UPC: 5397102162220
Format: CD (9 disc)
Release Date: Nov 27, 2014
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Johnny Horton's hits divide into two categories. First came the hardcore honky tonk, the tough and lean "I'm a One-Woman Man" and "Honky Tonk Man," 1956 hits that turned into often covered standards. These were eclipsed three years later by the historical sagas "When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)," "The Battle of New Orleans," "Johnny Reb," "Sink the Bismarck," and "North to Alaska" -- a long stretch of narratives, some so corny they flirted with novelties, that arrived just before his tragic death from a car accident in 1960. His sudden death preserved his legacy in amber, with the historical songs eventually fading in the light of the legacy of those early sides for Columbia, songs that were frequently revived by the likes of George Jones and Dwight Yoakam. Despite this low-key revival, it still didn't quite convey the depth of Horton's career, nor did the CD reissues that hit the market in the '90s. Legacy released a stellar double-disc overview of the Columbia years in 1996 called Honky Tonk Man: The Essential Johnny Horton 1956-1960 but the serious overhaul of the catalog came from Bear Family, who released two separate boxes in 1991: the four-CD collection The Early Years, which contained all the Cormac, Abbott, and Mercury records, plus what was issued on Briar and Dot; and the four-disc 1956-1960, which had all of his Columbia records, including the posthumously issued overdubs.
Thirteen years later, Bear Family revisited Horton via the mammoth The Singing Fisherman, a nine-disc set that combines remastered versions of the material from their two previous boxes and adds rarities not seen on either, including the extremely rare first record the singer ever cut. There are also two heavy hardcover books, one a standard Bear Family extravaganza featuring rare photos, album covers, a discography, and a biography by Colin Escott, the other a replica of a journal Horton's mother wrote about her son months after his death. The latter is a curio for longtime fans but the former helps place the music in context, something that's needed in a set so large. A fair portion of the box is dedicated to demos -- the last third is entirely devoted to demos, ranging from homemade sketches to full-blown run-throughs in a studio -- and while there are certainly interesting things here, the big story of The Singing Fisherman is indeed the big story, how it shows Horton wandering around through the early '50s before finding two separate successful commercial tracks on Columbia. Those early sides on Cormac, Abbott, and Mercury are eclectic -- there's honky tonk, hopping country-boogie, some folky narratives and Western swing -- but Horton never seems like he's fumbling; he slides each sound into his own casually confident style. His Mercury sides were his straightest honky tonk, pleasingly following Hank's path, but he stretched out more on Columbia, occasionally dipping into rockabilly, such as the walloping "Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor." That's why the heavily produced historical hits, some of them so shellacked in backing vocals they seem ready for Disneyland, are a bit of a disappointment, but beneath that he could kick up some dust, as "Cherokee Boogie" and "Ole Slew Foot" make plain.
Ending his career on this note complicated Johnny Horton's standing in history: he died at the peak of stardom but not creativity. That's why The Singing Fisherman is valuable. It puts those big hits in perspective as its nine discs showcase a restless, inventive, charming country singer who sang most of the major country styles of the '50s and wound up putting his stamp on them all. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Thirteen years later, Bear Family revisited Horton via the mammoth The Singing Fisherman, a nine-disc set that combines remastered versions of the material from their two previous boxes and adds rarities not seen on either, including the extremely rare first record the singer ever cut. There are also two heavy hardcover books, one a standard Bear Family extravaganza featuring rare photos, album covers, a discography, and a biography by Colin Escott, the other a replica of a journal Horton's mother wrote about her son months after his death. The latter is a curio for longtime fans but the former helps place the music in context, something that's needed in a set so large. A fair portion of the box is dedicated to demos -- the last third is entirely devoted to demos, ranging from homemade sketches to full-blown run-throughs in a studio -- and while there are certainly interesting things here, the big story of The Singing Fisherman is indeed the big story, how it shows Horton wandering around through the early '50s before finding two separate successful commercial tracks on Columbia. Those early sides on Cormac, Abbott, and Mercury are eclectic -- there's honky tonk, hopping country-boogie, some folky narratives and Western swing -- but Horton never seems like he's fumbling; he slides each sound into his own casually confident style. His Mercury sides were his straightest honky tonk, pleasingly following Hank's path, but he stretched out more on Columbia, occasionally dipping into rockabilly, such as the walloping "Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor." That's why the heavily produced historical hits, some of them so shellacked in backing vocals they seem ready for Disneyland, are a bit of a disappointment, but beneath that he could kick up some dust, as "Cherokee Boogie" and "Ole Slew Foot" make plain.
