Deep River of Song: Black Texicans: Balladeers And Songsters of the Texas Frontier

One-fourth to one-third of the cowboys in the Old West were African American, a fact virtually erased from history. But one listen to this entry from the Deep River of Song series of the Alan Lomax Collection sets the record straight. Men with prosaic names like Phineas "Flatfoot" Rockmore, "Butter Boy," Moses "Clear Rock" Platt, and James "Iron Head" Baker recast British ballads to fit their own experiences ("St. James Hospital"), turn in idiosyncratic readings of cowboy standards ("The Old Chisholm Trail"), and prove that square dances knew no race ("Little Liza Jane"). Their harsh, straining voices can convey ruggedness and clarity alike; they work with sprung rhythms, regular rhythms, and no rhythms at all, but their songs are too rich in melody and catch phrases to be easily forgotten. Recorded between 1933 and 1940, these raw sides will appeal primarily to roots fanatics but fill an essential hole in American music--and history. --John Morthland