Search - Jim Eanes, Shenandoah Valley Boys :: Complete Decca Recordings

Classic 1950s Bluegrass By Stylish Vocalist

Todd A. Gracyk | Petaluma, CA USA | 01/10/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jim Eanes is a pioneer of bluegrass music. He performed with Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and the Foggy Mountain Boys in the late 1940s prior to establishing a successful solo career."Jim Eanes And The Shenandoah Valley Boys" contains his complete Decca output from the early to mid 1950s (6 of which were previously unissued). The CD booklet contains excellent notes by Gary B. Reid.Bluegrass fiddle legend Bobby Hicks plays a fair amount of fiddle here; these are in fact his earliest recordings. Another fiddle great, Tommy Jackson, is also present (but only on the last session). Besides Hicks and Jackson, other notable session musicians are Jerry Rivers, Chet Atkins, Grady Martin, Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland, and Ernie Newton. Eanes was a wonderful vocalist and a great songwriter (Reid points out that towards the end of Eanes' stay with Decca he was introducing many fine original songs). Eanes' styling on the earliest sides here is obviously based on Hank Williams' work, but that's okay by me; I enjoy listening to Williams influenced sides by artists like Ray Price, Jimmy Swan, and Jimmie Logsdon. Incidentally, the numbers on this album are not placed in chronological order.

While most of these 31 sides are what we can now refer to as "straight country," there are bluegrass elements to many. Plus, there are a handful of bluegrass instrumentals (with Hubert Davis on banjo and Hicks on fiddle). Included is a brilliant, previously unissued remake of "Baby Blue Eyes" (Eanes had recorded it for Capitol in 1949; Eanes also recorded for Blue Ridge and Rich-R-Tone before going to Decca).Reid states that these Decca recordings, because of their unavailability, have often been overlooked when measuring the significance of Eanes' career. I've had the opportunity to hear many of Eanes' bluegrass sides and I place many of these Decca tracks right along side his Starday work as his very best."