Ending his career on this note complicated Johnny Horton's standing in history: he died at the peak of stardom but not creativity. That's why The Singing Fisherman is valuable. It puts those big hits in perspective as its nine discs showcase a restless, inventive, charming country singer who sang most of the major country styles of the '50s and wound up putting his stamp on them all. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracks:
Disc 1:
1 - Give Me a Big Fat Woman
2 - Why in the Dickens Don't You Milk That Cow
3 - By My Side
4 - Candy Jones
5 - Chiggers
6 - Empty Promises
7 - I Wanna Know
8 - It's Easy as Sin
9 - When My Baby Cries
10 - Plaid and Calico
11 - Coal Smoke, Valve Oil and Steam
12 - Done Rovin'
13 - Birds and Butterflies
14 - Happy Millionaire
15 - Mean, Mean Son of a Gun
16 - Devilish Love Light
17 - In My Home in Shelby County
18 - Go and Wash Your Dirty Feet (Barefoot Boy Blues)
19 - Shadows on the Old Bayou
20 - Talk Gobbler Talk (Old Gobbler, the Hound Dog)
21 - Words
22 - Smokey Joe's Barbecue
23 - On the Banks of the Beautiful Nile
24 - It's a Long Rocky Road
25 - Shotgun Boogie
26 - Devilish Love Light (Excerpt)
27 - Bawlin' Baby
28 - Somebody's Rockin' My Broken Heart
29 - Betty Lorraine (Betty Lou)
30 - Rhythm in My Baby's Walk
31 - Disc 2:
32 - Hank and Joe and Me
33 - Golden Rocket
34 - A-Sleeping at the Foot of the Bed
35 - I Just Don't Like This Kind of Livin'
36 - Old Blind Barnabas
37 - Evil Hearted Me
38 - Hot in the Sugar Cane Field
39 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
40 - Gosh Darn Wheel
41 - Broken Hearted Gypsy
42 - Church by the Side of the Road
Disc 2:
1 - Hank and Joe and Me
2 - Golden Rocket
3 - A-Sleeping at the Foot of the Bed
4 - I Just Don't Like This Kind of Livin'
5 - Old Blind Barnabas
6 - Evil Hearted Me
7 - Hot in the Sugar Cane Field
8 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
9 - Gosh Darn Wheel
10 - Broken Hearted Gypsy
11 - Church by the Side of the Road
12 - (Another Woman Wears) My Wedding Ring
13 - You, You, You
14 - All for the Love of a Girl
15 - Two Red Lips and Warm Red Wine
16 - Back to My Back Street
17 - Move Down the Line
18 - Train With the Rhumba Beat
19 - There'll Never Be Another Mary
20 - No True Love
21 - Devil Made a Masterpiece
22 - Ha Ha and Moonface
23 - You Cry in the Door of Your Mansion
24 - Where Are You
25 - Meant So Little to You
26 - Ridin' the Sunshine Special
27 - Hey, Sweet Thing
28 - Journey With No End
29 - Big Wheels Rollin'
Disc 3:
1 - First Train Headin' South
2 - Rest of Your Life
