More than twenty years in the making, Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942 documents all country music recording sessions from 1921 through to 1942. With primary research based on the files and session logs from record companies as well as the recording archives of the Country Music Foundation, this notable work will be the first compendium to accurately document every commercial country music recording, including unreleased sides. The discography includes alphabetical indexes to all song titles and musicians listed.
(source: Nielsen Book Data) 9780195139891 20190206

Through its Decca 5000 series of the 1930s and 1940s, the American Decca recording company became the most influential record label in the burgeoning hillbilly music category, the forerunner of today's country and western music. This discography provides systematic numerical listing and cross-referencing of all released recordings in the 5000 and 17,000 cajun series as well as records released under Decca's Champion 45000 and Montgomery Ward series, also devoted to hillbilly music. A total of 1514 discs are covered ranging from records released by such major hillbilly music stars as Jimmie Davis, the Sons of the Pioneers and Ernest Tubb to those by less well-known solo artists and groups, including the Corn Cob Crushers and the Happy Hollow Hoodlums. Based on research in the original session books, ledgers and label copy books as well as interviews with musicians and singers who participated in Decca recording sessions, this is a discography of one of the most remarkable record series of the 20th century. The volume begins with an introduction which traces the early history of the Decca Record Company and its impact on hillbilly music of the 1930s and 1940s. Cary Ginell demonstrates that the Decca 5000 and other hillbilly series had a major role not only in documenting the history of hillbilly music but also in affecting its course by influencing future recording artists in the genre. Following a brief section which describes how to use the discography and the indexes, the discography itself is divided into four separate numerical listings - Decca 5000, Decca 17000, Decca/Champion 45000 and Montgomery Ward recordings. Each listing includes information about recording dates, master numbers, unissued titles, song titles and legends, songwriter credits and release dates. Five indexes - artist, matrix and location, release dates, composer credits, and titles - provide enhanced access to the main listings.
(source: Nielsen Book Data) 9780313260537 20160528