Thursday, December 27, 2012

Sonny Rhodes on Cherrie



Sonny Rhodes

35833 ~ Are We Losing Our Thing
35834 ~ Hen Pecked Man  sample

Cherrie 2380
56 Teresa St.
Dale City, CA 94014

produced by C. White

1975




Clarence Edward Smith, better known by his stage name Sonny Rhodes is an American blues singer and guitarist.

Born November 3, 1940 in Texas. He was influenced by such blues musicians as T-Bone Walker, Percy Mayfield, Pee Wee Crayton, L.C. Robinson and B.B. King. He plays lap steel guitar and also learned to play bass guitar. 

His first record was as leader of The Daylighters on Domino Records.  The Daylighters also backed white female singer Joyce Harris on the same label  :

Joyce Harris and the Daylighters never played in public, only on records, so she was adamant about regular rehearsals before they stepped into the studio.
"One night, the Daylighters didn't show up, and so I got in my car and went looking for them," recalls Harris, a New Orleans native. There was a place over on "the Cuts," slang for East 11th Street, where the Daylighters liked to hang, and sure enough the musicians were coming out of the club when Harris pulled up. "Don't you remember, we've got a rehearsal?" she said. "Get in."   But bandleader Clarence Smith and the other three hesitated.   In Texas in 1961, black men didn't get in a car with a white woman, but Harris would have none of that. "Get in!" she said again, her tone amplified, and the band eventually complied, though it was an uneasy drive across town.

from Little indie label Domino laid down Austin sounds before scene's heyday

Note : has a few errors, notably the date of this Cherrie single.



Sunday, December 23, 2012

Jimmy Patrick on Renaud


Jimmy Patrick
CP-2128 ~ $20 Dollar Bill
Decatur Renaud
Decatur Renaud
Renaud 540314/5
Louisiana
August 1959

Decatur Renaud also wrote “Betty Jane” (jan. 59) and "Queens of New Orleans".  No other info.
Audio : LP "Rockin' and Rhearsing" (White Label 8958, 1990)
Labels : e-bay


Friday, December 21, 2012

Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs on Cole


Maurice Williams
And The Zodiacs
 (Former Gladiolas)

     CP-2466 – Lover (Where Are You)
Williams-Massey, Colehard Music BMI

CP-2467 – She’s Mine
Williams-Gore, Colehard Music BMI

Cole 101

A P. Gernhard And J. Carter Production
Nationally Distributed By National

November 1959


Their second release on the label  (first was as by the Zodiacs ( "  T Town / Golly Gee "  - Cole 100, a RCA custom pressing)

Cole Records, located at 2441 Rigby Dr., Columbia, S. C, was started in the summer of 1959 by Vincent Cole and Phil Bernhardt.    






They were originally named the Royal Charms.   Ernie Young, prexy of Excello Records, changed their name to the Gladiolas after their first recording session in Nashville.  
.
In 1958, when the group left Excello Records, and because the Gladiolas name stayed with the label, they have to renamed themselves :
 
The group would undergo yet another name change. “When the contract was up with Ernie, we decided to go more national, because he only distributed in the southeast. We were in West Virginia getting our car fixed, because the station wagon had broken down and we were in this dealership and there was this car called the Zodiac. My bass player Robert Gore saw the car and suggested we think of the name Zodiacs and we liked it, because it was completely different. It was a European car (U.K – Ford). Then our manager said, ‘We will call you Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs and then you do not have to worry about your name anymore.    Interview with Maurice Williams

Their biggest hit came with "Stay",  a song Maurice Williams had written years earlier about that one Lancaster girl and the night she had to leave because she had to be home by 10 :00 pm.  

In 1960, Herald released « Stay », and audiences loved hearing about Williams’s efforts to persuade his girlfriend to remain past her curfew as he assures her that her parents won’t mind if she stays for just on more dance.  By November, the record had reached #1, and at one minute and thirty-seven seconds the record is well known for being at the shortest #1 record in the history of the Billboard charts.  Today it’s estimated that the record has sold more than ten millions copies.    Carolina Beach Music: The Classic Years by  Rick Simmons, book.



Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Flock-Rocker on Planet


The Flock-Rocker
The Crown Prince Of The Blues

CP-1597 - After Hours (No. 2)

Mitchell Hearns, Planet Music BMI
Guitar solo by Johnnie B. Goode

     Planet Record Co. 103
St. Louis 13, MO.

