Good for What Ails You, Music of the Medicine Shows 1926-1937

Reviewed by Roy Forbes, host of Roy's Record Room

If you’ve ever been curious about the mythical traveling medicine shows that brought entertainment to folks long before radio, movies, TV and the Internet, this is the CD set for you. Forty-eight slices of pure, over-proof medicine-show mayhem, guaranteed to make you wanna holler, ‘Yeah! Give me some of that fine tonic! Make it two bottles! Cure my ills!’

You’ll hear singers, dancers, comedians, banjo pluckers, blues shouters, jug bands, hillbilly string ticklers, and minstrel men on this great set, lovingly transferred from the original 78 rpm releases. Entertainers like the Daddy Stovepipe & Mississippi Sarah, Banjo Joe, Blind Sammie, Memphis Sheiks, Pink Anderson, The Carolina Tar Heels and Fiddlin’ John Carson will get you right in the mood to part with some of your hard earned cash.

And, although the lyrics to a few of these ancient sides may jar the modern ear with their some-times archaic sexual and racial stereotyping, the exuberant spirit and long-lasting influence of this music can not be denied. While you’re listening and being transported to that way-back world, you can check out the amazing 72-page color booklet that’ll fill you in on the fascinating history of the medicine shows with loads of rare photographs, artifacts, illustrations, a full discography, and illuminating song descriptions. An essential listen for fans of The Room.

June 3, 2011