-Bear Family Records® dedicates a full-length CD box set with 317 recordings from the catalog of Rich-R-Tone and its sub-label Folk Star.
-The project was overseen by historian Ted Olson, professor of Appalachian studies at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Matt Ringressi, record collector, discographer and researcher, and Richard Weize, founder of Bear Family.
-One of the most important documentations of post WWII popular music in the East Tennessee region and a terrific collector's item!

RICH-R-TONE RECORDS, one of several labels Stanton founded, was ahead of its time in celebrating the emerging genre of bluegrass music and was also a prototype for small independent record companies that documented and marketed regional roots music for a national audience. In the case of RICH-R-TONE, the national record-buying audience during the era of the label's greatest activity (the late 1940s and the early 1950s) was not broadly responsive to the groundbreaking records released by the company. Yet, RICH-R-TONE, and its subsidiary custom label FOLK STAR, not only released pioneering records by key acts from bluegrass music's 'first generation' (The Stanley Brothers, The Bailey Brothers, The Church Brothers, The Sauceman Brothers, Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, a.m.o.) but also documented many other genres of postwar Appalachian music (honky-tonk country and country boogie, folk and gospel, as well as old-time music and novelty numbers). Together, those two labels yielded approximately 320 released sides on 78 RPM discs during the years 1946-1954. Stanton's legacy is now appreciated internationally. This set from BEAR FAMILY RECORDS compiles all of the extant RICH-R-TONE and FOLK STAR recordings from that period, lovingly remastered and curated in order to tell the story of James Hobart Stanton and his abiding respect for the music of people from his home region - music that he felt was worthy to be heard far beyond his home region and well into the future.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

• Cecil Gill - Tear Drops In The Rain
• Cecil Gill - Say Goodbye
• Jim Hall & his Radio Rangers - Waitin’ In Old Caroline
• Jim Hall & his Radio Rangers - Jim Hall’s Boogie
• Buffalo Johnson & his Melody Rangers - I’ll Always Find A Way
• Buffalo Johnson & his Melody Rangers - Come Back Again
• Jim Hall & his Radio Rangers - As Long As You Have That Smile
• Jim Hall & his Radio Rangers - Rainbow At Midnight
• Buffalo Johnson & his Melody Rangers - Alone And Blue
• Buffalo Johnson & his Melody Rangers - Rangers Rag
• The Mulkey Brothers (Ray and Shug) - Blue Railroad Train
• The Mulkey Brothers (Ray and Shug) - Reno To Rio
• Buffalo Johnson - Something Within Me (Is Telling On You)
• Buffalo Johnson - Where Are You Now
• Ernest Martin (The Gospel Singer) - Where The Flowers Of God Shall Bloom
• Ernest Martin (The Gospel Singer) - Heaven’s Highway 66
• Ernest Martin (The Gospel Singer) - Got To Humble Down
• Ernest Martin (The Gospel Singer) - My Vine Covered Cabin On The Hill
• Ernest Martin (The Gospel Singer) - God’s Long Distance Telephone
• Ernest Martin (The Gospel Singer) - Treasurers On High
• Buffalo Johnson - The Foolish One
• Buffalo Johnson - The Sweetest Dream
• Larry Godsey - I Wonder What You’ll Say
• Larry Godsey - Stealin’ My Heart
• Larry Godsey - Not For Auction
• Larry Godsey - New Made Graves In Centralia

Disc 2:

