Cliff Carlisle (May 6, 1903* – April 5, 1983) was an American country and blues musician, singer and songwriter.
White country bluesman Cliff Carlisle was among the most
prolific recording artists of the 1930s; a blue yodeler in the tradition of
Jimmie Rodgers, he helped pioneer the popularity of the Hawaiian steel guitar
in country music, while the ribald imagery of his material established him
among the wittiest and most reckless composers of his day.
Clifford Raymond Carlisle was born in a log cabin on a
tobacco farm in Taylorsville, Kentucky. As a child the Hawaiian guitar
recordings of Sol Hoopi and Frank Ferera enamored young Carlisle. His father
bought him a Sears and Roebuck guitar and imitating Ferera, he eventually
placed a steel nut under the strings of his own guitar to achieve a similar
sound. Rural blues was also an early
influence, and while working on his family's farm he also absorbed the
inspiration of old-timey string bands and sacred songs.
He began his performing career at the age of 16, performing
socials and local talent contests alongside a cousin, Lillian Truax. After
Truax's marriage disbanded the duo, in 1924 Carlisle began collaborating with
Wilber Ball, a construction worker who also played guitar and sang tenor harmony;
over the course of the decade to follow, the duo regularly toured the
vaudeville and tent show circuit, performing across the country as quite
possibly the first blue yodeling duet team.
In 1930, Carlisle and Ball debuted on Louisville radio WHAS,
a fledgling station their popularity helped establish; that same year Carlisle
made his first recordings on the Gennett and Champion labels, virtually all of
them firmly in the tradition of Jimmie Rodgers.
In 1931, he and Ball actually
recorded with the Singing Brakeman himself; that same year Carlisle also cut
"Shanghai Rooster Yodel," the first in a series of ribald
barnyard-themed outings that served him throughout his career, and might have
influenced similar tracks
by Charley Patton ("Banty Rooster Blues") and Howlin' Wolf ("Little Red Rooster").
by Charley Patton ("Banty Rooster Blues") and Howlin' Wolf ("Little Red Rooster").
Carlisle also recorded under various names during the early
30’s. He recorded as Amos Greene for Supertone records in 1930, Otto Fletcher
for Superior records in 1931/2, and as Bob Clifford for Vocallion in 1933.
Upon signing to ARC in late 1931, Carlisle's career truly
took flight, as he landed a regular spot on Charlotte, NC, station WBT,
followed by subsequent gigs at Chicago's WLS and Cincinnati's WLW. His younger
brother, Bill, replaced Ball as rhythm guitarist circa 1934, and when Carlisle
resumed recording in 1936 after a lengthy hiatus, his material became even
saltier -- "Get Her By the Tail on a Down Hill Drag" was a classic
barroom boast.
Cliff Carlisle, Shannon Grayson, Bill Carlisle
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In 1939, he recorded "Footprints in the Snow,"
later to become a bluegrass standard; the song offered clear proof that
consumers' appetite for blue yodels was on the wane; in the years to follow,
Carlisle was a regular on WMPS in Memphis, but by the early '50s he was
essentially retired from the music industry, having recorded well over 300
sides during his heyday.
He was rediscovered a decade later when the Rooftop Singers
covered his "Tom Cat Blues," leading to a handful of reunion
performances with Wilber Ball and even the recording of new material for the
Rem label. Cliff Carlisle died in Lexington, KY, on April 2, 1983; he was 78.
(Edited mainly from All Music bio by Jason Ankeny. * Some
sources give birth date as 1904)
6 comments:
For “Cliff Carlisle - Far Beyond The Starry Sky” go here:
https://www.upload.ee/files/9924267/CliffCarlisle-FarBeyondStarrySky.rar.html
1. Cliff Carlisle - Where My Memory Lies (3:19)
2. Cliff Carlisle - Girl in the Blue Velvet Band (3:03)
3. Cliff Carlisle - Far Beyond the Starry Sky (3:16)
4. Cliff Carlisle - Where Are the Pals of Long Ago (3:10)
5. Cliff Carlisle - Blind Child's Prayer (2:37)
6. Cliff Carlisle - Georgia Moon (2:56)
7. Cliff Carlisle - Shine on Me (2:53)
8. Cliff Carlisle - Going Back to Alabama (3:09)
9. Cliff Carlisle - Where Romance Calls (3:16)
10. Cliff Carlisle - Desert Blues (3:12)
11. Cliff Carlisle - Dear Old Daddy (2:48)
12. Cliff Carlisle - Onion Eating Mama (3:02)
13. Cliff Carlisle - The Brakeman's Reply (2:43)
14. Cliff Carlisle - Prepare Me O Lord (2:59)
15. Cliff Carlisle - A Stretch of 28 Years (3:03)
16. Cliff Carlisle - Lonely Orphan Child (2:57)
17. Cliff Carlisle - New Memories of You That Haunt Me (3:25)
18. Cliff Carlisle - On the Banks of the Rio Grande (3:24)
19. Cliff Carlisle - My Rocky Mountain Sweetheart (3:05)
20. Cliff Carlisle - Shine Your Light For Others (2:53)
Track 3,4,14,20 as Cliff Carlisle & his Buckle Busters
Track 5 as Cliff & Tommy Carlisle
Track 7 as Cliff Carlisle Quartet
Track 9 as Carlisle Brothers
Track 10,11,13,19 as Cliff Carlisle & Wilbur Ball
Track 12 as Bob Clifford
Track 16 as Cliff Carlisle & Sunny Boy Tommy
A nice and representative collection of 20 songs by the elder Carlisle, cut between 1931 and 1939. Carlisle was one of the very first to feature the Hawaiian guitar, and vocally was heavily influenced by Jimmie Rodgers (hear ONION EATING MAMA on this disc). On a good number of tracks he is accompanied by his brother Bill on guitar, and his son, Sonny Boy Tommy. The material is taken from A.R.C., Bluebird, and Decca 78s and includes some fine cuts like SHINE ON ME, BLIND CHILDS PRAYER, GIRL IN THE BLUE VELVET BAND and BRAKEMANS REPLY. etc.
Not forgetting a big thank you to the Rockin’ Bandit for original post.
For “Cliff Carlisle – Kountry Kind” (1963) go here:
https://jumpshare.com/v/wS8PpRJZVuiZsMFQyp1K?b=nQ57iue5kjyUz001F6iJ
1. Ramblin` Yodeler
2. Gamblin` Dan
3. Your Diary Told Me So
4. Red Velvet Slippers
5. Carolina Sweetheart
6. Ride `Em `Till I Die
7. Mine, All Mine
8. Shaggy Dog
9. Rocky Mountain Home
10. Shine, Shine On Me
11. Holy Lord
12. Home Of The Soul
A big thank you to Allen’s Archive for active link.
Thanks!
Cheers,
Mike M
Thanks, Boppin' Bob!
Thank you. New musicians for me is always welcome.
Thank you sir
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