Gospel Spectacular

28939

Weatherford Quartet - It Will Be Worth It
The Southern-Aires - Thank You For The Valley
Bobby Grove - Family Bible
The Regents - City Of Gold
The Gospel Tones - I Would Not Be Denied
The Embers - Sweeter Gets The Journey

28940

Weatherford Quartet - Between Two Thieves
The Southern-Aires - The Other Side Of Jordan
Bobby Grove - Lost Highway
The Regents - We Shall Rise
The Gospel Tones - On The Sunny Banks
The Embers - I Just Came To Talk With You Lord



28941

Blackwood Singers - Turn Your Radio On
The Pine Ridge Quartet - He Looked Beyond My Fault
The Burtons - It's A Great Great Day
The Dailey Trio - Jesus Is Coming Soon
Jerry Goins - Walk On
The Carden Sisters - I Prayed Through

28942

Blackwood Singers - Lay My Burdens Down
The Pine Ridge Quartet - God Made A Way
The Burtons - Miracles Will Happen
The Dailey Trio - I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
Jerry Goins - My Father Is A King
The Mac-O-Chee Valley Folks - Over In Glory Land



28943

The Rhythm Masters, Put Your Hand In The Hand
Whitey Gleason, And The Jubilee Quartet, - I Don't Want To Live Without My Lord
The Continentals, - I've Been Born Again
The Caldwell Singers - Less Of Me
The Galileans Quartet -I Know
The Evangeleers -Oh, Happy Day

28944

The Rhythm Masters, - Let Me Live
Whitey Gleason And The Jubilee Quartet, -Let Him Show You The Way
The Continentals -What Heaven Means To Me
The Caldwell Singers -The Impossible Dream
The Galileans Quartet - He Paid The Debt For Me
The Evangeleers - Sho' Do Need Him Now

Rite sampler. This is the volume 1 and it's a set of 3 LPs. The covers of the LP's is a simple illustration of four hands/arms of different colors interlocked. As this implies, this a variety of Southern Gospel, Black Gospel, and a bit of Blue Grass Gospel mixed in together.

The Mello-Tones on Hush

The Mello-Tones
Hush 1000 LP
Wonderful Time Of The Year
#17831/17832
Rite account # 715

All instrumentals. Mostly lounge standards with organ, sax, or accordion as lead instrument

"Recording and liner notes by John Havrilla, who recorded the legendary Alarm Clocks 45. This is an all instrumental LP with a pretty cool take on "Walk Don't Run", featuring guitar and organ. Biggest surprise is a version of the soul dancer "Happy Feet Time", a local hit originally done by Cleveland group The Monclairs."

Stephenson Recordings

Frankie and the Damons
Damons 68002
22385 - My Best Friend
22386 - Bad Woman

The Dukes
Dukes 45-68003A
22699 – It’s Got The Whole World Shakin’

The Dukes
Dukes 45-68003B
22700 – Meet Me At Mary’s Place

Hear a clip of both sides

Stephenson Recordings, custom labels discography :

68001
68002 Frankie and the Damons (Damons)
68003 The Dukes (Dukes)
68004
68005 Donald Ray With The Solid Sound (Bee and Tee)
68006 Carlyle (Gee)

6700 Cliffhangers (K-CEA)
6800 Tradewinds (Tradewinds)
6900 The Brym-Mars (eEe)

In the 60s, scores of bands sprung all over the Southeast, each imitating the big, highly danceable R&B sounds coming from labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Chess. In his book « The Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music : Stories and Remembrances of a Southern Music Genre author Greg Haynes documents the stories of these party bands.

The Phelps Sisters

The Phelps Sisters
Why Not Today?
(unknown numbers)
1974

Engineered by: Frank Shoemaker.
Shoemaker Recording - Lakewood, Ohio.

