Bill Cox and Cliff Hobbs - Sally Let Your Bangs Hand Down ~1936

We'll start our story with William Jennings Cox (Bill Cox, aka the "Dixie Songbird"), born August 4, 1897 in Eagle, West Virginia. Growing up, he learned to play the guitar and before long, was singing at parties and gatherings around Charleston, West Virginia in the 1920's. Over time, word of his talents spread around and by 1928, he found himself hosting his own radio program on WOBU, and at nearly the same time, won a recording contract with Gennett. He recorded over 40 songs between 1929 and 1931, which proved he wasn't just a flash in the pan artist like so many old time and early country artists were and in fact would go on to become West Virginia's second most recorded artist prior to World War 2. He jumped over to the American Record Corporation in 1933 with Art Satherley as his producer.
It was with ARC in 1936 that he met the "and" in today's record, Clifford (Cliff) Hobbs (b. June 19, 1916 in Cedar Grove, West Virginia). Cliff came from the coal mines, and similarly worked his way up to some sort of reputation for playing some good music. I've seen one source say that Hobbs was hired to play guitar on Cox's radio program while Cox recovered from a hand injury, and I've seen another that says "Uncle Art", Cox's manager, wanted to jump on the duet band wagon that was becoming popular in country music, but either way, the two worked well as a duo. Some reports say they recorded 60 songs together, another report says up nearer the 150 mark, creating popular songs such as "Filipino Baby" and "Sparkling Brown Eyes".
The pair's luck would change in 1940. Cox decided to retire a bit prematurely and wound up falling on hard times. Thanks to the major resurgence of old-time country music sweeping the nation, he was rediscovered in 1966. Sadly by then, he was living in a converted chicken coop in the slums of Charleston, West Virginia. He was included in a new album from Kanawha Records and gained much attention from Country and Bluegrass scholars trying to learn the old ways, but Cox would pass away in 1968 before anything could come of his talents. According to a bio about Cox, he led a bit of a reckless lifestyle that kept him from reaching his true potential. It also mentions that Cliff went back to coal mining. His grave however shows that he was a private in the US Marine Corps during World War 2 and lived until December 21, 1961.
Today's song is called "Sally Let Your Bangs Hang Down", a composition by the pair, with both playing guitar, Cox playing harmonica and both providing some great vocals. The recording took place on November 18, 1936.

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Didn't know this song was that old, previously I have only heard the Maddox brothers and Rose's version.