Spade Cooley - schlock, or drivel?

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 10 Jun 2004 10:46 am

I like pretty much everything Spade Cooley recorded, both live and in the studio. I have all of it.

I like beautiful melodies played by good musicians with precision. It doesn't all have to be raw roots music for me. Spade's bands fit all the qualifications.

Spade changed his style beginning in 1946 with the mutiny of Tex Williams, Smokey Rogers, and Deuce Spriggens. They left, along with Cactus Soldi, to form the Western Caravan. Joaquin had left earlier to play with the Plainsmen, and Pedro was in the army. When Pedro got out, he joined the Caravan, and Joaquin joined in (I think) early 1947.

BTW, the pre-1946 band really didn't have a full "string section." It was Spade, Tiny Hunt, and Cactus generally. But they were trained violinists as well as jazz musicians (at least Cactus was), and since Spade and Pedro (also a violinist) probably wanted it "legit," that's how they played it.

When the Tex contingent split, Spade started making the change to the horn band, and that probably came to it's zenith in the early 1950's. That's when I remember Spade's TV show, which sounded like Harry James Orchestra played by musicians in cowboy suits.

Which was okay for me, I like big band as well.

Lawrence Welk, I dig him too, but not for the same reasons I like Ellington and Basie. Square? Sure, but he was playing for his audiences, which were square... not the hipsters the "real" jazzers were playing for. The musicians in his group were amazing. I was at a session with Neil Levang years ago, and he was playing fiddle tunes on the guitar while eating a sandwich and sight reading his part. And Paul Humphreys was one of the amazing drummers in jazz. They took the gig because it was steady and paid well. Who wouldn't, huh?

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 10 June 2004 at 11:51 AM.]

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 10 Jun 2004 11:30 am

Amen brother Herb CC

Rick McDuffie · Post by **Rick McDuffie** » 10 Jun 2004 1:38 pm

Same thing, Herb, with James Jamerson and the Motown musicians. They all wanted to play challenging music, but the session gigs bought the groceries. Isn't that the way it is with a lot of us?

Rick

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 11 Jun 2004 2:19 am

Its not that I dislike Welk. I just prefer Cooley over Welk.

I had a friend here,in Nashville,that played harp for Cooley.("Fidoodlin' " on Raynote Records) He was the late Lloyd Lindroth. In his office,hanging in a frame,was a copy of his contract he had signed w/ Spade. His weekly wage,then,was $75.00. (more like "weAkly",but then,you have to consider the time era.)

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c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 11 Jun 2004 3:08 am

He had a contract and others did not. Most were paid $25 per gig. I do know that Joaquin was paid $35 if Spade thought he had a really hot night. As a sub the MOST I ever got was $8.. Keep your thumb pick hot!

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 11 Jun 2004 7:02 am

I may be wrong and I am wrong more times than I'm right; but it seems to me I detect alittle loathing of the harp in some posts.Heres a vinette that deuce spriggins told me about OK Stomp. Duece arranged this song and had only a drum intro Spade liked it but Deuce said something was missing. Spade thought a minute and yelled "hey give me a big fat chord on that glorified clothesline" He did and so the harp preceeded the drums on the record. Of course we all play Ok Stomp w/o the harp, or at least this poor boy does, But I can't imagine Spades version w/o the harp and other songs it was used on. Some people say its not country. Spade never claimed his misic was country. It was dance music except for a lot of the pier music was show tunes w/arabian, german, etc settings. CC

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 11 Jun 2004 11:29 am

For me it was "death by accordian".

Howard Kalish · Post by **Howard Kalish** » 11 Jun 2004 11:59 am

I'm a big Spade Cooley fan. He was a great fiddle player and knew how to put together hot bands. I knew Herb would weigh in here and give some good background. To add a fiddler's perspective, the fiddle section work on his records follows the basic rules of counterpoint and often has 2 fiddles playing in unison or octaves with a part in the middle. This is a cool sound but distinct from the Bob Wills fiddle section sound, which usually includes 2 fiddles (twin fiddles) where the harmony player is more free to play interesting counterpoint and voicings. I use both these approaches, depending on the song, when I get to do fiddle parts. The stuff I played on Herb's CDs was purposely done in the Spade style.

The Spade sound was quite unique and set the standard for the west coast western swing sound. I dig the hot accordion and the harp, which is used sparingly, sounds fine to me. Johnny Gimble makes a distinction between Western Swing and what he prefers to call Texas Swing, which features more blowing and fewer arranged parts.

As for the songs, well, some are good and plenty ain't. Fred Roses and Cindy Walkers are hard to find and cultivate. I have a Hank Penny CD that has some very hot playing on an array of awful songs. One of Bob Wills' great strength was his ability to find good songs. Apparently that's true for any recording artist who can stand the test of time.

Keep swingin' brothers,
Howard K

Greg Vincent · Post by **Greg Vincent** » 11 Jun 2004 12:27 pm

Interesting post, Howard.

So Bob's band typically used two fiddles in harmony while Spade's featured two fiddles in unison with a third doing a harmony?

Did Bob's arrangements deliberately avoid unison fiddles?

