The Baldknobbers "Hillbilly Jamboree Time" (American Artists Custom Records, 196-?) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Higgins)
A live set drawn from their Saturday shows in Branson, with two album-length tracks on each side, and no gaps between songs. This is packed with oldies such as "Old Joe Clark," "She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain" and "This Old House," this souvenir album lacks the usual blend of contemporary hits that would help date its release. Still, there's interesting material on here, including some 'Fifties-style country boogie numbers such as "Fiddle Boogie" and "Wild Man Boogie," and at least one song -- "Heap A Lot Of Living" -- that may be an original. Also a lot of stage patter and light comedy; alas, the liner notes don't tell us the names of all the musicians, though the emcee does give onstage shout-outs to bandmembers "George" and "Willie," as well as the troupe's resident country clown, Droopy Drawers. Lotsa hot fiddling on this one.
The Baldknobbers "Hymn Time With The Baldnobbers" (American Artists Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Higgins)
A remarkably authentic, old-fashioned country- and bluegrass- gospel set, delivered in an antiquated style that flew in the face of the Nashville Sound slickness emanating out of Tennessee. Often, Branson mini-opry albums seem to tack bluegrass numbers on in sort of an obligatory way, with perfunctory performances of "Orange Blossom Special" or "Rocky Top" dropped in to tick off that particular item from the list. In contrast this album digs deep into the classic, hyper-rural hillbilly sounds of the 1950s, reminiscent of acts such as Jim & Jesse, The Stanley Brothers, or the Louvin Brothers, with solid, understated picking and plangent vocal harmonies, and very little showboating. To be sure, there are strong instrumental performances throughout, particularly the dobro and Merle Travis-influenced guitar picking, but nobody gets into bluegrass drag-racing - it's about the message, not the messengers. Also unusual is finding a mini-opry souvenir album that provides a specific release date: the liner notes mention the Baldknobbers starting out at Silver Dollar City "ten years ago in 1959," and also discuss the 1969 opening of a new auditorium dedicated to their own family band. The notes also identify the group as "the Mabe boys" -- Bill, Bob, Jim and Lyle Mabe -- "along with one other accompanist," though sadly that person is not actually named... Oh, well. Anyway, fans of more rural, older-sounding acoustic twang would definitely appreciate this album. It's a doozy.
The Baldknobbers "Great, Great Day" (American Artists Records, 197--?) (LP)
Another nice gospel set, though this time with a more modern musical feel, more of a Porter Wagoner-esque sound, and less of a 1940s hillbilly vibe (though their rootsy, traditionalism is still on full display...) Plenty of gospel classics, sung with untainted conviction and backed by some fun, jaunty, Chet Atkins-ish guitar picking. Great record; too bad they made a habit of not identifying the guys in their band. (This album also briefly features vocals from some small girls, presumably the daughters of one or more of the Mabe brothers?) Good stuff.
The Baldknobbers "Country Fever" (American Artists Records, 19--?) (LP)
The Baldknobbers "Baldknobber Country" (American Artists Records, 19--?) (LP)
The Baldknobbers "Live And In Color" (American Artists Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Higgens)
The Baldknobbers "From The Hills Of The Ozarks" (American Artists Custom Records, 19--?) (LP)
The Baldknobbers "Saturday Night Live" (American Artists Records, 19--?) (LP)
The Baldknobbers "The Baldknobbers At Home" (American Artists Records, 1977) (LP)
The Baldknobbers "Alive And Kickin' " (American Artists Records, 19--?) (LP)
The Baldknobbers "On Tour Live: Country Music Show" (American Artists Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by David Dombrowski, Joe Higgins & Winnie Swaim)
Like many Ozark opry souvenir albums, this disc doesn't provide a release date, but it does rather helpfully list all the artist names on the front cover's "marquee" design -- Bill Mabe presides over the band, with a gaggle of local twangsters. I'm not sure if the Baldknobbers had a touring group that was separate from their house band, though this lineup is notable for several members of the Bilyeu family band: Tom Bilyeu was the show's emcee, as well as one of the lead singers, along with Joan Bilyeu, Renee Bilyeu and Tammy Bilyeu listed simply as vocalists. The rest of the troupe included comedian George Aggernite, Roger Blevins (steel guitar), Gene Dove (bass), "Droopy Drawers" (comedy), Joe Griffin (drums), Howard Hale (banjo and piano), Mike Ito (fiddle), Jim Jackson (lead guitar) and Bill Mabe playing dobro, with almost everyone also listed as vocalists. The repertoire was mostly real oldies -- "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," "Paper Roses," "Orange Blossom Special," Bill Emerson's "I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name," "Release Me," a rock oldies medley, "Y'All Come" -- with the most identifiable contemporary song being Ronnie Milsap's 1975 hit, "Daydreams About Night Things."
The Baldknobbers "Good Ole American Country" (American Artists Records, 19--?) (LP)
The Baldknobbers "Take The Stage In Ozark Mountain Country" (Dungeon Records, 1981-?) (LP)
This is one of their later albums, with covers of Top Forty hits like "Elvira" and Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again," which was a hit in 1980. There are also plenty of oldies, such as "The Tennessee Waltz" and Arthur Smith's "Guitar Boogie," and a huge cast of performers.
The Baldknobbers "Live On The 76 Strip: 25 Years" (Ozark Sound Studios, 1984-?) (LP)
(Produced by Pat Shikany)
The Baldknobbers "Old Time Gospel" (Ozark Sound Records, 1984-?) (LP)
The Baldknobbers "Hillbilly Starpower" (1984-?) (LP)
This appears to be the same album as the Jamboree Time LP below. It includes covers of Merle Haggard's 1984 hit, "Let's Chase Each Other Around The Room" and "Mama, He's Crazy" by the Judds... So it's at least from 1984, possibly later.
The Baldknobbers "Live! Showtime!" (Dungeon Records, 19--?) (LP)
The Baldknobbers "Hillbilly Jamboree Time" (Century Records, 19--?) (LP)
Founded in 1959, The Baldknobbers are one of the longest-lived and best-known acts in the Branson, Missouri country music network. Originally a four-piece family band including brothers Bill Mabe, Bob Mabe, Jim Mabe and Lyle Mabe, the Baldknobbers were one of the original bands playing on the opening day of the Silver Dollar City amusement park, way back in 1960. They eventually formed their own "jamboree" show with a cast that has changed many times over the years, to eventually be handed over to a younger generation of Mabe family members. The group jokingly took its name from the Bald Knobbers, a vigilante group from the 1880s that figure prominently in the social mythology of Reconstruction-era Missouri. Like many similar country amusement park bands, the Baldknobbers have recorded an impressive string of souvenir albums which were sold at their bandstand and on tour. These are at least a few of those albums... Most of the original LPs don't have release dates on them, so organizing this discography winds up involving a lot of guesswork...
