Yodeling Slim Clark - Singin` Yodelin` Guitar

Yodeling Slim Clark - Singin’ Yodelin’ Guitar Pickin’ Cowboy Songs
The Challenge of Bringing This Release to Fruition
The release of this album – Slim’s second dedicated release on
Jasmine (he is also featured on several of our compilation albums)
- is the culmination of a great deal of networking and co-operation
between collectors, music historians and friends and family of Slim
Clark around the world. It has spanned the USA, Canada, mainland
Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia. For such is the
influence of this man’s music that he is acknowledged around the
world as a master of the arts of both yodelling and the singing of
western songs and stories. Such also is the rarity of his original
recordings today that one has to pursue those lines of influence to
find copies of rare, original discs from which to draw the content
of this set.
Firstly, we had to try to narrow down how many recordings were
available within the scope of this project. Broadly, we were aiming
to pick up all the recordings that Slim made for Continental that were not on either our first Slim Clark CD, “Cowboy
& Yodel Songs” JASMCD 3567, or on any of our compilations. This was easier said than done. Slim has never had a
fully detailed discography put together; those attempts that have been made are incomplete – either missing releases or
not providing album titles, or both. The most complete that we have found is that prepared by the late collector and
Palomino label owner, Don Cleary in 1980. That was almost complete and gave album numbers but no album or EP
titles. Thus if one knew the song to look for, one could find the records that song was released on but if one wants to
start with an album title, this is not provided.
There was also a very helpful listing in “Country Music Trails Less Travelled”, a US collector magazine back in 1992.
We have obtained a copy of the article and the listing, which were written by Jay Taylor, another renowned collector.
The listing fills in some gaps left by the Cleary discography and vice versa, but neither listing gave dates other than
when Slim started to record.
We were constrained by Copyright limitations, to recordings released prior to 1962, so the lack of date information
became another hurdle. On-line discographies were helpful in many ways but proved to be less reliable as far as dates
were concerned so we had to fall back to recorded interviews with Slim and on whatever snippets could be provided by
Slim’s family or by collectors around the world. We knew that Slim recorded for Continental until 1957, which meant
that provided they were released during those years, all the Continental tracks were within scope. The matter was
complicated by the fact that tracks appeared on a range of labels within the Continental group. However some online
discographies suggested that some of the tracks were not released until well into the mid 1960s, when some later LPs
were issued.
We were able to establish that most of the tracks to appear on LPs were either also issued earlier on 78s or, where they
were not on singles, they appeared on LPs issued in the 1950s. One LP however proved difficult to date until our
enquiries reached Dutch discographers Coen Hofmann and Gerard Hoogeveen. They were able to confirm from their
research into Continental’s jazz and blues recordings, that the original issue of the LP in question had a catalogue
number that placed it in the 1950s and it was an artificial stereo version that was released in the 60s. So that enabled 12
good tracks to come back within scope!
Then there were the tracks that appeared with incomplete or different titles on different records. “Yodeling Cowboy”
recorded for Continental had been assumed to be an early Clark version of the Jimmie Rodgers song that Slim later rerecorded in the 60s for Don Cleary’s Palomino label. The Continental track had only ever been listed on an obscure
Altone LP but thanks to Australian collector David Crisp, we were able to identify that it was in fact “Swiss Yodeling
Cowboy”, a different song and one which had also appeared on other LPs. Then there was “The Last Yodel” and “Just
One More Yodel” which we had thought might be different songs but turned out to be exactly the same recording!
There was also “The Little Trailrider” and “The Trailrider’s Lullaby”, which also turned out to be the same song. The
Cleary discography lists a song titled “Saddle Songs” but we have not been able to trace anyone who has it. It is in fact
the only one of the tracks we were looking for that we could not find.
To make matters even more confusing, in addition to the many releases issued as “Yodeling Slim Clark” on different
labels, some recordings were issued as “Cowboy Slim” and others as “Tex Carter” whilst some EPs were released
which featured Red River Dave McEnery on some tracks but listed only Slim as the singer! Then there were the LPs
Yodeling Slim Clark: Singin’ Yodelin’ Guitar Pickin’ Cowboy Songs - Page 1
that listed songs that were not all on the record, whilst some that were on the record were not listed. All in all, a
challenging job and we are most grateful to the many people who trawled their libraries and collections to
provide clarification.
