Mobile Strugglers and Louis James String Band

This CD arrived with an unusually big order that I placed and, quite frankly, I cannot remember ordering it or what made me purchase it. I can only assume that one of the groups or one of the songs were on a comp and caught my fancy but I'll be danged if I can figure out what it was.

In any case, "string bands" at the time referred to band with stringed instruments, naturally, with any combination of guitar, violin, bass, banjo and more. Sometimes called "washboard bands" or "jug bands" if those homemade instruments were included, these groups were generally a crossover between blues, folk, country, jazz, ragtime, dance music and music from the "old country", wherever that may be.

This comp combines two groups with the Strugglers recorded in 1949 and Louis James' combo recorded in 1965, although sounding like it could have been much earlier.

The music is upbeat, early Americana, along the lines of what R. Crumb does with his Cheap Suit Serenaders, with titles like "Cornfed Indiana Gal", Memphis Blues", "Indiana Rag" and "Fattening Frogs For Snakes". The Strugglers is a fuller band, while James' group is composed of himself on violin (and occasionally, clarinet, for an old-time, jazzy feel) accompanied by guitar (or banjo) and bass, and is a little less lively. James' String Band was obviously a dance band, though, as many of the tunes are done in a waltz tempo, including the one intriguingly title "Untitled Quadrille Tune".

Neat stuff, although a bit difficult to pigeon-hole - just another phase of old time, Americana music.