The Prairie Ramblers

Especially with the presence of the word "ramblers" in the name, this group which originated in Kentucky may seem on the surface like just another old-time music or traditional country band. But judging from the group's versatility and the number of different genres they were comfortable with, the Prairie Ramblers have more in common with groundbreaking music groups such as the Beatles. One of the group's recordings featuring its female vocalist Patsy Montana was the first record by a female country artist to sell a million copies, so hit-parade gold dust was hardly out of this band's reach. The Prairie Ramblers were originally formed as the Kentucky Ramblers by mandolinist Charles Chick Hurt, and "Happy" Jack Taylor, who played both bass and tenor banjo. Both men hailed from the Summershade area near Glasgow, KY. Relocating to Illinois, the two wound up collaborating with another pair of Kentucky players. These were fiddler and lead vocalist Tex Atchison, and Floyd "Salty" Holmes, a multi-instrumentalist who beside his spicy nickname was also known as the "maestro of the harmonica." The group began working together at the outset of the '30s and within a few years had made their radio debut on WOC out of Davenport, IA. Later, in 1932, the group moved to WLS Chicago, a station that would make country music history with innovative programs such as Merry Go-Round and National Barn Dance. As good as these players were, it was joining forces with Patsy Montana the following year that made the band really click. Born Rubye Blevins, the country gal was on-hand for the first set of Prairie Ramblers recordings, done for RCA-Victor's Bluebird label at the end of that year. The public's growing interest in cowboy songs and music had led to the name change; apparently, the prairie...