The above three LPs are all the same album, “Songs For Little Cowboys” is by “Cowboy Slim”
whilst the other two are by “Yodelin’ Slim Clark”. The three albums below are also the same, all by
“Yodelin’ Slim Clark”
So if Slim Clark’s music was so influential, why are his recordings so hard to find today? The brief answer seems to be
that Slim Clark focused his musical activities on his local region of New England in the Northern USA. He probably
could have recorded for a major label had he pursued more typical showbiz traditions but his love of the outdoors meant
that he never wanted to venture far from home. In Slim’s own words, speaking in an interview in the 1990s,
“I had chances to make big tours, do movie tests and so on but I wasn’t interested in getting that big – I just wanted to
get big enough to make a good living and to go home and hunt and fish when the seasons were open. I didn’t want to
be tied up on big, long trips.”
Living in Massachusetts with a New York-based record company that specialised in jazz and classical music was
never going to make for big name promotion. However it is thanks to the forethought of Don Gabor and his Continental
group of labels that Slim recorded at all. Other labels had not been prepared to countenance recording a singing cowboy
who insisted on warbling his entire repertoire with just his own guitar accompaniment, when everyone else was using
cowboy and western swing bands.
We will never know what it was that the late super-yodeller Elton Britt (who also has several releases on Jasmine) said
to Mr Gabor or his colleagues but in 1946 he succeeded in persuading Continental to call Slim when no-one else had
shown an interest. They asked him to come to New York to record. In Slim’s own words,
“Elton said he would try to get me a recording contract. I said yes please, but never expected it to happen. Others had
said the same thing before and nothing happened. But suddenly there was this telephone call from Continental, asking
me to go to New York”.
Britt was a major star and RCA recording artiste in the 40s and was based in New York so it is understandable that he
found Slim a contract with a New York based label. Continental must have seen the success and huge popularity of
Britt and edged on by Britt’s recommendation, probably saw the potential of Slim Clark to follow in Britt’s shoes, even
though Slim’s style was very different to Britt’s.
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“The guy said ‘Why don’t you come up and make some records?’ and I said, ‘who for?’ and he said ‘Continental’. That
was one of the labels I’d been writing to for a year so I told him, when I wrote they didn’t want me. ‘Well they want
you now’ was his reply”
It is sufficient here to say that despite the self-imposed limited availability of Slim Clark to travel and pursue a show
business career during his many years of performing, his enormous talent overcame the barriers and caused him in the
ensuing years to become something of a legend amongst collectors and lovers of western music and the art of yodelling
around the world.
Slim Clark: The Man and His Career
More detail is included in the liner notes to our first Slim Clark CD “Cowboy & Yodel Songs” (JASMCD 3567) so let
us be brief here. Born Raymond LeRoy Clark on December 11th 1917 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Slim was one of
five siblings; he had two brothers and two sisters. He grew up to be a big fan of sports and even played baseball at
semi-professional level. He also loved the outdoors and went on to become world-renowned in later years for his ability
to capture the beauty and atmosphere of the New England outdoors through his paintings of outdoor landscapes and
wildlife scenes.
As a young man, Raymond listened to country music on the radio and was exposed to the artistes of the day. He loved
true country music and to him, this was always epitomised by the image of a solo singer with a guitar. His idols were
several and included the Singing Brakeman, Jimmie Rodgers - but in particular in his late teens he was inspired by Wilf
Carter, the legendary yodelling cowboy singer from just over the border in Canada. Carter’s story songs told of the
characters of western life, of the experiences of the cowboy and the troubles they faced and young Raymond not only
learned the songs but started writing cowboy songs of his own. He recorded some Carter songs in the early years –
notably “There’s A Love Knot In My Lariat” which was Wilf’s theme song. Slim’s version is reissued on this set for
the first time since the days of the old 78s and shows how clever and fluent he was with his yodelling.
