Additional information
Personnel includes: Ernst Tubb (vocals, acoustic guitar); Melvin Leon Short (acoustic & electric guitars); Fay "Smitty" Smith (electric guitar, steel guitar); James Erwin "Jimmie" Short, Merwyn J. Buffington, Charles Quirk, Bill Drake (acoustic guitar); Dick Ketner, Eddie Tudor, Zeke Turner (electric guitar); Ray "Kemo" Head, Wayne Fleming, Jerry Byrd (steel guitar); Johnny Sapp, "Red" Herron, Hal Smith (fiddle); Wesley Tuttle, Herbert M. "Butterball" "Tommy" Paige, Jack Drake (bass). Producers: Eli Oberstein, Dave Kapp, Joe Perry. Compilation producer: Richard Weize. Recorded between October 27, 1936 and December 16, 1947. Includes liner notes by Ronnie Pugh. Also available as part of the 5-disc box THE LEGENDARY ERNEST TUBB & FRIENDS on LaserLight (15 955). Personnel includes: Ernest Tubbs, Roy Clark, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Walker, Merle Haggard, Charlie Daniels, George Jones, Johnny Cash, David Rogers, Chip Taylor, Chet Atkins. Includes liner notes by Chet Flippo. Personnel: Ernest Tubb (vocals, guitar); Herbert M. Paige, Melvin Leon Short (guitar, electric guitar); Merwyn J. Buffington, Bill Drake , Charlie Quirk (guitar); Jay Smith (electric guitar, steel guitar); Eddie Tudor, Zeke Turner (electric guitar); Jerry Byrd & the String Dusters, Wayne Fleming, Ray "Kemo" Head, Jerry Byrd (steel guitar); Johnny Sapp, Hal Smith (fiddle). Liner Note Authors: Larry Zwisohn; Richard Weize; Ronnie Pugh. Recording information: Bunny Biggs Studio, Dallas, TX (10/27/1936-12/16/1947); Castle Studio At The Tulane Hotel, Nashville, TN (10/27/1936-12/16/1947); Chicago, IL (10/27/1936-12/16/1947); Decca Records Inc., Los Angeles, CA (10/27/1936-12/16/1947); Decca Records, Inc., Los Angeles, CA (10/27/1936-12/16/1947); Los Angeles, CA (10/27/1936-12/16/1947); New York, NY (10/27/1936-12/16/1947); Rice Hotel, Houston, TX (10/27/1936-12/16/1947); Texas Hotel, San Antonio, TX (10/27/1936-12/16/1947). Illustrators: Elaine Tubb; Jerry Strobel; R.A. Andreas; Sylke Holtrop; Gerd Weilder; Kevin Coffey. Photographers: Elaine Tubb; Jerry Strobel; R.A. Andreas; Kevin Coffey. Unknown Contributor Role: Phil Wells. Okay, it's eight 70-minute-plus CDs and over $200 retail, and that would dissuade even loyal fans from springing for this set. But there's not a bad cut here, nor more than a dozen tracks that have been heard in 50 years, or are ever likely to be heard elsewhere. And most of the 200+ songs, covering 1936 until early 1947, never showed up on LP. The first six songs on Disc One are of special interest, since they feature Tubb with only his own guitar as accompaniment -- since his voice is the dominant instrument, before age and smoking hardened it, the stuff is all worthwhile. The first Decca sessions from 1940 are also of extraordinary interest -- the playing is sharper and anticipates his later recordings with a band, and Tubb's newly narrowed, deeper voice has a freshness that his later singing gradually lost. His subsequent sessions were even more successful,
