5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Two Bluegrass Legends at Their Best, January 2, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Reno & Smiley and the Tennessee Cut-Ups: 1951-1959 (Audio CD)
This 4-CD collection is the recorded product (1951-9 for King Records) of one of Bluegrass music's greatest bands during the prime of two careers. Red Smiley sang lead and played rhythm guitar that you could keep time to. Don Reno sang the lead or tenor parts. His flat picking guitar was truly among the very best ever, then and now, in country music; and his unique single note style of banjo playing was the envy of others - and rarely duplicated, especially to any real measure of ability.
Only partially highlighting this box set are five of Reno and Smiley's greatest hits: "I'm Using My Bible For A Roadmap;" "Emotions," "Maybe You Will Change Your Mind;" "I Wouldn't Change You If I Could;" and "I Know You're Married But I Love You Still" (written in recognition of the anquish felt by one of his band members).
Reno and Smiley's instrumentals were as much as part of the group's fame and many became classics. "Charlotte Breakdown;" "Remington Ride" (where Reno takes a steel guitar tune and turns in a virtuoso performance on banjo); "Tennessee Cutup Breakdown" and "Choking The Strings" among the beauties here. Reno takes some killer breaks on guitar on "Country Boy Rock and Roll." But if you want the true measure of Don Reno the instrumentalist, listen to "Home Sweet Home." He played every instrument, over-dubbing along the way. The rest of the band was late getting to the studio in Cincinatti and the session time had been paid for.
The Tennessee Cutups were almost exclusively the same unit throughout the band's history: Mac Magaha (fiddle), Don's son, teen-ager Ronnie Reno (mandolin) and John Palmer (string bass).
A must collection to enjoy and appreciate one of the great first generation Bluegrass bands.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Vintage Bluegrass from a couple of masters., June 1, 1999
This review is from: Reno & Smiley and the Tennessee Cut-Ups: 1951-1959 (Audio CD)
In his lamentably out of print book, Bluegrass, author Bob Artis describes how Don Reno auditioned for Bill Monroe one day in Spartanburg, SC during World War II. Monroe was so impressed with the young banjo player that he immediately offered him a job. Unfortunately, Reno had already enlisted in the army and was just waiting to take his physical. Monroe eventually hired another banjo player by the name of Earl Scruggs and the rest is history. When he returned from the war, Reno set out to prove that he wasn't just another Earl Scruggs imitator and he eventually became the unofficial father of Progressive Bluegrass.
This four CD set contains almost all of Reno and Smiley's recorded output during the 1950s. There is a little bit of everything in this set, from gospel music to sizzling instrumentals. Not all of it is great but much of it is. My own personal favorites are the songs at the end of the last disc where Reno trades his banjo for a Martin guitar. Not really Bluegrass, but the Martin is great, and it's the kind of country music that you just don't get to hear any more.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The true pioneers of traditional bluegrass, October 4, 2003
This review is from: Reno & Smiley and the Tennessee Cut-Ups: 1951-1959 (Audio CD)
Mention Reno & Smiley today, and few people will know who you are talking about. In the annals of traditional bluegrass music, though, only Bill Monroe ranks higher in terms of importance and influence. This collection of Reno & Smiley songs from the 1950s is bluegrass at its best, showcasing a wide variety of styles and songs sure to get your foot stomping and your mouth grinning. Don Reno is as good and innovative a banjo player as you will ever find, and Red Smiley was no slouch himself on rhythm guitar. Reno is most famous as the unsurpassed master of the 5-string banjo. Throw in some vintage fiddle and other old-time bluegrass accompaniment and you have a band that actually surpassed the greatness of the legendary Flat & Scruggs in my opinion.
The story of how these two country boys from the Carolinas met and eventually joined forces is quite interesting in and of itself. Reno, for example, played with Bill Monroe (replacing Earl Scruggs) in 1948, but it was not until 1951 that Reno & Smiley began cutting records together, branching themselves off to become the Tennessee Cut-Ups. Gigs were scarce, though, and the band soon split up. Early in 1952, the duo recorded a number of songs together, and the success they met with enabled them to keep recording but not to actually perform together. For three years, Reno actively played with another band, while Smiley worked as a mechanic. Finally, in early 1955, the duo began actively performing together, and the rest is a big chapter in bluegrass history.
These four CDs contain just about any kind of traditional bluegrass music you could ever want to hear. There are no bad songs to be found here whatsoever, but some of my personal favorites are I Know You're Married (But I Love You Still), All I Have is Just a Memory, Let's Live For Tonight, and I Wouldn't Change You if I Could, but there are plenty of recognizable tracks also thrown into the mix. Reno's falsetto stylings are particular poignant alongside Smiley's resonant tones in songs about loss and love. The duo's best work, though, may well be their gospel recordings, of which there are many scattered amongst this collection: I'm Using My Bible For a Roadmap, When I Safely Reach That Other Shore, Springtime in Heaven, Get Behind Me Satan, New Jerusalem; I could go on and on. If you love bluegrass instrumental jams, those too are here in abundance; the boys flat-out wear their hands out on amazing cuts such as Choking the Strings, Dixie Breakdown, Charlotte Breakdown, and Remington Ride.
Reno & Smiley stand at the heart of bluegrass music, and while their names may have been forgotten in the public consciousness, their influence can still be felt in bluegrass today. If you think the immortal Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs are the only true pioneers of bluegrass music, then you need to listen to Reno & Smiley.
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