The Allen Brothers (American duo)
Introduction  '''The Allen Brothers''' ('''Austin Allen''', February 7, 1901 – January 5, 1959 and '''Lee Allen''', June 1, 1906 – February 24, 1981) were an American country music duo popular in the 1920s and 1930s. They were nicknamed "The Chattanooga Boys" since many of their songs mentioned Chattanooga.
Biography The brothers were born and raised in Sewanee, Tennessee and they both learned to sing and play musical instruments, Austin played the banjo while Lee concentrated on the guitar and kazoo. As they grew up they were influenced by local jazz and blues artists such as the guitarist and Mississippi river boat performer May Bell and the street singers the Two Poor Boys. By the early 1920s, they were performing in small coal-mining communities in the South doing medicine shows and Vaudeville onstage.They received a recording contract on Columbia Records and recorded for the first time on April 7, 1927.At this first session they recorded "Salty Dog Blues" which became their first hit selling around 18 000 copies. "Bow Wow Blues" was another notable recording of that time, as it was later placed by music historians in the dirty blues category. Columbia, by mistake, placed one of their recordings in the "race" series (reserved for black artists) instead of its "hillbilly" series. The brothers threatened to bring a lawsuit against Columbia but in the end they decided to move to Victor Records instead. Working with the A&R man Ralph Peer - who had been instrumental in bringing both Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family to fame - the Allen Brothers recorded their biggest hit "A New Salty Dog" in 1930.Due to the Great Depression, the brothers had to abandon their musical career in 1934.Although they were successful and sold more than other hillbilly groups - more than 250 000 copies altogether - they could not make a living from their music.Austin moved to New York and both brothers went to work in the construction business. In the 1960s, when the Allen Brothers were rediscovered by folk revivalists, Austin had already died in South Carolina in 1959 but Lee appeared onstage a few times in Tennessee.
Discography  Matrix  Title  Record #  Recording date 143927  "Free a Little Bird"  Unissued  April 7, 1927 143928  "Wedding Bells*  Unissued  April 7, 1927 143929  "Salty Dog Blues*  Columbia 15175-D  April 7, 1927 143930  "Bow Wow Blues"  Columbia 15175-D  April 7, 1927 145112  "Chattanooga Blues"  Columbia 14266-D  November 4, 1927 145113  "Coal Mine Blues"  Unissued  November 4, 1927 145114  "Beaver Cap"  Unissued  November 4, 1927 145115  "Laughin' and Cryin' Blues"  Columbia 14266-D  November 4, 1927 146150  "Ain't That Skippin' and Flyin'  Columbia 15270-D  April 20, 1928 146151  "Cheat 'Em*  Columbia 15270-D  April 20, 1928 146152  "Monkey Blues""  Unissued  April 20, 1928 146153  "Ain't That a Shame*  Unissued  April 20, 1928 47167  "Frisco Blues"  Victor 40003, Bluebird B-5224  October 15, 1928 47168  "Tiple Blues"  Victor 40003, Bluebird 5104  October 15, 1928 47169  "Free a Little Bird"  Victor 40266, Bluebird B-5668  October 15, 1928 47170  "Skipping and Flying"  Victor 40266, Bluebird B-5772  October 15, 1928 47171  "I'm A Diamond from the Rough"  Unissued  October 15, 1928 47172  "Meet Your Mother in the Skies"  Unissued  October 15, 1928 47173  "Prisoner's Dream"  Victor 40210  October 15, 1928 47174  "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight"  Victor 40210  October 15, 1928 62589  "I've Got the Chain Store Blues"  Victor 40276  June 5, 1930 62590  "Jake Walk Blues"  Victor 40303k, Bluebird B-5001  June 5, 1930 62591  "The Enforcement Blues"  Victor 40276  June 5, 1930 62592  "Reckless Night Blues"  Victor 40303, Bluebird B-5224  June 5, 1930 62593  "New Chattanooga Blues"  Victor 40326, Bluebird B-5380  June 5, 1930 62594  "Shanghai Rooster Blues"  Victor 40326, Bluebird B-5668  June 5, 1930 62991  "Price of Cotton Blues"  Victor 23507  November 22, 1930 62992  "I'm Always Whistling the Blues"  Victor 23507, Bluebird B-5104  November 22, 1930 62993  "Roll Down the Line"  Victor 23551, Bluebird B-5700  November 22, 1930 62994  "Old Black Crow in the Hickory Nut Tree"  Victor 23551, Bluebird B-5448  November 22, 1930 62995  "No Low Down Hanging Around"  Victor 23536, Bluebird B-5448  