Released 58/08/21

note : guitarist Johnnie B. Goode is probably Bennie Smith, tough Blues Records discography doesn't list him as member at  the Planet session, incidentally erroneously dated 1961  (see discography below)






Born Mitchell Hearns, the Flock-Rocker, also known as Gabriel,  was born in Louisiana, he attended Lincoln High School in East St. Louis at the same time as Miles Davis.  Gabriel was buddies with Davis brother, Vernon Davis, and the two played in school bands together.  He had his own band in the 1950s that included the "Dean of St. Louis Electric Guitarists" Bennie Smith.

Through the years, Gabriel came to know many of the musical greats. Gabriel has hung out with Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf and Chuck Berry. A buddy of another blues and rock elder, Ike Turner, Gabriel occasionally mentions on air that he used to shuttle Turners ex-wife, Tina Turner, to gigs because Ike trusted Gabriel not to make a pass at her.


He ran a record store called the House Of The Blues in St. Louis where he sold nothing but blues and gospel music. He owned part of the old Majestic Theater in East St. Louis, but problems with his business partner cost him more than $20,000 in the deal, a financial debacle from which he says he's never quite recovered.

" The first mistake I made was opening the thing up with a convicted felon, Gabriel says. He couldn't get a license, so I put up all the money for it. The thing went belly up, and they're still sending me bills. Now that place is on the registry of historic buildings. Who was the idiot there? Poor, dumb me. "



St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame :

 Gabriel was a personality on WOKZ in Alton, IL., in 1952, mixing blues and R&B with hillbilly records, jazz and the old standards.
     His next stop was WTMV in East St. Louis where he did live remotes, moving across the river to KATZ where he started doing fill-in work for vacationing deejays. When PD Dave Dixon went on vacation, he asked Gabriel to take over his many remotes.
     Gabriel was then hired to do the Sunday gospel shows on KATZ, which led to a full-time slot from 7:30 - 9:00 each night, for which he won the St. Louis Sentinel's award for Best Radio Personality. He later took the 1 - 6 a.m. slot from the late 1950s until 1969.   Then it was on to a year-long Sunday night stint on the market's most eclectic radio station, KDNA, which was supported solely by listener contributions.
     He left the market briefly from 1973-1976, returning to a job at WESL. He ended up doing a weekly show on KDHX in 1989 on which he re-created the programs he had done in the 60s. In 1999 he won the Riverfront Times award as the Top St. Louis Radio Personality.
     Gabriel produced and recorded some R&B and blues classics, including the first 45 by Tina Turner, which was recorded in Ike Turner's living room and kitchen on Virginia Place in East St. Louis in the late 50s. At various times he also ran a couple record stores, a theater featuring live music acts and a nightclub.

At KDHX

He only plays music out of his own collection. While KDHX has a large and varied music library, it pales in comparison to Gabriel's, which dates back to the 1920s and includes approximately 50,000 records, tapes and CDs.

During breaks, the portly man rolls up the sleeves of his blue and black flannel shirt and shuffles over to the suitcases, the cuffs of his faded black denim pants stopping at the tops of his dusty wingtips with worn soft rubber soles.

He flips through his tapes looking for some song that probably only he could remember. Gabriel has spent the better part of the past three years transferring his old vinyl sides to the computer so he can burn them onto CDs, which are easier for him to carry.

Back in the day, I would have four or five of those suitcases filled up with 45's, 78's and everything you can imagine, Gabriel says. That was like movin' your whole house.

This suitcase DJ system has been with Gabriel as long as he's been on the air. And he's been on the air a long, long time.

Jim O'Neal, owner of Stackhouse Records has been working on a Gabriel collection for over a decade, hunting-down original 45s, 78s and acetates from all over the collector’s market  (from a now defunct website, http://www.realbluesmagazine.com/BluesNews.htm)  :

 Jim O’Neal’s Stackhouse label will be releasing the much-anticipated compilation on the legendary The Flock Rocker (a.k.a. Gabriel & His Trumpet) who had over a dozen releases on the Planet, Norman, Tempora 500 and Royal American labels, all out of St. Louis/East St. Louis.   What’s really special about these recordings is that various members of Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm do backing along with the super-hot Bennie Smith on guitar. Jim has been working on this collection for over a decade, hunting-down original 45s, 78s and acetates from all over the Collector’s market.    
 
