King of Hillbilly Bebop [Import]

Hank Penny | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 23, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Proper Pairs
• ASIN: B0000C0FDF
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #406,549 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Sweet Talkin' Mama

2. Back Up A Little Bit

3. Cowboy's Swing

4. Mama's Getting Younger

5. Hesistation Blues

6. Hot Time Mama

7. All Night And All Day Long

8. It Ain't Gonna Rain No More

9. Mississippi Muddle

10. Won't You Ride In My Little Red Wagon

11. Red Hot Papa

12. (Say Mister Have You Met) Rosie's Sister

13. Oh Yes? Take Another Guess

14. Hawaiian Honeymoon

15. Peach Tree Shuffle

16. Tobacco State Swing

17. Blue Ridge Blues

18. Lonesome Train Blues

19. Hope You're Satisfied

20. Talkin' 'Bout You

See all 50 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hillbilly Bebop, December 31, 2004

By 

Mason Williams (Mars) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: King of Hillbilly Bebop (Audio CD)

The novelty soaked Western swing of Hank Penny has been fairly well laid down on CD between a pair of transcription packages and Westside's reissue of his classic King recordings. King of Hillbilly Bebop doubles the fun with two discs containing a total of 50 recordings at an el cheap-o price. The set begins with Penny's late-'30s recordings for Vocalion and Okeh, then whoops and womps through a selection of his King sides from the '40s (including his three hits, "Steel Guitar Stomp," "Get Yourself a Red Head," and "Bloodshot Eyes"), and finishes up with ten of his RCA recordings from the early '50s. The early cuts lean toward yee-haw hokum blues songs about hot mamas and papas, while the later tracks show off his blistering hillbilly jazz sicko side with instrumentals like "Penny Blows His Top" and "Hillbilly Be-Bop." Penny played with a number of talented musicians - Merle Travis, Noel Boggs, Zeke Turner, Speedy West, & Billy Strange whose talents are displayed throughout on the instrumental shenanigans. Despite the musicianship of Penny's band and their interest in pushing the envelope, most of the cuts keep themselves mainstream via Penny's humorous vocal performances. The King material offered here doesn't overlap enough with the Westside anthology to discourage fans from buying both.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An little-known treasure, January 16, 2005

By 

Mark Clark (Winston-Salem) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: King of Hillbilly Bebop (Audio CD)

This wonderful double CD introduced me to Hank Penny. As a western swing fan, I thought I'd heard it all, but Hank Penny's edgy, hard drivin' music took me places I'd never been in this genre. His smooth vocals lend the smart, often hilarious lyrics just the right amount of irony. The musicians are all first rate; from Noel Boggs to Speedy West and Merle Travis and the early 50's numbers like "Hadicillin Boogie" show that Hank was one of that elite group of musicians who anticipated the coming of rock 'n' roll.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great unknown, December 27, 2005

By 

Jess "Jess" (Coal Country, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: King of Hillbilly Bebop (Audio CD)

Here's another 'little known' or nearly-forgotten artist that deserves his own corner of country music heaven. This is a two CD set (50 songs) offered by Proper Records. The recordings all appear to be original; in fact, some may say too original, as a few of the early numbers come complete with scratches, fuzziness, and echoes of early studio. BUT, this is an absolute treasure trove of unique country swing. I'm not sure how you'd label Hank's style, but it is not western swing (although it relies heavily on the sound made famous by Bob Wills); it is not pure country (although it relies heavily on traditional hillbilly/honky-tonk. I guess that's why it's called Hillbilly Bebop! The first CD is very heavily loaded with standard, old-time swing, complete with rhythm guitar, strong bass, and fiddles....but also includes clarinet (reflections of Glen Miller)! The second CD is more "country" and less western, and contains some of the finest songs ever released in the late 1940's/early '50's. This is not today's PC country, and most of the songs will have you not only singing along, but chuckling as well. The hit list includes: "Get Yourself a Redhead"; "My Inlaws Made an Outlaw Out of Me"; "Catch 'em Young, Treat 'em Rough, Tell 'em Nothing", and "White Shotgun". I doubt you'll hear any of these songs being heralded at a NOW convention. A+