How about western swing

[Sellars]

Hi all!

I'm listening to my Bob Wills CDs, and I was wondering which western swing bands did use an (e)mando in their band?

Names,
Recomendations,
etc.

will all be welcome in this topic!

[peterbc]

Tiny Moore played electric mandolin with Bob Wills starting in 1946... Not sure how long he was with him... That's about the extent of my knowledge of western swing!

[AlanN]

Asleep at the Wheel I think sported an e-mando. Although not strictly western swing, Dan Hicks featured the incomparable Sid Paige. They indeed swung.

[Joel Glassman]

Tiny Moore played electric mandolin with the Billy Jack Wills Band
There are 2 recordings on the Joaquin label in print.

[John Rosett]

check out randy elmore and paul glasse on the "tom morrell and the time warp tophands" cd's. i especially dig randy's playing on the more recent discs. also, doug dalton (anyone have any info on this guy?) on the "roy lanham and the whippoorwills" cd's that have recently been reissued. also, alot of the compilations of western swing will have some cool mandolin on them.
happy hunting, john

[mandroid]

Johnny Gimble then with the Texas Playboys,along with fiddle from god, doubled on a singled strung, mandola tuned, EM-150. If there was a recording of TM and JG trading solos, it would rank right up there .

[jugband]

Johnny Gimble (duh) with the Texas Playboys,along with fiddle from god, doubled on a singled strung, mandola tuned, EM-150. If there was a recording of TM and JG trading solos, it would rank right up there with enlightenment, bodhisattivas.

I heard that on a recording of "Milk Cow Blues" that I have.

If Bob hadn't said in plain English that it was Gimble on a mandolin, and "the smartest little instrument in the world", I never would have known it was a mandolin solo.

I wouldn't exactly say that it sucked, but it was the most un-mandolin mandolin I've ever heard.

[Pete Martin]

Randy Elmore has some solo recordings that have great electric mando. On the Wills Tiffany transcriptions, Tiny plays on a lot of stuff. Check out Paul Glasses recordings, he has some electric mando I think.

[Coy Wylie]

I have an old friend who played with the Playboys at different times over the years. I saw him at a jam yesterday and asked him this question. He confirmed what you guys have already written. The mando playing was primarily by Tiny Moore and Johnny Gimble. He said it was really a fad that Wills didn't stick with. As he remembered it, it didn't last more than about 4 years.

[Bren]

In Austin, Tx, in 1978, I sometimes used to see "Dan del Santo & his Professors of Pleasure". At that time, Dan played an electric mandolin, not so much Western Swing as Western Bop, if my memory serves me well.

[michaellampert]

You know, Dan Del Santo is the first peron that I ever saw (on Austin City Limits, I think) playing the electric mandolin.
Where is he now? He had a very fine band.

[Richard Singleton]

Danny Del Santo passed away, you can find his obit and sad story on the web, #linked to another web site that you find by searching "The Arm Brothers", his bluegrass band from the mid hudson valley region of New York, before he moved to Austin. #There are a couple of mp3's on it of the band and their great bluegrass mandolin player Tim Duran. I used to go out dancing to them in the 70's in the local bars and they were legendary around here. I once saw them as the third bill at our local state college in New Paltz when Bill Monroe played there, #(Harall , Reno and Smiley were the 2nd act) and they really warmed up the house for the stars, as their legion of local fans turned out. Many of us became bluegrass fans after hearing them and some went along with them whem they would make the trek to Bean Blossom. #Terry Likona (sp?) from Austin City Limits used to do a bluegrass radio show up here and also another show featuring Arm Bros. live before he left for Austin. Evan Stover used to play fiddle in the band and was in Fiddle Fever later with Jay Unger. He also is on Bromberg's Midnight on the Water album. I think Bob Poole, the bass player from the Arm Bros. was in the band that Danny had on the Austin City Limits appearance, I have an audio tape of it somewhere. Danny also used to play a mean Dobro. Jerry Oland was the Arm. Bros. banjo player and was terrific, and still lives around these parts.

[Gary S]

Leo Raley was an early Western Swing Electric mandolin player.He had a unique sound. He played on recordings with Cliff Brunners Texas Wanderers,Buddy Jones and others. He doesnt always solo on all the cuts, but when he does , he sounds like no one else. If you can find the Western Swing Volumes on the Old Timey label if they are still available. I have a few of them on vinyl...Gary

[TheDrew]

I think Johnny Gimble also said:
"If I don't see you in the future,
I'll see you in the pasture..." #

[mrmando]

Gimble's mandolin is not an EM-150 but an A-50 with a custom pickup, if you really wanna pick nits.

Danny Roberts played in Asleep at the Wheel. Jeff Reynolds is a D.C.-based player with a band called the Oklahoma Twisters.

Does anyone have a photo of Dan Del Santo playing electric?

[Django Fret]

Does anyone have a photo of Dan Del Santo playing electric?

Not sure if this is him, but this one showed up in a search...

[Ted Eschliman]

I just picked up this delicious Western Swing CD, Cactus Setup featuring vocalist Becky Kilgore and Fiddler James Mason.





A few of the tracks feature Mason on electric mandolin.
Kilgore is a jazz singer who hosts a jazz radio show, and I believe they are based out of the Portland, Oregon area. This album is a lot of fun and a clever, convincing "throwback" to an era when a song had simple yet profound lyrics, and a melody that can never leave your brain.
More fiddle than emando, but definitely worth a spin in your player...