 Jim O'Neal made a mention of the scheduled release on his blog (November 6, 2009) here :
 Next Stackhouse release is the long-awaited compilation of 1950s and ‘60s sides by East St. Louis DJ, singer, and trumpet player Gabriel (he has a last name but doesn’t think you or the IRS need to know it) –- rocking, sometimes zany stuff including snippets from his radio shows and tracks with the great Bennie Smith on guitar. Gabriel still broadcasts every Sunday night at midnight on KDHX – check out his show at www.kdhx.org.

But I can't find any evidence that the compilation was ever released.  And Stackhouse Records seems to be inactive now
 .
 

 Flock-Rocker discography
 (scanned from the Mike Leadbitter and Neil Slaven Blues discography)


Mitchel Hearns recorded as The Flock-Rocker,  Gabriel,   Gabrel, his trumpet and Band of Angels,  and Gabriel & the Angels.

Not to be confused with the Gabriel and the Angels on April, Amy and Swan  :
 Gabriel and the Angels was the remnants of the FIVE SHARPS. A very popular combo consisting of Rick Kellis (Gabriel) on SAX, etc., Ed Badyna on Trumpet and Valve Trombone, Frank Pizzutello on Bass and Accordian, Rick Magee on Guitar, Larry Costanzo on Drums. Rick Kellis replaced the Original SAX man Joe Mariano who is also retired from the Insurance business. The FIVE SHARPS were very well known around N.J,PA,DE, and N.Y. Especially the Shore Points and Universities.


Sources, ressources

  • DJ Gabriel embodies the St. Louis blues, article by Daniel P. Finney Of the Post-Dispatch 11/06/2004
  •  Flock-Rocker discography (see pic above) : Blues Records 1943-1970: Volume 1 A-K by Mike Leadbitter and Neil Slaven

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Mike Mitchell and the Play Boys on Bango



Mike Mitchell and the Play Boys

8859 - Josephine   (Vocal Ernie Greene)
Gus. Kahn and Wayne King, Leo Feist Pub. ASCAP
8860 - Playboy Boogie Twist (instrumental)   sample
E.C. Mitchell, Blair's Music BMI

Bango 502

1962

1906 Clements Street
Detroit 38, Mich.


Not much is known about the owners of Bango Records, Clarence .L. Blair and Rose E. Blair.    They had certainly some kind of Philadelphia connection as several acts issued on their other label, Fine Arts, were from the City of Brotherly Love.

Mr Blair was probably born around 1900 : "I've Got The Blues To-Day" is one of the first song copyrighted by Clarence Blair (1923, Detroit).

Here I Go, Where the Morning Glories Grow", another of his composition, was copyrighted in 1938 (his address is then Philadelphia).   "Here I Go" was recorded in 1950 on Gotham Records, a Philadelphia label, by Roland Burton, a former Lionel Hampton balladeer.     The copyright for this song was renewed in 1952 with the name of Rose Blair then added.








Saturday, November 24, 2012

Bob Tyree on Monza

 


Bob Tyree
22151 ~ Honky Tonk  Man
22152 ~ Momma Don't Allow
Monza
10435 Val Tierra S.W., 
Albuquerque, NM
1968


Nothing found on the internet about Bob Tyree, unless that he is/was THIS Robert Tyree, country singer,  who ran off with his  2 years old daughter, named Dodie Tyree.  There were rumors that he killed her and buried her in the desert.





Friday, November 23, 2012

Clarence Johnson And His Tom Cats on Jerome


Clarence Johnson And His Tom Cats


 Jerome 7363
1964

 
 One copy of this RARE record was recently auctioned by records dealer (and blues collector) John Tefteller, described as follows  :
M- GREAT AND RARE!!! Rockin' Country Blues Masterpiece! MB $2000

 Clarence Johnson

On Feb. 18, 2006, Clarence Johnson, 86, was found wrapped in clothes, trying to stay warm in sub-freezing temperature in an unheated, ramshackle duplex at 480 N. 26th St. in East St. Louis. Johnson died 20 minutes after reaching the hospital
 
It was rumored among the blues community that he was the son of the renowned blues guitarist Lonnie Johnson, whose distinctive style he drew from heavily. But Fannie Harper, his half-sister,  discounts the connection. "I don't know where they got that from," she says of the legendary lineage. "His father was Jack Johnson."

