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"Negro Draftees March Off To Serve Uncle Sam" (1940)
Newspaper clipping, Birmingham, Alabama, 1940. "'From Bunker Hill to Chateau Thierry, Negroes have been good soldiers.... None have been traitors.... You must continue unblemished the exemplary record of Negro soldiers....'"With these heroic words…
Interview: Dale Casteel
Dale Casteel, interview with Burgin Mathews, recorded over the telephone, February 10, 2024. A founding member of the Alabama Ramblers, Casteel reflects on his time with that band, as well as on other musical experiences both before and after the…
Playlist: The Alabama Ramblers
The complete surviving tracks for the Alabama Ramblers. Additional information and lyrical excerpts follow the track listing, below.
Track 1: Seasick Blues
Track 2: Missing in Action / The Family Who Prays
Track 3: Away from You / Canaan’s Land…
The Alabama Ramblers: Mother's Day Poem / M-O-T-H-E-R (A Word That Means the World to Me) / Closing Theme
Recorded excerpt from a Mother's Day broadcast by the Alabama Ramblers. Includes a company member's original poem and a performance by Dale Casteel of "M-O-T-H-E-R (A Word That Means the World to Me)." Written in 1915 by Howard Johnson and Theodore…
Alabama Ramblers: Writing Love Letters
The Alabama Ramblers, "Writing Love Letters." Vocals by Bobby Jane Croley, "The Ramblers' Sweetheart."
“I found I couldn’t mail them, so I burned them instead / I’m writing love letters that will never be read.”Recorded in Korea, circa 1952, by the…
The Alabama Ramblers: Waiting for a Letter
The Alabama Ramblers, "Waiting for a Letter." Vocals by the Hudson brothers.
“Yearning for a message, one from you my dearest, please / I’m waiting for a letter, my poor aching heart to ease.”Recorded in Korea, circa 1952, by the Alabama Ramblers…
The Alabama Ramblers: Gray-Haired Mother of Mine / Make Room in Your Heart for a Friend
The Alabama Ramblers: "Gray-Haired Mother of Mine" and "Make Room in Your Heart for a Friend"
“Back in my home in Alabama, where a gray-haired mother waits for me / Each night in my dreams I can see her, and it’s there that I’m longing to be...”…
The Alabama Ramblers: Steel Guitar Rag / Open Door, Open Arms / Interviews
The Alabama Ramblers, "Steel Guitar Rag" and "Open Door, Open Arms." Steel guitar and vocal by J. W. Hudson.
“Open door, open arms wait for your safe return / Day and night there’s a light and a heart that will burn...”Recorded in Korea, circa 1952,…
The Alabama Ramblers: Away From You / Where the Soul of Man Never Dies (Canaan's Land)
The Alabama Ramblers, "Away from You" and "Where the Soul of Man Never Dies" (AKA "Canaan's Land"). Vocals by J. W. Hudson.
“I’d like to send this song especially to my little niece, Shirley Ann. She seems to like it. And I’d also like to send it to…
The Alabama Ramblers: Missing in Action / The Family Who Prays
The Alabama Ramblers, "Missing In Action" and "The Family Who Prays." Two popular songs of the Korean War years. "Missing in Action," written by Arthur Q. Smith and Helen Kaye, was recorded by Ernest Tubb in 1952 and covered my several country…
The Alabama Ramblers: "Seasick Blues" (Acetate Disc)
The Alabama Ramblers, "The Seasick Blues." Composed by J. W. Hudson, Franklin Hampton, and Bob Grigsby. Vocals by J. W. Hudson and Bob Grigsby.
“Right now we’d like to have a little more music, and we’re going to revive a song that J. W. Hudson and…
The Alabama Ramblers: Newspaper Photo & Caption
Newspaper photo and caption, Decatur[AL]Daily, October 2, 1951.Caption text reads: "RAMBLERS PERFORM--Anytime the 1343d engineer combat battalion of the Alabama National Guard runs a little short on entertainment, the call goes out for a command…
Kenny Baker Interview
Interview with Kenny Baker (1926-2011), recorded by Darwin Lee Hill, July 29, 2004. One of bluegrass music’s most revered and influential fiddlers, Baker is best known for his long-running career with Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys.A complete print…