The Allen Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Allen Brothers were an American
country music
duo popular in the 1920s and 1930s. They were nicknamed "The Chattanooga Boys" since many of their songs mentioned Chattanooga
.
and they both learned to sing and play musical instruments, Austin played the banjo while Lee concentrated on the guitar and kazoo
. As they grew up they were influenced by local jazz and blues artists such as the guitarist and Mississippi river boat performer May Bell and the street singers the Two Poor Boys. By the early 1920s, they were performing in small coal-mining communities in the South doing medicine show
s and Vaudeville
onstage.
They received a recording contract on Columbia Records
and recorded for the first time on April 7, 1927. At this first session they recorded "Salty Dog Blues" which became their first hit selling around 18 000 copies. Columbia, by mistake, placed one of their recordings in the "race" series (reserved for black artists) instead of its "hillbilly" series. The brothers threatened to bring a lawsuit against Columbia but in the end they decided to move to Victor Records instead. Working with the A&R man Ralph Peer
- who had been instrumental in bringing both Jimmie Rodgers
and the Carter Family
to fame - the Allen Brothers recorded their biggest hit "A New Salty Dog" in 1930. Due to the Great Depression
, the brothers had to abandon their musical career in 1934. Although they were successful and sold more than other hillbilly groups - more than 250 000 copies altogether - they could not make a living from their music.
Austin moved to New York and both brothers went to work in the construction business. In the 1960s, when the Allen Brothers were rediscovered by folk revivalists, Austin had already died in South Carolina in 1959 but Lee appeared onstage a few times in Tennessee.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
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...
duo popular in the 1920s and 1930s. They were nicknamed "The Chattanooga Boys" since many of their songs mentioned Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
.
Biography
The brothers were born and raised in Sewanee, TennesseeSewanee, Tennessee
Sewanee is an unincorporated locality in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States, treated by the U.S. Census as a census-designated place . The population was 2,361 at the 2000 census...
and they both learned to sing and play musical instruments, Austin played the banjo while Lee concentrated on the guitar and kazoo
Kazoo
The kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of mirliton, which is a membranophone, a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane."Kazoo" was the name given by...
. As they grew up they were influenced by local jazz and blues artists such as the guitarist and Mississippi river boat performer May Bell and the street singers the Two Poor Boys. By the early 1920s, they were performing in small coal-mining communities in the South doing medicine show
Medicine show
Medicine shows were traveling horse and wagon teams which peddled "miracle cure" medications and other products between various entertainment acts. Their precise origins unknown, medicine shows were common in the 19th century United States...
s and 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...
onstage.
They received a recording contract 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...
and recorded for the first time on April 7, 1927. At this first session they recorded "Salty Dog Blues" which became their first hit selling around 18 000 copies. Columbia, by mistake, placed one of their recordings in the "race" series (reserved for black artists) instead of its "hillbilly" series. The brothers threatened to bring a lawsuit against Columbia but in the end they decided to move to Victor Records instead. Working with the A&R man Ralph Peer
Ralph Peer
Ralph Sylvester Peer was an American talent scout, recording engineer and record producer in the field of music in the 1920s and 1930s...
- who had been instrumental in bringing both 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...
and the Carter Family
Carter Family
The Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. They were the first vocal group to become country...
to fame - the Allen Brothers recorded their biggest hit "A New Salty Dog" in 1930. Due to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the brothers had to abandon their musical career in 1934. Although they were successful and sold more than other hillbilly groups - more than 250 000 copies altogether - they could not make a living from their music.
Austin moved to New York and both brothers went to work in the construction business. In the 1960s, when the Allen Brothers were rediscovered by folk revivalists, Austin had already died in South Carolina in 1959 but Lee appeared onstage a few times in Tennessee.
