The Sons of the Pioneers’ sides for the American Record Company are their least-known body of material — in contrast to their Decca and RCA Victor sides, which have been heavily exploited on CD at various times. This ten-song collection is still the only way to hear their work for the American Record Company, representing not a third of their output on the label. All sides of the group’s output are represented, including cowboy and trail songs, gospel tunes and one hot instrumental. Although he’d officially left the group earlier, Leonard Slye (aka Roy Rogers) sang on several of the numbers recorded during the October and December 1937 sessions from which these songs were drawn. Bob Nolan’s lead singing makes him a dominant presence (and he gets a solo vocal number here too), but Slye’s singing and especially his yodeling on “The Devil’s Great Grandson” and his solo number “Cowboy Night Herd Song” give him a chance to show off his abilities to great advantage. Hugh Farr and Karl Farr get to stand in the spotlight with their instrumental virtuosity as well, most notably on “When the Golden Train Comes Down” and “Cajun Stomp,” which is essentially their number. The restoration job on these masters — held by the Country Music Foundation — is extraordinary, and the fidelity is a match for recordings made decades later. Columbia Legacy, which owns the American Record Company library, could find a way to be more generous in the programming, but this is one killer CD as it is. – Bruce Eder
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