• Ramblin’ Tommy Scott - Longing For You
• Ramblin’ Tommy Scott - Mountain Ma And Pa
• George Allen - The Convicts Dream
• George Allen - Someday You’ll Know
• Stoney Cooper & his Clinch Mountain Boys - The Little Rosewood Casket
• Stoney Cooper & his Clinch Mountain Boys - What Will I Do
• Leon Beaver & his Kennedy Cowboys - Don’t Blame My Dreams
• Leon Beaver & his Kennedy Cowboys - It’s Up To You
• Stoney Cooper & Wilma Lee - Two Little Orphans
• Stoney Cooper & Wilma Lee - Wicked Path Of Sin
• The Stanley Brothers - Molly And Tenbrooks
• The Stanley Brothers - The Rambler’s Blues
• J.P. Sauceman - Day Dreaming In Sorrow
• J.P. Sauceman - You Told Me Your Love Was True
• The Stanley Brothers - Mother No Longer Awaits Me At Home
• The Stanley Brothers - The Girl Behind The Bar
• The Bailey Brothers - Happy Valley Special
• The Bailey Brothers - Rattlesnake Daddy Blues
• Curley King & his Tennessee Hilltoppers - The Pale Horse And His Rider
• Curley King & his Tennessee Hilltoppers - Whisper Softly – Mother's Dying
• The Stanley Brothers - The Little Glass Of Wine
• The Stanley Brothers - Little Maggie
• Stoney Cooper & Wilma Lee - This World Can't Stand Long
• Stoney Cooper & Wilma Lee - The Tramp On The Street
• Blue Friday & his Daniel Boone Ramblers - Why Don’t You Haul Off And Love Me
• Blue Friday & his Daniel Boone Ramblers - Step It Up And Go
• The Dixie Sweethearts - The Silver In My Mother's Hair
• The Dixie Sweethearts - The Wreath Of Flowers

Disc 3:

• George Allen - (You’re Just A Ray Of) Carolina Sunshine
• George Allen - Blue Days
• Curley King & his Tennessee Hilltoppers - A Prepared Place
• Curley King & his Tennessee Hilltoppers - Two Little Rosebuds
• The Stanley Brothers (Carter and Ralph) - Our Darling’s Gone
• The Stanley Brothers (Carter and Ralph) - The Jealous Lover
• The Dixie Sweethearts - I'm Gonna Let It Shine
• The Dixie Sweethearts - When He Heard My Plea
• Crusaders Quartet - I’ve Got That Old Time Religion In My Heart
• Crusaders Quartet - Rainbow Of Love
• Crusaders Quartet - When He Reached Down His Hand
• Crusaders Quartet - Rank Strangers
• Stoney Cooper - Matthew Twenty-Four
• Stoney Cooper - My Dreamboat Is Drifting
• Carl Sauceman & his Hillbilly Ramblers - Just A Faded Petal From A Beautiful Bouquet
• Carl Sauceman & his Hillbilly Ramblers - Careless Hands
• The Mullins Family with Cline - I Am Free
• The Mullins Family with Cline - Cabin On The Hill
• Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper - Things That Might Have Been
• Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper - Blue Mountain Girl
• The Bailey Brothers (Charles and Danny) - Alabama
• The Bailey Brothers (Charles and Danny) - The Sweetest Gift, A Mother's Smile
• The Bailey Brothers (Charles and Danny) - John Henry
• The Bailey Brothers (Charles and Danny) - I Will Never Marry
• Shorty Morris - The San Marino Tragedy
• Shorty Morris - Capital Letters (Write Your Name In My Heart)
• Stoney Cooper & his Clinch Mountain Clan with Wilma Lee - The Girl In The Blue Velvet Band
• Stoney Cooper & his Clinch Mountain Clan with Wilma Lee - What Good Will It Do

Disc 4:

• Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper - I Love No One But You
• (Unidentified Group) - Rain And Tide
• Jim Hall - The Lonely Tomb
• The Singing Miner (George Davis) - Coal Miners Boogie
• The Singing Miner (George Davis) - When Kentucky Didn’t Have Any Union Men
• Shorty Morris - Christmas Kisses
• Shorty Morris - A New Sweetheart For The New Year
• Mac McGuire & his Harmony Rangers - Mule Train
• Mac McGuire & his Harmony Rangers - Ten Pretty Flowers (To My Gal In Tennessee)
• Sauceman Brothers - Pretty Polly
• Sauceman Brothers - Little Birdie
• Hardin Bros. Quartette - Stormy Waters
• Hardin Bros. Quartette - I Will Lay My Burden Down
• Peter William Julian - How Can You Buy Killarney?
• Peter William Julian - The Moonshiner
• Hardin Bros. Quartette - O Jerusalem Fair
• Hardin Bros. Quartette - I’ll Leave My Troubles Here Below
• Al Hendershot - Country Philosphy
• Al Hendershot - M O T H E R
• Otis Parker - Bugle Call From Heaven
• Otis Parker - Merci Beaucoup, Mon Ami
• The Blue Mountain Boys (Vocal by Perry Westland) - If I Should Wander Back Tonight
• The Blue Mountain Boys (Vocal by Perry Westland) - Little Birdie
• Jack Lane & his Tennessee Valley Boys - I’m Changing Business All Around
• Jack Lane & his Tennessee Valley Boys - There Is No Other
• The Stanley Brothers - Death Is Only A Dream
• The Stanley Brothers - I Can Tell You The Time
• Peter William Julian - Old Skibereen
• Peter William Julian - If I Were A Blackbird

Disc 5:

• Sauceman Brothers with their Hillbilly Ramblers Quartet - I’ll Be No Stranger There
• Sauceman Brothers with their Hillbilly Ramblers Quartet - Hallelujah, We Shall Rise
• Buffalo Johnson - Whisper Goodbye
• Buffalo Johnson - Goodbye Boogie
• Lloyd Haynes - I Was A Fool (To Fall In Love With You)
• Lloyd Haynes - I Heard An Angel Weeping
• Happy Gospel Singers - Don’t You Want To Join That Number
• Happy Gospel Singers - Just A Closer Walk With Thee
• Bill Ward - Too Many Tears
• Bill Ward - Trouble
• George Simerly & his Tennesseans - Why Does The Army Need My Daddy
• George Simerly & his Tennesseans - It Happens Every Day
• Buster Pack & his Lonesome Pine Boys - A Wife To Love And A Horse To Plow
• Buster Pack & his Lonesome Pine Boys - Honey Won’t You Tell Me Please
• Christian Crusaders Quartet - I Want To Be Ready
• Christian Crusaders Quartet - Bound For The Kingdom
• Bill Alford & his Tennessee Hillbillies - I Don’t Know Why
• Bill Alford & his Tennessee Hillbillies - The Worried Blues
• The Church Brothers & their Blue Ridge Ramblers - I'm Lonely For You
• The Church Brothers & their Blue Ridge Ramblers - A Sweeter Love Than Yours I’ll Never Know
• Texas Slim Owenby - You Gotta Eat Sometime
• Texas Slim Owenby - Look What You’ve Gone And Done To Me
• Frank Hunter & his Country Boys - Time Don’t Mean Much Anymore
• Frank Hunter & his Country Boys - Two Can’t Win – One Must Lose
• Buffalo Johnson - Let’s Live A Little (Before We Say Goodbye)
• Buffalo Johnson - You Sure Look Lonesome (In That Corner)

Disc 6:

