Cliff Carlisle
Encyclopedia
Cliff Carlisle was an American country
and blues singer. Carlisle was a yodeler and was a pioneer in the use of the Hawaiian steel guitar
in country music.
and began performing locally with cousin Lillian Truax at age 16. Truax's marriage put an end to the group, and Carlisle began playing with Wilber Ball, a guitarist and tenor harmonizer. The two toured frequently around the U.S. playing vaudeville
and circus venues in the 1920s.
Carlisle and Ball first played at Louisville, Kentucky
radio station WHAS-AM
in 1930, which made them local stars, and later that year they recorded for Gennett Records
and Champion Records
. In 1931, they recorded with Jimmie Rodgers
. Toward the end of 1931, Carlisle signed with ARC
and was offered performance slots on several radio stations, including WBT-AM
in Charlotte, North Carolina, WLS-AM
in Chicago and WLW-AM in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cliff's brother Bill
became his guitarist after Ball left in 1934. During the 1930s Carlisle, who recorded a large amount of material despite a hiatus from 1934 to 1936, frequently released songs with sexual connotations including barnyard metaphors (which became something of a hallmark).
Carlisle toured with his son, "Sonny Boy Tommy," to occasional consternation from authorities in areas where this contravened local child labor laws. He continued to perform on WMPS-AM in Memphis, Tennessee
for several years in the 1940s, but by the 1950s had retired from music.
In the 1960s, The Rooftop Singers
covered his tune "Tom Cat Blues"; in its wake, Carlisle and Ball did a few reunion shows together and recorded for Rem Records. On April 2, 1983, Carlisle died at the age of 79 in Lexington, Kentucky
.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and blues singer. Carlisle was a yodeler and was a pioneer in the use of the Hawaiian steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
in country music.
Biography
Carlisle was born in Taylorsville, KentuckyTaylorsville, Kentucky
Taylorsville is a city in Spencer County, Kentucky, United States. It is the county seat of Spencer County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 1,009 and was estimated at 1,275 in 2009. It was incorporated in 1829.-History:...
and began performing locally with cousin Lillian Truax at age 16. Truax's marriage put an end to the group, and Carlisle began playing with Wilber Ball, a guitarist and tenor harmonizer. The two toured frequently around the U.S. playing vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and circus venues in the 1920s.
Carlisle and Ball first played at Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
radio station WHAS-AM
WHAS (AM)
WHAS, known by the on air branding as "84 WHAS", is an AM radio station broadcasting in Louisville, Kentucky. It is a 50,000 Watt clear channel radio station assigned to frequency 840 kHz. With clear channel status, its nighttime signal can be heard in most of the continental U.S...
in 1930, which made them local stars, and later that year they recorded for Gennett Records
Gennett Records
Gennett was a United States based record label which flourished in the 1920s.-Label history:Gennett records was founded in Richmond, Indiana by the Starr Piano Company, and released its first records in October 1917. The company took its name from its top managers: Harry, Fred and Clarence Gennett....
and Champion Records
Champion Records
The name Champion Records has been used by at least four record labels.An early Champion label was produced by Gennett Records as an inexpensive label that featured country or "hillbilly" artists, as well as popular bands, hot jazz and blues...
. In 1931, they recorded with Jimmie Rodgers
Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)
James Charles Rodgers , known as Jimmie Rodgers, was an American country singer in the early 20th century known most widely for his rhythmic yodeling...
. Toward the end of 1931, Carlisle signed with ARC
American Record Corporation
ARC, the American Record Company, also referred to as American Record Corporation, or as ARC Records, was a United States based record company...
and was offered performance slots on several radio stations, including WBT-AM
WBT (AM)
WBT is a radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina, broadcasting on the AM dial at 1110 kHz. A 50,000-watt clear-channel station, it can be heard across most of the eastern half of North America at night. It simulcasts on WBT-FM, at 99.3 MHz in Chester, South Carolina. It is owned by Greater...
in Charlotte, North Carolina, WLS-AM
WLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
in Chicago and WLW-AM in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cliff's brother Bill
Bill Carlisle
William Toliver Carlisle was an American country music singer, songwriter, comedian and guitarist popular in the late 1940s and 1950s but who influenced the genre for more than 50 years. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.-Biography:Bill Carlisle was born in Wakefield, Kentucky...
became his guitarist after Ball left in 1934. During the 1930s Carlisle, who recorded a large amount of material despite a hiatus from 1934 to 1936, frequently released songs with sexual connotations including barnyard metaphors (which became something of a hallmark).