November 22, 1930 62996  "Maybe Next Week Sometime"  Victor 23536, Bluebird B-5165  November 22, 1930 62997  "A New Salty Dog"  Victor 23514, Bluebird B-5403  November 22, 1930 62998  "Preacher Blues"  Victor 23514, Bluebird B-5820  November 22, 1930 69319  "When You Leave, You'll Leave Me Sad"  Victor 23567, Bluebird B-5702  May 20, 1931 69320  "Chattanooga Mama"  Victor 23567, Bluebird B-5470  May 20, 1931 69321  "It's Too Bad for You"  Victor 23631, Bluebird B-5872  May 20, 1931 69322  "Slide Daddy, Slide"  Victor 23590, Bluebird B-5317  May 20, 1931 69325  "Moonshine Bill"  Victor 23631  May 20, 1931 69326  "Pile Drivin' Papa"  Victor 23578, Bluebird B-5772  May 20, 1931 69327  "Shake It, Ida, Shake It"  Victor 23607, Bluebird B-5165  May 21, 1931 69328  "Roll It Down"  Victor 23590, Bluebird B-5317  May 21, 1931 69329  "Mother-In-Law Blues"  Victor 23607, Bluebird B-5380  May 21, 1931 69330  "Unlucky Man"  Victor 23623  May 21, 1931 69331  "Laughin' and Cryin'"  Victor 23623, Bluebird B-5533  May 21, 1931 69332  "Monkey Blues"  Victor 23578, Bluebird B-5820  May 21, 1931 61386  "Glorious Night Blues"  Victor 23707, Bluebird B-5701  February 17, 1932 61387  "Misbehavin' Mama"  Unissued  February 17, 1932 61388  "Inspiration"  Victor 23678  February 17, 1932 61389  "Crossfiring Blues"  Victor 23692, Bluebird B-5872  February 18, 1932 61390  "I'll Be Here a Long, Long Time"  Victor 23662, Bluebird B-5702  February 18, 1932 61395  "It Can't Be Done"  Victor 23662, Bluebird B-5533  February 18, 1932 61396  "Windowshade Blues"  Victor 23692, Bluebird B-5701  February 19, 1932 61397  "Maybe Next Week Sometime"  Victor 23678, Bluebird B-5700  February 19, 1932 61398  "Free-Wheeling Blues"  Unissued  February 19, 1932 74805  "Fruit Jar Blues"  Victor 23756, Bluebird B-5001  December 5, 1932 74806  "Lightning Bug Blues"  Victor 23805  December 5, 1932 74807  "Warm Knees Blues"  Victor 23805  December 5, 1932 74808  "My Midnight Man"  Unissued  December 5, 1932 74809  "Red Hot Rambling Dan"  Victor 23786  December 5, 1932 74810  "Won't You Come Home?" Unissued  December 5, 1932 74811  "When a Man's Got a Woman"  Victor 23773  December 6, 1932 74812  "Rough Neck Blues"  Victor 23756  December 6, 1932 74813  "Slipping Clutch Blues"  Victor 23773  December 6, 1932 74814  "Here I Am  Unissued  December 6, 1932 74815  "Please Pay in Advance"  Victor 23786  December 6, 1932 74816  "Allen's Lying Blues"  Victor 23817  December 6, 1932 74817  "So Straight, My Lad  Unissued  December 6, 1932 74818  "Midnight Mama"  Victor 23817  December 6, 1932 16095  "Baby When You Coming Back Home"  Vocalion 02853  October 3, 1934 16096  "Long Gone from Bowling Green"  Vocalion 02817  October 3, 1934 16097  "Red Pajama Sal"  Vocalion 02817  October 3, 1934 16098  "New Deal Blues"  Vocalion 02890  October 3, 1934 16107  "Mercy Mercy Blues"  Vocalion 02874  October 5, 1934 16108  "Padlock Key Blues"  Unissued  October 5, 1934 16109  "Daddy Park Your Car"  Vocalion 02853  October 5, 1934 16110  "Salty Dog, Hey Hey Hey"  Vocalion 02818  October 5, 1934 16111  "Hey Buddy, Won't You Roll Down the Line"  Vocalion 02818  October 5, 1934 16112  "Allen Brothers Rag"  Vocalion 02939  October 5, 1934 16046  "Skippin' and Flyin'"  Vocalion 02939  October 6, 1934 16047  "Tipple Blues"  Vocalion 02891  October 6, 1934 16048  "Mary's Breakdown"  Vocalion 02891  October 8, 1934 16049  "Can I Get You Now"  Vocalion 02890  October 8, 1934 16050  "The Prisoner's Dream"  Vocalion 02874  October 8, 1934 16121  "Drunk and Nutty Blues"  Unissued  October 8, 1934 16122  "Misbehavin' Mama"  Vocalion 02841  October 8, 1934 16123  "Midnight Mama"  Vocalion 02841  October 8, 1934 16124  "I'm in Here a Long Long Time"  Unissued  October 8, 1934 16125  "Chattanooga Mama"  Unissued  October 8, 1934
Footnotes
References * Carlin, Richard (2003), ''Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary'', Taylor & Francis* Russell, Tony (2007), ''Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost'', Oxford University Press* Russell, Tony - Pinson, Bob (2004), ''Country Music Records: A Discography 1921-1942'', Oxford University Press* Tracy, Steven Carl (1999), ''Write Me A Few of Your Lines: A Blues Reader'', University of Massachusetts Press* Wolff, Kurt - Duane, Orla (2000), ''Country Music: The Rough Guide'', Rough Guides