Goebel Reeves
Goebel Leon Reeves (October 9, 1899 – January 26, 1959) was an American folk singer. His most famous song is "Hobo's Lullaby," which has been covered by numerous singers, notably Woody Guthrie.
Born October 9, 1899 in Sherman, Texas, Reeves grew up in Austin while his father was a shoe salesmen. His father rose from selling shoes to become a member of the Texas State Legislature. His mother taught the voice and piano. In 1917 he enlisted in the army, as a bugler he was wounded in frontline action. He was discharged and in 1921 adopted the life of a hobo, writing and singing songs as he travelled. It was from this time that an aura of mystery surround the life of the Texas Drifter. He travelled to Italy as a merchant seaman in the mid twenties and toured Europe. But Europe was not ready for the Drifter and so, broke and hungry he stowed his way back. He arrived in Galveston in 1929 and the first sound he heard was a Jimmy Rodgers record playing from a record store. Making records seemed like a good idea so he swung upon the next fast freight for New York practicing yodels in the box car straw. Reeves walked into Long Island recording studio of the Gennett Record Co. and told George Keats, the manager, that he was an important recording artist from Texas. His first recordings were issued as Goeble Reeves, but that was too mundane; at all later sessions for Gennett, Okeh, and A.R.C he used a variety of pseudonyms including: The Texas Drifter; The Yodelling Wrangler; George Riley; Bert Knowles; The Broadway Wrangler; The Yodelling Rustler; Johnny Fay; The Broadway Rustler and Louie Acker.
The Reeves' big break came in 1931. He was invited to join the clientele of a high class New York restaurant and clutching his guitar, in he went. Graham McNamee, an NBC announcer, introduced "The Singing Bum" to Rudy Vallée, who immediately placed Reeves on his network radio show. Reeves was a great success, and signed an NBC contract for "three and a half." Reeves, not being the world's greatest accountant, divided several meals into $3.50. But when he got his pay check he was shocked; the three and a half turned out to be $350. Frank Black of Brunswick laid out the red carpet and allowed Reeves to make some transcription material (" Radio Station H.O.B.O calling......"). During this time around 1932-34 Reeves met such artists as Carson Robinson, Vernon Dalhart and Frank Luther.
Heavy drinking and smoking took toll on Reeves' once melodic voice. His last sessions were in 1938 for the McGregor Transcription Recording Co. of Hollywood Ca. These were numerous but not of his usual high vocal standard. The last transcriptions for McGregor were poems read to a strumming guitar, just before he joined the Wobblies (the Industrial Workers of the World). In the 1940s Reeves was semi-retired in Bell Gardens, a Los Angeles suburb. He lived completely alone having lost touch with family and all his friends.
Goeble Reeves died of a heart attack in Long Beach Veterans Hospital on 26 January 1959
Reeves had a musical style that resembled that of "the Singing Brakeman" Jimmie Rodgers, including yodeling and lyrics about life on the road. Reeves claimed that he had taught Rodgers how to yodel as they traveled together in the 1920s. A sampling of the Texas Drifter's recordings can be found on the third CD of a four-CD set released in 2005, Sounds Like Jimmie Rodgers -on which Reeves sings 19 songs.
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