Okay, here's a warning: stop reading right now if you're not interested in having a really, really diverse music collection.

Pee Wee King (alias Frankie King, alias Frank Kuczynski) started off as a pretty straightforward Polish-American bandleader, but a stint backing Gene Autry awakened him to the possibilities (and the magic) of country-western or "hillbilly" music. King's take on the music was pristine cowboy crooning -- innocent western swing-derived tunes with a healthy dose of twang and a refreshing Hollywood-musical friendliness. Whether due to preference or style, King never really embraced the drinkin', lechin' and lyin' themes that were seeping into "mainstream" country-western music circa 1950 -- this isn't "cry in your beer" music, it's "chuckle-in-your-punch" music. If you've ever had a place in your heart for old-fashioned cowboy music, you'll embrace the "Ramblin' Blues", get down with your grandparents to "Get Together Polka" and leave Kris Kringle a big hunk of beef jerky while "Rootin' Tootin' Santa Claus" helps you dance off your post-holiday-shopping egg nog bender.

Bloodshot's Revival imprint has packed these two discs with 51 of King's greatest "hits". Originally recorded for Standard Radio Transcription Services (who provided leased programming to radio stations, and whose cast-offs you can occasionally find at really good library stock sales) nearly 50 years ago, these tunes are as vibrant today as they were in their heyday. They're also the absolute antithesis of everything that is modern rock and roll -- and we all need an escape from modern rock and roll now and then, don't we? If you're daring, you'll give King a try.