Fleming and Townsend
| Fleming and Townsend | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Old-time music |
| founding | 1920s |
| resolution | 1940s |
| Founding members | |
| Reece Fleming | |
| Respers Townsend | |
Fleming and Townsend was an American old-time duo that had a few hits at the time of the Great Depression.
history
Reece Fleming and Respers Townsend both came from near Covington in Tipton County , Tennessee . They began playing together in the 1920s to supplement their meager incomes and to support themselves. Initially, the duo performed on Barn Dances in nearby towns and later expanded their activities to include radio as their popularity grew. They also performed in shops, theaters, and clubs in Covington and Memphis , which is only about 30 miles north of Tipton County.
By 1930 Fleming and Townsend were so well known that they got a contract with Victor Records . According to Ted Townsend, Resper Townsend's son, the duo were discovered and signed by Victor while performing on WREC. Despite the Great Depression , which destroyed the careers of many other musicians, Fleming and Townsend made their first hit with their first single She's Just That Kind / Just One Little Kiss . With around 20,000 copies sold, the record was one of Victor's bestsellers, because at that time only Jimmie Rodgers , the Carter Family and Carson Robison & Frank Luther achieved such sales figures for Victor.
Their second single, I'm Blue and Lonesome / Little Home Upon the Hill , also achieved respectable success with a little less than 11,000 records sold. Fleming and Townsend were - along with the Carolina Twins , for example - one of the first duos to yodel together (called Blue Yodeling ). Fleming took on most of the vocals and guitar accompaniment, while Townsend sang the second voice and played the mandolin , guitar , harmonica or kazoo . According to Tony Russell, his sometimes bluesy style on the harmonica was reminiscent of Noah Lewis , musician in the group Cannon's Jug Stompers , who also lived near Covington.
Although their later records sold far worse, the duo kept their contract with Victor until 1932. Some of her compositions have also been recorded by others. Frankie Marvin and Gene Autry recorded three of their songs in a duet with She's Just That Kind , She's Always On My Mind and I'm Blue and Lonesome , and the Callahan Brothers and Hank Penny also recorded their versions of She's Just That Kind .
After the contract with Victor expired, Fleming and Townsend held a session for the American Record Corporation in New York City in September 1927 . Among the numerous recordings were new recordings of old songs such as She's Just That Kind , Little Home on the Hill or Gonna Quit Drinkin 'When I Die . On August 16, 1937, the duo's last session for Decca Records followed, and although no more big hits were produced, Victor re-released Fleming and Townsend's old material on Bluebird Records in the 1930s .
Fleming and Townsend continued to perform well into the 1940s, and despite a report in Billboard magazine that the duo would record new songs in 1947, no more records were made. Even so, they both maintained their friendship and met occasionally for fishing and hunting. While Fleming remained loyal to music and played with Malcolm Yelvingtons star Rhythm Boys , Townsend withdrew from the music business.
Reece Fleming died in 1958, Respers Townsend in 1974.
Discography
| year | title | # | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Records | |||
| 1930 | She's Just That Kind / Just One Little Kiss | 40297 | |
| 1930 | Little Home Upon the Hill / I'm Blue and Lonesome | 40321 | |
| (Mama) What Makes You That Way? / She's Always On My Mind | 23509 | ||
| Something's Got to Change Somewhere / I'll Tell You About the Women | 23520 | ||
| Gonna Quit Drinkin 'When I Die / Drifting On | 23549 | ||
| The Ramblin 'Boy / Me, the Moon and My Gal | 23557 | ||
| I'm Leavin 'This Town / Lookin' for a Mama | 23563 | ||
| Pretty Mama, You're Doin 'Wrong / Sweet Daddy from Tennessee | 23575 | ||
| I Wanta Be Where You Are / How Can You Be Mean to Me | 23594 | ||
| Wanna Be a Man Like Dad / Come and Drift With Me | 23604 | ||
| I Feel So Blue / My Baby Can't Be Found | 23625 | ||
| Blowin 'the Blues / A Drunkard's Resolution | 23635 | ||
| She's Just That Kind No.2 / First Time in Jail | 23666 | ||
| Yes, I Got Mine / Oh That Cow | 23676 | ||
| Bad Reputation / Unlucky Me | 23694 | ||
| Cottonfield Blues / That Lonesome Train | 23710 | ||
| The Blues Have Gone / Lonesome (I Need You) | 23758 | ||
| I Love You Sweetheart, I Love You / When It's Hottest Time Down South | 23771 | ||
| The Picture On My Dresser / I'll Never See Her Again | 23789 | ||
| Do-Do-Daddling Thing /? | 23793 | B-side by Jimmie Davis | |
| Right Always Wins / Longing to Mother | 23814 | ||
| The Gambler's Advice /? | 23829 | B-side of Harry McClintock | |
| Conqueror Records | |||
| When I'm Gone You'll Be Blue / The Gambler's Confession | 8567 | ||
| Little Shack By the Maple /? | 8587 | B-side by Jimmie & Eddie Dean | |
| Banner Records | |||
| I'll Get Along / She's Just That Kind | 33264 | ||
| Hey Hey Pretty Mama / Gonna Quit Drinking When I Die | 33357 | ||
| What You Gonna Do (This Year My Friend) / Blue and Lonesome | 33431 | ||
| Decca Records | |||
| Old Coon Dog Blues / Banana Peeling Mama | 5419 | ||
| If I Had Somebody / The Criminal's Fate | 5427 | ||
| Ride Along Little Gal / Weary Mind Blues | 5445 | ||
| That's When You Take the Blues / Triflin 'Mama from Dixie | 5463 | ||
| Tell My Baby I'm Gone / Just at Twilight | 5487 | ||
| A Rambling Gambling Rounder / A Longing for You | 5516 | ||
| Unpublished titles | |||
| 1932 |
|
Victor | |
| 1934 |
|
ARC | |
literature
- Tony Russell: Country Music Records: A Discography 1922-1942. Oxford University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-19-513989-5 , pp. 346-348.
- Tony Russell: Country Music Originals. Oxford University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-19-532509-6 , pp. 74-76.
Web links
- Fleming and Townsend on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)