The Legendary J.E. Mainer Vol. 3 cover

The Legendary J.E. Mainer Vol. 3

J.E. Mainer with Red Smiley and the Bluegrass Cutups

Album · 1968 · Rural Rhythm RRJE 198

The Legendary J.E. Mainer, Volume 3 (Rural Rhythm RRJE 198) came out in 1968, billed as J.E. Mainer with Red Smiley and the Blue Grass Cut-Ups. Joseph Emmett Mainer (1898–1971) grew up on a farm near Weaverville, North Carolina, and made his radio debut in 1933 on WBT in Charlotte, sponsored by Crazy Water Crystals, with his brother Wade Mainer on banjo and Zeke Morris on guitar. Between 1967 and 1971, the year of his death, hundreds of his post-war recordings were released on Rural Rhythm.

Red Smiley had signed to Rural Rhythm after the breakup of Reno & Smiley. On this record Mainer plays fiddle and sings and Smiley plays guitar, with Billy Edwards on banjo, Tater Tate on fiddle, Gene Burris on mandolin and guitar, and John Palmer on bass.

The album has twenty tracks, most of them under two and a half minutes. They include “Arkansas Traveler” and “Home Sweet Home,” which the Bluegrass Discography lists as instrumentals, along with “Shady Grove,” “Casey Jones,” “Devilish Mary,” “Polly Put the Kettle On,” “Shortenin’ Bread,” “Don’t Tax the Gals” and “Alabama Camp Meeting.” Rural Rhythm reissued it on CD in 2014 as RUR-CD-198.

Tracklist

  1. 1 Seven And A Half 2:08
  2. 2 Devilish Mary 2:04
  3. 3 Hannah 1:57
  4. 4 Baby Buntin' 2:23
  5. 5 Ride Old Buck To Water 2:21
  6. 6 Casey Jones alt version 2:13
  7. 7 Arkansas Traveler alt version 3:04
  8. 8 Change In Business All Around 1:51
  9. 9 Polly Put the Kettle On alt version 2:47
  10. 10 Shady Grove alt version 2:59
  11. 11 Old Blind Horse 2:13
  12. 12 Papa's Billy Goat 2:28
  13. 13 Burglar Man 2:04
  14. 14 Don't Tax The Gals 1:57
  15. 15 Eleven Cents Cotton 1:34
  16. 16 Home Sweet Home alt version 3:30
  17. 17 Shortenin' Bread 1:58
  18. 18 Johnny Get Your Gun 2:07
  19. 19 I Had An Old Grey Mare 1:10
  20. 20 Alabama Camp Meeting 3:11

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