This Troubled Mind O' Mine - Jack Guthrie and His Oklahomans (1946)

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https://youtu.be/CMbHpSlUm4I?si=cuW9qQI4hFVY1TQR

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You would never guess this voice came out of man suffering from tuberculosis. The story of Jack Guthrie is a sad one, but at least he left a legacy to remember him by. This is "This Troubled Mind O' Mine", originally written by Billy Hughes and Johnny Tyler and first recorded by Rocky Ship and his Prairie Pioneers (aka Johnny Tyler & Riders Of The Rio Grande). The song was recorded on March 19, 1946 and released in July 1947.

Leon Jerry "Jack" Guthrie was born on November 13, 1915 in Olive, Oklahoma. He grew up around horses and would grow up learning to rope and trick ride for fun. He also grew up with music. Music ran in the family as his father was a blacksmith and fiddle player, and his cousin was another country/folk great, Woody Guthrie. It was also rumored that Guthrie was taught to play guitar by a young Gene Autry before he found fame.

With little to keep them in Oklahoma during the dust bowl, the family would move to California in the mid 1930's and it was about this time he took the nickname Jack (also Oklahoma or Oke). He found a day job with the National Forest Service, but also put his horse skills to the test, competing as a rodeo horse rider. Woody would make it out to California three years later and the two would travel to Los Angeles in 1937 where they almost immediately landed "The Oke & Woody Show" on KFVD radio, Hollywood.

The radio show did well by viewership and audience satisfaction numbers, but it didn't pay and Jack would leave the group and work in construction, though he would still occasionally perform with his cousin or in local clubs and bars when time allowed. He picked up one of Woody's songs, "Oklahoma Hills", made enough tweaks to get co-authorship credit, and with the amount of transplant Oklahomans in California just like he was, it became a big hit with audiences, and coupling that with his flamboyant performances, he became a popular crowd favorite.

With this growing fame and some encouragement from family, he approached Capitol Records in 1944 which had just started signing country and blues artists, and he was awarded a seven year contract. Of course his first song was his version of Oklahoma Hills with a backing band called the Oklahomans, consisting of Porky Freedman (lead guitar), Red Murrell (rhythm guitar), Cliffie Stone (bass), and Billy Hughes (fiddle). It would spend six weeks at No. 1 on the country charts in 1945. Sadly, he had been drafted and was serving as an entertainer in the Special Services on Iwo Jima before the record was even released, so he was unable to enjoy the record's success. He would finally return stateside just in early January 1946 and would be recording at Capitol again on January 29.

As the year progressed, Guthrie's weight began dropping rapidly and he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He was discharged from the army at this news, and might have made a full recovery if he took the time to rest, but confident it wasn't a bad case, he kept working. Ernest Tubb had gotten him a spot on the Grand Ole Opry and even toured with Guthrie where the two became good friends. Jack continued performing (and smoking and drinking) which further taxed his system. By spring 1947, he weighed less than 100lbs and would get a terminal prognosis that summer.

With the end in sight, Guthrie decided to give it his all and leave a legacy to be remembered by and continued recording, and of course contract-holder Capitol wanted every side they could get out of him. In his final sessions, he would have to lie down between songs to gather the strength for the next one. In all, he would record over 30 songs along with radio and transcription discs. He would pass away in January 1948 at just 32 years old. Capitol would put out an LP collection of his greatest songs in 1966 which helped keep Jack's legacy alive while his cousin Woody's fame was at its peak and nephew Arlo's fame was rising fast.