 

 

 

What he says is pretty close to the truth. My uncle was a cowboy from New Mexico during that time. You'll find more songs like "Little Joe the Wrangler" in the west during this time period then you will "Honky Tonk Angel". Of course the movies were shown on their theater screens too, so Gene and Tex and Roy were big also. If you're going for the real feel of the west during this time, you might check out that sound. If you're trying to "Hollywood" it, of course, you might want to check out something different.

[s_walker]

Thanks for all the help, everyone.

This is definitely a non-Hollywood type of cowboy, so I'll be looking for the simpler, maybe sadder stuff. I have to do pure instrumental, so I guess I'll use the references you all gave me as inspiration to develop my own thing.

[theflyingeyebal]

Learn Carter style flatpicking with bass runs and stuff. Stuff like this is often played in C or G with various capo positions. A lot of it is pretty easy.

[s_walker]

OK, my last dumb question.

My character has a line where he says "I don't play no oppery music or jitterbug."

Jitterbug I understand. It was a rhythmic fast-spaced sound in the 40s-50s. But the only "oppery" music I can think of is Grand Old Opry.

Is that correct? If so, the references to Grand Old Opry style of the period I found suggest that it had a lot of Dobro in it (Roy Acuff is the name I pulled up on Google).

I'm guessing this means this cowboy only plays clean flatpicking type tunes.

[zookie]

Originally posted by s_walker OK, my last dumb question. My character has a line where he says "I don't play no oppery music or jitterbug." Jitterbug I understand. It was a rhythmic fast-spaced sound in the 40s-50s. But the only "oppery" music I can think of is Grand Old Opry. Is that correct? If so, the references to Grand Old Opry style of the period I found suggest that it had a lot of Dobro in it (Roy Acuff is the name I pulled up on Google). I'm guessing this means this cowboy only plays clean flatpicking type tunes.

 

 

I'm just guessing, but I think the character is suggesting that he doesn't play popular songs.

 

I doubt that he's explaining to someone why he does or doesn't flatpick. He might be trying to say he plays music dear to him and to this place and not what's on the radio.