Shelly Lee Alley
Shelly Lee Alley (July 6, 1894 – June 1, 1964) was an American singer, musician, songwriter and western swing bandleader. As a songwriter, Alley wrote "Travelin' Blues" for Jimmie Rodgers, a song which has been recorded by over 20 artists, including Merle Haggard and Ernest Tubb. He is a member of the Western Swing Hall of Fame. He is considered one of Texas' best bandleaders of the 1930s and 1940s and a pioneer of western swing music. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Alleyton (unincorporated community in Colorado County, Texas), Died 1964 (Houston (seat of Harris County, and largest city in State of Texas, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1931 - 1951
Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, composer, vocalist, lyricist, violin, songwriter, speaker, yodeling
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 87 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-58971 | 10-in. | 8/16/1932 | Gambling barroom blues | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with violin, banjo, and guitar | songwriter | |
| Victor | BVE-67134 | 10-in. | 1/31/1931 | Travellin' blues | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, violin, songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-047664 | 10-in. | 2/12/1940 | I'll take you back again | Bill Boyd ; Cowboy Ramblers | String band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | BS-063046 | 10-in. | 4/7/1941 | Answer to "My precious darlin'" | Lonesome Buddy | Male vocal solo, with guitar | composer | |
| Victor | BS-063047 | 10-in. | 4/7/1941 | Your heart has turned to stone | Lonesome Buddy | Male vocal solo, with guitar | composer | |
| Victor | BS-071142 | 10-in. | 10/9/1941 | Answer to "My precious darling" | Alley Cats | String band, with vocal | composer, leader | |
| Victor | BS-071143 | 10-in. | 10/9/1941 | Beer joint blues | Alley Cats | String band, with vocal | composer, leader | |
| Victor | BS-071144 | 10-in. | 10/9/1941 | The big house blues | Alley Cats | String band, with vocal | composer, leader | |
| Victor | BS-071145 | 10-in. | 10/9/1941 | Why are you blue? | Alley Cats | String band, with vocal ensemble | composer, leader | |
| Victor | BS-071146 | 10-in. | 10/9/1941 | My love | Alley Cats | String band, with vocal | composer, leader | |
| Victor | BS-071147 | 10-in. | 10/9/1941 | Sweetheart of mine | Alley Cats | String band, with vocal | composer, leader | |
| Columbia | DAL772 | 10-in. | 6/12/1939 | I've got the blues #2 | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | DAL773 | 10-in. | 6/12/1939 | Big house blues | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist | |
| Columbia | DAL774 | 10-in. | 6/12/1939 | I'm wondering now | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | DAL775 | 10-in. | 6/12/1939 | It makes a lot of difference now | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | DAL776 | 10-in. | 6/12/1939 | I wish I'd never learned to love you | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal duet | leader, vocalist | |
| Columbia | DAL777 | 10-in. | 6/12/1939 | Tired of you | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, instrumentalist, violin | |
| Columbia | DAL778 | 10-in. | 6/12/1939 | Let's do it honey | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | DAL779 | 10-in. | 6/12/1939 | My Texas sweetheart | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal duet | leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, violin | |
| Columbia | DAL780 | 10-in. | 6/12/1939 | Two more years (and I'll be free) | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
| Columbia | DAL781 | 10-in. | 6/12/1939 | Hang your pretty things by my bed | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | DAL782 | 10-in. | 6/12/1939 | My little dream girl | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, instrumentalist, violin, composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | DAL783 | 10-in. | 6/12/1939 | Goodbye forever | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
| Columbia | DAL784 | 10-in. | 6/12/1939 | I'll keep thinking of you | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal trio | leader, vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | DAL1088 | 10-in. | 4/29/1940 | I'm smiling (just to hide a broken heart) | Alley Cats ; Shelly Lee Alley | String band, with male vocal | leader, composer, lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Alley, Shelly Lee," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108394.
Alley, Shelly Lee. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108394.
"Alley, Shelly Lee." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Shelly Lee Alley
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Alley, Shelly Lee, 1894-1964 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no00030900
Wikidata: Shelly Lee Alley - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q56000373
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/70931749
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1555472 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1555472
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.