Talk:Guitar Boogie (song)

Two discrepancies... plus one[edit]

Two main facts are based upon Sandra Brennan’s All Music Guide to Country To Country Music (Backbeat, 2003). According to another reliable source (which I own), Dawson, Jim, and Steve Propes, What Was The First Rock 'n' Roll Record ? (Faber and Faber, 1992), ISBN 0-571-12939-0, pp 45-47, there are two discrepancies, and I found a third one regarding the duration time :

1. The first record (Super Disc 1004) was issued late 1945, not 1946 (and met only poor local sales)

According to Smith's official website (one of the refs) [1], "He wrote and recorded his first hit record “Guitar Boogie” in 1945, released in 1946 on Super Disc." The 9/15/45 Billboard [2] has a listing under "Advance Record Releases" for the single and it is reviewed in the 1/5/1946 issue[3].

2. As MGM bought up the masters from Super Disc’s owner, Irwing Feld, Smith did not re-record the song. So the 1948 record should contain the 1945 original music.

Again from his website, "As a matter of fact, Arthur re-recorded “Guitar Boogie” for MGM in 1948". The Encyclopedia of Country Music [4] has "MGM's October 1948 reissue of 'Guitar Boogie'..."

3. Dawson and Propes carefully explain (quoting Smith) that (...) In those days, three minutes and twenty seconds was all you could get on a record, that was the maximum, (...) I was lucky enough to wind it up in three minutes and eigthteen seconds, i.e. 3:18, not 3.22, whilst my Cd (played on iTunes) shows 3:23 (and the sleeve notes indicate 3:22)

How could we settle these 3 discrepancies, especially the second (and main) one ?

Thanks a lot

--Bibliorock (talk) 22:30, 30 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

One more:

4. Electric or acoustic guitar? The Encyclopedia of Country Music says "Smith quickly cut 'Guitar Boogie', an acoustic guitar instrumental..." String Bands in the North Carolina Piedmont [5] says "In 1945, after purchasing an early electric guitar, Smith cut the guitar instrumental 'Guitar Boogie'". Several other books mention electric guitar. -Ojorojo (talk) 19:51, 1 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

5. somewhere along the way someone actually wrote lyrics to this as my ex-girlfriend's father who had a band play in the coal regions north of Pottsville, PA sing lyrics to this tune. She and two of her three siblings know the words, but no one can locate them on the www. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.90.14.185 (talk) 16:04, 28 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, I don't know the process for signing...I just wanted to contribute and find the lyrics that my friends sing to this based on lyrics handed down to them by their dad. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.90.14.185 (talk) 16:11, 28 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Geeeee... It will not be easy to setlle out all these points ! Thanks a lot anyway for all your precisions ;-) --Bibliorock (talk) 12:35, 2 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

New sources indicate that the 1948 MGM version is a reissue of the 1945 recording (re-recording view moved to footnote). Also, electric vs. acoustic is still split, so both references are included. —Ojorojo (talk) 19:28, 31 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]