SUNDOWN PETE & MARGIE LANE Yesterday’s Roses
Ghost Riders In The Sky – Never No Mo’ Blues – Roll Along Kentucky Moon – Down In The Valley – Frankie & Johnnie – A Little Bitty Tear – Whoopi Ti Yi Yo – Signed Sealed and Delivered – The Wayward Wind – My Swiss Moonlight Lullaby – Wreck Of The Old 97 – Yesterday’s Roses – I’m Hitting The Trail – In The Misty Moonlight – Tumbling Tumbleweeds – The Streamlined Yodel
I’m very glad I got this CD directly from Sundown Pete at the annual get-together we have at the annual old-time music festival in LeMars, Iowa. I’d never heard Pete and his wife Margie sing together, since she has passed away. This is an absolutely ‘amazing’ CD. Pete has an ‘amazing’ ability to control his voice, especially in the high register. You’ll hear this on ‘Ghost Riders’, and especially ‘amazing’ on ‘Never No Mo’ Blues.’ This is “O Brother Where Art Thou’ music before it became so nationally and internationally popular. Also, this CD was just recently released in Canada on Rosedale Recordings. You’ll find some additional ‘amazing’ CD’s on this label, Elton Britt, Alan Karl, Gordon Wilcox, Howard Vokes, even yours truly Bob Everhart doing a CD called “Home On The Range.”
Sundown Pete and Margie Lane are two very distinct artists. Pete has this ‘amazing’ control of his voice, and Margie joins him on some incredibly beautiful harmony and yodeling parts, especially in “Down In The Valley.” She’s also a great lead singer too, aptly portrayed in this very nicely done CD. Backing is excellent, utilizing some very nice twin fiddles, several different style guitars, most notably Pete’s own D-45 Martin. Just right percussion right where it needs to be in the mix, not drowning out the vocals which is so prevalent in today’s music.
Pete is also a very good yodeler, in the style of Jimmie Rodgers. I’m the one that’s now ‘amazed.’ I don’t see how he can have such complete control of his voice. He must have perfect pitch, meaning he can tell you what key you are in just by listening to you play. He reminds me a little bit of Hank Snow sometimes, but not all the time.
Pete and Margie’s motto has held through the years for them. “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” Sure sounds like old-time country philosophy doesn’t it? The selection of songs on this CD is a nice broad view, and a reflection of what they were doing in Southwest America. Pete says, “I’ll continue on that trail of dreams the I and Margie started many years ago. There will be more albums.”
Both of these lovely old-time country singers are in America’s Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame, deservedly so. Their lifetime dream of making good old-time music is certainly realized on this CD. Through the good times and the bad times, as most pursuers of this musical genre go through, Pete and Margie have realized their most cherished desire. Singing and playing music for the wonderful people around the world they have performed for.
BUY THIS CD DIRECT FROM: Sundown Pete, P O Box 1915, Deming, NM 88031
Bob Everhart