Berlin Hillbillies

The cultural highlight of my and Mister F's recent long weekend in Berlin was undoubtedly our trip to the Country Music Meeting up in Wittenau. Three days of music, dancing and good old-fashioned American-German fun, although in our case it was nearer three hours than three days. While the bands weren't bad, they weren't half as entertaining as the fans.

  

Possibly Germany's most impressive contribution to country music is Bear Family Records, a label responsible for many excellent reissues of rare and vintage sounds. Sure enough, there was a stall at the Messe selling assorted Bear Family CDs for €5 a pop, so naturally I helped myself to a few. They included "Flying Saucer Boogie", the collected works of one Eddie Cletro - no, me neither. Here are a couple of Eddie's best from 1951 and 1952 respectively.

 

"Lonesome Train Boogie" - Eddie Cletro

 

"First Class Second Hand Woman" - Eddie Cletro

 

As for the acts we saw in Berlin, the pick of the bunch was Evi Tausen from the Faroe Islands. I was going to call her The Faroese Nightingale but I am not sure if they have nightingales way up there (and The Faroese Puffin doesn't really sound like a compliment). Anyway, here she is with a long-lost song co-written by Vivian Cash, Johnny's first wife.