Young Raymond always yearned to be an entertainer and after starting work in the timber industry he gave his first
performances in 1931 and bought his first guitar at the age of 16 – around the time that Wilf Carter first recorded. He
tried his hand at radio and became a popular name not only on the local airwaves but also at dances and other special
occasions.
“I did what I called the Kerosene circuit”, says Slim, “the halls had no electricity – just kerosene lamps and wood
stoves. There were no microphones, just me and my guitar. I was too young to have a car so someone would take me in
a horse and wagon, or a sleigh in winter and leave me at the hall. I’d sit there for two hours on the stage, singing all
alone.
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Such a challenge would seem daunting to most artistes of any genre these days but back then, Slim relied on his voice,
whatever guitar was available and hoped that the audiences would be friendly,
“I had great audiences”, he told me, “they would come from out of the hills, everywhere, ridin’ in old wagons full of
people, in old cars and sleighs. They were great listeners. I guess they’d heard me on radio and wanted to see what I
looked like!”
Back in those days, the big depression was in full intensity and many local people earned just $7 or $8 for a week’s
work. Slim was bringing in $25-$30 a week, a lot of money at that time. Only the most senior white-collar workers
earned that kind of wage and Slim chuckles as he says,
“If you were a white collar worker earning good money, you were said to hold a ‘position’. So I guess I held a ‘position’
singing!”
Slim was tall, handsome, strong and healthy and with his clear, confident voice and ringing yodel, a sure bet for future
stardom. It was not long before his outstanding yodelling ability led him to be tagged “Yodeling Slim” Clark. That tag
was to live from then to the present day.
Slim’s records sold well from the start, his earliest recordings going into the local country charts alongside more
established names. Demand for him increased and he later found himself being invited by cowboy bands to perform
sets with them. He became part of a band called the Red River Rangers and later helped younger members Dick Curless
and Kenny Roberts to set their feet on the ladder of stardom. Other western styled artistes who benefited from Slim’s
mentorship included singer/yodellers Johnny White (who wrote “Swiss Dreams” on this set) and Rusty Rogers. Many
years later, Slim appeared as a guest on one of Rusty Rogers’ TV shows.
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Eventually the invitations came to turn Slim into a crooner, take him to Hollywood, star in movies and tour the world.
As mentioned above, unable to face leaving his beloved outdoors, Slim declined them all. He remained in New England,
made records and appeared on radio – even occasionally ventured over the border into Canada - but rarely wandered
far from his home area. In the meantime he had married his first wife, Celia in 1946 – the year he signed with
Continental – and with her subsequently had a son, Wilf and a daughter, Jewel. Both are today independent performers
in their own right. Jewel sings and yodels whilst Wilf – a 6’4” basketball and baseball player - is a singer and
mandolinist in The Misty Mountaineers, a bluegrass band. Jewel later wrote and recorded two tribute songs to her dad,
“My Dad” and “Memory Lane”, songs of which Slim was immensely proud. Jewel recalls,
“I was very proud of the song, ‘My Dad’ and although it was emotional for him to be present when I sang it, he so
appreciated it when I sang the song, as did the audiences”.
She continues,
“I especially appreciated my childhood and the opportunities to go with my dad to work, either at the radio or television
stations, or when he performed at shows. Even as a child I was aware that his lifestyle was unusual…and that it was
very, very special to be part of it, meeting many well known performers and watching shows ‘up close and personal’
AND feeling so proud to be the daughter of the yodelling ‘cowboy of the show’”
Celia was a talented singer and songwriter and wrote many original songs for Slim, although because many of the
Continental releases provided no songwriter credits, she may well have missed out on credit it some cases.
Slim’s reluctance to travel and to embrace the new “fads” of popular music undoubtedly limited the scope of his career,
“I only ever recorded a few of the early tracks with a band and later one album. All my other singles and albums were
done with just my guitar. That one LP was in 1962 and it was released on the Canadian Arc label.”
