Doughboys, Playboys and Cowboys: The Golden Years of Western Swing

Disc 1
1	Sunbonnet Sue / Fort Worth Doughboys 3:04
2	Nancy Jane / Fort Worth Doughboys 3:12
3	Oh You Pretty Woman / Milton Brown & His Brownies 2:45
4	Brownie's Stomp / Milton Brown & His Brownies 2:57
5	Osage Stomp / Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys 3:02
6	Who Walks in When I Walk Out / Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys 2:52
7	Boyd's Blue / Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers 2:39
8	I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart / Patsy Montana & the Prairie Ramblers 3:07
9	Sadie Greee (The Vamp of New Orleans) / Roy Newman & His Boys 2:49
10	Who's Sorry Now / Milton Brown & His Brownies 3:00
11	Down by the O-H-I-O / Milton Brown & His Brownies 2:50
12	Barn Dance Rag / Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers 2:50
13	Never No More Blues / Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys 2:54
14	Too Busy / Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys 2:36
15	Rambler's Stomp / Doug Bine & His Dixie Ramblers 3:01
16	The Eyes of Texas / Milton Brown & His Brownies 3:08
17	The Yellow Rose of Texas / Milton Brown & His Brownies 3:23
18	Red's Tight Like That / The Tune Wranglers 2:52
19	Buster's Crawdad Song / The Tune Wranglers 2:32
20	Big Daddy Blues / Jimmie Revard's Oklahoma Playboys 3:00
21	Feather Your Nest / Lem Fowler's Washboard Wonders 2:40
22	Dirty Dog / Jimmie Revard 2:29
23	My Galveston Gal / Milton Brown & His Brownies 3:00
24	El Rancho Grande / The Tune Wranglers 2:57
25	Texas Sand / The Tune Wranglers 2:35
Disc 2
1	Women Women Women / Shelly Lee Alley 2:42
2	Mean Old Lonesome Blues / Buddy Jones 3:05
3	Bring It on Down to My House / Derwood Brown & His Musical Brownies 2:50
4	Corrine, Corrina / Cliff Bruner 3:17
5	One Sweet Letter From You / Cliff Bruner 2:42
6	Fort Worth Stomp / The Crystal Springs Ramblers 2:27
7	The Women ('Bout to Make a Wreck Out of Me) / Buddy Jones 2:52
8	Streamlined Mama / Buddy Jones 2:20
9	Blue Guitars / The Light Crust Doughboys 2:26
10	Dirty Dog Blues / Mountain Mountaineers 3:01
11	Mississippi Sandman / Modern Mountaineers 3:10
12	Hot Tamale Pete / Bob Skyles & His Skyrockets 2:27
13	Married Man Blues / The Nite Owls 2:40
14	There'll Be Some Changes Made / W. Lee O'Daniel & his Hillbilly Boys 2:42
15	Dirty Hangover Blues / W. Lee O'Daniel & his Hillbilly Boys 2:20
16	Lose Your Blues and Laugh at Life / Jimmie Revard's Oklahoma Playboys 3:19
17	Range Rider Stomp / The Range Riders 2:38
18	Hold That Critter Down / Sons of the Pioneers 2:38
19	Chicken Reel Stomp / The Tune Wranglers 2:42
20	Playboy Stomp / Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys 2:44
21	Moonlight in Oklahoma / Smokey Wood 2:44
22	Keep on Truckin' / Smokey Wood 2:16
23	I'm Confessin' (That I Love You) / Derwood Brown & His Musical Brownies 2:54
24	Just Once Too Often / The Light Crust Doughboys 2:21
25	Loudmouth / Modern Mountaineers 2:17
Disc 3
1	Kangaroo Blues / Cliff Bruner 2:53
2	Pine State Honky Tonk / Claude Casey & His Pine State Playboys 2:24
3	Better Quit It Now / Adolph Hofner 2:37
4	Pussy, Pussy, Pussy / The Light Crust Doughboys 2:24
5	I'll Keep My Old Guitar / Adolph Hodner His Texans 2:32
6	Cowboy's Swing / Hank Penny & His Radio Cowboys 2:28
7	Lonesome Road Blues / W. Lee O'Daniel & his Hillbilly Boys 2:39
8	Liza Pull Down the Shades / Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys 2:20
9	Truck Driver's Blues / Cliff Bruner 2:54