Another observation:
Listening to Spade Cooley stuff I seem to notice more of an emphasis on the use of vibrato in the fiddle sections than on Bob's records, where the fiddles just saw away without much concern for vibrato. Do you, as a fiddler, get this same impression? It's as if Cooley & his guys were thinking as "voilinists", while Bob preferred to be "fiddlin'". I'd be interested to hear your take on this.

-GV[This message was edited by Greg Vincent on 11 June 2004 at 01:39 PM.]

Howard Kalish · Post by **Howard Kalish** » 11 Jun 2004 1:38 pm

Hi Greg - I think you're correct about the vibrato. Spade, Cactus, Tiny, Harold Hensley and other Spade or Tex Williams players were all classically trained violinists, so their vibrato has that sound. Their harmonies where fairly conventional. In Bob Wills' band the fiddle players were more from the self-taught school. The premier guys like Jesse Ashlock, Joe Holley, and Johnny Gimble, just figured out parts that sounded good by ear. Louis Tierney had some classical training and you can hear it in his sound. Dig his fabulous solos on Corrine, Corrina or Take Me Back to Tulsa.

Joe Holley was a lefty and he played a regular fiddle backwards without restringing it so his bow moved opposite from a righty - the lower string G was on the inside and the E on the outside. This makes his licks hard to cop and his playing is unique, inventive and instantly recognizable. Check out his solo on Bubbles In My Beer. I got to hang out with him in Fresno back around '76 and '77. An excellent guy with great stories to tell.

HK

Greg Vincent · Post by **Greg Vincent** » 11 Jun 2004 2:19 pm

Thanks Howard --great stuff!

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 11 Jun 2004 3:14 pm

Howard, I've heard you on Herbs recordings. Real fine,fine,fine. CC

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 11 Jun 2004 3:41 pm

You should hear him on his own recordings! http://www.howardkalishmusic.com

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 12 Jun 2004 3:26 am

thankx Jim I'll order when I get back from Tylerthis weekend after getting my battery charged by Bobbe Seymour. CC

Howard Kalish · Post by **Howard Kalish** » 13 Jun 2004 8:31 am

Thanks for the plugs CC and Jim. I appreciate it.

Say CC, maybe the guitar player you're trying to remember was Johnny Weis. He played with Spade and Tex and was mighty hot.

One more thought on the Spade sound and it’s influence – Spade was a tough task master and parsimonious with the dough (cheap). When Capitol records offered Tex Williams his own contract Spade fired him. Most of the band mutinied and went with Tex. This became the Western Caravan and I highly recommend listening to their stuff. There’s an excellent compilation CD out on Vintage. Steel players include Joaquin Murphy; Eddie Mitchell, and Pete Martinez. The fiddlers were Rex Call, Harry Sims, and Cactus Soldi. Great guitars from Benny Garcia, Johnny Weis, Jimmy Bryant and others. These arrangements are much hipper than Spade’s and veer into bop phrases. I think you’ll like ‘em. There’s few live tracks on the end from the early 60’s that feature a band that includes Glen Campbell on guitar and a very young Denny Mathis on steel.

HK

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 13 Jun 2004 12:25 pm

The fiddlers were Rex Call, Harry Sims, and Cactus Soldi.

Howard mentioned Harry Sims. He was the incredibly hot fiddler with Andy Parker and the Plainsmen when they recorded the classics "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Sweet GA Brown."

I asked Joaquin about that fiddler and he said "oh, that was Harry Sims. His real name was Simowitz. Jewish guy. He played in the Chicago Symphony but wanted to play jazz, so he came out to L.A. and joined a western band."

The Western Caravan was a commonwealth band. Tex, Smokey, and Deuce were the front men, Pedro handled the arrangements, and Cactus took care of the money and bookings. Since all the arrangements of Spade's 1942 to 1946 bands were primarily written by Pedro (George Bamby did write 1/3 of "Three Way Boogie"), the Caravan pretty much knocked off all those arrangements out of Spade's book.

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Texas Steel Guitar Association

Al Johnson · Post by **Al Johnson** » 13 Jun 2004 2:31 pm

Tex Williams said in an on the air interview that Harry Sims was the best all round fiddler.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 13 Jun 2004 4:04 pm

Howard, Herb ... thanks for this wonderful info. I considered myself pretty well informed but learned much from this thread. I dig Spade's band for what it was - well played commercial music. A portion of Spade's book sounds to me like it was built on old, public domain fiddle tunes. For example, Crazy Cause I love Her is Old Joe Clark.I also enjoy the Western Caravan & Billy Jack Will's band for more progressive Western swing.

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 13 Jun 2004 6:21 pm

Cooley comps often sample his 1949 fiddle session where he cut a series of fiddle tunes (mostly trad. if not all traditional numbers) with a trimmed down version of his group.
Most of these went towards a 78rpm album booklet he had out in 1950, and yeah, these tunes tend to pop up a bit in compilations.

Roger Shackelton · Post by **Roger Shackelton** » 14 Jun 2004 12:55 am

When Hank Thompson recorded the album,
"Hank Thompson Salutes Oklahoma" in the 1970s, He included "Oklahoma Stomp" with a Harp intro. Bert Rivera was playing the steel guitar on that record.

Roger