Hound Dog - Big Mama Thornton
Chinese Laundry Blues - Ralph Shaw; a double entendre hit for British movie & stage star, from the 30's thru the 50's, the one & only - George Formby.
Halimuhfack - Zora Neale Hurston; Zora was a part of the 'Harlem Renaissance' of the 20's. She was a writer & collector of black folk tales & songs. this is reminiscent of the old Memphis Jug Band song 'You May Leave But This Is Gonna Bring You Back'.
Red Beans - Snooks Eaglin; Snooks with an electric guitar in a band setting & he's still a knockout.
My Sweetheart - Jack Roberts; Carson Washington's own champion muleteer, tobacco expectorationist & singer of them good ole songs.
Slide Mandolin - Steve James; the title says it all.
The Ballad Of Charles Whitman - Kinky Friedman; are you familiar with the armchair anarchist character in the movie 'Slacker' who laments not witnessing the Texas Tower shootings, where he generally had coffee that time of day, because he had to take his wife to the doctor?
Thank You Republic Airlines - Tom Paxton; there've been a spate of videos about travelers having their guitars injured by various airlines. This just shows that that's nothing new (the guitar treatment not the videos).
Jones Oh Jones - Alphonso Blake Higgs; there's a story about Lewis Armstrong's whole band being arrested in hick town. "What are you guys doing here," asks the cop. "We're musicians," answers Lewis. "So play me a song," demands the cop. So they played 'I'll Be Glad When you're dead you rascal you'.
In The Evening - Karen Dalton; Karen used folk instruments & sang folk songs, but in a whole new way.
12th Street Rag - Frosty Lamb/Buzz Fountain; a jazz tune done appalachian style.
Can't You Hear Me Callin - Herb Pedersen
Ice Cream - George Lewis’ Ragtime Band
How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live - Ry Cooder; I'll have to get back to you on this.
Walkin' One And Only - Maria Muldaur
Don't Let Your Deal Go Down - Johnny Gimble
The Whiskey's Gone - Larry Penn; this guy's a modern writer of 'folk/labor songs'. All of them that I've heard have been quietly memorable & unassuming works of folk art - in the best sense.
Buck Dancer's Choice - Sam McGee; Sam & his brother Kirk accompanied Uncle Dave Macon in their early years. You can hear the influence of Uncle Dave in his spoken interlude before playing the tune out.
Nogies Creek - Michael Cooney; "Do not ask me, I'm the expert but I cannot tell you why." Another gentle yet chilling example of folk art.
Goin Where the Monon Crosses the Yellow Dog - Scrapper Blackwell; this is the same Scrapper Blackwell who was Leroy Carr's accompanist back in the 30's. This was recorded in the 60's.
Railroading On the Great Divide - Larry Hanks; this was recorded in the 60's. He sounds a bit different now.
Out Of My Bondage - Gordon Tanner/Smokey Joe Miller; sounds like 'Jesus is mine' to me (or maybe that line is in Out Of My Bondage & I just never knew the title). Gordon is Gid Tanner's son & Smokey was one of Gid's accompnists.
The Devil With The Devil - The Redstick Ramblers
Guabi Guabi - Ramblin' Jack Elliott; composed & recorded by George Sibanda who was from Western Zimbabwe. He probably didn't do it this-a-way but you never know. Ramblin' Jack is a subtile musician & a very good mimic.
Flowers On The Wall - The Statler Brothers; Kurt Vonnegut liked this song & that's good enough for me.
Tiger Rag - The Wanderers