Ray Campi Austin, Texas 1949-1950 *

10" vinyl in a gatefold cover. The incredible musical saga of Ray Campi, spanning more than 65 years and still going strong, commenced with the previously unheard contents of this album, waxed long before the advent of the rockabilly genre that he is world-renowned for helping to keep thriving. In 1949-50, when Ray and his pals laid down these eight splendid sides at his cousin's house on an Audio Disc recorder, his hometown of Austin, Texas was dominated by straight-ahead country music. That's what Campi, then only in his mid-teens, sang as well. Quite convincingly, too. Ray Campi wrote all eight selections on this collection, including the first four from 1949. By the time McGraw captured the remaining four numbers on this collection in 1950, Campi had changed his band's billing to Ramblin' Ray and the Ramblers. The hard-driving The Rambling Rag and Toe Tappin' Rhythm are standouts from this cache of homemade discs, rounded out by the atmospheric I'd Love To Love You and Hawaiian Chimes.