Concerned that in the early 60s his fans had been starved for too long of new recordings and aware that country music
was modernising, Slim teamed up with musician friends Milo T and Doc Merrill to record the album. Milo played steel
and fiddle and Doc played electric guitar. The result was a twelve track set that they leased or sold to Arc. They released
it as an LP titled “The Best Of Slim Clark”. That LP remains a collectors’ treasure today. Slim however was never
comfortable with it,
“In the studio, I found that I was hearing the sound that Milo and Doc were making and couldn’t hear my own guitar.
The fans wrote to me and said not to do that again, so I never did”
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Despite Slim’s reservations, that album is a delight to listen to and is raw, basic country but to Slim, it might as well
have been rock’n’roll!
“I play cowboy music”, he says, “I wear a Stetson – one of the many cowboy hats I own – and play a big Gibson 100
guitar – there were only 13 made of the model I use. A musician friend of mine says that I sound like a man chopping
wood when I play the guitar, but it suits the songs I sing and the style I play. I use a thumb pick – I used to use a
plectrum but I kept losing them on the trail rides.”
Then he adds with characteristic dry humour,
“Keep having to get off the horse to find them was tiresome, especially when the horse was standing on them!”
Sticking with the old, traditional cowboy style with just his own guitar accompaniment may have hindered him from
becoming a commercial superstar but it endeared him to his thousands of fans around the world. Slim always
appreciated his fans. He would often pay tribute to the fans on stage, saying,
“I wouldn’t be up here if you weren’t down there”.
As a human being, Slim was humble and meek, despite his huge talent. He genuinely valued his fans and was humbly
proud to receive letters from all over the world. He was forever amazed that people thought he was as good as they did
and always credited his showbusiness influences, with kind words about such valued and appreciated friends as Kenny
Roberts, Johnny White, Dick Curless and Elton Britt.
For a while, Slim had his own ranch in Massachusetts where he kept a range of horses. He took up the story as to how
that came about,
“I have a great love of horses”, he explained, “I used to sing at a dude ranch and was a guide on trail rides. I entertained
the people in the evenings, sitting around the campfire – it led to a number of good stage, radio and TV appearances for
me. But the cowboy way of life appealed and I always wanted to own and break horses”.
Then he continues,
“On my own ranch I would have up to 6 or 8 horses at a time. There was a Morgen stallion I got as a colt, I raised him
and broke him. Then there was a western Quarter Horse, an American Saddle Bred, a Paint Horse and a Palomino. I
travelled with rodeos and rode broncos and bulls but I never got thrown – I didn’t ride anything that mean. They weren’t
like “Strawberry Roan” or “Midnight”. I learned all about the cowboy life in those years”
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Slim’s love of horses was also reflected in his choice of songs and he even recorded a whole album of “Horse Tales” in
the later stages of his career.
Although always approachable and friendly, he was not normally a man drawn to lengthy conversations – ten minutes
was about his limit - he would rather launch off to go hunting in the fall or fishing in the summer, than spend a day
chatting! The two notable exceptions to that in his later years were his two friends Roger Brown and Doug, the latter
of whom he saw daily at the post office. He would chat for hours with them. Kathie, Slim’s second wife, recalls,
“Slim would go out every morning to the post office where he would meet his great friend Doug. There they would
chat and joke – such that they referred to one another as ‘Fool number one’ and ‘fool number two!’ With Roger he
shared an interest in art as well as music so they would chat for hours too”
Jewel agrees on the subject of Slim’s sense of humour,
“I so loved his humour! I could hear him tell the same funny story over and over and it would still always make me
laugh. He was ever a performer on stage, television or radio, who emitted a caring, humorous spirit. He truly was; it
was all genuine”
Apart from Roger and Doug, Slim generally was an amiable fellow but with few words to say; that is, until he walked
on stage. Once on stage, his enthusiasm for the cowboy music he loved would bubble over and he would, if left to his
own devices, give detailed explanations as to where each song came from and why he was performing it! Kathie says
with a smile that she would often feel obliged to remind him that the fans were there to hear him sing, not for a lecture
on cowboy lore! The fans however, didn’t seem to mind, the loved him for the whole persona he presented on stage.
