Tex Fletcher Recordings

Many sources have contributed to this discography, such as “Country Music Records : A Discography, 1921-1942,” Fletcher Family Archives, Variety and Billboard magazines, Brian M. Lebowitz, and a variety of internet sources.

 

ARC
8 November 1933
Unknown studio, New York City
Tex Fletcher (vcl/gt)
14278 I'M A WANDERING RANGER ARC unissued
14279 ST. REGIS VALLEY ARC unissued
14280 THE TENDERFOOT ARC unissued
14281 WINDY BILL ARC unissued
 

DECCA
16 November 1936
Decca Recording Studio, Pythian Temple, 135 West 70th St., New York City
Tex Fletcher (vcl/gt)
61415-A RIDGE RUNNING ROAN Decca 5302 Melotone 45010/ BACM CD D 241
61416-A THE ZEBRA DUN 5302 Melotone 45010/ BACM CD D 241
61417-A THE BORDER AFFAIR 5300 Melotone 45011/ BACM CD D 241
61418-A I’M GOIN‘ BACK TO RED RIVER VALLEY 5300 Melotone 45011 Montgomery Ward M-8011. MCA VM4010,
BACM CD D 241

18 December 1936
Decca Recording Studio, Pythian Temple, 135 West 70th St., New York City
Tex Fletcher (vcl/gt)
61494-A I’M HERE TO GET MY BABY OUT OF JAIL 5312 Montgomery Ward M-8011/ BACM CD D 241
61495-A-B COWMAN‘S LAMENT unissued
61496-A STILL THERS SPARK OF LOVE 5312/ BACM CD D 241

6 February 1937
Decca Recording Studio, Pythian Temple, 135 West 70th St., New York City
Tex Fletcher (vcl/gt)
61587-A I LOST MY LOVE IN THE OHIO FLOOD 5332 Montgomery Ward M-8010/ BACM CD D 241
61588-A A SONG FOR MOTHER 5332 Montgomery Ward M-8010/ BACM CD D 241

2 June 1937
Decca Recording Studio, Pythian Temple, 135 West 70th St., New York City
Tex Fletcher (vcl/gt), Joe Rogers [vcl duet-1] + unknown musicians)
62237-A MISTOOK IN THE WOMAN I LOVE 5391 Melotone 45206/ BACM CD D 241
62238-A SEVEN MORE DAYS* -1 5403/ BACM CD D 241
62239-A THE GIRL IN THE BLUE VELVET BAND -1 5403/ BACM CD D 241
62240-A THE POOR BLIND CHILD 5391 Melotone 45206 Minerva M-14076/ BACM CD D 241

8 October 1937 Decca Recording Studio, Pythian Temple, 135 West 70th St., New York City

Tex Fletcher’s Lonely Cowboys (Tex Fletcher [vcl/gt] + unknown musicians)
62670-A WONDERING 5441 Montgomery Ward M-8045/ BACM CD D 241
62671-A YODEL LADY 5450/ BACM CD D 241
62672-A LITTLE SWEETHEART OF THE OZARKS 5450/ BACM CD D 241
62673-A MY OLD DOG AND ME 5441 Montgomery Ward M-8045/ BACM CD D 241

11 February 1938 Decca Recording Studio, Pythian Temple, 135 West 70th St., New York City

Tex Fletcher’s Lonely Cowboys (Tex Fletcher [vcl/gt] + unknown musicians)
63273-A HIGHWAYS ARE HAPPY WAYS (WHEN THEY LEAD THE WAY TO HOME) 5520
63274-A SHINE ON, ROCKY MOUNTAIN MOONLIGHT 5489/ BACM CD D 241
63275-A I GET THE BLUES WHEN IT RAINS 5520/ BACM CD D 241
63276-A AIN’T SHE SWEET 5489/ BACM CD D 241
63277-A MEET ME TONIGHT IN THE COWSHED 5500. Bronco Buster CD9045, BACM CDD241
027 63278-A DOWN ON THE OLD PLANTATION 5500 Bronco Buster CD 9045, BACM CDD241

(editor’s note: Unreleased ARC 001 14278 I'M A WANDERING RANGER is listed by some sources as I'M A WANDERING BANKER, though “Ranger” is more likely).

