{"id":360,"date":"2023-02-12T22:29:26","date_gmt":"2023-02-13T03:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/?p=360"},"modified":"2023-04-26T14:34:08","modified_gmt":"2023-04-26T19:34:08","slug":"carry-me-back-to-the-lone-prairie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/2023\/02\/12\/carry-me-back-to-the-lone-prairie\/","title":{"rendered":"Carry Me Back To The Lone Prairie"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Getty Images\/CBS Photo Archive\/Carson and his Buckaroos<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

About Carson Robison <\/h2>\n\n\n
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Carson Robison<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Carson J. Robison, also referred to as\u00a0“the granddaddy of the hillbillies”<\/strong>, was a popular singer, guitarist, whistler, and actor during the 1920s and late 1950s. He was born in Oswego, Kansas, and later moved to Chetopa, Kansas, where he spent most of his childhood. Robison began his music career at the young age of 14, playing guitar professionally. In his 20s, he was well versed in various instruments, and then around the mid-1920s, he collaborated with another famous musician, Vernon Dalhart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He wrote and recorded under several pseudonyms including Maggie Andrews, Joe Billings, Bud Birmingham, The Kansas Jaybird, Carlos B. McAfee, Sookie Roberts, and Charlie Wells. In time, Robison would be nicknamed the \u201cGrand-daddy of the Hillbillies.\u201d<\/p>Pittsburg State University<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Although he’s quite forgotten today, he impacted the promotion of country music through his various recordings and radio appearances. In 1920, he moved to Kansas City to become a professional entertainer. While performing on the radio, he gained wide recognition in the midwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He became one of the first country and western entertainers to utilize the new medium of radio and performed regularly for Kansas City\u2019s WDAF”<\/p>Pittsburg State University<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n

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Cowboy Slim Rinehart<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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John R. Brinkley <\/strong>or referred to as an “American Quack” <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Keep in mind that he was not the only one to promote country music through the use of radio. We know from class that John R. Brinkley did, even though he’s very weird. He also loved to get around the law in any way he could! Since his radio station had 1,000,000 watts, it could reach many countries. This term for reaching another country would be “border blaster” radio. Cowboy Slim or Nolan Alfred Rinehart did the same. Slim\u00a0gained national recognition as a broadcaster and singer on the border radio\u00a0station XEG. All three\u2014Carson, Brinkley, and Slim\u2014promoted country music through radio stations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guy isn’t even from Texas!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, when digging through multiple websites to find information on Carson, I uncovered nothing about him living in Texas. He has songs about Texas, but it seems like he never moved there. Instead, he moved to New York in 1924.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Buckaroos <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Carson Robison released\u00a0“Carry Me Back To The Lone Prairie”<\/strong>\u00a0in 1934. Before the song was released, Robison formed his own group called\u00a0The Pioneers,\u00a0<\/strong>which later changed to\u00a0The Buckaroos\u00a0<\/strong>in 1931.\u00a0<\/strong>This band included\u00a0John<\/strong>and\u00a0Bill Mitchell<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Pearl Pickens<\/strong>.\u00a0Frank Novak<\/strong>\u00a0was also in there, but from how the pictures look, I think he decided to later record with his own group, “Frank Novak and His Rootin’ Tootin’ Boys”. His band “accompanied him on tours in England, Scotland, and Ireland, where they performed for King George and Queen Elizabeth<\/em>” (Pittsburgh State University).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Song<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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