SONS OF THE PIONEERS "Way Out There"
6-CD Box with 160-Page Hardcover Book by Douglas B. Green.
LABEL Bear Family Records
CATALOGE# BCD 16389
EAN-CODE 4000127163899
Release Date: September 1, 2009
Hold onto your hats, folks! It’s finally here; the boxed set we’ve all been waiting for! The Bear Family label has been working for over 10 years to find and restore the recordings made by Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers from 1934 to 1943. Now, they’re here, 182 songs in one 6 CD boxed set, painstakingly re-mastered and accompanied by a beautifully illustrated 160 page hardcover book written by noted historian Doug Green (aka Ranger Doug). The book contains rare b&w movie stills and colorful lobby cards, a filmography, a discography and Doug’s observations on each recording.
Roy Rogers was still Leonard Slye in 1934 when he got together with Bob Nolan, Tim Spencer and Hugh Farr to form the Sons of the Pioneers. Their first commercial recording session was in Los Angeles on August 8, 1934 and their label was Decca. In fact, they were one of the first to record for Decca, preceded by Stuart Hamblen and Bing Crosby. This set contains the commercial recordings the Pioneers made for Decca and Columbia (ARC) before Len became Roy Rogers. It segues into Roy’s solo recordings in 1937 when he changed his name upon launching his solo career with Republic Studios as Roy Rogers.
While the Pioneers were to become more polished with the arrival of Lloyd Perryman upon Roy’s departure, there are some real beauties among those early recordings, especially after Karl Farr joined in 1935. A number of songs that were to become Western classics were recorded in those early years, e.g. “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” & “Blue Prairie.” Several gems, like “A Melody from the Sky,” were never recorded again. In 1936, they appeared with Bing Crosby in his Paramount film, Rhythm on the Range, where “Empty Saddles” & “I’m an Old Cowhand” were introduced. The Pioneers’ recording of the latter is considered to be one of their all-time best, and features each member of the group taking a solo.
Some of the early recordings have been re-issued elsewhere, but on many of those the audio is very poor. That’s why Bear Family went to such great lengths to find good copies of everything and then restore them to the best possible condition. The 1937 recordings of “Way Out There” & “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” have been almost impossible to find, especially in good condition, so there are some real treasures here. “Texas Star,” “I Knew it All the Time,” “They Drew My Number,” “Blue Juniata,” “How was I to Know” and others fall into this category. Some, if they could be found at all, were likely to be distorted or barely audible; now they can be heard and appreciated at last.
When Roy went solo in ’37, the Pioneers accompanied him on his first recordings for Columbia (ARC), but the records were issued as being by Roy Rogers. In 1938, Roy began to record songs from his films, as well as others that have become favorites in recent years, like “Ridin’ Ropin’.” Before he moved into the 1940s, accompanied by different musicians, Roy recorded some beautiful ballads like “I Hope I’m not Dreaming Again,” “Rusty Spurs,” “Let Me Build a Cabin,” and Tim Spencer’s “Here on the Range.” But in the early ‘40s he also recorded some western swing with Spade Cooley’s Buckle-Busters.
All of these are in this set; everything that was issued between ’34 & ’43 (except for Roy’s square dance calls and one or two songs for which a beautiful alternate take is used instead of the widely available original recording). But herein lies an important characteristic of this set: there are over 50 recordings here that were not issued, so you’ll hear them for the first time! And Bear Family’s attention to detail and top quality audio, plus Doug Green’s outstanding book, make this set a “must” for every fan of Roy Rogers & the Sons of the Pioneers, and every western music collector. It should be an essential part of every collection! Available in stores or from Bear Family Records, PO Box 1154, D-27727 Hambergen, Germany, or online from bear-family.de or several US-based web sites, e.g. DeepDiscount.com (prices range from approx $130 ppd to $185 + s&h).