(editors note: Montgomery Ward (MW), Melotone (MeC), Minerva, DeAu, MCA Japan, Bronco Buster, Grammo and BACM are record labels that have reissued one, some or all of Tex Fletcher’s Decca sides. Montgomery Ward and Minerva were mail-order only and Melotone serviced the Canadian market; DeAu was Decca’s Austrailian subsidiary).

(editor’s note: All Decca reissues on Montgomery Ward were credited to one of Tex Fletcher’s known pseudonyms, Tack Foster).

(editor’s note: with the exception of vocalist/violinist Joe Rogers, all other musicians on the Decca recordings remain unidentified. However, accordionist Tony Fuscaldo, who lived well into his 90s told Tex’s son, George that he performed in a variety of combos with Tex Fletcher from the early ‘30s until Fletcher was drafted into the army in 1941. Although Mr. Fuscaldo said his work was primarily gigs, he did say the group did a number of sessions, but he couldn’t recall if these were for Decca. Other than the ARC recordings that never saw the light of day in 1933, Fletcher’s first known record releases were his Decca sides and it is probable that Tony Fuscaldo was the accordionist on at least some of the recordings where accordion is featured).

 

SESAC (LATE 1940s)
SESAC Transcription Disc TR-1070 Series A: 41 and 42.
American Folk Music and Dances, Western & Cowboy Songs, and Hymns. Tex Fletcher and the Ranch Hands.
Side 1:1. "Martha Polka," orchestra.Side 1:2. "Blue Tail Fly," vocal solo with orchestra.Side 1:3. "Leather Breeches," orchestra.Side 1:4. "Careless Love," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 1:5. "Frankie and Johnnie Blues," orchestra.Side 1:6. "Powder River Let'er Buck," vocal solo and yodel with orchestra.Side 1:7. "Bile Dem Cabbage Down," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 2:1. "Jenny Lind Polka," orchestra.Side 2:2. "Lane County Bachelor," vocal solo and yodel with orchestra.Side 2:3. "Chicken Reel," orchestra.Side 2:4. "Jesse James," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 2:5. "Cripple Creek," orchestra.Side 2:6. "Zebra Dun," vocal solo and yodel with orchestra.Side 2:7. "Leavin' on the New River Train," vocal trio with orchestra.

SESAC Transcription Disc TR-1071 Series A: 43 and 44

American Folk Music and Dances, Western & Cowboy Songs, and Hymns. Tex Fletcher and the Ranch Hands.
(editor’s note: This collection was reissued by And More Bears as Tex Fletcher, Riding The Range)
Side 1:1. "Casey Jones," orchestra.Side 1:2. "I'd Like to Be in Texas," vocal solo with orchestra.Side 1:3. "Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 1:4. "Cowboy's Dream," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 1:5. "Under the Double Eagle," orchestra.Side 1:6. "Cowboy Jack," vocal solo with orchestra.Side 1:7. "The Midnight Special," orchestra.Side 2:1. "Arkansas Polka," orchestra.Side 2:2. "Chopo My Pony," vocal solo with yodel and orchestra.Side 2:3. "Ol' Joe Clark," orchestra.Side 2:4. "Cindy," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 2:5. "Speed the Plow," orchestra.Side 2:6. "Cowboy's Lament," vocal solo and yodel with orchestra.Side 2:7. "The Old Grey Mare," vocal trio with orchestra.

SESAC Transcription Disc TR-1072Series A: 45 and 46
American Folk Music and Dances, Western & Cowboy Songs, and Hymns. Tex Fletcher and the Ranch Hands.
Side 1:1. "Charlie the Boxer," orchestra.Side 1:2. "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight," vocal solo and trio with orchestra.Side 1:3. "Devil Among the Tailors," orchestra.Side 1:4. "Kitty Wells," vocal solo and trio with orchestra.Side 1:5. "Kitty O'Neil," orchestra.Side 1:6. "Take Me Back to Colorado," vocal solo and yodel with orchestra.Side 1:7. "There is a Tavern in the Town," vocal solo and trio with orchestra.Side 2:1. "Coming Thru the Rye," orchestra.Side 2:2. "The Night Herding Song," vocal solo with orchestra.Side 2:3. "Haste to the Wedding," orchestra.Side 2:4. "Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane," vocal duet with orchestra.Side 2:5. "John Henry," orchestra.Side 2:6. "They Grow 'em Big in Texas," vocal solo and yodel with orchestra.Side 2:7. "Hear Dem Bells," vocal solo and trio with orchestra.

