
Apart from one mention in a bluegrass
discography, I can't dig up anything on The Country Rebels. So,
once again, we're forced to rely entirely on the liner notes (edited
slightly for length) for information:
"Tommy Beauchamp, leader of the group, was
born and raised on a farm in Lafontaine, Ontario. He learned to sing
and play guitar at the age of ten...and every day when all his
chores were done on the farm, it was pickin' and singin' time for
Tommy, not knowing it would mean a career for him in the future...He
raises Belgian horses for a hobby, and spends most of his time with
them when he and the group are not busy playing. Tommy and Polly,
his wife, now reside on a small pioneer farm in the beautiful little
country of Lafontaine. Ray Benedict was born and raised in a small
farming community near the famous Annapolis Valley of Nova
Scotia...His older brothers taught him to play guitar, fiddle and
banjo at the age of seven...He moved to Toronto and joined a country
group. A few years later he became interested in Bluegrass music,
and learned how to play the mandolin...Ray is one of the original
members of "The Country Rebels". He now lives by the beautiful
shores of Georgian Bay in Perkinsfield, Ontario with his lovely wife
and four children. Polly Beauchamp is a country girl all the
way. She was born and rasied on a small farm just a few miles from
Penetanguishene, Ontario. She comes from a family of twelve, and is
the only one in the music field. At the age of nine, Polly started
to play guitar for small family gatherings, and by the time she
reached the age of fifteen she was performing in public places for
dances, parties and friends."
Simply put, Polly Beauchamp is a fantastic
singer, and all of the best songs on this 1973 album are the ones
she sings (and, in the case of "Rebels-U-Rest" and "A Country Girl
I'll Stay", wrote). "Rebels-U-Rest" is one in a long, long line of
on-the-road songs, written from the perspective of a musician weary
of touring. "Walkin' Shoes" is a traditional bluegrass rave-up sung
by all three members. "A Country Girl I'll Stay", my favourite of
the bunch, is a lovely ballad about the joys of country life. "And
"Bringing Mary Home", an
oft-covered bluegrass
standard, is a classic Southern gothic ghost story set to music
by John Duffey and originally recorded by his group The Country
Gentlemen in 1972.
Rebels-U-Rest
Walkin' Shoes
A Country Girl I'll Stay
Bringing Mary Home