Music Reviews
Feb-Mar 2004
Music of the West
Sing and Swing
By Hugh McLennan
The Call Of The Far Away Hills
Bob Wagoner
This is the tenth album I’ve received from Bob Wagoner, and it’s possibly the best yet. Bob’s beautiful multi-track recordings of some of the very best music of the west originate in his home-built studio high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, near Bishop California.
There are 17 tracks on Bob’s latest project. Many of them took me back to a time when The Sons of The Pioneers were still doing their daily syndicated radio series. Bob has counted among his friends and fans legends like Bob Nolan, Ken Curtis, Tommy Doss, Rusty Richards, and many more. Tommy Doss writes in the liner notes: “In the years back, the Sons of the Pioneers could have been greatly honored with his talent. When I’m looking for information on the origins of some seldom heard songs of the West, Bob is often the guy I’ll call. He knows as much as anybody about this wonderful music.”
Bob put his vast knowledge to good use in selecting songs for this one. “There’s Silver On The Sage Tonight,” “Navajo Trail,” and “Goodbye, Old Paint” are just a few gems into which Bob’s mellow harmonies and tasteful instrumental accompaniment breathe new life.
Most of the songs are ones I’ve heard, but haven’t been able to find, like “Restless Gun,” but there are a few I missed over the years, like “The Wheel of The Wagon is Broken,” and a couple written by the composer of “Ghost Riders in The Sky,” Stan Jones.
Bob’s voice is maturing like fine wine; he still sings the lilting tenor, the note-perfect lead, the harmonic baritone, and occasionally a resonant, tasteful bass. Bob, of course, sings all the vocal parts himself and plays most of the instruments, supplemented by Jerry Compton’s steel guitar and Richard Chon on fiddle in “Call of The Canyon.” Highly recommended. Order it from Robert Wagoner, P.O. Box 213 Bishop, California 93525. Phone (760) 873-6286.
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