Dixon Brothers – Complete Recorded Works 1936-1938 Vol 2 (1937)

The second of four volumes, chronicling the recording career of one of country music�s most individualistic of the so-called �brother acts� which flourished in during the thirties. Dorsey and Howard Dixon hailed from South Carolina. Among their influences was Darby and Tarlton. Howard was awed by Jimmie’s skill in playing lap style slide on his National steel guitar. In turn the Dixon brother ‘s recordings influenced many others including Darby and Tarlton who recorded a cover of Weave Room Blues as The Weaver’s Blues. Their repertoire encompassed a mixture of blues, ballads, a handful of religious songs and even a few cowboy songs. On this volume Howard and Dorsey are joined by Dorsey�s wife Beatrice on the religious numbers including the outstanding Beautiful Stars. Frank Gerald stands in for two popular songs of the day celebrating �pals�, one of which, Call Me Back, was to be found in the repertoire of the black Atlanta-based songster Blind Willie McTell. The parlour ballad Two Little Boys probably dates back to the Napoleonic Wars. It was adapted by the Dixons to fit into the context of The American Civil War. Later it became a bluegrass standard and later still suffered the ignominy of being taken to the top of the British pop charts by the Wobble Board toting Rolf Harris. Street cred unhindered, the collection also benefits from the addition of two �demos�; Bless His Promise and The Well Of Jacob; Jesus Said which came from the private record collection of Wade Mainer (brother of J. E. Mainer; leader of The Crazy Mountaineers). Though their recording career was short, spanning only two years, their records sold well. As these four volumes demonstrate, the Dixon brothers were one of the finest country vocal / guitar duets to record. Includes informative booklet notes by Keith Briggs and detailed discography.