Personnel: Bill Boyd (vocals, guitar); William "Curly" Perrin (vocals, guitar); Art Davis (vocals, mandolin, fiddle); Jim Boyd (vocals); Walter Kirkes (banjo); Slomie Creel, Jack Henson (piano).
Recording information: San Antonio, TX (08/07/1934-10/27/1936).
Although Texan Bill Boyd and the various incarnations of his Cowboy Ramblers undeniably played western swing, they were only a deliberate step or two removed from being an old-time string band, albeit an incredibly jazzy one. This fun set collects 16 of the band's early sides for Bluebird Records, all recorded between 1934 and 1936, and includes a mix of delightful instrumentals along with updated and streamlined string band classics like "Mama Don't Like No Music." Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers would go on to record for RCA Records, cutting well over 200 singles and appearing in a half-dozen Hollywood Westerns in the '40s, but the template for all of that was set in these early sessions for Bluebird Records. ~ Steve Leggett
