[Dixielandjazz] Historic cowboy recordings (possibly not OKOM)

[Dan Augustine]

>From: Thought For The Day [mailto:TFTD-L@TAMU.EDU]On Behalf Of galvin
>Sent: Monday, August 05, 2002 2:15 AM
>To: TFTD-L@TAMU.EDU
>Subject: Thought for Monday, Aug 5, 2002
>
>On August 5, 1925, a thirty year-old athletic trainer from the A&M College
>of Texas named Carl T. "Doc" Sprague stepped up to a studio microphone at
>the Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, New Jersey and recorded an
>old cowboy poem set to music.  The song, "When The Work's All Done This
>Fall" about a cowboy killed during a night stampede would soon sell over
>900,000 copies and the image of the singing cowboy would be permanently
>established in American folk music.  Sprague had learned that and several
>more songs while working with his uncles on cattle drives prior to
>enrolling at Texas A&M and was inspired to seek an audition with Victor
>after hearing another Texan, Vernon Dalhart's recording of "The Prisoner's
>Song".  Sprague traveled to Camden and history was made.
>
>     In early 2003, Bear Family Records of Germany will reissue all 28 of
>Sprague's original recordings made from 1925 to 1929.  It will be the
>first time these historic recordings will be available in one
>collection.  I am delighted to announce that I have been asked by Bear
>Family founder and producer, Richard Weize, to assist in compiling the
>information for the liner notes that will accompany this compact
>disc.  This will be a great opportunity for all of us to recognize the
>contributions of Carl T. Sprague who was an Aggie and a resident of Bryan
>until his death in 1979.  Though not as widely known as the many cowboy
>and western music singers who would follow in his footsteps, he is
>considered by music scholars to be the person who pioneered a genre of
>American music that will be a part of the fabric of this Nation forever.
>
>                                     -Dennis Williams
>                                      SWING-N R.F.D. PRODUCTIONS
>                                      Bryan, Texas
>**************************************
>tftd is privledged to live in the home that 'Doc' and Bess Sprague built.
>Also please relate the 900,000 copies sold to the total number of
>phonographs in 1925.

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**  Dan Augustine     Austin, Texas     ds.augustine@mail.utexas.edu  **
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