Maphis's THP performances inspired countless rockabilly and surf guitar innovators including surf guitar godfather Dick Dale. Joe's tutelage made Larry Collins of The Collins Kids a phenomenal guitarist in his own right. Now, you can see why the Hollywood elite flocked to Joe. This is Maphis at his wildest, using his doubleneck Mosrite guitar as a musical Uzi!

Taken from September 1958 to December, 1959 performances (the show went off the air in 1960) the 21 performances feature:
• Maphis favorites "Fire On the Strings", "Katy Warren Breakdown" and live versions of his Columbia recordings of "Moonshot" and "Short Recess".
• Joe Maphis-Merle Travis performances of "Wildwood Flower", "Under the Double Eagle" and Chet Atkins's "Main Street Breakdown" and a three way jam between Maphis, Travis and Larry Collins.
• Joe and Rose Lee Maphis vocal duets on

Billy Grammer's hit "Gotta Travel On" and 's "Molly And Tenbrooks". Instrumental fireworks between Joe, THP fiddler Katy Warren, trumpeter Cliff Crofford and musically talented comic Quincy Snodgrass.

  DVD Track Listing

  1. Introduction by Jay Stewart

      Wait For The Light To Shine (& The Town Hall Party Gang) (public domain)

  2. Wildwood Flower (& Merle Travis) (A.P.Carter)

  3. Under The Double Eagle (& Merle Travis) (public domain)

  4. Main Street Breakdown (Chet Atkins)

  5. Rockin' Along (w/Larry Collins & Merle Travis) (Maphis / Collins)

  6. Short Recess (Joe Maphis)

  7. Bile 'em Cabbage Down (& Quincy Snodgrass) (public domain)

  8. Moonshot (Joe Maphis)

  9. Short Recess (Joe Maphis)

10. Gotta Travel On (& Rose Lee Maphis) (Paul Clayton)

11. Short Recess (Joe Maphis)

12. Molly & Tenbrooks (& Rose Lee Maphis) (Bill Monroe)

13. Fire On The Strings (& Fiddlin’ Kate) (Joe Maphis)

14. Katy Warren Breakdown (& Fiddlin’ Kate) (Katy Warren)

15. Cannonball Blues (& Rose Lee Maphis) (A.P.Carter)

16. Orange Blossom Special (& Fiddlin’ Kate) (Ervin Rouse)

17. Wednesday Night Waltz (& Fiddlin’ Kate & Rose Lee Maphis) (Spencer Williams)

18. Cotton Eyed Joe (& Fiddlin’ Kate & Rose Lee Maphis) (public domain)

19. I Feel That Old Age Creepin' On (& Quincy Snodgrass) (Burns / Haynes)

20. Your Sweet, Sweet Lips (& Rose Lee Maphis & Fiddlin' Kate) (Joe Maphis)

21. Green River Rag (& Fiddlin’ Kate) (Joe Maphis)

(running time: 67-min) (Digipac with 16-page booklet) (NTSC regional coded all)

 
A little about 'Town Hall Party'...!
'Town Hall Party' was California's largest country music barndance, running from early 1952 until early 1961. The show was broadcast every Saturday night from a theatre made up to look like an old barn in the Compton suburb of Los Angeles. Crowds numbering up to 2000 would fill the old Town Hall to see and hear the top country artists of the day. The first hour was broadcast live over KFI and reached a wider audience when NBC syndicated the show on radio. The broadcast was extended to three hours when KTTV-TV televised the show. Jay Stewart (who later hosted the TV quiz show 'Let's Make a Deal'), and Tex Ritter were the MC's and the house band featured a 'Who's Who' of West Coast country music, including Joe Maphis, Merle Travis, Skeets McDonald, Johnny Bond and Tommy Duncan. Artists appearing on the show included The Collins Kids, Carl Perkins, Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Wanda Jackson and Johnny Cash. The show was so popular that, in 1958, Columbia Records issued the 'Town Hall Party' album featuring various cast members.

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