Foy Willings & the Riders of the Purple Sage - Texas Blues: The Classic Years 1944-50 (CD)

Taking their name from the landmark 1912 western novel by Zane Grey "Riders Of The Purple Sage", Foy Willing And The Riders Of The Purple Sage were a country group who combined recording and performing with appearing in a string of Western movies in the later heyday of the genre in the '40s and early '50s. Foy Willing, who hailed from Texas, landed up in California in the early '40s and became popular on radio, forming the band around the same time. With their screen commitments they did not record prolifically, but had five country hits through the second half of the 1940s. This 48-track 2-CD set comprises most of the A & B sides of their releases on the Capitol, Decca, Majestic, Varsity and Columbia labels during this era, including a release with the orchestra of Louis Prima. It features all their career chart entries including the No. 3 country hit "Texas Blues", the No. 4 hit "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" and the No. 6 hit "Detour" along with the Top 20 hits "Anytime" and "Brush Those Tears From Your Eyes". Noted for their fine vocal harmonies, their style reflected their Hollywood outlook, with more then a hint of western swing about it, even though they recorded many songs by top Nashville writers. This collection offers a solid and representative overview of the key era of their career. They clearly had a significant influence on the west coast, their name being borrowed in the '60s psychedelic era by The New Riders Of The Purple Sage, a west coast country-rock band that was part of the genesis of Grateful Dead.

Track List:

Disc: 1

1. Hang Your Head in Shame
2. Texas Blues
3. No One to Cry to
4. 160 Acres
5. Address Unknown
6. Detour
7. Someone Won Your Heart Little Darlin'
8. Vout Cowboy
9. Mary Lou
10. Cool Water
11. Have I Told You Lately (That I Love You)
12. Live and Learn
13. Chained to a Memory
14. Darling What More Can I Do
15. Divorce Me C.O.D
16. So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed
17. No One to Cry to
18. I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
19. Wait'll I Get My Sunshine in the Moonlight
20. Tumbling Tumbleweeds
21. Twilight on the Trail
22. Holiday for the Blues
23. Where the Cool Clear Water Spills
24. Be My Darlin'

Disc: 2

1. When the Sun Goes Down
2. That's What I Like About the West
3. Never Trust a Woman
4. Blue Shadows on the Trail
5. Little White House
6. I Couldn't Believe It Was True
7. Sometimes
8. Kentucky
9. I'm Waltzing with a Broken Heart
10. Any Time
11. I Had My Heart Set on You
12. You Told a Lie
13. Sometime
14. I'll Have Somebody Else
15. Lay Your Little Head on My Shoulder
16. Just a Little Lovin'
17. Brush Those Tears from Your Eyes
18. Rose of Old Pawnee
19. I Care No More
20. Goodbye and Good Luck
21. Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)
22. I Cried Myself to Sleep Over You
23. Stampede
24. Someone in Tennessee