This is Southland

mickd · Post by **mickd** » 20 Sep 2000 10:26 am

does anyone know how this tune came to have this title ? Is that Southland as in Dixie ?

Kenny Dail · Post by **Kenny Dail** » 20 Sep 2000 10:47 am

This tune was written by Les "Carrot Top" Anderson, formerly with Bob Wills and later with Town Hall Party and possibly Spade Cooley. I think he was noted for his vocals more than his steel playing. He was the vocalist on one of the San Antonio Rose cuts Bob Will did and also played the steel ride. I heard he had a son that was a steel player on the west coast but I can't recall the source. Ole Rassmusen recorded a similar tune and called it "Lone Star Chimes" or "Rag", or something like that.

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kd...and the beat goes on...

Kenny Dail · Post by **Kenny Dail** » 20 Sep 2000 10:50 am

In answer to your question

, I don't know what region of the South he might have been referring to. Kinda got carried away, sorry.

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kd...and the beat goes on...

Steve Honum · Post by **Steve Honum** » 20 Sep 2000 11:29 am

"This Is The Southland" was recorded by Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant, on Capitol records I believe when they were both based in Los Angeles during the 50's. The area around L.A. and Orange County is frequently referred to as 'The Southland' by local weather presenters on TV so I always assumed the geographical reference in the song title was for around here.
hare mae,
Steve Honunu

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 20 Sep 2000 12:25 pm

Carrot-Top did have a son, Jimmy Anderson, who was a steel player and a friend of mine, also a Brother Mason. He and his wife came to several steel shows in TX, OK, and ISGC. Jimmy passed away a few years ago, but Lynn still comes to the TX show, just to hang with the guys and reminisce like we all do.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Homesite

mickd · Post by **mickd** » 21 Sep 2000 12:35 pm

thanks for the replies.
Its a great tune - seems to be quite a standard. I've got a Leon McAuliffe version and also Bobby Koefer (on Tom Morrells "No Peddlers Allowed" - great album)

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 23 Sep 2000 11:24 am

Yeah I figured it was for "southern California"

It does seem to have been somewhat of a bandstand fave for a while there.{has Herb Steiner cut a version?}
Blackie Taylor who many Californians might know from his music store actually had a 1960s band called Blackie Taylor & the Southlanders, which included people like Cecil Bays, Tommy Allsup and Hank Ross at different times.
The name was inspired by the version Les cut with Wills, as far as I know and Blackie cut a version of it in the late 1970s with Carl Cody's band.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jason Odd on 24 September 2000 at 11:28 PM.]</p></FONT>