THE RISING STORM

Hank “Sugarfoot” Garland always wanted nothing more than to be a jazz guitarist, like his idol Tal Farlow. Instead he became a respected session axeman for the burgeoning late 1950s Nashville country-pop music factory under Chet Atkins’s velvet fist. You’ve all heard Hank; his guitar is all over those hits that Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Brenda Lee, and Patsy Cline waxed from 1958 to 1961. And guitar buffs will know that Hank was one half of the design team of the premium thin-bodied Gibson archtop, the Byrdland, with fellow sessioneer Billy Byrd.

Much earlier, however, a teenage Garland had been recruited by Decca staff producer Paul Cohen in 1949 as a potential hitmaking guitar-playing country singer. He did have an unsophisticated but engaging voice, when he wasn’t trying to be Floyd Tillman. However, it’s mainly for his astonishing chops as an electric flatpicker that we remember him today. Having heard Garland’s self-penned “Sugarfoot Boogie,” from which he took his “Sugarfoot” moniker, Cohen recorded Hank on a short series of stunning instrumental singles between 1949 and 1951, all of which stiffed chartwise. In an attempt to improve his chances, he was encouraged to resume vocalising, but without success. He was dropped by Decca at the end of 1951 and moved into touring band work, and thence into sessions.

Garland never released an album as a soloist during his Decca period; this reissue collection of 20 individual tracks is courtesy of Bear Family Records of Germany. Nor did he actually lead a band called the Sugar Footers, though the personnel on almost all his sessions included regular members Owen Bradley on piano or Hammond, Ernie Newton on bass, and Jack Shook on rhythm guitar. Their products, both instrumental and vocal, are scintillating. On the 1951 track “E-String Rag,” Hank’s relaxed vocal fronts a fine Western Swing number, his sparkling guitar breaks backed up by brief interjections from the other sessioneers. “Guitar Shuffle”, a 1950 cover of Arthur Smith’s “Guitar Boogie” with added vocal, mostly constrains Garland’s playing to the darker recesses of “farmer’s corner” but boasts a killer beat (forget Jackie Brenston: rock’n’roll starts here, folks) and a gorgeous break from C6 lapsteelist Bob Foster. And on the strangely unissued single Garland recorded for Chic on a brief session in 1957, “Baby Guitar”, he lets fly with a full, awesome flatpicking technique. When you hear Albert Lee or John Jorgensen in full flight, bear in mind that Hank Garland did this on a big-bodied semi-acoustic through a small, reverb-less tube amp, and without the benefit of vari-speed overdubbing like Les Paul.

It would be nice to think that Hank Garland’s ambition came true. Like many other Nashville regulars, he would gather after-hours to play jazz sessions in the city’s bars. In 1960 Hank finally recorded an acclaimed LP on Columbia, “Jazz Winds From A New Direction”, with a trio including Gary Burton on vibes. But less than a year later he was involved in a horrendous road accident, and after several months in a coma he recovered to find that he had lost his coordination and much of his memory. Hank Garland never played another session.

“E-String Rag”

CD Reissue | 1994 | Bear Family | buy from bear | amazon ]
Orignal Vinyl | Hank Garland | ebay search ]

High Geared Daddy - Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight (Bear Family, 2008) is a good single disc look at Webb Pierce’s 1950s work.  If you can spring for it, Bear Family’s 4 disc 1951 – 1958 collection is preffered but at 32 tracks, High Geared Daddy covers many of his classics from this era.

Webb Pierce was hated by the Nashville establishment of the day but there’s no getting around the fact that he redefined the honky tonk sound.  Not only did he place 95 songs in the charts (13 top slots) but also created his own record label in 1950 (Pacemaker), set up a successful publishing company (Cedarwood Publishing) and bought several radio stations.   The image was there too; there are numerous photos of Webb in fancy cars wearing one of his patent Nudie suits.  He made a small fortune and essentially built a country music empire.  All this tends to overshadow the fine body of music Webb Pierce produced in the 1950s.

Bear Family’s High Geared Daddy comes highly recommended as an introduction to this underrated country artist (the exceptional liner notes make a great cd package even better).  The disc covers key tracks from the Pacemaker, Decca, and Fourstars record labels, a period which spans from 1949 to 1959 (his peak years).   Webb Pierce bought most of the songs he was supposed to have written but his skills as a singer and interpreter are unmatched.  There are great renditions of Roy Acuff’s “Freight Train Blues” and Jimmie Rodgers “In The Jailhouse Now,” two songs which are given Webb’s own personal stamp.  The same goes for George Jones’ classic ”Why Baby Why,” a superb 1956 duet with Red Sovine.  More suprising is a raw cover of the Everly Brothers’ classic “Bye Bye Love” and the pure rockabilly of “Teenage Boogie” and “The New Raunchy.”  These classics swing hard and stomp loudly; few honky tonkers could reach Webb’s level of consistency.  Sure, there are some classic tracks that are missing but what’s here is vibrant and strong.

It’s a shame people remember Webb Pierce for his outspoken nature and questionable business tactics.  High Geared Daddy proves that Pierce was one of America’s great post war artists, a man who revolutionized/modernized the honky tonk sound.

“Why Baby Why (& Red Sovine)”

CD Compilation | 2008 | Bear family | buy at bear | amazon ]
Original Vinyl | Webb Pierce | search ebay ]

In 1956, MGM released the science fiction film, Forbidden Planet. The picture stars Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Neilson and the brilliant Robby The Robot. How exciting it must have been to experience this film in the theater in 1956! Technically speaking, the film is remarkable, featuring sophisticated visual effects and a visionary musical score.

For Forbidden Planet, married NY duo Louis & Bebe Barron produced one of the very first wholly electronic movie scores. The music was created using custom electronic circuits built by the Barrons, circuitry that they claim was influenced by cybernetics.

Louis and Bebe Barron:

“In Scoring Forbidden Planet – as in all our work – we created individual cybernetic circuits for particular themes and leit motifs, rather than using standard sound generators. Actually, each circuit has a characteristic activity pattern as well as a ‘voice.’ “

These “cybernetic circuits” were used to build multi-musical sound layers, as well as most of the film’s “inorganic” sound effects. This is a wonderful achievement: the basic connection created between the sound effects and the sound music. The SFX and the musical score are interwoven to create a neat, all-electronic union between diegetic and non-diegetic sound.

Tape echo and reverberation seem to be used widely as a sound processor within this production, helping to further a “space-like” or “far-out” atmosphere. All-together, this pioneer production is a fine example of pre-synthesizer electronic music making!

This score might not be the easiest to listen to on its own. I would recommend viewing the movie first, paying special attention to how the electronic music influences the film, and vice-versa. Later, listen to the soundtrack alone, preferably with headphones (there are some excellent uses of stereophonic sound within). I can assure you you won’t be disappointed, or un-moved. This soundtrack is a must have for those interested in early electronic music and electronic music history. A memorable release!

“Battle With The Invisible Monster”

CD Reissue: 1995 | Small Planet Records | Buy From GNP Crescendo ]

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