The Very Best of Merle Travis

• Artist: Merle Travis
• Rating:
• Release Date: September 17, 2002
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Country

Review

With a guitar style so innovative that it has its own name (Travis picking), a comfortable, warm voice, and considerable skills as a songwriter, Merle Travis was a triple-threat performer, merging folk and country with jazz and swing textures, all rolled into a comfortable, down-home populist tone. This collection features live performances drawn from the Jimmy Wakely Radio Show in the mid-'50s, and while it is titled The Very Best of Merle Travis, it really isn't, with only "16 Tons" (a huge crossover hit for Tennessee Ernie Ford in 1955) falling into the "best-of" category. That said, this is a charming set of tunes, with the live setting giving Travis a little room to stretch out and improvise on guitar (he was playing electric by this point in his career), and the radio format is perfect for letting loose his natural good old boy charm. The sound quality is clear and uncluttered, making this an ideal compilation for die-hard Travis collectors. It isn't, however, the place to start for the casual listener. One of the tracks here, the instrumental "Bye Bye Blues," was recorded two decades later, in 1976, and for some reason was inserted in the running order. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
16 Tons	Merle Travis	Merle Travis	(2:09)
Detour Jimmy Wakely, Wesley Tuttle, and Merle Travis	Paul Westmoreland	Merle Travis	(2:08)
Texas Tornado [Instrumental]	Doug Sahm, Jimmy Wakely	Merle Travis	(1:46)
Nobody	Bert Williams, Alex Rogers	Merle Travis	(3:38)
John Henry	Traditional	Merle Travis	(2:43)
I'll See You in My Dreams [Instrumental]	Isham Jones, Gus Kahn	Merle Travis	(1:40)
Hominy Grits	Smiley Burnette	Merle Travis	(2:51)
Guitar Rag (Lyrics)	Merle Travis	Merle Travis	(1:44)
Gambler's Guitar	Jim Lowe	Merle Travis	(2:48)
Bye Bye Blues [Instrumental]	David Bennett, Chauncey Gray, Bert Lown, Dave Bennett, Frederick Hamm	Merle Travis	(1:26)
Follow Through	Jimmy Wakely	Merle Travis	(1:46)
Medley: No Vacancy/Smoke, Smoke, Smoke/I'll See You in My ...	Merle Travis, Jimmy Wakely	Merle Travis	(4:11)

Credits

Jon Guyot Smith (Photography), Jon Guyot Smith (Compilation), Jon Guyot Smith (Liner Notes), Jimmy Wakely (Producer), Jon Guyot Smith (Collection), Steve Massie (Digital Remastering), Cary E. Mansfield (Collection), Bill Pitzonka (Art Direction), Bill Pitzonka (Design)