Charlie Poole

[HungryHippo]

I could have sworn there was a thread on Mr. Poole a while back but cannot find it. Anyway, it seems that the forum is in need of one (or another!) Anyone on the board familiar with Charlie Poole? Some say he was the first real country star as he sold 102,000 units of Don't Let Your Deal Go Down in a time when a "hit" record would only sell ~20,000 units. It should also be noted that there were only 600,000 phonograph players in the US at the time!

 

I've been binge listening to him for a week or so now and took the notion to take a road-trip to his old hometown today in Eden, NC. Such a weird feeling in knowing that the man who inspired such artists as Hank Williams Sr. and Bob Dylan is a mile down the road!

 

For those not familiar with him, I recommend checking him out. His music may take a little time to adjust to but once it hits you, it hits you hard.

[LouieB]

See the reissue thread. I think he gets a mention in there. There is a Clarlie Poole fest in Eden. Check it out if you are so close. The box set out a few years ago is excellent, but County Records has his sides available on individual CDs. Luckily he recorded on major labels so he was a big star in his day and the records still sound great. 20,000 was alot. Robert Johnson's big hit (can't remember which one) only sold 1800 copies (if memory serves which it might not.

 

I was down in Galax a few years back and ran into Chris Stracwitz in a music store (don't know him personally) and he found a Poole 78 in a resale shop there. Beat us by a few minutes. Damn.

 

LouieB