Sons of the Saddle - ST

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Pick Me Up On Your Way Down	02:20
	2	Big River	01:48
	3	Nova Scotia Home	02:22
	4	One More Ride	01:59
	5	Jimmy Martinez	03:38
	6	Cattle Call	02:33

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Have a Drink On Me	02:42
	2	I'll Be Lonesome When You're Gone	02:13
	3	Little Boy Lost	02:15
	4	Heartaches by the Number	02:43
	5	My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You	02:36
	6	Crazy Arms	02:33

Photos

Videos

No Video

Information/Write-up

Sons of the Saddle were a Canadian country and western group formed in Calgary, Alberta around 1950, built around the Siebert brothers and a circle of working Prairie musicians. The group emerged during the postwar boom in radio barn-dance programming and touring dance-hall entertainment, quickly establishing themselves as a polished and dependable western unit.

For their first five years, Sons of the Saddle performed extensively in and around Calgary, appearing on radio and working dance engagements throughout southern Alberta. Their growing reputation led to a major opportunity when the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation invited the band to relocate to Winnipeg to take over musical duties on Saddle Songs, a weekly national television and radio program devoted to country and western music.

By the mid-1950s, the band had moved east into the Ontario nightclub circuit, becoming a regular attraction in Toronto and Hamilton while continuing to tour beyond Canada. Contemporary documentation places the group performing as far south and west as Nevada, reflecting the cross-border reach of their professional circuit. During this period, Sons of the Saddle held a lengthy residency at Toronto’s El Mocambo Tavern and Supper Club, where they reportedly performed for nearly two consecutive years.

The group’s recorded output consists of a small but significant run of Canadian LPs issued in 1959 and the early 1960s. Two albums were released on Aragon Records—Sons of the Saddle Vol. 1 Featuring Vic and Lenny Siebert (ALP 108) and Sons of the Saddle Vol. 2 Featuring Gene Siebert (ALP 113)—documenting different Siebert-led configurations of the band. A later self-titled LP on Canatal Records (CTLP 4003) presented a repertoire drawn largely from contemporary country standards alongside original material associated with the group.

Personnel shifted over time, but the Canatal LP identifies the lineup as including Lenny, Vic, and Gene Siebert, along with Johnny Allan, Lucky Ambeault, and vocalist Diana Leah. Steel guitarist Johnny Allan is independently documented as having performed with Sons of the Saddle, situating the group firmly within the western swing and country working-band tradition that flourished in Canada during the 1950s.

Although Sons of the Saddle did not achieve mainstream chart success, their longevity, national broadcasting exposure, extended nightclub residencies, and cross-border touring mark them as one of the more durable Canadian country ensembles of their era. Today, their Aragon and Canatal recordings preserve a vivid snapshot of Canada’s mid-century country and western entertainment circuit.
-Robert Williston

Musicians
Lenny Siebert
Vic Siebert
Gene Siebert
Johnny Allan
Lucky Ambeault
Diana Leah: vocals

Production
Produced by Art Snider
Engineered by Dave Newberry
Recorded by Newberry Sound Studio, Toronto, Ontario

Artwork
Cover photo by Robert Ragsdale

Liner notes
On this LP, Canatal Records presents the Siebert Brothers, “Sons of the Saddle” group, a unit that has often been referred to as Canada’s number one country and western band.

The band was formed in Calgary in 1950, and since that time has made a strong bid for recognition in the top circles of entertainment. For the next five years, the boys entertained in and around Calgary, in radio, and dance work. Hereafter, the CBC called them to Winnipeg to take over the chores on Saddle Songs, a weekly TV and radio show.

Three years later, the band moved to Toronto and the night club circuit, where they became a success in the medium in the Toronto and Hamilton area, and as far south and west as the State of Nevada.

At the present time, the band is appearing in Toronto at the well-known El Mocambo Tavern and Supper Club. Here the boys have had a record-breaking engagement of nearly two years.

For this album, the group picked a dozen numbers that have all at one time or another made the country and western hit parade.

The band now consists of Lenny, Vic, and Gene Siebert, Johnny Allan, Lucky Ambeault, and vocalist Diana Leah.

Comments