Howdy! This page is part of my guide to "western" music, the legacy of the so-called "singing cowboys." You gotta love this stuff, with its sweet, old-fashioned sentimental themes, its love of nature and the great outdoors. Here's a look at the legacy of western music, old and new, with reviews and recommendations to make your next cattle drive the best one yet. This page covers artists under the letter "D" - please feel free to make recommendations or comments if I've missed someone.
(PS - Don't forget the cowgals, as well!)
Denver Darling "Songs Of The Trail" (Audiolab Records, 1959) (LP)
Illinois-born Denver Darling was a regional radio star who moved to New York City in the late 1930s, where he was able to find a national audience due to the growth of network broadcasting. He found larger celebrity after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when -- like many other popular artists -- he recorded a series of patriotic songs, many of which clicked with listeners and became national hits. Darling recorded prolifically during the war and for a few years after, but basically retired from show business in the late 'Forties. Like many musicians of the era, he saw most of his music released as 78 singles, rather than on LP: this album draws on tracks he recorded after WWII, as honkytonk was coming in, and cowboy music was headed out.
Denver Darling "The Illinois Cowboy" (Cowgirlboy Records, 1992) (LP)
This collection includes plenty of Denver's sentimental, western-themed songs, but perhaps more notable is its hefty dose of patriotic material, songs like "Send This Purple Heart To My Sweetheart," "When Mussolini Laid His Pistol Down," "Mussolini's Letter To Hitler," and its B-side answer song, "Hitler's Reply To Mussolini." Not included here (or on any of the BACM CDs below) is the virulently racist "We're Gonna Have To Slap The Dirty Little Jap (And Uncle Sam's The Guy Who Can Do It)," which may have captured the mood of the time, but doesn't seem to appeal to modern archivists. This LP has a nice mix of topical and romantic material - certainly worth tracking down if you prefer vinyl!
Denver Darling "Silver Dew On The Bluegrass Tonight" (BACM, 2005)
Denver Darling "Singing On The Range" (BACM, 2005)
Denver Darling "Volume Three: Cowboy Jack" (BACM, 2005)
Denver Darling "Volume Four: Out In The Great Alone" (BACM, 2009)
Jimmie Davis -- see artist discography
Stu Davis "Canada's Cowboy Troubadour" (BACM, 2005)
Smoky Dawson "Great Australian Singer/Songwriter" (BACM, 2005)
Eddie Dean -- see artist discography
Sheriff Johnny Denis & The Ranchers "Copper Canyon" (BACM, 2005)
Art Dickson "Singin' On The Range" (BACM, 2005)
Tommy Doss "...Of The Sons Of The Pioneers" (Bear Family, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by William E. Wiley)
Solo sessions by an erstwhile member of the Sons Of The Pioneers... Tommy Doss was born in Idaho and grew up in Oregon... He got his first big break in 1948, when western swing legend Bob Wills tapped him to replace estranged lead vocalist Tommy Duncan; Doss left the Texas Playboys after a few months, instead joining the band of Wills' younger brother Luke Wills, out in Los Angeles. His radio performances brought him to the attention of the Sons fiddler, Hugh Farr, who recruited Doss to replace another country legend, lead singer Bob Nolan, who temporarily left The Sons Of The Pioneers in 1949. Doss stayed with the band throughout the 1950s, before he finally quit touring with them in 1963 (although he did infrequently record with them in the studio for several years after that...) These tracks were from sessions Doss recorded in Hollywood, California in May, 1972. The repertoire leans more towards bluesy honkytonk and western swing material, the kind of stuff he picked up working with the Wills brothers, with some West Coast influences as well, including a cover of an old Wynn Stewart hit. With only eleven songs, this is a surprisingly short album for the Bear Family folks, but valuable for Sons fans, nonetheless.
The Down Homers "Uncle Noah's Ark" (BACM, 2005)
Slim Dusty "The Dusty Trail Rider" (BACM, 2005)
