If you love music, check out The Southern Music Research Center, founded by Burgin Mathews in 2022. It’s an extensive digital archive of Alabama musicians, preserving unique musical histories. Although our state has an astounding legacy of recorded musicians, you may not have heard many of them. Mathews intends to change that!

The Southern Music Research Center, and its signature radio show, The Lost Child, recently featured a recording by Smokey Reason, an Alabama native who performed at the Grand Old Opry, and with Ernest Tubb, among other great country stars. But his music may have been lost forever, were it not for the accidental find of his 1949 record at an estate sale. Relatives of Smokey Reason all tuned in when it was broadcast on The Lost Child and they finally heard it for the first time, despite having the lyric sheet to one of his songs.

Burgin is the author of Magic City: How the Birmingham Jazz Tradition Shaped the Sound of America (2023). Extensively researched, this book tells the story of Birmingham’s jazz heritage.

Title

Smokey Reason, “Stolen Kisses” Lyric Sheet & Statement of Authorship

Description

Original typewritten lyric sheet for “Stolen Kisses,” an original composition by Smokey Reason. Also included is a notarized letter documenting Reason’s authorship of the song. 

Reason’s original acetate disc recording of the song may be heard in Southern Music Research’s collection here.

Lyric sheet and letter courtesy Marrtha Casinger, Judy McCormick, Mandy Bahe, and the family of Smokey Reason. Special thanks to John Horton, whose searching unearthed the original record.

Date

04-07-1941