By Ivon Evans

Bear Family BCD 15934AH

31 Tracks: In a Little Spanish Restaurant/ Ridin' the Waves/ I'd Love To Be Your Darling/ I Cried Again/ Between the Lines/ There's No Place Like Home/ Tomorrow May Be Different/ The Beginning of the End/ Kiss Me! Kiss Me!/ Little Brown Hand/ When The One That You Love Is In Love With You/ Gloomy Tomorrow/ Rose Garden Waltz/ It Takes A Heap Of Livin'/ Plunkin' Rag/ Take This Broken Heart/ The Thing I Love About You/ Don't Hand Me That Stuff/ Cedric Special/ Just Suppose/ Shopworn Heart/ Cotton Pickers Stomp/ Wiggle Worm Wiggle/ Possum Hollow/ It's A Shame/ Sweet Lovin' Baby/ Don't Go Lookin' For Trouble/ Baby Blue Eyes/ A Prisoner Of War/ I'm No Communist/ They Locked God Outside The Iron Curtain

Born on December 6th, 1923, Jim Eanes started his career in the late forties, playing with, among others, Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs, before forming his own band in 1950. He was active in Bluegrass music right up until his death in 1996. All 31 pieces on this CD were recorded for the Decca label between January 1952 and October 1955 when he left, supposedly because he wasn't promoted as much as other Decca artists such as Ernest Tubb, Webb Pierce, Red Foley and Kitty Wells. He later recorded for Starday and had a few hits, but these recordings have been neglected over the years. So it's nice to see this Bear Family release with its' excellent booklet and very generous 31 tracks.

The Shenandoah Valley Boys comprises leader Jim Eanes (guitar), Roy Russell (guitar), Hubert Davis (banjo) and Benny Jarrell & Bobby Hicks (fiddle). He was also assisted on various tracks by Nashville session men, including Bob Foster (steel); Buddy Killen (bass), Autry Inman (rhythm guitar) and Tommy Jackson Jnr. (fiddle). It's clear from the personnel list that Decca didn't seem to know how to market him; his voice is that of a Bluegrass crooner, rather than the high lonesome sound. Despite sounding like Hank Williams on some of the tracks, this is Bluegrass music at its best.

I can't discuss all the tracks, but I will look at my own highlights. The pick of the 5 instrumentals are There's No Place Like Home, Plunkin' Rag and Cedric Special - all driving Bluegrass instrumentals of the finest quality. Jim's voice really suits the Hank Williams-styled The Beginning Of The End, When The One That You Love Is In Love With You and It Takes A Heap Of Livin', but all the rest of the songs are Bluegrass-style. My favourites of these are the very patriotic Cold War song They Locked God Outside The Iron Curtain, the vaudeville-sounding song Little Brown Hand, with its gentle lilting vocal, and the 50's American-sounding I'm No Communist and A Prisoner of War. The novelty song Wiggle Worm Wiggle is another standout track, but my favourite on this CD is the nice lilting love song Rose Garden Waltz.

This CD is an outstanding release of long neglected tracks by a very underrated artist, well worth adding to any collection.

Ivon Evans, Sunderland.

1st March 2000