Sixteen Tons of Bluegrass
Encyclopedia
Sixteen Tons of Bluegrass is an album by Pete Stanley and Wizz Jones
produced by Chas McDevitt
, and originally released in the UK
1966 on Columbia Records
. Wizz & Pete were probably the first British musicians to successfully interpret America's favourite traditional music for UK audiences. The album was also released on the Joker label in Italy
as Way Out West, with a different cover design. Wizz Jones is quoted, describing the cover, "I've only seen this once, as I recall the alternative sleeve design is hilarious. A mini-skirted girl is perched on a gate being serenaded by a smart young man in blue jeans!"
In 2000 it was released on CD by Rollercoaster Records as More Than Sixteen Tons of Bluegrass and Other Fine Stuff, with the addition of a number of bonus tracks. The bonus tracks comprised the 2 tracks from the duo's 1965 single (Ballad of Hollis Brown, Columbia DB7776) and six previously unreleased tracks from the "Sixteen Tons" recording sessions. The masters of some of the original tracks had been lost by this time, but those tracks were reinstated by dubbing from commercial copies or from acetates, without appreciable deterioration of quality. The CD reissue therefore comprises the entire output of the duo, and includes a gatefold
presentation pack with a booklet of detailed notes and archive photographs.
After this album, Stanley continued to play bluegrass with Brian Golbey, and Jones went on to have a mainly solo career, playing blues and contemporary folk songs written by himself and others.
* = Denotes a song that was previously unreleased
Wizz Jones
Raymond Ronald Jones better-known as Wizz Jones is an English acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has been performing since the late 1950s and recording from 1965 to the present...
produced by Chas McDevitt
Chas McDevitt
Chas McDevitt is a British musician, one of the leading lights of the skiffle genre which was highly influential and popular in the United Kingdom in the mid-to-late 1950s....
, and originally released in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
1966 on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. Wizz & Pete were probably the first British musicians to successfully interpret America's favourite traditional music for UK audiences. The album was also released on the Joker label in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
as Way Out West, with a different cover design. Wizz Jones is quoted, describing the cover, "I've only seen this once, as I recall the alternative sleeve design is hilarious. A mini-skirted girl is perched on a gate being serenaded by a smart young man in blue jeans!"
In 2000 it was released on CD by Rollercoaster Records as More Than Sixteen Tons of Bluegrass and Other Fine Stuff, with the addition of a number of bonus tracks. The bonus tracks comprised the 2 tracks from the duo's 1965 single (Ballad of Hollis Brown, Columbia DB7776) and six previously unreleased tracks from the "Sixteen Tons" recording sessions. The masters of some of the original tracks had been lost by this time, but those tracks were reinstated by dubbing from commercial copies or from acetates, without appreciable deterioration of quality. The CD reissue therefore comprises the entire output of the duo, and includes a gatefold
Gatefold
A gatefold is a type of fold used for advertising around a magazine or section, and for packaging of media such as vinyl records.- LP covers :...
presentation pack with a booklet of detailed notes and archive photographs.
After this album, Stanley continued to play bluegrass with Brian Golbey, and Jones went on to have a mainly solo career, playing blues and contemporary folk songs written by himself and others.
Track list
All tracks are credited as "traditional, arranged by Pete Stanley & Wizz Jones", except where stated otherwise.- "Ramblin' and Gamblin" (trad, arr. )
- "My Grandfather's Clock"
- "Burglar Man"
- "Freight Train" (James / Williams / Elizabeth CottenElizabeth CottenElizabeth "Libba" Cotten was an American blues and folk musician, singer, and songwriter.A self-taught left-handed guitarist, Cotten developed her own original style. Her approach involved using a right-handed guitar , not re-strung for left-handed playing, essentially, holding a right-handed...
) - "Clinch Mountain Backstep" (trad, arr. Pete Stanley)
- "Kentucky Moonshiner" (trad, arr. Wizz Jones)
- "Teardrops In My Eyes" (trad, arr. Pete Stanley)
- "Ballad of Jed ClampettThe Ballad of Jed Clampett"The Ballad of Jed Clampett" was the theme song for The Beverly Hillbillies TV show and movie, providing the back story for the series. The song was written and composed by Paul Henning, and sung by Jerry Scoggins, who was accompanied by bluegrass musicians Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs...
(theme from The Beverly HillbilliesThe Beverly HillbilliesThe Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
)" (Paul HenningPaul HenningPaul William Henning was an American producer and writer. Most famous for the successful TV sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, he was crucial in the development of several "rural" comedies for CBS.-Early life:...
) - "Kentucky Mountain Chimes" (Rusty YorkRusty YorkRusty York is an American musician and member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Rusty York achieved Hall of Fame status with his Rockabilly song "Sugaree." The rockabilly phase was a minor success, but by the 1960s, York had returned to bluegrass and country...
) - "National Seven" (Alan TunbridgeAlan Tunbridge-Life and work:Normally painting in oils, Alan Tunbridge has also designed a great number of book dust-jacket illustrations, mainly in Scraperboard....
/Al Jones) - "Iowa" (trad, arr. Pete Stanley & Wizz Jones)
- "Devilish Mary"
- "Hesitation Blues"
- "Weepin' Willow Blues" (Edgar Dowell)
- "Stern Old Bachelor"
- "Fidlers Green" (Pete Stanley)
Re-Release
In 2000, the album was re-released on Rollercoaster Records as "More Than Sixteen Tons of Bluegrass and Other Fine Stuff". The re-released contained the original, fully remastered album as well as eight bonus tracks- "Riff Minor"* (Pete Stanley)
- "Teapot Blues"* (Wizz Jones/Alan TunbridgeAlan Tunbridge-Life and work:Normally painting in oils, Alan Tunbridge has also designed a great number of book dust-jacket illustrations, mainly in Scraperboard....
) - "Riff Minor" (Pete Stanley)
- "The Ballad of Hollis Brown" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) - "The Cuckoo"* (trad, arr. Pete Stanley & Wizz Jones)
- "Walk Right In"* (Gus CannonGus CannonGus Cannon was an American blues musician, who helped to popularize jug bands in the 1920s and 1930s. There is doubt about his birth year; his tombstone gives the date as 1874....
) - "Shuckin' Sugar"* (trad, arr. Pete Stanley & Wizz Jones)
- "Corinne"* (trad, arr. Pete Stanley & Wizz Jones)
* = Denotes a song that was previously unreleased
Production
- Producer: Chas McDevitt
- Sleeve Notes: Nigel Hunter
- Design and artwork: David Gibsone
- CD production: John Beecher
- Photographs: Chas McDevitt
- Booklet author: Ralph McTellRalph McTellRalph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
, with additional contributions by Chas McDevitt, John Pilgrim, Pete Stanley, Wizz Jones and Nigel Hunter