The Shelton Brothers

Bob and Joe Shelton were among the more successful brother acts of their era, at least based on the number of recordings they made--150 sides cut for Decca alone, as well as songs for Victor and King. They aren't heard of much today on reissues, in part because much of their recorded legacy dates from before World War II, and didn't have many elements of bluegrass (despite the fact that Joe Shelton played the mandolin). Bob Attlesey (b. July 4, 1909) and Joe Attlesey (b. Jan. 27, 1911) were born in Reilly Springs, in Hopkins County, Texas. During the 1920's, they were listening to artists like Peg Moreland and Jimmie Rodgers on Victor, and were making music themselves, Bob singing and playing guitar and fiddle, and Joe on vocals, guitar, and mandolin. They played locally and then moved to Longview, Texas, and then to Tyler, Texas, where they picked up a temporary partner, Leon Chappelear. The trio recorded for the first time in Chicago in 1933, for Bluebird, working under the name the Lone Star Cowboys. They also accompanied Jimmie Davis on his sides for RCA-Victor (Davis later ran for governor of Louisiana, with the brothers campaigning for him in 1944), and moved their base of operations to New Orleans, where they broadcast regularly on WWL. In 1935, they began recording for Decca Records, the upstart company that was revolutionizing the music business with its low prices and aggressive marketing-it was Dave Kapp of Decca that suggested the Attlesey brothers needed a more commercial name, for which they reached back to their mother's family name and became the Shelton Brothers, also changing their names legally. It was during the period that ensued that the brothers cut some of their most memorable songs, including originals like "Just Because" (later covered by Elvis...