Back to the late 40s and early 50s and Continental found that demand for Slim’s recordings was healthy despite the
absence of lengthy, far-reaching tours. Keen to maximise sales, as mentioned above, they released many of them time
and again in a confusing plethora of albums, singles and EPs on various labels in the Continental group, sometimes
releasing the same songs under two or three different names! Releases appeared on Paris, Masterseal, Remington,
Pontiac, Altone, Buckingham, Palace and Maple Leaf. Slim once told this writer,
“Even today I have fans come up to me and show me albums I have never seen. Many used to come up and tell me how
they had unwittingly bought the same songs twice, believing that they were expanding their collections to include Tex
Carter or Cowboy Slim, only to find it was me yodelin’ at them!”
The record company also seemed not to want to put photographs of Slim on their sleeves, instead using sketches or
pictures of western scenes. Slim hypothesized that this was because he was always near to his home town, whilst they
were in New York. It seems just as feasible that given the confusion of multiple issues, it made it easier to release
albums with sketches rather than photographs, so that the various artiste names could be used.
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Many more of the Continental tracks however only saw release on 78rpm or 45rpm discs or on obscure LPs that quickly
became unavailable. This set draws primarily from some of Slim’s rarest recordings; many never issued since the
original 78s and 45s. Slim’s daughter Jewel and the Australian collector David Crisp each had access to many of these
rarities and made the album possible by granting access to their collections.
Slim recorded with Continental until 1957, when he embarked on a period of several years concentrating on his own
radio show, with a few recordings being made for Doc Williams’ Wheeling label. Eight tracks were recorded for
Wheeling, all of them included here. In 1962, he recorded the aforementioned album for Arc.
Then in 1964, Don Cleary - the noted historian and discographer mentioned above - signed Slim to his own Palomino
label, whereupon the stream of recordings once again accelerated to the delight of the fans.
The Later Years
Slim’s marriage to Celia ended in 1969 and some twelve years later he subsequently met and in 1982 married Kathie,
who was a chiropractor and ex music teacher. Kathie takes up the story,
“It was in the spring of 1981 and as usual, everyone in the surrounding towns was suffering cabin fever after the long,
hard winter. A big show was being put on in the local town of Hartland and I was attending as a music teacher to work
with the children. I was unloading my gear when I noticed these two long, skinny legs in jeans – they belonged to Slim.
It turned out that he was the guest star. He was carrying a beaten up guitar. I was not familiar with country music so
didn’t realise how big and accomplished he was. I was familiar with some of the more traditional western songs as I
had sung them with the kids – songs like “Whoopie Ti Yi Yo” and “Old Chisholm Trail” but I didn’t know them from
Slim. We struck up a conversation and just seemed to get on well naturally”
Slim told Kathie he had always dreamed of marrying someone like her and invited her to see his paintings. Not an
original chat-up line perhaps, but in this case a genuine – and successful - one! Kathie continues,
“As we struck up a friendship, Slim taught me things about the outdoors that I had never dreamed of. He taught me
how to walk in the woods without getting lost, to navigate by the sun and the hills. Later he taught me to hunt and fish.
He was always entertaining.
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Slim and Kathie married in 1982 and continued to enjoy the outdoor life, with Slim progressively doing more and more
painting. “He had his own style that he developed over the years” explains Kathie, “He had painted since he was a child
growing up in Nichewaug, Petersham in Massachusetts. He even had his own preferred texture for the paints he used.
But he could capture the mood and beauty of the landscapes and wildlife that he painted”.
Slim settled into a semi-retired lifestyle, balancing his painting, hunting and fishing with the ever present demand for
personal appearances, particularly at folk, cowboy and bluegrass festivals. He was blissfully happy doing it all,
“I always reckon that singing and painting was like getting paid for eating ice cream”, he said, “Although it is how I
made my living, I never thought of the money first; it was always about the enjoyment of doing it”
In later years, Slim’s confidence was challenged when he suffered a heart attack that triggered emergency surgery. He
spent more time at home although still performed at the occasional bluegrass or country festival, where he was always
surprised at the enthusiastic response of the crowds. Slim went on to be elected to the Walkway Of Stars in Nashville
in 1996 and to the Western Music Hall Of Fame in Tucson, Arizona in 2000, the year he passed away.
