Search - Wilma Lee, Stoney Cooper :: Very Best of

Fine collection of 1950s hillbilly-country husband/wife duo

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 04/24/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Country music's first several decades are filled with stellar performing and recording acts who are hardly remembered today. Before Country music became a national phenomenon, many acts attained regional stardom in the South and East, gaining fame through radio programs such as The Wheeling Jamboree and Grand Ole Opry, not to mention the endless touring these programs made possible. The occasional chart breakthrough might expand their fame temporarily, but their names never lingered readily in the national consciousness.Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper are a perfect example of this mid-level stardom. Born in West Virginia, Dale Troy "Stoney" Cooper was an ace fiddle player, while Wilma Lee [Leary] was a talented instrumentalist who'd mastered the banjo, organ and guitar. Wilma Lee was also a forceful singer, in whose family band (The Learys) she'd sung full-throated devotional and gospel. The pair married in '39 and began working as a duo. They spent time playing on several radio stations, touring the areas covered by their signals, eventually settling back in West Virginia to work WWVA's Jamboree. Two years later they were under contract with Columbia, and recorded with the label until '54.Following their departure from Columbia they signed with the newly formed Acuff-Rose backed label, Hickory. Two years later, they relocated to Nashville and joined the Opry. These turned into incredibly productive years for the duo, and the tracks on this CD are taken from their 1956-63 tenure at Hickory. Their music treads the line between the hill music on which they'd been raised, and the more modern '50s sounds of Nashville. Even those tracks that added drums or the occasional electric instrument mostly held fast to their mountain roots, most especially in Wilma Lee's singing.The earliest Hickory sides, 1956's "I Want to Be Loved (But Only By You)" and "The Tramp on the Street" are full-on hillbilly, filled with fiddle, steel, acoustic bass and vocals bent blue with twang. Wilma Lee's banjo can be heard throughout their late-50s tracks, including the instrumental "Home Sweet Home," and the harmony singing borrows from gospel and mountain sources. 1956 also marked the duo's first chart appearance for Hickory, with their hard-knock original, "Cheated Too." They'd hit again in 1958 with "Come Walk With Me," in 1959 with a revival of Leadbelly's "Big Midnight Special," and they'd close out the '50s with Don Gibson's "There's a Big Wheel."The early '60s found the team continuing to make hits, with "This Old House," Boudleaux & Felice Bryant's "Johnny, My Love (Grandma's Diary)" in 1960, and 1961 "The Wreck on the Highway" the following year. Several follow-up singles failed to chart (including fine, traditional takes of Hank Williams' "Singing Waterfall" and the Woody Guthrie's "Philadelphia Lawyer"), before Stoney's 1963 heart attack forced them to slow down. They regrouped in 1965 to record for Decca, and several other labels, continuing to play live until Stoney's death in 1977. Wilma Lee still tours and plays the Opry.Varese's nineteen-track collection pulls together the essential sides from their Hickory years, and together with an informative essay from Collin Escott, this set gives listeners a chance to meet and enjoy a true roots act whose national recognition never matched their regional fame, nor, obviously, the lasting quality of their music."

Old fashioned country music of the fifties

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 09/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You won't find anything like Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper in the modern music scene. Their music was pure hillbilly, with plenty of banjo (played by Wilma), so although it isn't bluegrass as such, it should appeal to some fans of bluegrass music.There are some amazing covers here, including Big midnight special (Leadbelly), There's a big wheel (Don Gibson) and This ole house (Rosemary Clooney) as well as two obscure Hank Williams songs (Six more miles and Singing waterfall). Another great cover is Philadelphia lawyer, written by Woody Guthrie but also recorded by those rocking hillbillies, the Maddox brothers and Rose.Wilma was a good songwriter in her own right, and four of her songs are featured here, these being My heart keeps crying, Cheated too, I tell my heart and He taught them how.Both Wilma and Stoney were great instrumentalists. Wilma, who had a very strong full-throated voice, did most of the singing with Stoney providing the harmonies.To enjoy this, you have to love old fashioned country music and you also have to love the banjo. If you do, this CD will be a dream come true, but if either one puts you off, keep well clear."

The real deal

Jess | Coal Country, PA | 08/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here is a sadly overlooked duet. It's too bad, because before there was Conway & Loretta, George and Tammy, or even George and Melba, there was Stoney and Wilma Lee. Here is some of the most perfect country music you will ever hear. There are 19 songs here, including numberes penned and sung by none other than the Great Hank Williams, Maddox Bro's and Rose, The Louvin's, and even the premiere songwriter Don Gibson. This is absolute pure country music, sung with pure sincerity. The sound is incredible; hard to believe that these songs were originally released in the early '60's. This Hickory Roads release also contain a fine set of liner notes that give a detailed account of this fine duet's career. A+"