10	My Untrue Cowgirl / Jewel Cowboys 2:40
11	San Antonio Rose / Cliff Bruner 2:40
12	Gonna Get Tight / Sunshine Boys 2:38
13	Let's Make Believe We're Sweethearts / The Light Crust Doughboys 2:39
14	Mississippi Muddle / Hank Penny & His Radio Cowboys 2:27
15	Billy Boy / Louise Massey & Her Westerners 2:49
16	Good Gracious Gracie / The Light Crust Doughboys 2:51
17	Mean Mean Mama (From Meana) / The Light Crust Doughboys 2:47
18	Jones Stomp / Port Arthur Jubileers 2:51
19	Rockin' Rollin' Mama / Buddy Jones 2:44
20	Blue Steel Blues / Ted Daffan's Texans 2:37
21	New San Antonio Rose / Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys 2:36
22	Bob Wills Special 2:32
23	Pussywillow / Port Arthur Jubileers 2:46
24	Tobacco State Swing / Hank Penny & His Radio Cowboys 2:36
Disc 4
1	Draftboard Blues / Cliff Bruner 2:37
2	Whatcha Gonna Do / The Hi-Flyers 2:41
3	Cotton Eyed Joe / Adolph Hofner 2:30
4	Sally's Got a Wooden Leg / The Sons of the West 2:46
5	What's the Matter With Deep Elem / Sunshine Boys 2:44
6	Li'l Liza Jane / Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys 2:38
7	Pistol Packin' Mama / Al Dexter 2:47
8	Forgive Me One More Time / Spade Cooley & His Orchestra 2:45
9	Shame on You / Spade Cooley & His Orchestra 2:51
10	Steel Guitar Stomp / Hank Penny 2:51
11	Boogie Woogie Boy / Porky Freeman Trio 3:02
12	That's What I Like About the South / Cliff Bruner 3:03
13	Stay a Little Longer / Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys 2:49
14	Oklahoma Blues / Zeke Clements 2:39
15	Oklahoma Stomp / Spade Cooley & His Orchestra 2:50
16	Nails in My Coffin / Jerry Irby With His Texas Ranchers 2:38
17	Bob Wills Two Step / Luke Wills Rhythm Busters 2:10
18	I Got Texas in My Soul / Tex Williams & the Western Caravan 2:58
19	Wildcat Mama / Hank Penny 2:38
20	Betty Ann / Jesse Ashlock 2:39
21	One Year Ago Tonight / Don Churchill & Texas Mavericks 2:41
22	Oakie Boogie / Johnny Tyler 2:15
23	Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) / Tex Williams & the Western Caravan 2:54
24	Square Dance Boogie / Johnnie Lee Wills 2:33
25	Humpty Dumpty Heart / Hank Thompson 2:26

All Music Guide

This four-disc box chronicles the development of Western swing from the Fort Worth Doughboys' 1932 recordings through its heyday in the late '40s. Along the way, the collection covers every major artist, from Bob Wills and Spade Cooley to pioneers like Milton Brown and Bill Boyd, who have been under-represented almost to the point of extinction in the CD era. It also includes Patsy Montana's groundbreaking hit single, "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," and other fascinating tracks such as the Tex-Mex stomper "El Rancho Grande" by the Tune Wranglers, "Bring It on Down to My House" by Derwood Brown & His Musical Brownies, and dozens of others. The accompanying 43-page booklet features bios on all the artists as well as song notes and rare photographs. Unfortunately, this doesn't include anything after 1947, but such is the nature of Proper boxes. Besides, this doesn't claim to be an exhaustive chronology -- the subtitle, "The Golden Years of Western Swing", states the intent and, as such, this is magnificent stuff. Considering what's been included, it's hard to squabble over what's been left out ("Take Me Back to Tulsa," "Milk Cow Blues," and "Steel Guitar Rag" are notable examples), but pretend you don't know that and this set is perfect, containing every artist, every development, and every song that made Western swing a national phenomenon. Jim Smith