Slim Clark: The Painter
Slim had always loved painting but in his early years could not afford the paints and equipment that he needed to take
up the occupation seriously. It was when he agreed to look after a neighbour’s horses that the owner saw Slim’s passion
for art and started him off with paints, brushes, paper, etc. Slim ended up in his twilight years with paintings of a wide
range of country scenes, including wildlife, ploughing, two-man tree sawing, homesteads and even ice horses sculptured
from ice taken from local lakes. Many of his fans also bought his paintings,
“I have paintings hanging in 45 of the States, plus France, England, Porto Rico and many other outlying places”
Slim’s favourite of all his paintings was one of an old farmhouse at sunset, with the colours of the evening sky reflecting
on the surrounding snow. He gave it to Kathie before they were married. “It is a beautiful painting,” says Kathie, “I still
have it hanging at home today. Slim always told everyone that he had to marry me to get the painting back!”
Slim’s music and paintings came together most clearly through collector, art enthusiast and personal friend, Roger
Brown, already mentioned above. Roger was one of Slim’s greatest fans, who subsequently became a very close friend.
Kathie explains, “Roger was a very keen fan of Slim’s music but fell in love with his painting too. He used to buy six
to ten at a time and eventually had more than 100 of them. He built an extra story on his house so that he could hang
them!”
Those paintings are now open to public viewing. The place is the Slim Clark Gallery in Townshend, Vermont
Slim Clark: The Recording Artiste
Slim was very much his own man and developed his own distinctive style. That is not to say that he was not influenced
by others and we have already mentioned that Slim was inspired by the songs and music of Wilf Carter. Slim carried
on the tradition – writing songs with as much rural emotion and imagery in the lyrics as his paintings showed in later
years. Slim wrote of country folk, their emotions, their hopes and fears, the life of the cowboy and the values that kept
these people on the straight and narrow.
The keen music aficionado will note that Slim’s guitar style reflects a lot of Wilf Carter influence but also often displays
the runs of Jimmie Rodgers. In later years, Slim would record for Palomino a whole album of Rodgers songs, but that
is outside the scope of this project. On this set he performs two Rodgers numbers, “My Little Lady” and “Hobo Bill’s
Last Ride” but the Rodgers runs appear on other songs too.
Both Slim and Celia wrote songs, Slim’s songs usually being credited to “R Clarke” (often with the “e” that does not
appear in Slim’s real name) whilst Celia’s appeared as “C R Clarke” (again with an “e”). Some of Celia’s songs were
very good compositions, showing a real songwriting talent, others were most likely written more as vehicles for Slim’s
yodelling than as serious numbers.
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As a yodeller also, Slim reflected much of the styles of both Rodgers and Carter. Like Rodgers, Slim would intersperse
most songs in his early days with at least a short, monosyllabic yodel to punctuate the verses. It had worked for Rodgers
in the 20s and 30s, so why not for Slim some 20 years later? Like Carter, Slim would occasionally add a more elongated,
warbled yodel involving a number of breaks strung together – the “three in one” or “triple” yodel as Carter named it.
Slim could perform the triple yodel effortlessly – most yodellers don’t do it at all!
As a yodeller though, what made Slim Clark unique was his ability to introduce intricate combinations of syllables into
his yodels. It was almost a syncopated yodel, where he would add in extra syllables within a beat. This was pretty
impressive when he did it every now and then but on some songs he did it in the middle of an accelerated triple yodel.
When he did that, you had to play a song several times – maybe slow the record down – in order to work out what he
was doing. Jewel recalls seeing him perform those yodels on stage,
“He could do it all live. Those yodels were not tricks in the recording studio. I can remember thinking that a human
being surely couldn’t do that – he would just yodel faster and faster – it was so exciting and the crowds loved it”
There are several examples of these clever trick yodels on this set but to hear the famous super-fast finishes, listen to
our first Slim Clark release, “Cowboy And Yodel Songs”.
