I made this simple arrangement of What’s the Matter with the Mill years ago for <a href=”https://kennethrainey.com/writing/my-wildly-unsuccessful-book/”>my tunebook</a>, based on a Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys recording from a September 29, 1936, session in Chicago. Coincidentally, that same session produced Wills’ first recording of the Western Swing standard Steel Guitar Rag. The tune is a…
Liberty for two mandolins, with tablature
Here’s a simple two-mandolin arrangement of the warhorse fiddle tune Liberty. With the exception of the pickup to the ‘A’ strain, both the melody and harmony parts can be played entirely in first position. You can hear the arrangement via the embedded audio player at the bottom of this post.
Jesse Polka
This transcription is based on a performance by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys from April 8th, 1946, recorded for what are commonly referred to as the Tiffany Transcriptions. There are a lot of different versions of Jesse Polka out there. This is a relatively simple interpretation, with just two sections. The marking D.C. al…
Earl 'Joaquin' Murphey
Here’s a 2001 article I wrote on the legendary western swing steel guitarist Earl ‘Joaquin’ Murphey, who played with Spade Cooley, Tex Williams, the Plainsmen, and other West Coast acts in the 1940s and 1950s. To merely call him the best steel guitarist of his era is to do his work a disservice. He is…
Larry 'Pedro' DePaul
Here’s a 1999 article I wrote on legendary Western Swing musician and arranger Larry ‘Pedro’ DePaul for the Journal of Country Music back in 1999. He was the architect behind the sound of the great Spade Cooley and Tex Williams bands of the 1940s. By the way, knucklehead that I am, I mistranscribed DePaul’s wife’s…