3 - (I Wished for an Angel) The Devil Sent Me You
4 - This Won't Be the First Time
5 - Child's Side of Life
6 - I Won't Forget
7 - Egg Money
8 - SS Lureline
9 - Mansion You Stole
10 - I Won't Get Dreamy Eyed
11 - Tennessee Jive
12 - (Another Woman Wears) My Wedding Ring
13 - You, You, You
14 - All for the Love of a Girl
15 - Two Red Lips and Warm Red Wine
16 - Back to My Back Street
17 - Move Down the Line
18 - Train With the Rhumba Beat
19 - There'll Never Be Another Mary
20 - No True Love
21 - Devil Made a Masterpiece
22 - Ha Ha and Moonface
23 - You Cry in the Door of Your Mansion
24 - Where Are You
25 - Meant So Little to You
26 - Ridin' the Sunshine Special
27 - Hey, Sweet Thing
28 - Journey With No End
29 - Big Wheels Rollin'
30 - Don't Use My Heart for a Stepping Stone
31 - I Love You, Baby
Disc 4:
1 - I'm a One Woman Man
2 - Honky Tonk Man
3 - I'm Ready If You're Willing
4 - I Got a Hole in My Pirogue
5 - Take Me Like I Am
6 - Sugar-Coated Baby
7 - I Don't Like I Did
8 - Hooray for That Little Difference
9 - I'm Coming Home
10 - Over-Loving You
11 - She Knows Why
12 - Honky Tonk Mind (The Woman I Need)
13 - Tell My Baby I Love Her
14 - Goodbye Lonesome, Hello Baby Doll
15 - I'll Do It Everytime
16 - You're My Baby
17 - Let's Take the Long Way Home
18 - Lover's Rock
19 - Honky-Tonk Hardwood Floor
20 - Wild One
21 - Everytime I'm Kissing You
22 - Hot in the Sugarcane Field
23 - Lonesome and Heartbroken
24 - Seven Come Eleven
25 - I Can't Forget You
26 - Wise to the Ways of a Woman
27 - Out in New Mexico
28 - Tetched in the Head
29 - Just Walk a Little Closer
30 - Don't Use My Heart for a Stepping Stone
31 - I Love You, Baby
Disc 5:
1 - Counterfeit Love
2 - Mister Moonlight
3 - All Grown Up
4 - Got the Bull by the Horns
5 - When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)
6 - Whispering Pines
7 - Battle of New Orleans
8 - Lost Highway
9 - Sam Magee
10 - Cherokee Boogie
11 - Battle of New Orleans [British Version]
12 - Joe's Been A-Gittin' There
13 - First Train Headin' South
14 - Sal's Got a Sugarlip [Rock & Roll Version]
15 - Johnny Reb
16 - Sal's Got a Sugarlip
17 - Ole Slew-Foot
18 - They Shined Up Rudolph's Nose
19 - Electrified Donkey
20 - Same Old Tale the Crow Told Me
21 - Sink the Bismarck
Disc 6:
1 - Miss Marcy (Billy Boy)
2 - Sleepy-Eyed John
3 - They'll Never Take Her Love From Me
4 - Sinking of the Reuben James
5 - Jim Bridger
6 - Battle of Bull Run
7 - Snow-Shoe Thompson
8 - John Paul Jones
9 - Comanche (The Brave Horse)
10 - Young Abe Lincoln
11 - O'Leary's Cow
12 - Johnny Freedom
13 - Go North!