Tracks :

Why Not Today? / All Of My Life / If That Isn't Love / Ten Thousand Angels / Come Holy Spirit / He's Everything To Me / The Old Rugged Cross Made The Difference / It Will Never Lose It's Power / Look Up And Live

Slim Wilson on Rocket

Slim Wilson

Rocket 103
CP-4167 –The Shepherd of the Hills
CP-4168 – God Walk These Ozark Hills

Slim Wilson (1910-1990) began his radio career in 1933 after KWTO went on the air in Springfield, Missouri. He did brief work for radio stations in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Denver, Colorado, before returning to Missouri. In his musical career, Slim worked with different singing groups for example, Slim and Shorty, Flash and Whistler (Lennie Aleshire and Goo Goo Rutledge), The Goodwill Trio featuring Speedy Haworth and "Aunt Martha" which later became The Goodwill Family when Guy Smith joined the trio. He was also the lead of The Tall Timber Trio with Bob White and Speedy Haworth. Slim became a regular on the Ozark Jubilee and later hosted his own nationally syndicated TV program, "The Slim Wilson Show".

He did numerous transcriptions in the 1940's and 1950's but his commercial cuts have rather been rare.

«Let's Go To Church»
duet with Patsy Cline
Ozark Jubilee, November 7, 1959,

The Nite Cats and The Rickshaw Five

The Nite Cats
CMP 1
7547 - Skip School Flu
7548 - Jungle
1962

This record is listed in the Rockin' Country Style website, but name of the band is listed (mispelled) as The Nite Kaps. "Jungle"has been compiled on CD : "Jungle Exotica, Vol. 2" (Crypt Records). One reviewer says :

Dominated by tribal drums, and accented with jungle chants, this seems to be a credible though night clubbie vision of jungle lands. Like pre-Osibisa, it thunders rhythmically with many different drums, but is thankfully lacking the horns. All percussion and chants.

Both titles are also found on Encore 72/73, with a Washington D.C. address! Artists credit goes to
The Rickshaw Five And Hoo Mei, a Mai-Lin production recorded in Hong Kong. Same titles. But are they the same recordings? I think that the answer is yes, even I didn't have the chance (yet) to hear The Rickshaw Five version. Judging from the (poor) picture, the label has "the typical Rite look". It could be a Rite pressing. Possible Rite numbers are 12043/4 or 12063/4.

One description said :

"Skip School Flu" is a garage/surf tune with vocals along the "Summertime Blues" line along with great guitar work. "Jungle" is an rather odd but great instrumental that reminds me of the drums/space break at a Grateful Dead show mixed with a little exotica. Again, great guitar and drums and some flute with feedback.

"Skip School Flu" seems to remain not compiled. Pre-Osibisa (?) or Grateful Dead show reminiscence (??), you decide :

Sammy Grames Band on Carter

Sammy Grames Band
Carter 4575
CP-1361 – Strange Woman
CP-1362 - Don't Want To Lose Your Love

Pianist/vocalist/bandleader Sammy Grimes was born in St. Louis, and began playing piano at the age of four – inspired by his father Fred Grimes Sr. , who played guitar, harp, violin and piano. A friend of both Roosevelt Sykes and Walter Davis, Sammy formed his own band in the early 1950’s following a short stint with the Ernest Jones band. However, it was not the blues of Sykes and Davis that the Grimes band was modelled on, but rather the big band style of Buddy Johnson.

« We played all over St. Louis, the Moonlight, the Riviera, the Levee on 4th and Carr - -- jumpin’ place, we played there for a long time – and the Dugout on Olive. I also played at the Regal Theatre on Eastern for Bo Diddley and Mickey and Sylvia. We used to have stage shows that were booked in there and we were considered a house band for them. Dave Dixon would broadcast about me, ‘my man Sam Grimes’, he gave me a whole lot of publicity. (Dixon) would always call me for the shows he promoted. »

Sammy’s first 45’s appeared on Carter Records being issued as the Sammy Grames Band. Grimes tried without success to shop the record in Chicago – both United and Chess turned it down. His next sides « Deep In My Heart »/ »Yes I Love You » (Carter 5618), featuring vocals by Floyd Alexander, were disappointing. The disc was issued as being by the "Sonny Grim Combo».