Perhaps shrewdly, Clarence did little to clarify the matter while he was alive.
 
Johnson worked mainly as a sideman.  He backed up a young Miles Davis, as well as several other area musicians.   Over the years he managed to lay down a few tracks of his own for Jerome.   Though he played music all his life, he earned his keep fixing radios and other small electronics out of his house.

Sources:
  • Beth Hundsdorfer, obituary published in Belleville News-Democrat on March 8, 2006 :  Blues singer identified; family to be at funeral
  • Malcolm Gay,  "Going Down Slow" article, Riverfront Times,  Apr 26 2006

Jerome label

The Jerome label is listed in the Song-Poem records discography (Phil Milstein)


 The question of who operated the label is still open. 





Saturday, November 17, 2012

The Northanaires on Process


The Northanaires

(Melvin  Blue, Process Music BMI) 
Lead by Theodis Buchannan

11526 ~ You Pray For Me 
(Clarence McGuire, Process Music BMI) 
Lead By Clarence McGuire

Process 118

1964


Black gospel group from Akron, Ohio. They had another single on United Audio in 1970.

Theodis Buchanan transitioned to his heavenly home on July 13, 2011. He was born April 19, 1928 in Tuskegee, Alabama to Narcisus and Walter Buchanan.

He moved to Akron in 1951 where he resided until his transition.   Theodis retired from Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in 1987, after 37 years of service.   He was a member of various gospel singing groups, including The Buchanan Brothers, The Northernaires and The Buchanan Singers. He was a devoted member of New Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, where he faithfully served as a Deacon for decades. His hobbies included watching sports, fishing and gardening. He won numerous “Keep Akron Beautiful” Awards for his gorgeous yard. He was a role model and father figure to many. 
  [Obit.]

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Johnny Dot And The Dashes on Vaca



Johnny Dot And The Dashes
 
CP-5233 ~ I Love An Angel
CP-5234 ~ Just For You

Both songs wr. Johnny Dot
Opal Music, Co.
 
Vaca 102
 1961
 
[ Also issued on in the UK on Salvo in March 1962 ]
 


 Johnny Dotson, leader of Johnny Dot and the Dashes


There is a strong possibility that Vaca Records was owned by Speedy West (1924-2003), steel guitarist who frequently played with Jimmy Bryant, both in their own duo and as part of the regular Capitol Records backing band for Tennessee Ernie Ford and many others.     If he wasn't the owner, he was certainly involved with the label.

  • Opal Music, publisher of both songs, was owned by Speedy West
  • The opportunities no longer available for country musicians in the L.A. area, Speedy made arrangements to go to work for Fender Musical Instruments as manager of their warehouse in Tulsa, OK.   He moved to Tulsa in September, 1960

After moving to Tulsa, Speedy continued to play steel guitar, although not full time because of his employment with Fender. He had his own band for several years and played at various locations in the Tulsa area for dances, special events, etc.  



 

Saturday, November 10, 2012

The Lyrics (JWJ 1002/1003)


The Lyrics

20711 – Stronger Than Before (R.B.Johnson, Barlak Music)

20712 – What Do I See ? (R.B.Johnson, Barlak Music)

Produced By D. Wright - J. Johnson
    JWJ Enterprises 1002/1003
217 Lincoln St. 
Allegan Michigan 49010

This is the second of the four records issued by this soul/RnB group on JWJ. Enterprises. 



Saturday, November 3, 2012

The Epics on Lifetime



 
The Epics
 
CP-3349 ~ Let's Dance

CP-3350 ~ Lonely
 
Lifetime 1004
 
black vocal group




Billboard review, October 31, 1960


Lifetime Recordings was founded in 1952 by Lester W. Osband (1913-2009).  As a local custom recording company, Lifetime recorded various Rochester High School bands, church choirs, etc. before launching his own Lifetime label in 1959 The initial release was by The Capris, a black vocal group, now a rare item.

Lifetime records pressed by Rite Records are listed HERE.




Thursday, November 1, 2012

The Marcelles on Renown


The Marcelles

24017 – Ding-A-Ling, Act I
24018 - Ding-A-Ling, Act II

Richard Lucas and Charlie Williams
Renown Records & Publications BMI

 Renown 1024


Soul/funk from 1969 on Durham, North Carolina label. The label, started in 1957, had a dozen of releases until 1960 in a 100 series .  The most successful Renown releases from the period were by Wayne Handy, a rock 'n' roller who performed both up-tempo numbers and Elvis-type ballads. 