Original discography
| Matrix | Title | Record # | Recording date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 143927 | "Free A Little Bird" | Unissued | April 7, 1927 |
| 143928 | "Wedding Bells* | Unissued | April 7, 1927 |
| 143929 | "Salty Dog Blues* | Columbia 15175-D | April 7, 1927 |
| 143930 | "Bow Wow Blues" | Columbia 15175-D | April 7, 1927 |
| 145112 | "Chattanooga Blues" | Columbia 14266-D | November 4, 1927 |
| 145113 | "Coal Mine Blues" | Unissued | November 4, 1927 |
| 145114 | "Beaver Cap" | Unissued | November 4, 1927 |
| 145115 | "Laughin' and Cryin' Blues" | Columbia 14266-D | November 4, 1927 |
| 146150 | "Ain't That Skippin' and Flyin' | Columbia 15270-D | April 20, 1928 |
| 146151 | "Cheat 'Em* | Columbia 15270-D | April 20, 1928 |
| 146152 | "Monkey Blues"" | Unissued | April 20, 1928 |
| 146153 | "Ain't That A Shame* | Unissued | April 20, 1928 |
| 47167 | "Frisco Blues" | Victor 40003, Bluebird B-5224 | October 15, 1928 |
| 47168 | "Tiple Blues" | Victor 40003, Bluebird 5104 | October 15, 1928 |
| 47169 | "Free A Little Bird" | Victor 40266, Bluebird B-5668 | October 15, 1928 |
| 47170 | "Skipping and Flying" | Victor 40266, Bluebird B-5772 | October 15, 1928 |
| 47171 | "I'm A Diamond From the Rough" | Unissued | October 15, 1928 |
| 47172 | "Meet Your Mother In the Skies" | Unissued | October 15, 1928 |
| 47173 | "Prisoner's Dream" | Victor 40210 | October 15, 1928 |
| 47174 | "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight" | Victor 40210 | October 15, 1928 |
| 62589 | "I've Got the Chain Store Blues" | Victor 40276 | June 5, 1930 |
| 62590 | "Jake Walk Blues" | Victor 40303k, Bluebird B-5001 | June 5, 1930 |
| 62591 | "The Enforcement Blues" | Victor 40276 | June 5, 1930 |
| 62592 | "Reckless Night Blues" | Victor 40303, Bluebird B-5224 | June 5, 1930 |
| 62593 | "New Chattanooga Blues" | Victor 40326, Bluebird B-5380 | June 5, 1930 |
| 62594 | "Shanghai Rooster Blues" | Victor 40326, Bluebird B-5668 | June 5, 1930 |
| 62991 | "Price of Cotton Blues" | Victor 23507 | November 22, 1930 |
| 62992 | "I'm Always Whistling the Blues" | Victor 23507, Bluebird B-5104 | November 22, 1930 |
| 62993 | "Roll Down the Line" | Victor 23551, Bluebird B-5700 | November 22, 1930 |
| 62994 | "Old Black Crow In the Hickory Nut Tree" | Victor 23551, Bluebird B-5448 | November 22, 1930 |
| 62995 | "No Low Down Hanging Around" | Victor 23536, Bluebird B-5448 | November 22, 1930 |
| 62996 | "Maybe Next Week Sometime" | Victor 23536, Bluebird B-5165 | November 22, 1930 |
| 62997 | "A New Salty Dog" | Victor 23514, Bluebird B-5403 | November 22, 1930 |
| 62998 | "Preacher Blues" | Victor 23514, Bluebird B-5820 | November 22, 1930 |
| 69319 | "When You Leave, You'll Leave Me Sad" | Victor 23567, Bluebird B-5702 | May 20, 1931 |
| 69320 | "Chattanooga Mama" | Victor 23567, Bluebird B-5470 | May 20, 1931 |
| 69321 | "It's Too Bad For You" | Victor 23631, Bluebird B-5872 | May 20, 1931 |
| 69322 | "Slide Daddy, Slide" | Victor 23590, Bluebird B-5317 | May 20, 1931 |
| 69325 | "Moonshine Bill" | Victor 23631 | May 20, 1931 |
| 69326 | "Pile Drivin' Papa" | Victor 23578, Bluebird B-5772 | May 20, 1931 |
| 69327 | "Shake It, Ida, Shake It" | Victor 23607, Bluebird B-5165 | May 21, 1931 |
| 69328 | "Roll It Down" | Victor 23590, Bluebird B-5317 | May 21, 1931 |