SESAC Transcription Disc TR-1073 Series A: 47 and 48
American Folk Music and Dances, Western & Cowboy Songs, and Hymns. Tex Fletcher and the Ranch Hands.
Side 1:1. "Ta Ra Ra Boom De A," orchestra.Side 1:2. "Cowboy's Meditation," vocal solo with orchestra.Side 1:3. "Garry Owen," orchestra.Side 1:4. "In the Evening By the Moonlight," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 1:5. "Low Down Blues," orchestra.Side 1:6. "The Blue Juniata," vocal solo and yodel with orchestra.Side 1:7. "The More I Grew Tomatoes," vocal solo with orchestra.Side 2:1. "Oneta Polka," orchestra.Side 2:2. "Little Rosewood Casket," vocal solo with orchestra.Side 2:3. "Crawdad Song," vocal solo with orchestra.Side 2:4. "Sweet Betsy From Pike," vocal solo and trio with orchestra.Side 2:5. "Fisher's Hornpipe," orchestra.Side 2:6. "Wabash Cannon Ball," vocal solo and yodel with orchestra.Side 2:7. "Whoa Mule Whoa," vocal solo and trio with orchestra.

SESAC Transcription Disc TR-1074Series A: 49 and 50
American Folk Music and Dances, Western & Cowboy Songs, and Hymns.Tex Fletcher and the Ranch Hands.
Side 1:1. "Dixie," orchestra.Side 1:2. "Little Mohee," vocal solo with orchestra.Side 1:3. "Cowboy's Reel," orchestra.Side 1:4. "Dear Evalina," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 1:5. "A Tisket A Tasket," orchestra.Side 1:6. "Shoo Fly," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 1:7. "Four Thousand Years Ago," vocal trio and yodel with orchestra.Side 2:1. "Go In and Out the Window," orchestra.Side 2:2. "A Froggie Went A Courtin'," vocal solo with orchestra.Side 2:3. "Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow," orchestra.Side 2:4. "Tenting Tonight," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 2:5. "Highland Fling," orchestra.Side 2:6. "Uncle Ned," vocal trio and yodel with orchestra.Side 2:7. "She Promised She'd Meet Me," vocal trio with orchestra.

SESAC Transcription Disc TR-1075Series A: 51 and 52
American Folk Music and Dances, Western & Cowboy Songs, and Hymns. Tex Fletcher and the Ranch Hands.
Side 1:1. "The Caissons Go Rolling Along," orchestra.Side 1:2. "Jack O'Diamond," vocal solo with orchestra.Side 1:3. "Mississippi Sawyer," orchestra.Side 1:4. "The Old Oaken Bucket," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 1:5. "The Ship That Never Returned," orchestra.Side 1:6. "The Roving Gambler," vocal solo and yodel with orchestra.Side 1:7. "Ring Ring De Banjo," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 2:1. "Boola Boola," orchestra.Side 2:2. "Kevin Barry," vocal solo with orchestra.Side 2:3. "Old Crow," orchestra.Side 2:4. "Long Long Ago," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 2:5. "The Preacher and the Bear," orchestra.Side 2:6. "The Maple on the Hill," vocal trio with orchestra.Side 2:7. "Keep on the Sunny Side," vocal trio with orchestra.
(editor’s note: The SESAC sides were recorded specifically for use by radio stations to fill dead spots, program transitions, etc. which explains the high number of “orchestra” instrumentals)

ALBUMS

Western Roundup (Waldorf Music Hall MF33-169): You Don't Know What Lonesome Is; Wabash Cannon Ball; I Wish I Had Never Seen Sunshine; Born To Lose; Grand River Waltz; Sweethearts Or Strangers – 1956

Rodeo, with Rosalee Allen and "Shorty" Warren And His Western Rangers (Grand Award GA-33-35, reissue of Waldorf Music Hall MF33-169):
[Rosalie Allen:] Columbus Stockade Blues; My Adobe Hacienda; I'll Keep Loving You; Ding Dong Polka;Jealous Heart; Your Cheating Heart;

[Tex Fletcher:] You Don't Know What Lonesome Is; Wabash Cannon Ball; I Wish I Had Never Seen Sunshine; Born To Lose; Grand River Waltz; Sweethearts Or Strangers – 1958

 

