Allen Brothers
| Allen Brothers | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Old-time music |
| founding | 1923 |
| resolution | 1934 |
| Founding members | |
Austin Allen |
Vocals , guitar |
Lee Allen |
Singing , kazoo |
The Allen Brothers were an American old-time duo. The Allen Brothers were one of the first brother duos to become known in the 1920s and 1930s.
Life
Austin and Lee Allen, two brothers, were born at the turn of the century on Monteangle Mountain, about 50 miles from Chattanooga , Tennessee . Her parents were simple people whom she associated with music from childhood. In addition to the traditional old-time music that prevailed in the rural regions of the southern states , the brothers were also influenced by popular music .
Austin and Lee began their careers in the local Tennessee music scene around 1923. The two brothers were especially popular in remote mine workers' camps and while they were traveling through the country they collected old folk songs and tried their hand at their own compositions, which was very unusual among old-time musicians at the time. Most of the musicians had a repertoire from old traditionals .
In 1926 the Allen Brothers played their first records for Columbia Records . Their debut single Bow Wow Blues / Salty Dog Blues was also a best seller, but when Columbia released their single Laughin 'and Cryin' Blues instead of the 15,000 series (“Old-Time Tunes”) in the 14,000 series (“Race Music “), The sales stopped, so the Allen Brothers had to leave Columbia and switched to Victor Records . The classification in the blues series wasn't even wrong - the style of the two brothers was heavily based on the blues and often contained ambiguous sexual allusions, as they otherwise only occurred with African-American musicians at this time. In addition to these songs, which were more derived from traditional sources, the brothers also recorded their own songs that also commented on current events, such as the Jake Walk Blues from 1930.
At Victor, their records were produced by Ralph Peer , who just recorded Jimmie Rodgers ' big hits with "White Man's Blues" . Although Peer insisted that the Allen Brothers only record "up-tempo" numbers, they stayed with Victor until 1933. At their concerts, the brothers played a mixture of faster and slower songs that they could not perform in the studio, there Peer denied them the musical freedom they needed. Although the Allen Brothers records sold well, it was not enough for both of them to provide for their families, mainly due to the depression that nearly brought the record industry to a standstill for years.
Austin moved his family to New York in 1933 , where he worked as a radio host while Lee stayed in Tennessee and made a living as a construction worker. A year later the Allen Brothers held their last session for the American Record Corporation , as their sales there were not to the satisfaction of both brothers.
Austin later also worked as a construction worker and died in Williamsburg , South Carolina in 1959 . In the 1960s, the Allen Brothers were rediscovered by a new, young folk audience and some LPs were released that contained old recordings. Lee then began to give concerts again, especially in the Lebanon, Tennessee area. He died in 1981.
Discography
Singles
Discography is not exhaustive. Victor and Bluebird recordings have also been released by Montgomery Ward .
| year | title | # | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Records | |||
| 1926 | Bow Wow Blues / Salty Dog Blues | 15175-D | |
| Cheat 'Em / Quit that Skipin' and Flyin ' | 15270-D | ||
| Victor Records | |||
| Triple Blues / Frisco Blues | VI40003 | ||
| Prisoner's Dream / I'll Be All Smiles Tonight | VI40210 | ||
| 1928 | Free as a Little Bird / Skipping and Flying | VI40266 | |
| I've Got the Chain Store Blues / Enforcement Blues | VI40276 | ||
| 1930 | Jake Walk Blues / Reckless Night Blues | VI40303 | |
| New Chattanooga Blues / Shanghai Rooster Blues | VI40326 | ||
| Bluebird Records | |||
| Jake Walk Blues / Fruit Jar Blues | BB-5001 | ||
| I'm Always Whistling the Blues / Tiple Blues | BB-5104 | ||
| Shake It, Ida, Shake It / Maybe Next Week Sometime # 2 | BB-5165 | ||
| Frisco Blues / Reckless Night Blues | BB-5224 | ||
| Slide Daddy Slide / Roll It Down | BB-5317 | ||
| New Chattanooga Blues / Mother in Law Blues | BB-5380 | ||
| ? / New Salty Dog | BB-5403 | ||
| 1934 | Old Black Crow in the Hickory Nut Tree / Mama Don't Allow No Low Down Hanging Around | BB-5448 | |
| 1934 | ? / Chattanooga mom | BB-5470 | |
| It Can't Be Done / Laughing and Crying Blues | BB-5533 | ||
| Shanghai Rooster / Free as a Little Bird | BB-5668 | ||
| Roll On Down the Line / Maybe Next Week Sometime # 2 | BB-5700 | ||
| Glorious Night Blues / Window Shade Blues | BB-5701 | ||
| I'll Be Here a Long Time / When You Leave, You'll Leave Me Sad | BB-5702 | ||
| Pile Driving Papa / Skipping and Flying | BB-5772 | ||
| Preacher Blues / Monkey Blues | BB-5820 | ||
| Cross Firing Blues / It's Too Bad for You | BB-5872 | ||
Albums
- 1974: Sweet Rumors (Rounder)
- 1976: Clara's Boys (Rounder)
- 1994: Are You Feeling It Too? (Smithsonian Folkways)
- 2000: Allen Brothers, Vol.1: 1927-1930 (Document)
- 2000: Allen Brothers, Vol.2: 1930-1932 (Document)
- 2001: Allen Brothers, Vol.3: 1932-1934 (Document)
Web links
- Entry on Allmusic
- The Allen Brothers on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)