Renown Records seems to have been dormant during the most part of the sixties and was reactivated with a new 1000 series, all known releases being by country singers, with the exception of  The Marcelles.











Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Lee Hazen & Rana Leggett on Tropical


 Lee Hazen
Bishop-Way, Alison Music ASCAP

Tropical 108

1964


Lee Hazen : 
My hobby was making sound on sound recordings in a method similar to Les Paul's - two recorders bouncing back and forth adding parts to make up a complete recording.   I started doing that for fun in l958 using a Berlant Concertone series 30 full track recorder and a borrowed Ampex A 112 1/2 track recorder that belonged to Ted Merthe's dad in Daytona Beach.

I made many recordings with Ted our Senior year at Seabreeze High - 58-59 and some of my recordings were heard by Bob Quimby at the National Songwriter's Guild.   Bob offered me a job singing custom demos.   I remember the first one I sang called "LIttle Jenney" and will never forget the melody.   I also played guitar and bass on the demos in an assembly line fashion.   Bob played piano, I played guitar and the vocalist sang the tune.   We would typically cut 15 songs in an afternoon.   Later, we would play back that tape and overdub - Bob playing a snare drum and cymbol and me playing my Fender Bass VI 6 string bass guitar. 


Bob had different names for groups according to the type of song we were demoing.  The Surftones was
Chuck Conlon, Marshall "Chuggy" Letter, and myself.   The vocal sound was pretty tight and the Surftone demos are memorable. But NOT anything I sang as a solo artist. Anything for a buck ! I got $2 per part I played and $2.50 per song I sang, so if I sang lead AND background, I could make up to $9 a song !

Leaving Bob Quimby, he spent one year at the Criteria Studios,   Next, he handled the recording and the mastering department at King Records in 1966 where he recorded Hank Ballard, James Brown, Freddie King, Stanley Brothers, The Casinos, 2 of Clubs and many others.

Next, he was in Nashville, working at Glenn Snoddy's Woodland Sound Studios  in Nashville.   And, finally, Lee opened his own studio, the "Studio by the Pond" at his home by Old Hickory Lake near Hendersonville, TN. 


 
Rana Leggett

Bishop-Palenske, Alison Music ASCAP

Tropical 108

1964


Rana/Rayna Leggett

Thanks to Lee Hazen who was then working at the King Records studios,  Rana/Rayna Leggett was signed in 1966 to the Cincinnati label.   King issued only one record by her : "Let The Little Girl Love / Now The Shoe Is On The Other Foot ". 



"Carellen recording star" Rayna described as a "Southern Belle, with an extremely great talent in the vocalist department" was featured in "Daytona Bech Weekend", a teen beach party movie from 1966 (starring Del Shannon).

She sings two songs in the movie : "Hopeleslly" and "You're the Boy for Me".




Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Royal Dukes on Bee



The Royal Dukes

Muiccio - Barbour
B&G Music

7990 ~ Najavo
J. Massey-R. Wilson
B&G Music

Bee 1118


 The Royal Dukes were all from the Reading area. The group consisted of Bill Bower on sax, Wilson Bohanok and Bill Yuhas on guitar, Stan Witinski on bass, and Dominic Muiccio on drums.

They backed Don Ellis (a.k.a. Harold Shultters) on his Bee recordings (1958-1961).  

X-Bat Records released in 2008 a double-CD, "Bee Records Story", containing four unreleased tracks by the Royal Dukes :  The Claw, Nameless, Little Pussy Cat   (feat. Sonny Muiccio) and Treble Guitar (feat. Wilson Bohanok)

"Little Pussy Cat" and "Treble Guitar" are probably from the "Fat Man Twist" session.  Sonny Muiccio (=Dominic Muiccio ?)  is also probably the vocalist on "Fat Man Twist".  The X-Bat booklet may have more information.




Grover Barbour, who founded Bee Records, had a gym on Court Street, Reading, Pa. and a stable of boxers in the late forties/early fifites.  In 1957.he owned dry cleaning business,  Society Cleaners, located at 664 Schuykill Avenue, Reading, Pennsylvania.  But Grover Barbour had always wanted to be in the music business.

