Darby and Tarlton
| Darby and Tarlton | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Old-time music |
| founding | 1920 |
| resolution | 1930 |
| Founding members | |
| Jimmie Tarlton | |
| Tom Darby | |
Darby and Tarlton were an American old-time duo . The two musicians were early stars of country music , then still called hillbilly or old-time, and had a great influence on later musicians of their genre.
Career
Jimmie Tarlton was born in Chesterfield County , South Carolina in 1892 to a family of cotton pickers . His parents taught him to play the banjo and introduced him to traditional old folk songs called traditionals . At the age of 12, Tarlton learned how to play guitar from black workers in the fields and adapted their slide methods. Usually blues musicians used a broken bottle neck to play in order to create a long drawn-out tone. As a young man, Tarlton earned his living street musicians in the country. During a stay in California he met the famous musician Frank Ferera , who showed him the softer style of Hawaiian music .
Tarlton later settled in Columbus , Georgia , where he met the guitarist Tom Darby (* 1884). Darby was related to the hillbilly star Riley Puckett and had also learned his skills as a singer from blues musicians. A local talent scout encouraged the two musicians to team up and arranged an audition with Columbia Records , which they signed. Her first single came out in 1927 with the comic piece Down In Florida On a Hog .
Their next single, Birmingham Jail on the A-side and the Columbus Stockade Blues on the B-side, brought the duo their greatest success. With almost 200,000 copies sold, the success reached almost to that of Gid Tanner's Skillet Lickers or Riley Puckett. However, Darby and Tarlton only received $ 75 each for their services. In the following years they achieved successes with Birmingham Jail # 2 , Lonesome Railroad , Traveling Yodel Blues and Heavy Hearted Blues and toured with Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers, the Delmore Brothers and the Dixon Brothers . After a dispute with Columbia in 1929, Darby and Tarlton played their last session in 1930 and then went their separate ways. Only in 1932 and 1933 did they each record a record for RCA Victor and ARC Records . In 1935 both gave up music completely.
For a long time Darby and Tarlton were forgotten; The duo was only "rediscovered" during the folk revival in the 1960s. For a short time they played together again at various festivals and gave concerts and some interviews, but then the duo broke up again. Only Tarlton benefited from his success longer. He released an album, was in the press for a long time, and toured.
Jimmie Tarlton died in 1979, Tom Darby in 1971.
plant
Jimmie Tarlton is seen primarily as a pioneer of the steel guitar. As one of the first to use this instrument in country music (next to him Cliff Carlisle ), he had an influence on later country music that should not be underestimated. It was mainly artists like the Delmore Brothers and the Allen Brothers who later said they were influenced by him. Tom Darby, on the other hand, is considered one of the most talented singers in early country music, especially because of his unmistakable blues influence. Songs like Birmingham Jail and Columbus Stockade Blues are now considered country classics.
Discography
Singles
See also: The Alabama Barnstormers
| year | title | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Records | |||
| 1927 | Down In Florida On A Hog / Birmingham Town | ||
| 1927 | Birmingham Jail / Columbus Stockade Blues | ||
| 1927 | After The Ball / I Can't Tell Why I Love You | ||
| 1928 | The Irish Police / The Hobo Tramp | ||
| 1928 | Mexican Rag / Alto Waltz | ||
| 1928 | Heavy Hearted Blues / Traveling Yodel Blues | ||
| 1928 | The Rainbow Division / Country Girl Valley | ||
| 1928 | Birmingham Jail # 2 / Lonesome Railroad | ||
| 1928 | If You Ever Learn To Love Me / If I Had Listened To My Mother | ||
| 1928 | Down In The Old Cherry Orchard / When The Bluebirds Nest Again | ||
| 1928 | Touring Yodel Blues / Slow Wicked Blues | ||
| 1928 | Birmingham Rag / Sweet Sarah Blues | ||
| 1929 | The New York Hobo / Black Jack Moonshine | ||
| 1929 | All Bound Down In Texas / Ain't Gonna Marry No More | ||
| 1929 | / I Left Her At The River | ||
| 1929 | Whistling Songbird / Freight Train Rambler | ||
| 1930 | Jack and May / Captain Won't You Let Me Go Home | ||
| 1930 | Faithless Husband / My Father Died A Drunkard | ||
| 1930 | My Little Blue Heaven / On The Banks of a Lonely River | ||
| 1931 | Mapple On The Hill / Little Ola | ||
| 1931 | Pork Chops / Hard Time Blues | ||
| 1931 | When You're Far Away From Home / Beggar Joe | ||
| 1932 | The Black Sheep / Once I had A Sweetheart | ||
| 1932 | Gambling Jim / Lonesome In The Pines | ||
| 1932 | Risin 'Sun Blues / Frankie Dean | ||
| 1933 | Goin 'Back To My Texas Home / Down Among The Sugar Cane | ||
| RCA Victor | |||
| 1932 | Thirty Years in Kilbie Prison / Once I Had a Fortune | ||
| Banner Records | |||
| 1933 | Let's be Friends Again / By The Old Oaken Bucket, Louise | ||
| Unpublished titles | |||
|
Columbia Records (unreleased) | ||
|
ARC Records (unreleased) | ||
Albums
- 1994: On The Banks Of A Lonesome River
- 1995: Complete Recordings ( Bear Family )
- 2003: Ooze Up To Me
- 2005: Darby and Tarlton (JSP Records, UK)
Web links
- Entry in the All Music Guide
- Darby and Tarlton on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)