Monday, February 22, 2010

Pickin' strings with The Moore Brothers



Refreshing is not really a word I reserve for bluegrass records. Although I love bluegrass music, a lot of it can get repetitive and way too rustic. Don't get me wrong, "Rank Strangers" and "The Willow Garden" are among some of my favorite songs off all time. But how many Reno and Smiley 45s does one actually need? It's mostly the fast instrumental stuff that can get repetitive. I love a nice mid-paced bluegrass murder ballad. Or a song like this one, by The Moore Brothers with the Pike County Hikers on Metropolis Records. From Warsaw, IN 1965.
A side, I lost the only love I ever knew. B side, You proved untrue. The writer is credited as Ray Moore, obviously a Moore brother. I am not for sure though, if it is the Ray Moore who had some 45's on Lee records out of Ohio.

In my opinion, quite a refreshing record. Kind of gives me that same feeling I got when I first heard Curtis Gordon's "Tired of Crying". I've had this 45 for about a week, and I think I've played it perhaps 50 times. It went from being a VG record, to being a VG-. Just a great bluegrass record. No more no less. Oh yeah, never mind the continuous "pop" throughout the record; it has a huge scratch on it.

A great database site on Indiana 45s: www.indiana45s.com

4 comments:

  1. This 45 has started to grow on me - especially in the 50 or so times I've heard it! ;) I checked out the Indiana 45 site & found some good stuff, just wish they had audio clips. Rick Reason & Webb Foley were pretty good.

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  2. nice little song there. I'm not too much into bluegrass, but this has a lot of melody which makes it a great listen

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  3. Hi,My Uncle played in the group The Moore Brothers and the Pike County Hikers.I don't have copies of anything he did and was wondering if there is anyway that I could get copies of anything they published.I really would appreciate it since he has been deceased since may of 1978.Thank you My email address is paula_4374@yahoo.com

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  4. I live about one mile from Ray Moore. He lives in Servia, Indiana. I think he's pretty much retired. I have several records he gave me a few years ago. I used to go over and visit him and his wife. She passed and I am sure he spends his summers in Florida. He does, or did play all winter in Florida. Some of the guys died off including his fiddle player and brother in law, Toad Bradley.

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