One day, after a conversation with Russ Golding, a young aspiring song writer who had his cleaning done at Grover Barbour shop, he decided to finance B&G Music.    The publishing company  was formed on March 26, 1957, with Grover as president and Russ as general manager.   The whole venture started out with the idea of only being a music publisher. T   he plan was to market their songs to established record companies and artists.   To do this, it was necessary to record «demos» of their songs.   To this end, Grover and Russ assembled a group of teenagers who they called « Candy Heart and the Valentines ». This group rehearsed, but never recorded.    Russ recalls :  « Talent came to us by word of mouth » Society Cleaners became the beehive, serving as a mukti-purpose business office, reception area, rehearsal studio and occasionally a makeshift recording studio (not to mention a busy dry cleaning establishment.) ........








Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Eddie Billups on Peachtree

Eddie Billups

20746 - Ask My Heart

Both wr. Eddie Billups, Henry Wynn Music, BMI

Peachtree 104



The rarest 45 on the Peachtree label. The last copy offered at e-bay was sold for... 3.940 $US according to  popsike.


Peachtree Records

In the late 60s William Bell had earned Stax Records national hits with some ballads such as Everybody Loves a Winner, A Tribute to a King and I Forgot to be Your Lover . However, since William wasn’t signed to Stax as a writer or a producer those days, he was free to look for other outlets for his creativity as well, and as a result he became the co-owner of a new label in Atlanta, Georgia :


 “I got a new management with a young man named Henry Wynn out of Atlanta.  Peachtree was formed by me and Mr. Wynn in 1969  (ed.  first releases are from 1967].  When he signed on as a manager for me, I was doing a lot of his tours and he saw that I was different from a lot of acts.  I was always trying to cram knowledge of the inner workings of the music industry, because Sam Cooke was one of my heroes and when he expressed that there’s money to be made in publishing – ping!  I’m thinking ‘okay, I’ve given all my publishing away.  Now let me renegotiate, and get half of the publishing at least’.”
 “Henry suggested that he had some opening acts that he was putting on his tour that didn’t have record deals, but they were good acts like Johnny Jones, Jimmy Church and all of those guys.  So he said ‘why don’t we form a record label, and you handle the production end and I’ll handle the promotional end’.  So I was doing the writing and producing for Peachtree and he was handling the marketing end of it, and we put these acts on tours with us.”





Shorty Billups and the Original Foxx Band



Shorty Billups

 The following information is from Shorty Billups's own website : 

Born in New London, Connecticut, February 1,1932, Shor'ty Billups (pronounced Shor-tay), started at an early age singing and playing the piano . He started traveling and performing for our "Troops" at the age of  15 yrs  old with the U.S.O. At the age of 18 years old he set aside his "dancing shoes" for the purpose of serving our Country for the next four years, never losing site of his vision.

There is a lot of confusion regarding Shorty Billups and Eddie Billups various records   


The most pertinent information I've found is from Matt Starr who posted the following message in 2001at a Southern Soul forum :

Shorty vs Eddie Billups :

According to Shorty Billups, from an interview I did with him in 1991, he and Eddie are brothers. Shorty sings and plays drums, and Eddie plays keyboards. At some point due to "personal reasons" which he wanted to remain off-the-record, Shorty wanted the records issued under Eddie's name, even though Shorty says he is the vocalist on ALL of their records together.  There is one possible exception, noted below.   I hope some day to speak to Eddie to hear his side and confirm this, but to date I haven't. But this seems reasonable, given that their earliest records (United Artists, Blast, Tri-boro), which seem to be just the
vocalist in front of a studio band, were all issued as by Shorty. The later (mid-60s) 45s, when they were a self-contained unit, go either way. Sometimes the same sides were issued as by Eddie on one label, and by Shorty on another.

According to Shorty, the only possible exception is the B-side "Rap on Alone" which may be Eddie in duet with Mickey Jackson....

Clifford E. Bibbins

Even more confusing is the meager information found online regarding Clifford E. Bibbins who wrote and produced a lot of songs recorded by Shorty, from the start of Shorty's recording career (Fine Records in 1960).   Edward Alfred Bibbins as he was also known was born in/1938 and died in 2008. He is buried in Chattanooga, TN.  But the story of Bibbins is yet another story...