14 - North to Alaska
15 - Rock Island Line
16 - North to Alaska [Radio Promo]
17 - Ford Commercials
18 - Wray Ford Commercial
19 - Johnny Horton Talks
20 - Radio Interview With KWKH Radio Bob Stoner
21 - Ballad of Johnny Horton
22 - None of You But All of Me
Disc 7:
1 - Done Rovin'
2 - Talk Gobbler Talk (Old Gobbler)
3 - Give Me Back My Picture and You Can Keep the Frame
4 - Two Eyed Sunday Pants
5 - Two-Eyed Sunday Pants
6 - My Home in Shelby County
7 - Confusion
8 - Go and Wash Your Dirty Feet
9 - Go and Wash Your Dirty Feet
10 - Smokey Joe's Barbeque
11 - It's a Long Rocky Road
12 - My Gal Comes From Heaven
13 - Janie
14 - My Pretty Little Gal From Dixie*
15 - Somebody's Rockin' My Broken Heart
16 - I'll Fill a Drunkard's Grave
17 - Bawlin' Baby
18 - Betty Lorraine
19 - First Train Headin' South
20 - Down That River Road
21 - Ridin' Down the Rocky Trail
22 - None of You But All of Me
23 - Where Do You Think You Would Stand
24 - Why Did It Happen to Me
25 - Won't You Love Me, Love Me, Love Me
26 - Upon My Heart
27 - John Henry
28 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
29 - What Will I Do Without You [Guitar]
Disc 8:
1 - Dark-Eyed Beauty From Cuba
2 - I Won't Get Dreamy Eyed [Incomplete]
3 - I Wish Heartaches Were Strangers
4 - Love and Tell
5 - Honky-Tonk Jelly Roll Blues
6 - Because I'm a Jealous Man
7 - My Heart Stopped Trembled and Died
8 - You're the One for Me
9 - Train With the Rumba Beat
10 - Church by the Side of the Road
11 - I'm the One That Breaks in Two
12 - Bob Sullivan Stomp
13 - Stomping at KWKH Studios
14 - I'm a Fishin' Man
15 - Lifetime Ago
16 - Electricity
17 - My Heart Stopped, Trembled, and Died
18 - Somebody's Been Beatin' My Time
19 - Blow Your Whistle
20 - How You Gonna Make It
21 - I Got a Slow Leak
22 - Baby Darling
23 - Where Do You Think You Would Stand
24 - Why Did It Happen to Me
25 - Won't You Love Me, Love Me, Love Me
26 - Upon My Heart
27 - John Henry
28 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
29 - What Will I Do Without You [Guitar]
Disc 9:
1 - Memphis to Mobile
2 - Schottische in Texas
3 - That Boy's Got the Habit
4 - Take It Like a Man (False)
5 - Take It Like a Man
6 - Witch Walkin' Baby
7 - Alley Girl Ways
8 - Back Up Train
9 - Streets of Dodge
10 - Sal's Got a Sugar Lip [Guitar]
11 - Sal's Got a Sugar Lip*
12 - Why Did It Happen to Me'
13 - Train With the Rumba Beat'
14 - Lovely Gal
15 - Mean Witch Walk
16 - Vanishing Race
17 - I Just Don't Like This Kind of Living
18 - Ole Slewfoot
19 - Shake Rattle and Roll
20 - I Gave My Love a Cherry
21 - Whatcha Gonna Do
22 - Old Dan Tucker
1 - Give Me a Big Fat Woman
2 - Why in the Dickens Don't You Milk That Cow
3 - By My Side
4 - Candy Jones
5 - Chiggers
6 - Empty Promises
7 - I Wanna Know
8 - It's Easy as Sin
9 - When My Baby Cries
10 - Plaid and Calico
11 - Coal Smoke, Valve Oil and Steam
12 - Done Rovin'
13 - Birds and Butterflies
14 - Happy Millionaire
15 - Mean, Mean Son of a Gun
16 - Devilish Love Light
17 - In My Home in Shelby County
18 - Go and Wash Your Dirty Feet (Barefoot Boy Blues)
19 - Shadows on the Old Bayou
20 - Talk Gobbler Talk (Old Gobbler, the Hound Dog)
21 - Words
22 - Smokey Joe's Barbecue
23 - On the Banks of the Beautiful Nile
24 - It's a Long Rocky Road
25 - Shotgun Boogie
26 - Devilish Love Light (Excerpt)
27 - Bawlin' Baby
28 - Somebody's Rockin' My Broken Heart
29 - Betty Lorraine (Betty Lou)
30 - Rhythm in My Baby's Walk
31 - Disc 2:
32 - Hank and Joe and Me
33 - Golden Rocket
34 - A-Sleeping at the Foot of the Bed
35 - I Just Don't Like This Kind of Livin'
36 - Old Blind Barnabas
37 - Evil Hearted Me
38 - Hot in the Sugar Cane Field