In later years, Slim gradually reduced the amount of yodelling he did on his records. A listen to the Palomino recordings
– especially the later ones – understandably reveals a voice that had matured, become a little more husky and a yodel
that was slightly less sharp and accurate than in those early days. Slim was philosophical about this,
“Yodelling is not so easy any more. My voice has pitched down so I can’t hit the high notes like I used to. I have to
work at it, sing a while before I try the more sophisticated yodels”
In place of the spectacular yodelling though, on those Palominos one finds an impressive expressiveness that had to
develop through the experiences and maturity of the years. This writer would certainly strongly recommend that the
listener seek out those Palomino albums. At the time of writing this article they have never appeared on CD so the
search will need to focus on old vinyl copies. Also, Slim was always concerned that his public would tire of his
yodelling, so he tried to reduce the amount he did in later years. It was never far away though and every Palomino
album features several songs with the yodel.
For this 2CD set we first and foremost set out to capture some – if not all – of those illusive Continental and Wheeling
recordings that have only appeared on 45, 78 or on the most obscure LPs. We have packed the CDs with as many tracks
as they would hold. There is a handful left that could not be accommodated and we will hold those over for a future
release. Secondly though, we wanted to present the real value of Slim’s music – his interpretations of traditional and
contemporary cowboy songs, the variety of his stories and the tempos he used and the wonderful artistry of his
yodelling. We hope we have been effective in doing this by planning the running order to provide variation, rather than
using the more academic approach of listing tracks in date order.
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In this set you will find such classic old western tales as “Billy Venero”, “Plantonio The Pride Of The Plains”, “When
The Work’s All Done This Fall”, “Sweet Betsy From Pike”, “Strawberry Roan” and “Whoopie Ti Yi Yo”. There are the
pseudo-Swiss yodel songs like “The Swiss Yodeling Cowboy”, “Swiss Dreams” and “My Little Swiss Mrs” – a genre
most notably pursued in country music by Wilf Carter starting with his “Swiss Moonlight Lullaby”, his first recording,
made for RCA Montreal in 1933.
Then there are songs of cowboy events like the “Abilene Drive”, “A Cowboy Takes In A Square Dance”, “The Big
Stampede” and “I’d Like To Be In Texas (Texas In The Spring)”
You will also find songs of faith and values; “Be An Honor To Your Mother”, “When I Ride The Range Of Gold” and
“My Country Home In Heaven”. Then there are some country delights – including some standards – such as “Sweet
Little Bluebird Girl”, “Wondering”, “Sweethearts Or Strangers”, “You’re My Darling” and “I Should Have Known”.
As you would expect, few of the songs have any backing other than Slim’s own guitar but there are a few examples
scattered among the gems you will find across these two discs. And of course, there are the famous yodels; short ones,
long ones, fast ones, slow ones, simple ones and intricate ones – all performed with characteristic Slim Clark flair and
perfection.
In Summary
We at Jasmine are proud to make these recordings – many of them amongst Slim’s rarest – available for the first time
in many cases since the original releases. Now this incredibly valuable musical legacy – taken from Continental and
Wheeling recordings - is available for future generations to enjoy and – we hope – to perpetuate the traditions of “The
Yodelling Cowboy” and the name of Yodeling Slim Clark.
Please go to our website www.jasmine-records.co.uk to see other Jasmine releases in this field of country music. A list
of some other releases that might be of interest is provided below.