Sammy and his vocalist Vicky recorded four titles for Bill Stevens, owner of Stevens Records at Premier Studios on May 10 1959, including a Vicky-led reworking of « Don’t Want To Lose Your Love », « Falling for You » and a brace of uptempo instrumental workouts for the band – which, at Bill Stevens’ suggestion, was augmented by Chuck Wheeler on guitar for this session – completed the quartet. At the time, nothing from the session was released.

Source : Bill Greensmith, liner notes, East St. Louis – The Stevens Sessions, CD Sequel Records, 1997.

The Cavenee Family

LP Songs to Touch Your Heart

Photography by C.R. Haskill, Pontiac, Mich.

Side one

Jesus Is The Answer
I Love Him Too Much
Something Beautiful
Before I Found The Lord
I Don’t Know Why

Side two

I Should Have Been Crucified
There’s Something About That Name
Something Worth Living For
The New 23rd
Alleluia

" This record is the culmination of many years of the Lord’s leading and preparation which began when as teenagers Donna and Bob individually gave their lives to Jesus Christ. Later they were brought together when Donna was camp nurse and Bob was camp counselor at Worralis Christian Life Camp.

After their maririage they enjoyed singing, so it was only natural that their daughters, Becky and Beth, learned to sing and enjoy music at an early age. The first family singing sessions were in the car during various vacation trips.

Now as teenagers, Becky and Beth have also given their lives to Christ and joined theiur parents in using their talents for His service.

As the Cavenee’s sing, « Jesus is The Answer For The World Today » they know by experience the truth of the song. He has been the answer to the searchings and the problems of their lives individually. Jesus has been the bridge between the generation gap faced by every family. He has continually been making » Something beautiful » of their lives.

Their prayer is to be faithful to the Lord ‘s leading and that this record will bless and challenge the hearts of all those who listen to claim Christ as Lord of their lives. "

Recorded at Rite Record Studios
Recording engineer: Phil Burkhardt.

Busse Brothers

Busse Brothers

Busse Records

37245 - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
37246 - How I Feel

Film Associates , Inc. '76

Not much info about this one, certainly from Dayton, Ohio. Film Associates Inc. was established in Dayton long time ago and was already active in the fifties. Recording, TV film production, laboratory and industrial photography were the services provided by this company. The Pictorian Skiffuls, one of Dayton's most popular purveyors of the "British" sound, recorded their first 45 there in 1965.

The Busse Brothers (one of them is Danny) are still active today (country clubs, charity events, etc.).

Beep Beep and The Road Runners

Audio Dynamics 152 ('67)
19927 ~ Don't Run
19928 ~ Watermelon Man

Beep Beep and The Road Runners

Formed in Worcester, an industrial metropolis and college town in Massachusets, in 1962. They set out as an instrumental surfin’ quintet doing covers of The Ventures and other surfing hits.

By 1963 they had adapted to the British invasion by adding vocals [Tim Ralston was the lead singer] and by the time of their first 45 on the Vincent label they were a popular local attraction. « True Love Knows » was a typical teen beat effort and the flip, « Shifting Gears « a pounding surf-instrumental.

In 1966 they hired an organ player and became a seven-piece recording their second 45 for the Springfield, Ma. Audio Dynamics label, which was in an Animals soulish vein. There was also a third 45, which which I don’t have details of, in 1969 and it wasn’t until 1973, after 11 years together that they finally downed their instruments.

[From Vernon Joynson : Fuzz Acid And Flowers Revisited, book]

A discography of the label can be found HERE.

Terra-Nauticals on Viber-Sound

Viber Sound 105

19967 ~ Hanging On Me
19968 ~ Black Friday (wr John Durrill)

1967

Big Mack Records

Liz Davis
38849 - Standing In The Need Of Prayer

Liz Davis
38850 - Motherless Child

Gospel Cavaliers
39349 - Ain't It Sweet

Gospel Cavaliers
39350 - How I Got Over

"Ed McCoy started the label from an office on Livernois near Fenkell in Detroit. Later he purchased the building on Warren Ave.(between Livernois and Wyoming) it was a old movie theatre but the seats had been removed, the stage was still there and he put his 2 track recording equipment up on the stage area, he had a couple dozen of these cheap $5. plastic mikes hanging every where from the ceiling, so I guess you just start playing or singing any where you wanted and he'd find you on one of those mikes ..."