39 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
40 - Gosh Darn Wheel
41 - Broken Hearted Gypsy
42 - Church by the Side of the Road
Disc 2:
1 - Hank and Joe and Me
2 - Golden Rocket
3 - A-Sleeping at the Foot of the Bed
4 - I Just Don't Like This Kind of Livin'
5 - Old Blind Barnabas
6 - Evil Hearted Me
7 - Hot in the Sugar Cane Field
8 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
9 - Gosh Darn Wheel
10 - Broken Hearted Gypsy
11 - Church by the Side of the Road
12 - (Another Woman Wears) My Wedding Ring
13 - You, You, You
14 - All for the Love of a Girl
15 - Two Red Lips and Warm Red Wine
16 - Back to My Back Street
17 - Move Down the Line
18 - Train With the Rhumba Beat
19 - There'll Never Be Another Mary
20 - No True Love
21 - Devil Made a Masterpiece
22 - Ha Ha and Moonface
23 - You Cry in the Door of Your Mansion
24 - Where Are You
25 - Meant So Little to You
26 - Ridin' the Sunshine Special
27 - Hey, Sweet Thing
28 - Journey With No End
29 - Big Wheels Rollin'
Disc 3:
1 - First Train Headin' South
2 - Rest of Your Life
3 - (I Wished for an Angel) The Devil Sent Me You
4 - This Won't Be the First Time
5 - Child's Side of Life
6 - I Won't Forget
7 - Egg Money
8 - SS Lureline
9 - Mansion You Stole
10 - I Won't Get Dreamy Eyed
11 - Tennessee Jive
12 - (Another Woman Wears) My Wedding Ring
13 - You, You, You
14 - All for the Love of a Girl
15 - Two Red Lips and Warm Red Wine
16 - Back to My Back Street
17 - Move Down the Line
18 - Train With the Rhumba Beat
19 - There'll Never Be Another Mary
20 - No True Love
21 - Devil Made a Masterpiece
22 - Ha Ha and Moonface
23 - You Cry in the Door of Your Mansion
24 - Where Are You
25 - Meant So Little to You
26 - Ridin' the Sunshine Special
27 - Hey, Sweet Thing
28 - Journey With No End
29 - Big Wheels Rollin'
30 - Don't Use My Heart for a Stepping Stone
31 - I Love You, Baby
Disc 4:
1 - I'm a One Woman Man
2 - Honky Tonk Man
3 - I'm Ready If You're Willing
4 - I Got a Hole in My Pirogue
5 - Take Me Like I Am
6 - Sugar-Coated Baby
7 - I Don't Like I Did
8 - Hooray for That Little Difference
9 - I'm Coming Home
10 - Over-Loving You
11 - She Knows Why
12 - Honky Tonk Mind (The Woman I Need)
13 - Tell My Baby I Love Her
14 - Goodbye Lonesome, Hello Baby Doll
15 - I'll Do It Everytime
16 - You're My Baby
17 - Let's Take the Long Way Home
18 - Lover's Rock
19 - Honky-Tonk Hardwood Floor
20 - Wild One
21 - Everytime I'm Kissing You
22 - Hot in the Sugarcane Field
23 - Lonesome and Heartbroken
24 - Seven Come Eleven
25 - I Can't Forget You
26 - Wise to the Ways of a Woman
27 - Out in New Mexico
28 - Tetched in the Head
29 - Just Walk a Little Closer
30 - Don't Use My Heart for a Stepping Stone
31 - I Love You, Baby
Disc 5:
1 - Counterfeit Love
2 - Mister Moonlight
3 - All Grown Up
4 - Got the Bull by the Horns
5 - When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)
6 - Whispering Pines
7 - Battle of New Orleans
8 - Lost Highway
9 - Sam Magee
10 - Cherokee Boogie
11 - Battle of New Orleans [British Version]
12 - Joe's Been A-Gittin' There
13 - First Train Headin' South
14 - Sal's Got a Sugarlip [Rock & Roll Version]
15 - Johnny Reb
16 - Sal's Got a Sugarlip
17 - Ole Slew-Foot
18 - They Shined Up Rudolph's Nose
19 - Electrified Donkey
20 - Same Old Tale the Crow Told Me
21 - Sink the Bismarck
Disc 6:
1 - Miss Marcy (Billy Boy)
2 - Sleepy-Eyed John
3 - They'll Never Take Her Love From Me
4 - Sinking of the Reuben James
5 - Jim Bridger
6 - Battle of Bull Run
7 - Snow-Shoe Thompson
8 - John Paul Jones
9 - Comanche (The Brave Horse)
10 - Young Abe Lincoln
11 - O'Leary's Cow
12 - Johnny Freedom
13 - Go North!