• Cecil & Wyona with Cuzzin Don - A Wayside Inn For Broken Hearts
• Cecil & Wyona with Cuzzin Don - A Beautiful Life
• Smiling Jack Hamlett & his Tennessee Partners - Dancing With A Memory Of You
• Smiling Jack Hamlett & his Tennessee Partners - Losing You
• Buffalo Johnson - No Love No More
• Buffalo Johnson - Frankie And Johnny
• Buffalo Johnson & his Melody Rangers - Won’t You Forgive Me
• Buffalo Johnson & his Melody Rangers - In The Mood
• The Church Bros. & their Blue Ridge Ramblers - I Know My Name Will Be Called Up There
• The Church Bros. & their Blue Ridge Ramblers - We’ll Meet Up There
• Buffalo Johnson & the Church Bros. & their Blue Ridge Ramblers - Day Dreaming
• Buffalo Johnson & the Church Bros. & their Blue Ridge Ramblers - I Don’t Know What To Do
• The Southern Ramblers - Maybe I Was Wrong
• The Southern Ramblers - I’m Just Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail
• Wanda Wolfe & The Sunset Westerners - Down Yonder (Instrumental)
• Wanda Wolfe & The Sunset Westerners - Unwanted Sign Upon Your Heart
• Buffalo Johnson & his Herd - John Henry
• Buffalo Johnson & his Herd - Nine Pound Hammer
• Jack Watson & his Dixie Range Riders - Slow Poke
• Jack Watson & his Dixie Range Riders - Detour
• Larry Dean & his Virginia Playboys - Stepping On My Toes
• Larry Dean & his Virginia Playboys - You're An Angel To Me
• Jimmy Renfro & his Memory Valley Boys - The Life We Live
• Jimmy Renfro & his Memory Valley Boys - I’d Die For The Red, White And Blue
• Little David - Zig Zag Rag
• Little David - You Played Your Part In Breaking My Heart
• Martha Carson - I Want To Rest
• Martha Carson - Lookin’ This Way

Disc 7:

• Bob (Boogie Beat) Harman - Bob’s Piano Boogie (Instrumental)
• Bob (Boogie Beat) Harman - New Caldonia Boogie (Instrumental)
• The Payne Family Quartet - He'll Lead You Through The Pilgrim Land
• The Payne Family Quartet - I'm Just A Stranger Here
• Charlie Duke & Band - California Blues
• Charlie Duke & Band - Mississippi River Blues
• Jimmy Renfro & his Memory Valley Boys - Estes Is Bestes (Kefauver For President Fight Song)
• Jimmy Renfro & his Memory Valley Boys - Tennessee Fishing Song
• Rocky Mountain Boys - Oh! Please Come Back To Me
• Rocky Mountain Boys - A Hundred Years From Now
• Larry Dean & his Virginia Playboys - Estes Is Bestes (Kefauver For President Fight Song)
• Larry Dean & his Virginia Playboys - Dive Bomb Boogie
• Freeman Barnett & his Saltwell Hollow Boys - I Can’t Leave You Crying In The Rain
• Freeman Barnett & his Saltwell Hollow Boys - Give My Best Regards To Kentucky
• Moon Mullins (with Mrs. Moon Mullins) - Bad Man Stack O Lee
• Moon Mullins (with Mrs. Moon Mullins) - I’m Begging Back
• Larry Dean & his Virginia Playboys - I’d Like To Be A Single Man
• Larry Dean & his Virginia Playboys - My Red Head
• The Souther Ramblers - Little Cabin Door
• The Souther Ramblers - I’m Sorry Now
• Hal Andrews & his Gulf Coast Playboys - If You Think You’re Smart
• Hal Andrews & his Gulf Coast Playboys - Control Over My Heart
• Jim Eanes & his Shennandoah Valley Boys - I Took Her By Her Little Brown Hand
• Jim Eanes & his Shennandoah Valley Boys - I'll Never Ever Love You Anymore
• Johnny Russell & his Kinfolks - Hold Your Horses
• Johnny Russell & his Kinfolks - The Highway Bar
• Frank Hunter & his Black Mountain Boys - Our Love Isn't Legal
• Frank Hunter & his Black Mountain Boys - Long Time No See
• Frank Hunter & his Black Mountain Boys - Tennessee Boy

Disc 8:

• Buster Pack & his Lonesome Pine Boys - Somebody Else Still Loves You
• Buster Pack & his Lonesome Pine Boys - Better Late Than Never
• Buster Pack & his Lonesome Pine Boys - Indian Boogie
• Buster Pack & his Lonesome Pine Boys - I’m Waiting 'Neath The Pine
• Buster Pack & his Lonesome Pine Boys - Stars In My Crown
• Buster Pack & his Lonesome Pine Boys - In The Land Of Peace And Love
• Buster Pack & his Lonesome Pine Boys - Just Say The Word
• Buster Pack & his Lonesome Pine Boys - Cherished Memories
• Pee Wee Lambert & Curley Parker with their Pine Ridge Boys - Weary Hobo
• Pee Wee Lambert & Curley Parker with their Pine Ridge Boys - Just A Memory
• The Stanley Brothers - The Little Girl And The Dreadful Snake
• The Stanley Brothers - Are You Waiting Just For Me
• The Stanley Brothers - Little Glass Of Wine
• The Stanley Brothers - Little Birdie
• Smokey Drew - Because You’re Stepping Out On Me
• Smokey Drew - Somebody Else That Loves You
• Jim Eanes - Blue Yodel No. 1
• Jim Eanes - Florida Blues (Instrumental Breakdown)
• Cecil Surratt & his West Virginia Ramblers - The Bright Crystal Sea
• Cecil Surratt & his West Virginia Ramblers - Where Will You Spend Eternity?
• Jimmy Hayes & his Cherokee Playboys - Can You Give Me Any Help
• Jimmy Hayes & his Cherokee Playboys - My Boogie Woogie Baby
• Scotty & Tarheel Rubye - Lift Me Up And Lead Me On
• Scotty & Tarheel Rubye - Just A Touch Of God’s Hand
• Sam Frazier - I Wonder Why You Left Me
• Sam Frazier - A Poor Boy’s Prayer

Disc 9:

• Raymond Webb & The Radio Center Boys - Hot Water Blues
• Raymond Webb & The Radio Center Boys - Bucket Special
• Ked Killen - Crying Blues
• Ked Killen - No End To My Loving You
• Ked Killen - The Angels Cried
• Ked Killen - Savage Heart
• Larry Williams - I’m Missing You Sweetheart
• Larry Williams - Don’t Cry Darling
• The Cumberland Valley Girls - Little Napanee
• The Cumberland Valley Girls - The Indians Dream
• Q.D. Holly & his Southern Troubadours - Filipino Rose
• Q.D. Holly & his Southern Troubadours - Slipping Around
• The Tennessee Valley Boys - Why Pick On Me
• The Tennessee Valley Boys - I’m Lonesome For You Tonight
• Jimmy Hutell - Heartsick Blues
• Jimmy Hutell - I Want You To Know
• The Payne Family Quartette - Lord Lead Me On
• The Payne Family Quartette - Highway To Glory Land
• Southern Sacred Quartette - Longing And My Hearts Desire
• Southern Sacred Quartette - On The Battlefield
• Payne Family Quartette - My Lord’s Been A’ Walking
• Payne Family Quartette - The Sweetest Song I Know
• Payne Family Quartet - Somebody Called My Name
• Payne Family Quartet - Tune In On Heaven
• The Payne Family Quartet - There Is Glory In My Soul
• The Payne Family Quartet - Sing To The World
• Byrd Brothers (Gene & Glenn) - Payday In Heaven
• Byrd Brothers (Gene & Glenn) - Hold Fast To The Right

Disc 10:

• The Payne Sisters - The Glory Special
• The Payne Sisters - The Love Of Jesus
• Everett Callahan - Down On My Knees (Instrumental)
• Everett Callahan - On The Jericho Road
• Jerry & Peggy – The Carolina Sunshine Girls - Mother Wears A Purple Heart
• Jerry & Peggy – The Carolina Sunshine Girls - How Can It Be Wrong
• Jimmy Flannary & his Mid-Westerners - All Because Of You
• Jimmy Flannary & his Mid-Westerners - Easy Living
• The Sunset Westerners - On The Banks Of The Hondo
• The Sunset Westerners - You Knocked The Pins From My Heart
• Texas Slim Owenby - No Help Wanted Today
• Texas Slim Owenby - Somebody Else That Loves You
• The Mello-Tone Quartette - Going Home
• The Mello-Tone Quartette - We Will Lead His Children Home
• Harold Andrews & his Gulf Coast Playboys - I Think Lots Of You
• Harold Andrews & his Gulf Coast Playboys - Aches In My Heart
• Glen Neaves & The Grayson County Boys - Black Mountain Rag (Instrumental)
• Glen Neaves & The Grayson County Boys - The Old Swinging Bridge
• Speedy Morris & his Radio Rangers - Without You I Can’t Go On
• Speedy Morris & his Radio Rangers - Tom Cattin’ Around
• The Harvey Family with Tommy - Hide Me Rock Of Ages
• The Harvey Family with Tommy - Looking This Way
• Lois Price & The Southern Ramblers with Eddie Dee - Why Not Confess
• Lois Price & The Southern Ramblers with Eddie Dee - Put Me In Your Pocket
• Emerson Leigh “The Bluegrass Baladeer” - Hamburger Hop
• Emerson Leigh “The Bluegrass Baladeer” - Mistaken Love

Disc 11:

• The Harvey Family with Tommy - Rainbow In The Clouds
• The Harvey Family with Tommy - A Shutin’s Prayer
• The Four Tones - I’m Going Up When I Die
• The Four Tones - The Love Of God
• ‘Skeets’ Rigsby & his Rhythm Boys - You’re Sailing Somewhere
• ‘Skeets’ Rigsby & his Rhythm Boys - You Passed Me By
• Hugh Lee Ott - I’ll Get Even With You
• Hugh Lee Ott - I Ain’t Got Time
• Guiding Light Quartet - It Matters Not
• Guiding Light Quartet - Little David Play On Your Harp
• Scotty & Tar Heel Rubye - I Love You Blues
• Scotty & Tar Heel Rubye - When We Say Goodbye
• Keith Buck & his Harmony Playboys - Only Fooling Around
• Keith Buck & his Harmony Playboys - Leon Boogie
• Jones Creek Quartet - While The Ages Roll On Up In Heaven
• Jones Creek Quartet - Long Sought Home
• Jones Creek Quartet - That Settled It All For Me
• Jones Creek Quartet - Oh! Sinner Look Back
• The Harvey Family - Talk About Jesus
• The Harvey Family - Peace Like A River
• The Shivel Family - Oh What A Saviour
• The Shivel Family - Ship Ahoy
• Shivel Girls Trio - He Knows How Much We Can Bear
• Shivel Girls Trio - Precious Memories

Disc 12:

• Buffalo Johnson with The Don Daye Quintette - You Can’t Be True Dear
• Buffalo Johnson with The Don Daye Quintette - Lover
• The Caudill Family - Ain’t No Grave Gonna’ Hold My Body Down
• The Caudill Family - I’ll Be No Stranger
• Bassett Quartet - Jubilee
• Bassett Quartet - I'm Not Ashamed Of Jesus
• Bassett Quartet - The Road To Life And Death
• Bassett Quartet - Amazing Grace
• Bassett Quartet - Salvation, Oh The Joyful Sound
• Bassett Quartet - Bound For Canaan
• Bassett Quartet - The Promised Land
• Bassett Quartet - Wondrous Love
• Bassett Quartet - Christian Soldier
• Bassett Quartet - Soft Music
• Bassett Quartet - Land Of Rest
• Bassett Quartet - Boylston
• Bassett Quartet - The Glory Of The Cross
• Bassett Quartet - O Jesus, Ever With Us Stay
• Bassett Quartet - Child Of Thine

Additional Details

Label: Bear Family Records

Genre: Country

Language: English

Run Time: 840:00 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 09/05/25

UPC: 4000127175496