
Carl Butler and his wife, Pearl, were forever immortalized by their hit Don't Let Me Cross Over. It remains one of the all time classics of hard country. But it was merely the highlight of a recording career that began in 1950 and ended just months before his death in 1992. Butler was a hard luck journeyman country musician who played "live" music on small radio stations in the 1940s and 1950s and toured ceaselessly. Neglected toward the end of his life, he lost his farm and his savings, and died alone in a trailer park. His wife, Pearl, who had toured with him for forty years, had died three years earlier. This CD features all of Carl's early recordings for two American labels, Capitol and O'Keh. Incredibly, only two of these recordings were reissued on LP and none of them have appeared on CD before now.
1) White Rose
2) Plastic Heart
3) Heartbreak Express
4) Country Mile
5) String of Empties
6) You Plus Me
7) Shake Rattle ; Roll
8) No Guarantee on My Heart
9) Our Last Rendezvous
10) No Trespassing
11) I Live My Life Alone
12) Linda Lou
13) Vicious Lies
14) River of Love
15) Blue Million Tears
16) Everything Will Be the Same
17) Stepping on My Heart
18) Penny for Your Thoughts (A Nickel for a Hug)
19) I Need You So
20) Alone Without You
21) You Can't Insure a House of Dreams
22) For Fooling Around
23) Crowded Out
24) My Heart Tells Me (You'll Come Back to Stay)
25) So Close
26) It's Wrong to Be Jealous
27) Victim of Lies
28) I Just Said Goodbye to My Dreams