Carlisle toured with his son, "Sonny Boy Tommy," to occasional consternation from authorities in areas where this contravened local child labor laws. He continued to perform on WMPS-AM in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
for several years in the 1940s, but by the 1950s had retired from music.
In the 1960s, The Rooftop Singers
The Rooftop Singers
The Rooftop Singers were an American progressive folk-singing trio in the early 1960s, best known for the hit "Walk Right In". The group was composed of Erik Darling and Bill Svanoe with former jazz singer Lynne Taylor ....
covered his tune "Tom Cat Blues"; in its wake, Carlisle and Ball did a few reunion shows together and recorded for Rem Records. On April 2, 1983, Carlisle died at the age of 79 in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.
Discography
Singles
| Year | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gennett Records | |||
| 1930 | My Carolina Sunshine Girl / Down In Jail On My Knees | ||
| 1930 | Desert Blues / Blue Yodel No.6 | with Bill Carlisle Bill Carlisle William Toliver Carlisle was an American country music singer, songwriter, comedian and guitarist popular in the late 1940s and 1950s but who influenced the genre for more than 50 years. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.-Biography:Bill Carlisle was born in Wakefield, Kentucky... |
|
| 1930 (?) | I’m Lonely and Blue / I’m On My Way To Lonesome Valley | ||
| Champion Records | |||
| 1930 | Just A Lonely Hobo / Virginia Blues | ||
| 1930 | Crazy Blues / Hobo Blues | B-side with Bill Carlisle | |
| 1930 | No Daddy Blues / Brakeman’s Blues | Brakeman’s Blues by Jimmie Rodgers Jimmie Rodgers (country singer) James Charles Rodgers , known as Jimmie Rodgers, was an American country singer in the early 20th century known most widely for his rhythmic yodeling... |
|
| 1931 | Box Car Blues / The Brakeman’s Reply | under the pseudonym J. Boone | |
| 1931 | High Steppin’ Mama / Alone and Lonesome | ||
| 1931 | Hobo Jack’s Last Ride / The Written Letter | with Bill Carlisle as The Carlisle Brothers | |
| 1931 | Nobody Wants Me / The Plea Of A Mother | with Bill Carlisle as The Carlisle Brothers | |
| 1931 | Come Back Sweetheart / Memories That Haunt Me | with Bill Carlisle as The Carlisle Brothers | |
| 1931 | She’s Waiting For Me / The Cowboy’s Song | with Bill Carlisle as The Carlisle Brothers | |
| 1931 | The Fatal Run / Memories That Make Me Cry | with Bill Carlisle as The Carlisle Brothers | |
| Conqueror Records | |||
| 1931 | Shanghai Rooster Yodel / Going Back To Alabama | ||
| 1931 | Memories That Make Me Cry / Dear Old Daddy | ||
| 1931 | Alone and Lonesome / Where Southern Roses Climb | ||
| 1931 | Box Car Yodel / Modern Mama | ||
| 1931 | Birmingham Jail No.2 / Just A Lonely Hobo | ||
| 1931 | The Written Letter / I Don’t Mind | ||
| 1931 | My Rocky Mountain Sweetheart / Lonely Valley | ||
| 1931 | Guitar Blues / I Want A Good Woman | ||
| 1932 | Memories That Haunt Me / Seven Years With The Wrong Woman | ||
| 1932 (?) | Childhood Dreams / Memories That Make Me Cry | ||
| 1932 | The Brakeman’s Reply / Hobo Jack’s Last Ride | ||
| 1932 | Roll In Blue Moon / When It’s Roundup Time In Texas | ||
| 1933 | The Rustler’s Fate / The Little Dobie Shack | with Bill Carlisle as The Carlisle Brothers | |
| 1933 | Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad / Dang My Rowdy Soul | ||
| 1933 | Don’t Marry The Wrong Woman / The Vacant Cabin Door | ||
| 1933 | Rambling Jack / Wreck Of Freight #52 | ||
| 1933 | Blue Eyes / On The Banks Of The Rio Grande | ||
| 1933 | I’m Glad I’m A Hobo / Gambling Dan | ||
| 1933 | That Ramshackle Shack On The Hill / End Of Memory Lane | with Bill Carlisle as The Carlisle Brothers | |