14 - North to Alaska
15 - Rock Island Line
16 - North to Alaska [Radio Promo]
17 - Ford Commercials
18 - Wray Ford Commercial
19 - Johnny Horton Talks
20 - Radio Interview With KWKH Radio Bob Stoner
21 - Ballad of Johnny Horton
22 - None of You But All of Me
Disc 7:
1 - Done Rovin'
2 - Talk Gobbler Talk (Old Gobbler)
3 - Give Me Back My Picture and You Can Keep the Frame
4 - Two Eyed Sunday Pants
5 - Two-Eyed Sunday Pants
6 - My Home in Shelby County
7 - Confusion
8 - Go and Wash Your Dirty Feet
9 - Go and Wash Your Dirty Feet
10 - Smokey Joe's Barbeque
11 - It's a Long Rocky Road
12 - My Gal Comes From Heaven
13 - Janie
14 - My Pretty Little Gal From Dixie*
15 - Somebody's Rockin' My Broken Heart
16 - I'll Fill a Drunkard's Grave
17 - Bawlin' Baby
18 - Betty Lorraine
19 - First Train Headin' South
20 - Down That River Road
21 - Ridin' Down the Rocky Trail
22 - None of You But All of Me
23 - Where Do You Think You Would Stand
24 - Why Did It Happen to Me
25 - Won't You Love Me, Love Me, Love Me
26 - Upon My Heart
27 - John Henry
28 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
29 - What Will I Do Without You [Guitar]
Disc 8:
1 - Dark-Eyed Beauty From Cuba
2 - I Won't Get Dreamy Eyed [Incomplete]
3 - I Wish Heartaches Were Strangers
4 - Love and Tell
5 - Honky-Tonk Jelly Roll Blues
6 - Because I'm a Jealous Man
7 - My Heart Stopped Trembled and Died
8 - You're the One for Me
9 - Train With the Rumba Beat
10 - Church by the Side of the Road
11 - I'm the One That Breaks in Two
12 - Bob Sullivan Stomp
13 - Stomping at KWKH Studios
14 - I'm a Fishin' Man
15 - Lifetime Ago
16 - Electricity
17 - My Heart Stopped, Trembled, and Died
18 - Somebody's Been Beatin' My Time
19 - Blow Your Whistle
20 - How You Gonna Make It
21 - I Got a Slow Leak
22 - Baby Darling
23 - Where Do You Think You Would Stand
24 - Why Did It Happen to Me
25 - Won't You Love Me, Love Me, Love Me
26 - Upon My Heart
27 - John Henry
28 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
29 - What Will I Do Without You [Guitar]
Disc 9:
1 - Memphis to Mobile
2 - Schottische in Texas
3 - That Boy's Got the Habit
4 - Take It Like a Man (False)
5 - Take It Like a Man
6 - Witch Walkin' Baby
7 - Alley Girl Ways
8 - Back Up Train
9 - Streets of Dodge
10 - Sal's Got a Sugar Lip [Guitar]
11 - Sal's Got a Sugar Lip*
12 - Why Did It Happen to Me'
13 - Train With the Rumba Beat'
14 - Lovely Gal
15 - Mean Witch Walk
16 - Vanishing Race
17 - I Just Don't Like This Kind of Living
18 - Ole Slewfoot
19 - Shake Rattle and Roll
20 - I Gave My Love a Cherry
21 - Whatcha Gonna Do
22 - Old Dan Tucker