Through its Decca 5000 series of the 1930s and 1940s, the American Decca recording company became the most influential record label in the burgeoning hillbilly music category, the forerunner of today's country and western music. This unique discography provides for the first time in print a systematic numerical listing and cross-referencing of all released recordings in the 5000 and 17000 Cajun series as well as records released under Decca's Champion 45000 and Montgomery Ward series, also devoted to hillbilly music. A total of 1514 discs are covered ranging from records released by such major hillbilly music stars as Jimmie Davis, the Sons of the Pioneers, and Ernest Tubb to those by less well-known solo artists and groups, including the Corn Cob Crushers and the Happy Hollow Hoodlums. Based on painstaking research in the original session books, ledgers, and label copy books as well as interviews with musicians and singers who participated in Decca recording sessions, this discography of one of the most remarkable record series of the 20th century makes a major contribution to the study of contemporary American music.
The volume begins with an introduction which traces the early history of the Decca Record Company and its impact on hillbilly music of the 1930s and 1940s. Cary Ginell demonstrates that the Decca 5000 and other hillbilly series had a major role not only in documenting the history of hillbilly music but also in affecting its course by influencing future recording artists in the genre. Following a brief section which describes how to use the discography and the indexes, the discography itself is divided into four separate numerical listings: Decca 5000, Decca 17000, Decca/Champion 45000, and Montgomery Ward recordings. Each listing includes information about recording dates, master numbers, unissued titles, song titles and legends, songwriter credits, and release dates. Five indexes--artist, matrix and location, release dates, composer credits, and title--provide enhanced access to the main listings. Scholars and researchers of American country and folk music, both once included under the hillbilly banner--will find this discography an indispensable resource.