O.J. Sikes
Track List: (Bob Nolan songs in Italics)
SONS OF THE PIONEERS - CD-1:
1: Way Out There
2: Tumbling Tumbleweeds
3: Moonlight On The Prairie
4: Ridin' Home
5: I Follow The Stream
6: There's A Roundup In The Sky
7: Roving Cowboy
8: Will You Love Me When My Hair Has Turned To Silver
9: When Our Old Age Pension Check Comes To Our Door
10: When I Leave This World Behind
11: Over The Santa Fe Trail
12: Song Of The Pioneers
13: Echoes From The Hills
14: Kilocycle Stomp
15: Cajon Stomp
16: Westward Ho
17: The Hills Of Old Wyomin'
18: A Melody From The Sky
19: We'll Rest At The End Of The Trail
20: Texas Star
21: Blue Bonnet Girl
22: Ride, Ranger, Ride
23: Empty Saddles
24: Blue Prairie
25: I'm An Old Cowhand (From The Rio Grande)
26: Way Out There
27: Will You Love Me When My Hair Has Turned To Silver
28: Song Of The Pioneers
29: Blue Prairie
SONS OF THE PIONEERS - CD-2:
1: One More Ride
2: Way Out There
3: Tumbling Tumbleweeds
4: My Saddle Pals And I
5: I Love You Nelly
6: I Wonder If She Waits For Me Tonight
7: When The Roses Bloom Again
8: Heavenly Airplane
9: Billie The Kid
10: Power In The Blood
11: Let's Pretend
12: Love Song Of The Waterfall
13: Song Of The Bandit
14: Down Along The Sleepy Rio Grande
15: Just A-Wearyin' For You
16: Smilin' Through
17: Kelly Waltz
18: Open Range Ahead
19: Cajon Stomp
20: Blue Juniata
21: Send Him Home To Me
22: Cowboy Night-Herd Song
23: One More Ride
24: I Wonder If She Waits For Me Tonight
25: When The Roses Bloom Again
26: Billie The Kid
27: Power In The Blood
28: Open Range Ahead
29: Send Him Home To Me
30: Cowboy Night-Herd Song
SONS OF THE PIONEERS - CD-3:
1: Black Sheep Blues
2: That Pioneer Mother Of Mine
3: Hadie Brown (My Little Lady)
4: Hear Dem Bells
5: One More River To Cross
6: You Must Come In At The Door
7: Lead Me Gently Home, Father
8: The Devil's Great Grandson
9: Dwelling In Beulah Land
10: When The Golden Train Comes Down
11: The Hangin' Blues
12: Hold That Critter Down
13: Leaning On The Everlasting Arm
14: What You Gonna Say To Peter
15: At The Rainbow's End
16: The Touch Of God's Hand
17: Lord, You Made The Cowboy Happy
18: That Pioneer Mother Of Mine
19: Dust
20: When A Cowboy Sings A Song
21: Listen To The Rhythm Of The Range
22: Hi-Yo, Silver!
23: A Lonely Ranger Am I
24: Old Pioneer
25: Ridin' Ropin'
26: Black Sheep Blues
27: One More River To Cross
28: You Must Come In At The Door
29: Hold That Critter Down
30: Leaning On The Everlasting Arm
31: The Touch Of God's Hand
SONS OF THE PIONEERS - CD-4:
1: I've Sold My Saddle For An Old Guitar
2: Colorado Sunset
3: There's A Ranch In The Rockies
4: When The Sun Is Setting On The Prairie
5: When I Camped Under The Stars
6: Born To The Saddle
7: When Mother Nature Sings Her Lullaby
8: Somebody's Smile
9: I've Learned A Lot About Women
10: The Man In The Moon Is A Cowhand
11: She's All Wet Now
12: I Hope I'm Not Dreaming Again
13: The Mail Must Go Through
14: Ridin' Down The Trail
15: Here On The Range
16: Let Me Build A Cabin
17: Headin' For Texas And Home
18: Rusty Spurs
19: Chapel In The Valley
20: You Waited Too Long
21: Nobody's Fault But My Own
22: No Matter What Happens, My Darling
23: Silent Night, Holy Night
24: O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
25: Wondering Why
26: I Hope I'm Not Dreaming Again
27: Chapel In The Valley
28: You Waited Too Long
29: Nobody's Fault But My Own
30: Silent Night, Holy Night
31: O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
SONS OF THE PIONEERS - CD-5:
1: Wondering Why
2: (Without You Darling) Life Won't Be The Same
3: New Worried Mind
4: Time Changes Everything
5: Yesterday
6: Melody Of The Plains
7: So Long To The Red River Valley
8: My Love Went Without Water (Three Days)
9: (Goodbye My Darlin') They Drew My Number
10: He's Gone Up The Trail
11: A Love That Ended Too Soon
12: Cielito Lindo
13: Cool Water
14: You Don't Love Me But I'll Always Care
15: There's A Long, Long, Trail
16: Kelly Waltz
17: Lonely Rose Of Mexico
18: Rye Whiskey
19: Wagner Hoedown
20: Boggy Road To Texas
21: Don't Be Blue, Little Pal, Don't Be Blue
22: You Were Right And I Was Wrong
23: I'm Trusting In You
24: I'll Be Honest With You (Answer To Be Honest
25: (Without You Darling) Life Won't Be The Same
26: New Worried Mind
27: Time Changes Everything
28: Melody Of The Plains
29: My Love Went Without Water (Three Days)
30: (Goodbye My Darlin') They Drew My Number
31: He's Gone Up The Trail
SONS OF THE PIONEERS - CD-6:
1: I Knew It All The Time
2: You Broke My Heart, Little Darlin'
3: How Was I To Know
4: When The Moon Comes Over Sun Valley
5: Down By The Old Alamo
6: I Know I Shouldn't Worry (But I Do)
7: A Gay Ranchero (Las Altenitas)
8: Blue Bonnet Lane
9: Don't Waste Your Love On Me
10: It's Just The Same
11: A Man And His Song
12: I've Sold My Saddle For An Old Guitar
13: Pay Me No Mind
14: Salt River Valley
15: Tumbleweed Trails
16: Plain Old Plains
17: You're The Answer To My Prayer
18: Little Old Church On The Hilltop
19: She Gave Her Heart To A Soldier Boy
20: Think Of Me
21: Private Buckaroo
22: O-O-Oh, Wonderful World
23: I'll Be Around Somewhere
24: I'm Crying My Heart Out Over You
25: I Hang My Head And Cry
26: Home In San Antone
27: Let Me Keep My Memories
28: There's A New Moon Over My Shoulder
29: Pay Me No Mind
30: Salt River Valley