Cliffie Stone - Hollywood Hillbilly: The Singles Collection 1945-55 (2023)

Cliffie Stone was a pivotal figure in the development of the country scene in California in the post-war years as a singer, musician, A&R man, record producer, music publisher, radio and TV personality and TV producer – a man with his finger on the pulse of everything that was going on in country music on the west coast. As a radio and TV producer, he was involved in the influential programmes Hollywood Barn Dance and Hometown Jamboree, and as a talent scout and producer at Capitol Records was involved in the career of Tennessee Ernie Ford, becoming his manager. He was also a recording artist with Capitol, a singer, songwriter and bandleader with a light-hearted approach to country music, with bands that included his Barn Dance Orchestra, Hometown Jamboree Gang and Hometown Hepcats. This great-value 2-CD collection comprises selected A & B sides from his releases on the Capitol label during these years with those bands and other incarnations of his line-ups, and features all his career pop and country hits - “Silver Stars, Purple Sage, Eyes Of Blue”, “Peepin’ Through The Keyhole (Watching Jole Blon)”, “When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again” and “The Popcorn Song”. He was an influential mover and shaker in West Coast country, but he also made some excellent records, and this collection is an entertaining showcase for his talents as a performer.