| 1933 | Looking For Tomorrow / Where Romance Calls | ||
| 1933 | Louisiana Blues / Fussin’ Mama | A-side with Bill Carlisle | |
| 1933 | I’m Traveling Live Along / Sunshine and Daisies | ||
| 1934 | Hen Pecked Man / Chicken Roost Blues | ||
| Montgomery Ward | |||
| 1936 | Rambling Yodeler / Cowboy Johnnie’s Last Ride | ||
| 1936 | A Wild Cat Woman and A Tom Cat Man / Look Out, I’m Shifting Gears | ||
| 1936 | A Stretch Of 28 Years / My Lovin’ Cathleen | ||
| 1936 | Handsome Blues / In A Box Car Around The World | B-side with Bill Carlisle | |
| 1936 (?) | When The Cactus Is In Bloom / My Lonely Boyhood Days | B-side under the pseudonym Lallaby Larkers | |
| 1936 | You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone / When The Evening Sun Goes Down | ||
| 1936 | Flower Of The Valley / A Little White Rose | with Sonny Boy Tommy (Tommy Carlisle) | |
| 1936 | I’m Saving Saturday Night For You / Waiting For A Ride | ||
| 1936 | It Takes An Old Hen To Deliver The Goods / When I Feel Froggie I’m Gonna Hop | ||
| 1936 | The Nasty Swing / It Ain’t No Fault Of Mine | ||
| 1937 | Ridin’ That Lonesome Trail / They Say It’s The end Of The Trail | ||
| 1937 | There’s A Lamp In The Window Tonight / New Memories Of You That Haunt Me | ||
| 1937 | Sweet As The Roses Of Spring / Just A Little Bit Of Loving From You | ||
| 1937 | Rocky Road / Pay Day Fight | ||
| 1937 | Cowboy’s Dying Dream / Pan American Dream | ||
| 1937 | Waiting For A Ride / Your Saddle Is Empty Tonight | ||
| 1937 | When My Memory Lies / Lonely | ||
| 1937 | Rooster Blues / Troubled Minded Blues | ||
| 1937 | Blue Dreams / Hobo’s Fate | ||
| Bluebird Records | |||
| 1937 | Pan American Man / ? | ||
| 1937 | Riding The Blinds / New Memories Of You That Haunt Me | ||
| 1937 | Your Saddle Is Empty Tonight / Cowboy’s Dying Dream | ||
| 1938 | Why Did The Blue Sky Turn Gray / The Shack By The Side Of The Road | ||
| RCA Records | |||
| ? | A Mean Mama Don’t Worry Me / Why Did It Have To Be Me? | ||
| ? | Devil’s Train / Scars Upon My Head | ||
| ? | Death By The Roadside / You Just Wait and See | ||
| ? | I Didn’t Have Time / You Couldn’t Be True If You Tried | ||
| ? | You Can’t Erase A Memory / All The World Is Lonely | ||
| Decca Records with Bill Carlisle | |||
| 1938 | Over By The Chrystal Sea / The Great Judgement Day | ||
| 1938 | Are You Going To Leave Me / The Girl I Left So Blues | ||
| 1938 | Wreck Of The Happy Valley / Weary Traveller | ||
| 1938 | Moonlight Blues / Big At The Little Bottom A | ||
| 1938 | Two Eyes In The Tennessee / Lonely Little Orphan Girl | ||
| 1938 | Trouble On My Mind / Nevada Johnnie | ||
| 1938 | No Drunkard Can Enter / I’m On My Way To The Promised Land | ||
| 1938 | When The Angels Carry Me Home / Home Of The Soul | with Sonny Boy Tommy | |
| 1938 | No Letter In The Mail Today / Drifting | ||
| 1938 | I’m Just A Rambling Man / Blue Dreams | ||
| 1938 | My Old Home Place / Flower Of My Dream | ||
| 1938 | Where Are The Pals Of Long Ago / When We Meet Again | ||
| 1938 | I’m Heading For Some Home, Sweet Home / If Jesus Should Come | ||
| 1938 | Wabash Cannonball / Sparkling Blue Eyes | as Carlisle’s Kentucky Boys | |
| 1939 | Unclouded Sky / Far Beyond The Starry Sky | ||
| 1939 | Mouse Been Messin’ Around / Ditty Wah Ditty | ||
| 1939 | Footprints In The Snow / My Little Sadie | ||
| 1939 | Roll On Old Troubles / I Dreamed I Searched Heaven | ||
| 1939 | Black Jack David / Makes No Differences What Live Will Bring | B-side as Carlisle Buckle Busters | |
| 1939 | Sally Let Your Bangs Hang / Little Pal | ||
Albums
- 1963: A Country Kind Of Songs and Hymns
- 1964: Maple On The Hill
- 1965: Cliff Carlisle
- 1965: Carlisle Family Album - Old Time Great Hymns (The Carlisle Family)
- 1965: Cliff Carlisle Vol. 1+2