KENNETH HOUCHINS
Kenneth Houchins (1912–1990), billed as "The Yodeling Drifter," was an Illinois-born singer and guitarist whose career spanned more than two decades. Beginning in radio in 1930, he appeared on numerous Midwestern stations before recording more than forty masters at the Gennett studios in Richmond, Indiana. Although strongly influenced by Jimmie Rodgers and Gene Autry, Houchins developed a polished solo style that combined country blues, yodeling, and traditional hillbilly music. He later performed with the Prairie Ramblers, appeared regularly on the Iowa Barn Dance Frolic, and continued his broadcasting career into the early years of television.
MEAN OLD BALL CHAIN BLUES
Recorded January 24, 1933 — Richmond, Virginia
Matrix: 18980 - ARC Banner 32591
"Mean Old Ball and Chain Blues" is a blues-inflected lament delivered with a relaxed vocal and an assured guitar accompaniment. Houchins maintains a steady alternating bass while weaving melodic fills between the vocal lines, demonstrating a style rooted in country blues yet adapted to the commercial string-band tradition of the early 1930s.
HOMESICK FOR HEAVEN
Recorded July 18, 1933 — Richmond, Indiana
Matrix: G19266 - Champion 16679
“Homesick for Heaven” is a sentimental sacred song built around the longing for a heavenly home, a theme common in early country and gospel repertoire. Kenneth Houchins approaches it with the same plainspoken quality found throughout his recordings, giving the song the character of a personal expression of faith rather than a formal hymn.