| 69329 | "Mother-In-Law Blues" | Victor 23607, Bluebird B-5380 | May 21, 1931 |
| 69330 | "Unlucky Man" | Victor 23623 | May 21, 1931 |
| 69331 | "Laughin' and Cryin'" | Victor 23623, Bluebird B-5533 | May 21, 1931 |
| 69332 | "Monkey Blues" | Victor 23578, Bluebird B-5820 | May 21, 1931 |
| 61386 | "Glorious Night Blues" | Victor 23707, Bluebird B-5701 | February 17, 1932 |
| 61387 | "Misbehavin' Mama" | Unissued | February 17, 1932 |
| 61388 | "Inspiration" | Victor 23678 | February 17, 1932 |
| 61389 | "Crossfiring Blues" | Victor 23692, Bluebird B-5872 | February 18, 1932 |
| 61390 | "I'll Be Here A Long, Long Time" | Victor 23662, Bluebird B-5702 | February 18, 1932 |
| 61395 | "It Can't Be Done" | Victor 23662, Bluebird B-5533 | February 18, 1932 |
| 61396 | "Windowshade Blues" | Victor 23692, Bluebird B-5701 | February 19, 1932 |
| 61397 | "Maybe Next Week Sometime" | Victor 23678, Bluebird B-5700 | February 19, 1932 |
| 61398 | "Free-Wheeling Blues" | Unissued | February 19, 1932 |
| 74805 | "Fruit Jar Blues" | Victor 23756, Bluebird B-5001 | December 5, 1932 |
| 74806 | "Lightning Bug Blues" | Victor 23805 | December 5, 1932 |
| 74807 | "Warm Knees Blues" | Victor 23805 | December 5, 1932 |
| 74808 | "My Midnight Man" | Unissued | December 5, 1932 |
| 74809 | "Red Hot Rambling Dan" | Victor 23786 | December 5, 1932 |
| 74810 | "Won't You Come Home?" | Unissued | December 5, 1932 |
| 74811 | "When A Man's Got A Woman" | Victor 23773 | December 6, 1932 |
| 74812 | "Rough Neck Blues" | Victor 23756 | December 6, 1932 |
| 74813 | "Slipping Clutch Blues" | Victor 23773 | December 6, 1932 |
| 74814 | "Here I Am | Unissued | December 6, 1932 |
| 74815 | "Please Pay In Advance" | Victor 23786 | December 6, 1932 |
| 74816 | "Allen's Lying Blues" | Victor 23817 | December 6, 1932 |
| 74817 | "So Straight, My Lad | Unissued | December 6, 1932 |
| 74818 | "Midnight Mama" | Victor 23817 | December 6, 1932 |
| 16095 | "Baby When You Coming Back Home" | Vocalion 02853 | October 3, 1934 |
| 16096 | "Long Gone From Bowling Green" | Vocalion 02817 | October 3, 1934 |
| 16097 | "Red Pajama Sal" | Vocalion 02817 | October 3, 1934 |
| 16098 | "New Deal Blues" | Vocalion 02890 | October 3, 1934 |
| 16107 | "Mercy Mercy Blues" | Vocalion 02874 | October 5, 1934 |
| 16108 | "Padlock Key Blues" | Unissued | October 5, 1934 |
| 16109 | "Daddy Park Your Car" | Vocalion 02853 | October 5, 1934 |
| 16110 | "Salty Dog, Hey Hey Hey" | Vocalion 02818 | October 5, 1934 |
| 16111 | "Hey Buddy, Won't You Roll Down the Line" | Vocalion 02818 | October 5, 1934 |
| 16112 | "Allen Brothers Rag" | Vocalion 02939 | October 5, 1934 |
| 16046 | "Skippin' and Flyin'" | Vocalion 02939 | October 6, 1934 |
| 16047 | "Tipple Blues" | Vocalion 02891 | October 6, 1934 |
| 16048 | "Mary's Breakdown" | Vocalion 02891 | October 8, 1934 |
| 16049 | "Can I Get You Now" | Vocalion 02890 | October 8, 1934 |
| 16050 | "The Prisoner's Dream" | Vocalion 02874 | October 8, 1934 |
| 16121 | "Drunk and Nutty Blues" | Unissued | October 8, 1934 |
| 16122 | "Misbehavin' Mama" | Vocalion 02841 | October 8, 1934 |
| 16123 | "Midnight Mama" | Vocalion 02841 | October 8, 1934 |
| 16124 | "I'm In Here A Long Long Time" | Unissued | October 8, 1934 |
| 16125 | "Chattanooga Mama" | Unissued | October 8, 1934 |