Deep In The Heart Of Texas (Grammoclub Ex Libris GC 458, Switzerland) 7” EP (reissue of Waldorf Music Hall MF33-169) The Sons Of The Purple Sage And Tex Fletcher* With "Shorty" Warren And His Western Rangers

Holiday Songs Country Style (DAKOTA ST6676)*
Merry Christmas Polka ; Christmas Angel; Jingle Bells Lullaby; Happy New Year; My Valentine; That Wonderful Mother of Mine; Independence Day; Gussie The Goblin;Thanksgiving Day; Birthday Party; Our Wedding Day; Happy Anniversary - 1965
*Also reissued as Holiday Hootenanny Double Glo (1965) DG 65

 

Riding The Range (And More Bears AMB90005) Casey Jones, I'd Like to Be in Texas, Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad, Cowboy's Dream, Under the Double Eagle, Cowboy Jack, The Midnight Special, Arkansas Polka, Chopo My Pony, Ol' Joe Clark, Cindy, Speed the Plow, Cowboy's Lament, The Old Grey Mare. Reisssue of ESAC Transcription Disc TR-1071 Series A: 43 and 44

The Lonely Cowboy Complete Decca Recordings 1936-1938 (BACM [UK] CD D 241): I'm Going Back To Red River Valley; Border Affair; Ridge Runnin' Roan; Zebra Dun; I'm Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail; Still There's A Spark Of Love; I Lost My Love In The Ohio Flood; A Song For Mother; Mistook In The Woman I Love; Poor Blind Child; Seven More Days; The Girl In Blue Velvet Band; Wondering; My Old Dog And Me; Little Sweetheart Of The Ozarks; Yodel Lady; Shine On Rocky Mountain Moonlight; Ain't She Sweet; Meet Me Tonight In The Cowshed; Down On The Old Plantation; Highways Are Happy Ways; I Get The Blues When It Rains.

Vocalion
Warm Red Wine/Country Boy Vocalion 55062 (1949)
Why Don’t You Haul Off and Love Me/Mind Your Own Business Vocalion 55063 (1949)

Lonesome Highway b/w Have I told You Lately Vocalion 

Flint
Wreck of the Old ’97 b/w My Harding County Home” Flint 1782 (1948)
Safe at Home (a tribute to Babe Ruth) b/w Let’s Be Sweethearts Again Flint 1788, (194?)
The Girl In The Blue Velvet Band b/w Little Blossom Flint 1789 (194?)

Born to Lose b/w Cactus Sue Flint 

Dakota ST6676
Merry Christmas Polka / Christmas Angel / Jingle Bells Lullaby / Happy New Year / My Valentine / That Wonderful Mother of Mine / Independence Day / Gussie The Goblin / Thanksgiving Day / Birthday Party / Our Wedding Day / Happy Anniversary
*Also reissued as Holiday Hootenanny on Double Glo (1965) DG 65

Bronco Buster CD 9045 “Are You From Dixie? - Various C & W Artists (1935–44)” (1998)
Tex Fletcher’s Lonely Cowboys
Meet Me Tonight in The Cowshed/Down on The Old Plantation


Tex Fletcher’s songs covered by other artists

Ernest Tubb Sings Country Hits Old and New, Decca (1966)
Holdin’ Hands (Tex Fletcher, George Henkel, Viola Gordon)

 

Ernest Tubb Waltz Across Texas, Bear Family (1999)
Holdin’ Hands (Tex Fletcher, George Henkel, Viola Gordon)

Glen Ohrlin The Wild Buckaroo, Rounder  (1983)
My Harding County Home (Tex Fletcher)
Tipperary (The Great Outlaw Horse) (Tex Fletcher)

Gene Autry Goin’ Back To Texas, Varese Sarabande (2001)
Way Out West in Texas (Tex Fletcher)
Lone Star Trail (Tex Fletcher)

Gene Autry Portrait of Gene Autry, Allegro (2002)
Way Out West in Texas (Tex Fletcher)

Chicago Blues Live from Buddy Guy’s Legends Club, DVD, Delta Entertainment (2005)
Pistol Pete and Ron Hytower
Yonder Comes a Man (Tex Fletcher, Richard S. Kuhn, Leonard Whitcup)
Magic Slim
Yonder Comes a Man (Tex Fletcher, Richard S. Kuhn, Leonard Whitcup)