Other releases (not Rite) :

1286 - Edd Henry : Crooked Woman/Your Replacement Is Here
Pk4m-3911/2 The Manhattens : The Feeling Is Mutual/Why Should I Cry
Pk4m-xxxx - L - Hollis & The Mack-A-Do's : Bui Bui/Monkey Shine Time
T4km-6101/2- Bob & Fred : I'll Be On My Way - Baha Strings : I'll Be On My Way Part 2
2943 - Grand Prix's - You Drive Me Crazy - I See Her Pretty Face
7302 - Mae Young - Let's Give Our Love A Try – The Man Puts Sugar In My Soul
7513 - Ms Tyree (Sugar) Jones - If You Feel It - same (Inst.)
7520 - Essence - Fever / same (instr.)
10010 - The Performers - Mini Skirt Part.1. / Part.2.
24221 - Soul President - Get It Right / Got To Have It
1653 - Ed Prince – Brother In Law / Five
1001 - Maury Dean - It's So Easy / I Can't Wait
AR 5321 Oscar Miles : Inside Loving / – Side 2 : Going To A Disco
no # : Gary Nolan Singers : Will You Be A Servant ? –

Mel Bliss (Northern Star)

Northern Star CW-1006
Mel Bliss

Music courtesy of Kinzua Country Travelers
RR-42117-A - Your The Reason For Being
RR-42117-B - Crossin The Mississippi
(Kinzua?, PA)
Produced by R. Lawson
Country
1981

Tommy Roe on Mark IV 1018/1022

Information about the early sides recorded by Tommy Roe before he was signed to ABC-Paramount is somewhat inconsistent.

For example, his first record on Mark IV is not always listed in his discography. As to his second on the Mark IV label (above picture), it's not listed at all. That's this second release that has the picture sleeve (pictures below), NOT the first release. Release number is 1018 (I Got A Girl) on a side and 1022 on the "Pretty Girl" side. ANOTHER TOMMY ROE HIT is stamped in red ink on the label.

My guess is that Cleve Warnock (owner of Mark IV Records and Tommy Roe's manager) re-issued "I Got A Girl" and "Pretty Girl" at some point after the two releases of Judd Records (1018 and 1022), and added a picture sleeve. (#1022 was the last release on Judd, just before the bankrupt of its owner, NRC Records).

Despite the "CP-2622" mention printed on label (just like it was on the first Judd release), I don't think that it was pressed by Rite Records.

That's just speculation, Dear Reader, and (Notice) a picture of the flip side ("Pretty Girl") of this record would be the most welcome!

Gary Williams (Connie Sue 193 )

25203 - Country Jail Blues

25204 - House For Sale

K-K distr. Co. 1727 S. Dayton Pl., Kennewick, Washington

Rev. J. C. Bullington (Nabor 143)

25851 - A Vacant Room

25852 - In The Days Of Revelations

The Melody Rangers on Straf

The Melody Rangers

Vocal by Dottie Ducharme

Straf 1502

25247 - Loving You in Silence
25248 - Yodel From My Heart

Stamped on label : OCT 27 1969 and Property of WPEP.
Produced by Doris Taylor.

WPEP, AM radio broadcast station was located in Taunton, Ma. from 1949 to 1970. This record is probably from the area, as the following little piece of information found here regarding Dottie Ducharme, the vocalist, tend to confirm (that's I like to think anyway) :

DOTTIE DUCHARME of Turners Falls is very proud of her daughter, Krystal, 17, who has been letting her hair grow for the past three years for a worthy cause. Krystal went to Hair by Phase One and had 19 inches of her hair cut off to donate to Locks of Love, which makes hair pieces for cancer patients.

