I would guestimate that Tex has been gone since the early 1950' or mid 50's at the latest.

I have a 33rpm of him but there are no liner notes. Heavily Hawaiian influenced single string playing. A voice that only a mother could love went well with his jumpy style.

The German Bear Family Label has reissued the Capitol recordings of Jenks Tex Carman from 1951 to 1953. Very interesting record!
www.bear-family.de

Regards, Walter

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Let's hear it for a true nutter. Acoustic slide guitarist Tex Carman couldn't play in tune to save his life, and he sang occasionally in a mixture of English and gibberish that he probably thought was Polynesian. Everything's redeemed by his irrepressible energy and unabashed looniness, though. Here are all his '51- '53 Capitol sides, including Hillbilly Hula, Hi-Lo March, Samoa Stomp, Locust Hill Rag, Dixie Cannonball and 15 others. Fans of the slide guitar and steel guitar need this.

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Born: May 14, 1903, Hardinsburg, Breckinridge County, Kentucky, USA. DIED: February 2, 1968. There are probably few completely accurate facts (even his year of birth) known regarding this eccentric country music entertainer. Carman enjoyed embellishing details and at times, may well have stretched the truth. He claimed Cherokee Indian ancestry, a fact reinforced by his penchant for appearing in Indian costume, but research of the Cherokee Nation failed to find any reference to him, although one of his great-grandmothers did claim to be Cherokee. He learned to play guitar as a child and in his teens, he left the family farm to become an entertainer. He worked in Louisville, for a time as leader of the Glee Club Quartette, hoboed, busked and toured the vaudeville circuit and, in 1929, he even recorded for Gennett. After becoming friendly with Frank Plada, a noted Hawaiian guitar exponent, he changed to that instrument, which he always played as an acoustic instrument hanging around his neck. Although his playing has drawn considerable criticism, he proved popular throughout the 40s and 50s. In the late 40s, he relocated to California, recorded for Four Star and as Jenks Tex Carman, the Dixie Cowboy, he played on KXLA radio, the noted Compton Town Hall Party and Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree. In the early 50s, he recorded five sessions for Capitol Records; some tracks remained unissued until a 1991 release by Bear Family Records. His most popular recordings were "Hilo March" and "Hillbilly Hula". Speaking 40 years later, Capitol producer Ken Nelson still winced at the memory of recording him: "He was so lacking in rhythm but he had this goofy sound on the guitar and he sold records." After Capitol, he recorded for Sage and had material released on several other labels, including Old Homestead. He was always liked by his fellow artists although most commented on his vocals and guitar playing. Wesley Tuttle rated him the worst musician in the world but paid tribute to his stage presence. Johnny Western commented, "He'd come to the show half-bombed and with a bottle in his guitar case but he was a born entertainer. He'd come on with a big smile, play the Hawaiian guitar with all those flourishes and playing 'drums' on it but he could never play in tune. One of the major jokes that went the rounds was that Tex beat one of his kids half to death because the kid untuned one string on Tex's guitar and wouldn't tell him which one". Carman died at the age of 64 and there is little doubt that he was indeed a character who deserves to be remembered.

Discography:
Country Caravan (Modern 1959)***, Jenks "Tex" Carman (Sage 1960)***, The Ole Indian (Sage 1962)***, Early Dobro (1962)***, Jenks "Tex' Carman Sings And Plays (Sage 1963)**, Tex Carman (Crown 60s)***, Wreck Of The Old "97 (Old Homestead 1982)**, Hillbilly Hula (Bear Family 1991)***, Chippeha! 1947-1957 recordings (Revenant 1998)***.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Herb I wonder what you guys will say about me
After I'm gone?? nice things I hope. Howard
didnt you mention that you had an uncle Jenks
or was it Jake? Oy.

I didnt want to say this is an earlier post but Jenks would make Roy Smeck sound like
Alvino Rey by comparison,,,nevertheless may he and his "vibrato rest in peace" amen.

Thank You as well Walt for the information.

[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 04 January 2004 at 03:06 PM.]

May he rest in peace and I'm sure he is. Its
those who are buried near Tex that will have a difficult time resting in peace if they can hear that "Wild Vibrato"

When I was getting involved with blugrass dobro,(1970s) I was also becoming enamored with Hawaiian style. I purchased a compilation record of Hawaiian artists and "Hillbilly Hula" by Carman was included. It was such a weird wacky thing that I kept playing it over and over, I guess for the novelty of it. I then searched and found an entire album of his "gems."

Yep, he sold records.......

[This message was edited by HowardR on 05 January 2004 at 10:46 AM.]

" . . .couldn't play 'Come to Jesus' in whole notes, and had a voice most reminiscent of the dying moans of some wounded forest animal... good, though."

"May he rest in peace and I'm sure he is. Its those who are buried near Tex that will have a difficult time resting in peace if they can hear that 'Wild Vibrato.'"

I trust that anyone who's not familiar with Carman has had their curiosity whetted by these comments, yes? Bear Family may sell more copies of the album this month than they have in the past ten years.

In the case of Tex Carman, I believe his lack of musical skills were not self-acknowledged, shall we say?

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

I guess he must have sold records.

Rememeber her?? if you do your as old as I am
She had feathers and bananas stuffed in her hat. I have never seen a hat like that since.

Jenks on the other hand, appeared to have a natural gift of imperfect pitch, both in his playing and his vocal atrocity. He was spontaneous in his absolutly awful renderings. His vocals were rough and gruff. His accompanyment on the Hawaiian guitar created an interwoven congress of offensive soundwaves.

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Was he as bad as this?

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I can't believe that I listened to that whole song.

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

[This message was edited by Jerry Hayes on 16 January 2004 at 12:03 PM.]