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Dick Thomas
"Country, Ragime, Rockin' Hillbilly And Cowboy Music"

© Jasmine

April 28 - 04, 2024

Year of Release: 2010
Rating:
Disc One:
  • Sioux City Sue
  • Forgetful
  • Rosalinda
  • Weary Nights And
    Broken Dreams
  • Don't Keep It A Secret
  • Old CHisholm Trail
  • Cowboy Jack
  • Sidetracked
  • Won't You Ride In
    My Little Red Wagon
  • If Memories Were Money
  • Tumbling Tumbleweeds
  • Raindrops
  • As Long As I Live
    I Will Love You
  • Making Excuses
  • Honestly
  • I Don't Want A
    Million Sweethearts
  • Give Me Back My Heart
  • Sleepy Head
  • Take Me Back To
    My Boots And Saddle
  • A Broken Down
    Merry Go Round
  • Sleepy Old Town
  • Can't You Take It Back
    And Change It For A Boy
  • Red River Valley
  • I'm Gonna Dry Up
    My Tears

    Disc Two:
  • When Uncle Joe Plays
    The Rag On
    His Old Banjo
  • Roses Have Thorns
  • Too Soon To Tuscon
  • Moanin' In The Mornin'
    Grievin' In The
    Evenin' Blues
  • My Guitar Is My Sweetheart
  • Bury Me Not On
    The Lone Prairie
  • Charlotte Belle
    (Carolina Waltz)
  • Tennessee Local
  • Memories Of France
  • Two Car Garage
  • My Daddy Is Only A Picture
  • Beaut From Butte
  • The Little Boy I Knew
  • Foolish Tears
  • Mistakes
  • The Last Roundup
  • You Never Loved Me
  • Broken Heart
  • Home On The Range
  • Seven Years With
    The Wrong Woman
  • They'll Never Take The
    Texas Out Of Me
  • Send This Purple Heart
    To My Sweetheart
  • I'm Goin'
  • The Gods Were Angry
    With Me
  • Down In Old Wyomin'
  • Sister Of Sioux City Sue
  • I've Got A Gal In Laramie

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    A B C D E F G H I J K L M
    N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
    Dick Thomas was a Country singer, who had a #1 hit in 1945, with "Sioux City Sue" (1 week). Once again, Jasmine Records provides (another) 2-disc set of Thomas' music (1944-1955). Thomas' music is old-fashioned Country.

    Disc One: "Sioux City Sue" starts off this collection (the #1 hit). "Forgetful" is Country before it became the much more popular in the decades to come. "Forgetful" is Gene Autry-Country. (Old, old Country). "Rosalinda" commpares to the early Eddy Arnold. Likewise on Eddy, "Weary Nights And Broken Dreams," Don't Keep It A Secret," "Old Chisholm Trail"

    "Cowboy Jack" has Gene Autry in mind, and even Roy Rogers & Dale Evans. "Sidetracked" is a great number, and early Eddy Arnold'ish. "Won't You Ride In My Little Red Wagon" is old-fashioned honky-tonk country. The piano is simply great. "If Memories Were Money" (great song title) - Eddy Arnold'ish. "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" is a classic Country song, and has been covered by many. Add this one to that collection of the song's entourage of artists who covered it. "Raindrops" is one of those songs that could be an early Rock & Roll song. It was recorded in 1952, and it also has an early Elvis sound to it, where Elvis could have covered this song in his Sun years. The organ is also a standout throughout this song. "Ragtime Cowboy From Santa Fe" has a Big Band sound to it, yet it is Country-sounding as well. "A Stolen Waltz" has a somewhat sad sound, (this is what future Country songs would sound like, with their sad tales as well). Early Eddy Arnold'ish returns with "Anyt Time Is Loving Time." The horns has a Dixieland Jazz sound.

    Slow-driven Country gets "Tiny Baby Shoes." Eddy Arnold'ish has "As Long As I Live It Will Love You." Yes, there were songs about love in the early, early years of Country - Eddy Arnold sang many of these songs. Slow-driven returns on "Making Excuses." Old, old-fashioned Country (Eddy Arnold) has "Honestly." This continues, with "I Don't Want A Million Sweethearts" (another great Country song title). "Give Me Back My Heart" has the sad story tale lyrics that Country music would be famous for.