''I want her to know how much I love her. It took a lot of courage to have her hair cut off,'' wrote her mother. ''Everyone likes to hear when someone does something good.''



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Chuck Edwards, Rene and Punch labels

Chuck Edwards and Irene, his wife

Charles Edward Edwins was born in 1927 in Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh or Philadelphia?). He started playing guitar professionally in the late 40’s, eventually joining up with the Sonny Thompson Band (with whom he made his first record ‘Harlem Rug Cutter’). He recorded for Duke, Apollo and Alanna in the fifties

By 1960 he was back in the Pittsburgh suburb of Canonsburg, playing, recording and working in a steel mill to help pay the bills.

He founded his own label, Rene (named for his wife Irene), and for the next six years recorded and released records under his own name, and backing others.

Rene label discography :

Rene 1151 - Phil Lipari and the Chuck Edwards band
Please Come Back b/w Later for You Darling by (1962)
..
Rene 1152 - Chuck Edwards
Shake Baby Shake b/w Come On Babe

Rene 5050- Chuck Edwards
I Don’t Want No Company b/w Do Right Baby (1965)

Rene 7001 - Chuck Edwards
Bullfight b/w Chuck Roast (1966) (picked up for national release by Roulette)

Above releases 62-66, King & RCA custom pressings.

Below, 68-69 Rite pressings :

Rene 1008
The Prisners Dream
20601 - Autumn Days
20602 - You're the One I Really Love
"Garage. Strong Rising Storm / Velvet Undergound vibe in 'Autumn Days' which is a fantastic sombre and moody garage track with fine guitar break. The B Side is a similar midtempo track.
"Not yet comped.

Punch 11001 (a subsidiary of Rene Records)
Chuck Edwards

21107 - Downtown Soulville
21108 - I Need You

Rene 20010
Maria Sacco

21109 – Rock n’ Roll Postman
21110 - Dollys Are For Kids

Rene 20012
Melodie Martin

21997 ~ In The Shadows of Your Past
21998 ~ I Hardly Think About You Anymore
Country

Rene 20013
Chuck Edwards

22941 – Bullfight #2
22942 - Pick It Up Baby (Your Love’s Slowing Down)

Billboard ad, October 1968

- o - o - o -

In 1972 Chuck Edwards packed up his family and moving to the San Francisco Bay area, living in a motel for the first several months. It was there that the Edwards family became the band The Edwards Generation. By the mid-70’s they released at least one 45 (‘School Is In’ b/w ‘Someone Like You’ on Ghetto), and a full length LP. His sons, Les and Jeff, played in the Edwards Generation.

Acknowledgements : most of the Chuck Edwards information above came from a biography found HERE where much details and appreciation of the artist can be found.

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Tommy Finch

Cobra 1000
18967 – Street Without Joy pt. 1
18968 - Street Without Joy pt. 2

Cobra 1001
20657 – Spirit of 68
20658 - Blue Skies

Tommy Finch

Tommy Finch, a New Holland, Pa. resident had two releases on his own Cobra label in 1967 & 1968. According to Billboard (March, 30 1968), he died at this home the week before of a heart attack, the same week when his second single Cobra was released.

Lee Andresen in his book "Battle Notes: Music of the Vietnam War" devote a paragraph to Tommy Finch's first release :

[...] Another area of Vietnam that found its way into a song was the so-called « Street Without Joy », an area that was actually just north of the old imperial city of Hue, in the northern part of the country. According to Tommy Finch, in « Street Without Joy », this « street » or « highway » winds all the way from Hanoi to Saigon and is full of sad people whose lives have been ravaged by the war. Some of these sad cases are beggars, some are lovely and « coy » women but all share the status of victim. Finch proudly points out that there is not a « steet without joy » in America where freedom is firmly entrenched because of « men who were men » that « rang the libery bell ». Although its topic makes it one of the more interesting of the songs about the war, « Street Without Joy », can only give the briefest of glimpses into what the war did to the people of Vietnam.

