Goebel Reeves

Goebel Leon Reeves (October 9, 1899 – January 26, 1959) was an American folk singer, born in Sherman, Texas, and raised in Austin.

Reeves' most famous song is "Hobo's Lullaby", covered by various singers, as in Woody at 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection. Woody Guthrie's son Arlo also sang it, on Hobo's Lullaby. Others include Emmylou Harris, David Carradine, Pete Seeger and Billy Bragg. A 2016 article in the Los Angeles Times called it "one of the most disarmingly endearing train songs ever written" and "inextricably linked with American folk music icon Woody Guthrie".

Reeves appeared in the 1937 Western film The Silver Trail, playing a singer named Hank in an uncredited role. He died of a heart attack on January 26, 1959, in the VA Long Beach Healthcare System of Long Beach, California.

Birth and Death Data: Born Texas (state of the United States of America), Died January 26, 1959 (Long Beach (city in Los Angeles County, California, United States) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1928 - 1935

Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, vocalist, composer, lyricist, yodeling

Notes: Often sub-credited on disc labels as "The Texas Drifter."

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 56 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia C845 10-in. 11/14/1934 The Big Rock Candy Mountain Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo and yodeling, with guitar vocalist, yodeling  
Columbia C849 10-in. 11/14/1934 Reckless Tex from Texas Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo and yodeling, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, yodeling  
Columbia C850 10-in. 11/14/1934 The Bar None ranch Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo and yodeling, with guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, yodeling  
Columbia C851 10-in. 11/14/1934 The hobo's prayer Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo and yodeling, with guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, yodeling  
Columbia C852 10-in. 11/14/1934 Cold and hungry Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo and yodeling, with guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, yodeling  
Columbia C856 10-in. 11/15/1934 The cowboy's dizzy sweetheart Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo and yodeling, with guitar vocalist, yodeling  
OKeh W402714 10-in. 6/25/1929 The tramp's mother Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo and yodeling, with guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, yodeling  
OKeh W402715 10-in. 6/25/1929 I learned about women from her Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
OKeh W402716 10-in. 6/25/1929 The drifter Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo and yodeling, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, yodeling, lyricist, composer  
OKeh W402717 10-in. 6/25/1929 The drifter Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo and yodeling, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, yodeling, lyricist, composer  
OKeh W403579 10-in. 1/3/1930 When the clock struck seventeen Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo, with guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, lyricist, composer  
OKeh W403580 10-in. 1/3/1930 Blue undertaker's blues Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo, with guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, lyricist, composer  
OKeh W403581 10-in. 1/3/1930 Blue undertaker's blues Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo, with guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, lyricist, composer  
OKeh W403582 10-in. 1/3/1930 Fortunes galore Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo, with guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, lyricist, composer  
OKeh W403588 10-in. 1/6/1930 My mountain gal Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo, with guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, lyricist, composer  
OKeh W403589 10-in. 1/6/1930 A song of the sea Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo, with guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
OKeh W403590 10-in. 1/6/1930 In the land of the never was Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo, with guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
OKeh W403591 10-in. 1/6/1930 Blue undertaker's blues, pt. 3 Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, lyricist, composer  
OKeh W403592 10-in. 1/6/1930 Blue undertaker's blues, pt. 4 Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo, with guitar lyricist, composer, vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W403593 10-in. 1/6/1930 The Texas Drifter's warning Goebel Reeves Male vocal solo, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist, lyricist, composer  
Brunswick E34013 10-in. 10/15/1930 The drifter The Texas Drifter [Goebel Reeves] Male vocal solo and yodeling, with guitar vocalist, yodeling, instrumentalist, guitar, composer, lyricist  
Brunswick E34014 10-in. 10/15/1930 The drifter The Texas Drifter [Goebel Reeves] Male vocal solo and yodeling, with guitar vocalist, yodeling, instrumentalist, guitar, composer, lyricist  
Brunswick E34015 10-in. 10/15/1930 At the end of the hobo's trail The Texas Drifter [Goebel Reeves] Male vocal solo and yodeling, with guitar vocalist, yodeling, instrumentalist, guitar, composer, lyricist  
Brunswick E34016 10-in. 10/15/1930 The Oklahoma Kid The Texas Drifter [Goebel Reeves] Male vocal solo and yodeling, with guitar vocalist, yodeling, instrumentalist, guitar, composer, lyricist  
Brunswick C3774 10-in. 7/3/1929 The cowboy’s dream Arkansas Charlie Male vocal duet, with guitar and harmonica composer, lyricist  
(Results 1-25 of 56 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Reeves, Goebel," accessed December 26, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107063.

Reeves, Goebel. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 26, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107063.

"Reeves, Goebel." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 26 December 2025.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107063

External Sources

Wikipedia: Goebel Reeves

Discogs: Goebel Reeves

Allmusic: Goebel Reeves

IMDb: Goebel Reeves

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: Reeves, Goebel, 1899-1959 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n94036556

Wikidata: Goebel Reeves - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1474397

VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/33685957

MusicBrainz: Goebel Reeves - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0d604793-47d2-4ef3-8a43-561e28b4936c

Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/338220 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/338220

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

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