©2012 Paul Hazell
Freelance Writer and Broadcaster
References:
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Cleary, Don – Yodeling Slim Clark Discography (Self-published 1980)
Taylor, Jay – “Mr Yodelling: Slim Clark” – Country Music Trails Less Travelled (Self published
June1992)
Acknowledgements:
We acknowledge the help and support of the following people without whom this release would not have
been possible: Jewel Clark, Dr Kathie Clark, David Crisp, David Sanderson were crucial in providing access
to Slim’s rarest recordings. The two Davids did a wonderful job of transferring from the original 78s
Thanks also go to the following who provided contacts, or discographical information, or both: Gordy
Brown, Ronnie Chase, Peter Fraissinet, Al Hawkes, Coen Hofmann, Gerard Hoogeveen, Larry Hopper, Al
Krtil, Marvin O’Dell, Ronnie Orr, Ronnie Pugh, O J Sikes, Phillip Wells, Johnny White,
Slim Clark can also be heard on these other releases on Jasmine Records:
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JASMCD 3567 – Slim Clark - Cowboy & Yodel Songs – 28 classic Slim Clark performances
JASBOX 13-4 – Various Artistes - A Cowboy’s Life Is Good Enough For Me (4CD) – Slim sings “Trail Rider’s
Moon” and “Little Old Sod Shanty”
JASMCD 3552 – Various Artistes -Yodelling Mad: The Best Of Country Yodel – Slim sings “Yodeling Mad”
JASMCD 3554 – Various Artistes - I Love To Yodel: The Best Of Country Yodel Vol 2 – Slim sings “Chime Bells”
JASMCD 3566 – Various Artistes - Chime Bells: The Best Of Country Yodel Vol 3 – Slim sings “I Miss My Swiss”
JASCD 466 – Various Artistes - You And My Old Guitar: A Tribute To 80 Years Of Jimmie Rodgers’
Music – Slim Sings “Mother The Queen Of My Heart”
Yodeling Slim Clark: Singin’ Yodelin’ Guitar Pickin’ Cowboy Songs - Page 11
The Following Jasmine Releases also include western songs amongst their titles:
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JASMCD 3506 – Rex Allen – Riding All Day: The Life Of A Cowboy
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JASMCD 3512 – Johnny Bond – The Heart And Soul Of The West
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JASMCD 3527 – Gene Autry – That’s How I Got My Start: Jimmie And The Cowboys
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JASMCD 3528 – Memories Of The Lucky U Ranch
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JASMCD 3534 – Marc Williams – The Forgotten Singing Cowboy
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JASMCD 3541 – Johnny Bond – I Like My Chicken Fryin’ Size
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JASMCD 3543 – Jimmy Wakely – From Cowboy To Country
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JASMCD 3549 – Slim Whitman – The Man With The Singing Guitar Vol 1
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JASMCD 3557 – Bing Crosby – Cowboy Country: Crosby Style
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JASMCD 3558 – Bing Crosby – Another Ride In Cowboy Country
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JASMCD 3559 – Red River Dave McEnery – The Yodelling Cowboy Sings Amelia Earhart’s Last
Flight
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JASMCD 3564 – Slim Whitman – The Man With The Singing Guitar Vol 2
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JASMCD 3565 – Elton Britt – Country Music’s Yodelling Cowboy Crooner Vol 1
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JASMCD 3577 – Carson Robison – Blue River Train and Other Cowboy and Country Songs
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JASMCD 3580 – Slim Whitman – The Man With The Singing Guitar Vol 3
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JASMCD 3581 – Elton Britt – Country Music’s Yodelling Cowboy Crooner Vol 2
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JASMCD 3582 – Red River Dave McEnery – There’s A Blue Sky Way Out Yonder
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JASMCD 3586 – Various Artistes – Old Faithful: Songs From The Saddle
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JASMCD 3591 – Rex Allen – Cowboy Under The Western Sky
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JASMCD 3598/9 (2CD) – Rosalie Allen – The Versatile Rosalie Allen
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JASMCD 3600/1 (2CD) - Various Artistes – The Westerns: Music & Songs From Classic Westerns
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JASMCD 3602/3 (2CD) – Sons Of The Pioneers – Let’s Go West
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JASMCD 3616/7 (2CD) – Elton Britt – The Versatile Elton Britt: Classic Performances From Three
Decades
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JASCD 673 (2CD) – Rex Allen – The Versatile Rex Allen
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JASCD 675 (2CD) – Dick Thomas – Country, Ragtime, Rockin’ Hillbilly And Cowboy Music
19/4 (4CD) – Jimmy Wakely – A Rainbow At Midnight
Yodeling Slim Clark: Singin’ Yodelin’ Guitar Pickin’ Cowboy Songs - Page 12
JASBOX