Kenneth Blount

River Road

15235 – Conscience, Set Me Free
15236 - I've Fallen For You (K. Blount, J.D. Southall publisher)

Country

Charles Teel Band

Charles Teel Band
Lost Motion E 100-73
Daytona Beach, Florida

40211 - Captain Kong
40212 - Muscle Daddy Of Love

Arranged by Vince III (Vincent L. Smith III)
Produced by Charles Teel
Engineer : Dana Cornock

"Funky, and super-obscure Florida group. The lyrics to these songs were taken from a book called “Lost Motion E”, which is also the name of the record label. Recorded in New Smyrna Beach, Florida in November 1978, and released a few months later. The band was actually known as Sunshine Corner. They were renamed the Charles Teel Band for this recording only."

Ziontone label

Victory Stars Of Atlanta
Ziontone
13283 – He Works A Wonder
13284 – Walk With Me Lord
Rite account # 1329

Atlanta, Georgia gospel on a label likely owned by Harrison Smith.

Ziontone Records discography :

Southern Gospel Singers of Atlanta, GA
17851 – One Day I Got To Go Home
17852 - Last Mile Of the Way

Spiritual Knights
20135 ~ Send Down Power
20136 ~ Glad I'm Saved


The Soul Searchers :
Nobody Knows/Strengthen Me (NRC 377)

The Gospel Keys :
Jesus My Friend/I Got The Holy Ghost (NRC 524)

Echoes of Zion Singers :
Lord I Come To Thee/ A Prayer (NRC 612)

Beverly Mae Wilson

Beverly Mae Wilson
Robert Atwood Sherwood Enterprises 101
34337 - Lonely Fool
34338 - My Secret
1975
country

Beverly Mae Wilson, of El Cajon, California, had a release on Impact Records in 1961. "Beverly's material is written by her uncle-agent , Robert A. Sherwood, and arranged by Gene Lamar", wrote Billboard, in the Oct. 30, 1961 issue.

What happened to her between 1961 and 1975, year of release of this record is not known.

Lolita R. Smith (LP on Varbee)

 

Lolita R. Smith
LP Varbee 1120

Side 1 --- 40863

Watch Me Dance
It’s A Shame
It Doesn’t Matter Anyway
Just Love Me

Side 2 --- 40864

Your Love And My Money
Don't Walk Out The Door
Daydreams Don't Die
Wait for Morning

Oak Park, Michigan
Engineer George Hellow
Arranged and conducted by Telldell Music & Polaris Production

Mighty Cherubims Gospel Singers of Wilson, N. Carolina

Label : Pinewood

37299 - I Cried, And He Delivered Me
37300 - Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Spiritual vocal : Joseph Cox ;
Piano, arranger : Johnnie Moore

Bill Stamper on Loy

Loy 100

Bill Stamper

14105 - Let It Rock
14106 - High School Dance

"Let It Rock" is a primitive cover of the Chuck Berry tune. "High School Dance" is a cover of the Sonny Bono-penned song (Larry Williams, Specialty Records)

The record is listed in the Rockin' Country Style.

Winchester, Kentucky label owned by Wm. Stamper himself who released at least two other singles :

102 Ray Watts & The Questions :
Till The Mets Win The Pennant/ I Had To Keep My Eye On You

103 Otis Johnson And The Sound Of Soul :
UK4M-6x72 I’m Not A Fool/Crying Over You



There was a single on REM Records credited to Bill Stamper, but it's not him :

Rusty York remembers going to King to record his swampy version of Jimmy Reed’s 1960 blues hit, " Baby What You Want Me To Do ", and a rocked-up version of " Molly Darlin’ ", a Victorian-era ballad writen by Will Hays that became a hit for Eddy Arnold in 1948. Rusty, though, didn’t have the money to put it out, so he took it to Bob Mooney at Rem Records in Lexington, Kentucky. […] Mooney said he had a guy under contract, Bill Stamper, who couldn’t sing very well, and he issued the single under Stamper’s name.

[Colin Escott, liner notes to Rusty Rocks, Bear Family CD]

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