[Oren]

I don't think that anyone has mentioned the Tiny Moore-Jethro Burns album "Back to Back," produced by David Grisman in the late 70's or early 80's, with Ray Brown on bass (I think), Shelley Manne (sp?) on drums, and Eldon Shamblin on rhythm guitar. I don't know if it was re-issued on CD, but you might try Grisman's Acoustic Disc. As a follow-up to that album, "Austin City Limits" had a mando-special, with the Grisman Quintet, and then Tiny, Jethro, and Johnny Gimble playing with Shamblin.

Tiny Moore put out his own album later, called "Tiny Moore Music." It had some nice western-style swing, and Merle Haggard played fiddle (that's right!) on at least one track. Eldon Shamblin played guitar again.

Maybe some of this stuff has been re-issued. Used LP's might be around, too.

Oren

[Sellars]

I just ordered "A Ride With Bob" and a live DVD from Asleep at the Wheel, and a four CD box called Doughboys Playboys and Cowboys on Proper records.

So, chime in all you western swing lovers, and keep this thread alive!

aaaaaahhhhh yyyeaaaaaaah!

[John Rosett]

"i wouldn't exactly say that it sucked, but it was the most un- mandolin mandolin i've ever heard."
-jugband
wow, that's the first time i've ever heard anyone talk about johnny gimble's playing like that.
i think it's about the music, and the notes being played, not the particular instrument used. i haven't heard johnny or tiny ever play anything that i hadn't wished i'd played.
john

[Sellars]

I just received the DVD Asleep At The Wheel - We Keep On Ridin'

I am looking at it now, and man! I love it. After 3 songs no mandolin content so far, but the fiddler also plays emando, so hopefully they put in some mando!

at 10 euro (soewhat like $12) you cant miss!

[mrmando]

Here's some footage of Dan Del Santo and the Professors of Pleasure, with Dan on a Fender Mandocaster and Johnny Gimble sitting in on fiddle! I would guess this is from the Austin City Limits show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meN4E6YDgkA

[Don Stiernberg]

The Asleep at the Wheel and Leon Rausch release from 2010 "It's a Good Day" has Jason Roberts on electric mandolin on half of it's cuts. I think it's fair to say that Jason plays fiddle and mando in the Gimble style. I may have heard they are related. Certainly the influence of Johnny is celebrated as it should be and Jason does a great job of carrying forward that language. He swings hard and plays the good notes! Gibson hollow-body, four strings tuned down to mandola range I'm pretty sure. Don't miss anything this guy plays, and he's a great singer besides..

"Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddler" by Merle Haggard on Capitol reissued by Koch is as much a must have as "For the Last Time" by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys on United Artists. Significant doses of Tiny and Johnny on those. Tiny worked a lot with Merle Haggard, a thorough perusal of his catalog would yield many hot mandolin solo tracks. In addition to the projects already listed above, don't forget Tiny Moore Music on Kaleidescope, and the couple tracks he guested on with the David Grisman Quintet backing Stephane Grappelli live at the winery.Tiny also guested on an early Darol Anger album playing a Bird tune, and guys here at the Cafe trade CD's of live shows he did in CA, particularly "Live at Larry Blake's" I think it is.Tiffany Transcriptions, especially the sessions with Billy Jack Wills, are essential. Viva Tiny Moore!

Johnnie's solo records have great mandolin on them too...Mandolopin', Under the X in Texas.. A force of nature, that's Johnnie Gimble on that C-G-D-A electric mandola-mandolin with the pickup handwound by Leo Fender that he carries around in a tennis racket bag! Don't miss "Fat Boy Rag", Jr. Barnard's great tune in original form with Bob, or re-done by Asleep at the Wheel. Peter Ostroushko's "Buddies of Swing" also has Johnnie on board. And visiting his site and youtube will lead you to a lot of cool stuff.
Love you Johnnie...

Allthough not exactly Western Swing, you'll really enjoy "Jazz From the Hills" on Bear Family. The great JETHRO BURNS plays a few types of mandolin on there, including Fender and Gibson solid bodies. Don't worry, it swings hard and also has hot fiddle and steel on it and Jeffo let his brother-in-law in on the session I guess, some guy named Atkins...

[John Morton]

check out randy elmore and paul glasse on the "tom morrell and the time warp tophands" cd's. i especially dig randy's playing on the more recent discs. also, doug dalton (anyone have any info on this guy?) on the "roy lanham and the whippoorwills" cd's that have recently been reissued. also, alot of the compilations of western swing will have some cool mandolin on them.
happy hunting, john

Roy Lanham and the Whippoorwills were the house band for the Smiley Burnette radio show, I think around 1950-53. There are 292 of them here, maybe 15 min. each:
http://otrarchive.blogspot.com/2009/...certified.html
There's a lot of awful cornpone humor, but also many fine vocal arrangements. These transcriptions give you band instrumentals during the commercial breaks, and those feature truly spectacular guitar/mandolin duets. Tempos 300 and up, even on many of the ballads. Lots of contemporary (early fifties) jazz standards.

[journeybear]

Though it's nice to see Sid Page's name mentioned any old time, as far as I know he did not play emando but mandolin. It may have had a pickup on it - it has been some 38 years since I saw the original band - but I doubt it was magnetic. He was/is mostly a fiddler anyway.

One of my old bands played a lot of western swing - guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and bass - but again, I was using piezo pickups and had an acoustic sound. We did swell up to six pieces for a while, adding a female singer and a pedal steel player (that's right, six pieces and no drummer; we were not normal). But we never did any serious recording, so this is all lost to the ages, even if some live tapes survive. My newest band - right now electric mandolin and bass - plays mostly blues and blues-rock, all original, but there are a couple of different songs to mix it up, one of which is western swing. Snappy little number and it really pops - pleasantly surprised how well it worked out.

I know this isn't exactly what was being asked, but I did want to say that western swing is indeed a viable option for mandolin, and vice versa.