Once described as dreary by my favorite record dealer, I nevertheless find both tunes - but especially "Playing with My Heat" - very delightful. It shows once again: tastes are different.
Walter Franklin Shrum was one of the Shrum brothers, the other being Cal Shrum, who appeared in several B western movies and also recorded a great body of noteworthy western swing music on the west coast. Born on July 4, 1912, in Missouri, Walt Shrum formed the "Colorado Hillbillies" in the 1930s in Denver, Colorado. Also part of that group was brother Cal. Their first movie appearance was in Gene Autry's 1938 "The Old Barn Dance." More western movies followed, including "Land of Fighting Men" (1938), "Blue Montana Skies" (1939, also starring Gene Autry), "The Desert Horseman" (1946), "Sagebrush Heroes" and "The Lost Trail" (both 1945), and "Swing, Cowboy Swing" (1946). Brother Cal had formed his "Rhythm Rangers" in the 1930s, with whom Walt also recorded during the 1940s.
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| Billboard August 4, 1945, ad for Shrum's new releases on Coast Records |
Walt Shrum also cut a string of great singles for Coast, Westernair, and Constellation during the second half of the 1940s. He also recorded for K and K as well as Calico in the 1950s. Walt Shrum died on May 1, 1991.
See here for a 78rpm discography of Walt Shrum. See also Some Local Loser and this website for more information on Cal Shrum.
See Walt Shrum and his Colorado Hillbillies in the 1946 movie "The Desert Horseman". Virgil Braly on accordion, Rusty Cline on guitar, and Jeannie Akers on vocals (although Adelle Roberts is seen in the movie).
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