    "Sleepy Head" is one of those songs that definitely defines the great sound of good old-fashioned Country. Likewise, the song titles such as "Take Me Back To My Boots And Saddle" would also define the sound of good old-fashioned Country. "A Broken Down Merry Go Round" (with Eileen Wilson) is a song that Roy Rogers & Dale Evans could have recorded. "Sleepy Old Town" not only is another great old-fashioned song, but Thomas' singing voice simply shines (just on many, many songs here on this compilation). (And somehow, I can hear Dean Martin singing this one.) Can't You Take It Back And Change It For A Boy" keeps that old Country continuing, and, (like on many, many songs here), the orchestration is simply great. "Red River Valley" is another great orchestration, and it's Country, before Country would develop a "new" sound, decades later. Ending the first disc is "I'm Gonna Dry Up My Tears" -- another great Country song title, of sad and worry.

    Disc Two: The ragtime feel gets the starting track - "Uncle Joe Plays The Rag On His Old Banjo." It's an excellent song. The early Eddy Arnold continues on "Rose Have Thorns." Old-fashioned happy-go-lucky Country get "Too Soon To Tucson." Country Blues has "Moanin' In The Mornin' Grievin' In The Evenin' Blues." (Great song title!) "My Guitar Is My Sweetheart" is another indication of well-known Country story telling. Your "sweetheart" is a guitar. Another old-fashioned Country artist was Tex Ritter, and, like mentioned with Eddy Arnold and Gene Autry, many songs are also compared to that of Tex Ritter. "Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie" compares to Gene Autry, and it can also pass as a Gospel song. Early Eddy Arnold has "Charlotte Belle (Carolina Waltz)." "Tennessee Local" has a great boogie-woogie Country style, like takin' that train for the ride.

    "Memories Of France" is slow-driven, and like other songs of this style, is excellent. "Two Car Garage" and "My Daddy Is Only A Picture" keeps the old-fashioned Country flowing. Hillbilly ("whoo whoo's!") and classic yodeling, and plenty of accordion has "Beaut From Butte." "The Little Boy I Knew" is pure magic. It's a great mellow-sounding song, and if you like Johnny Ray's "Cry" it has that particular style. Thomas' singing voice shines on "Foolish Tears," as he hits the high notes well, and yodeling. "Mistakes" has a great background vocals group, as many groups were like this in the early years of rock & roll. The slow-driven style of this song is definitely a standout song, and you just wonder how the name Dick Thomas just didn't get more recognition than it should have.

    "The Last Roundup" definitely is a Country song title, and it continues that good old-fashioned Country. "Get along, little doggy, get along..." "You Never Loved Me," "Broken Heart" - more Country song titles, as they would become the stories of many future decades' Country songs. "Home On The Range" is a classic, 'nuff said. "Seven Years With The Wrong Woman" is another Country song title, again, a future reference to future Country song lyrics. "They'll Never Take The Texas Out Of Me" is another great Country song title. A good song for the war - "Send This Purple Heart To My Sweetheart." "I'm Goin'" is ragtime, and has a style of a future Country star - Hank Snow. Eileen Wilson returns with Thomas, on "The Gods Were Angry With Me." Gene Autry is compared to "Down In Old Wyomin'," early Eddy Arnold on "Sister Of Sioux City Sue." Ending the compilation is "I've Got A Gal In Laramie" - good old-fashioned Country.

    This Dick Thomas complilation deinitely has all of what the title says: Country, Ragtime, Rockin' Hillbilly and Country Music. Listen to how Country all began - like as such artists as Eddy Arnold, Tex Ritter, Hank Thompson, Hank Williams Sr. The instruments throughout this compilation are well worth listening to, and Thomas' singing voice is superb. Another vocal specialty to mention is Thomas' yodeling. There is plenty of that throughout this compilation.

    Dick Thomas just maybe not a Country household name, but his music is worth discovering. His music covered here was from 1944 to 1955, and by 1955, Hank Williams Sr. was becoming the most popular Country. Hank Sr., Hank Snow, Webb Pierce and others would pave the way to become Country music more and more popular, and by the 1960s and 1970s Country music was at its peak. Dick Thomas lived to the age of 88, passing away in the year 2003. Discover Dick Thomas' music. It's good old-fashioned Country, Ragtime, Rockin' Hillbilly, and Cowboy Music.




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