Fess Parker Great American Heroes

Great American Heroes is a straight reissue of Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Abe Lincoln and Other Great American Heroes, a 1964 album by Fess Parker devoted to Johnny Horton-esque historical folk songs about figures from early American history. Low on historical accuracy but loads of fun, all of these songs make their subjects sound like Paul Bunyan. Since Bear Family routinely cross-licenses material for their CDs, it would have been nice if they had added some of Parker's '50s recordings for Columbia (including his hit version of "Ballad of Davy Crockett"). The Great American Heroes album alone is awfully brief in light of the high price tag, but the fidelity and packaging is first-rate. ~ Greg Adams