Shorty/Shortie/Eddie  Billups/Billips/Billup various labels





Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Frames (Illinois)



The Frames

42611-A - Tight Pants 
(J.Patton)
 
42611-B -  That's Alright

Recorded at Q&R Recording Studios, Evanston, Illinois

1983









Saturday, October 20, 2012

Garland F. Ferrell on BRW





Garland F Ferrell


20556 ~ Short Skirts

BRW
   Produced by Billy Wagner Music Publishing Co.

 1967

This is (perhaps) Garland Fontane Ferrell, Sr.  of Durham who passed away Thursday, March 3, 2011 at his residence (The Herald Sun, March 6, 2011).  No further info on this singer and songwriter.

The BRW label was owned by Billy R. Wagner, a Virginia-born singer, songwriter and publisher, also known as Billy Reese Wagoner. The label had several addresses, as much as Billy Wagner had himself  :  Durham (North Carolina), Yorkville (Illinois), Hampton, Titusville, Lake Butler and Waldo, all in Florida.



In 1985, Billy Wagner dedicated a special album to the Mothers and Students Against Drunk Drivers campaign,  $10 (check or money order)(Included with album or cassette, a picture of the artist, booklet of safety efficiency money saving ideas for home and auto. )



Friday, October 19, 2012

The Hi-Boys on Unicom



The Hi-Boys

   9547 - Mist Of Blue

9548 - They Say

    Unicom 1202
 Huntsville, Alabama

 1963



Standing : Walter Buddy Tarr drummer, Curtis Boldin, guitarist and singer, Bobby Glenn bass man. 
Seated Wendell Haygood, singer and guitar
Students at Butler High School.

 
The Hi-Boys were classmates at Butler High, Huntsville, Alabama. Unicom is their first record.  There was at least two further records (on Gold Master and Woodrich Records). They continued to perform together, with some personnel changes, well into the 1970's.

Songwriter Dean Frazier was the owner of the label.  See the first release on Unicom here :  http://thatsallritemama.blogspot.fr/2012/01/roger-wilcoe-on-unicom.html

Songwriter C. Hughey is Carlyle "Buddy" Hughey who recorded for local labels Cherokee and Woodrich. Buddy Hughey is listed in Rockin' Country Style, rockabilly online discography.



 
 Billboard, March 16, 1963




Saturday, October 13, 2012

The Riots (Chicago garage band)



The Riots

17145 - I Can Go On

X66-1387/1388
 
1966

   
All members were from the Old Town area of Chicago, near Lincoln Park. Larry Dieden co-wrote both of these songs and sings lead on "I Can Go On" and backup vocals on "You're My Baby."








Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Cliff Butler and the Lovers on Frantic


Cliff Butler and the Lovers

CP-1870 - I Can't Believe
J.Sanders – G.Smith, San-Gor BMI


CP-1869 - Everybody Needs Somebody
C. Coleman – C. Butler, Alexander, BMI


Frantic 801
Louisville, Kentucky
1959



The Frantic label was probably owned by WAKY deejay Jack Sanders.



Cliff Butler was born on October 17, 1922, in Louisville, Kentucky.

 His early experience in music was with one of the many jug bands that made their home in Louisville. After serving in the Army Air Corps in World War II, he returned to his hometown and organized his first band to back his singing. His first recordings were with the Three Notes, for Signature (1948), followed by recordings for King (1949). 

Through the mid-fifties Cliff and his trio played at Louisville nightspots like The Neon, The Silver Dollar Bar and The El Rancho.  In thelate fifties he became a deejay for WLOU in Louisville, Kentucky.

After turning to the ministry in the early sixties, he continued to broadcast on local radio and recorded several gospel albums. He died in 1981.


Further reading :I've Got A Mind To Ramble : Remembering Cliff Butler  by Keith S. Clements




Sunday, October 7, 2012

Jan Records (Alabama)


Jan Records
819 Thurman St.
Montgomery, AL



Bobby Jackson   

CP-1541 – Oh Baby
CP-1542 – Waltzing With You   
Jan 101
1958

Bobby Jackson

? – You Got Me Rocking And Rolling
? – Dreamy Sunday
Jan 102
Billboard October 6, 1958

Bobby Jackson

CP- 2029 – New World
CP-2030 – Cha Cha Cha
Jan 103
 1959

Bobby Jackson // Robert Jackson and The Sneakers

CP-2981 –  Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
CP-2982 –  Closer To My Heart
Jan 104
Billboard March 7, 1960


  

Billboard ad, December 15, 1958



Al Dixon, in his younger days, was known as "Dizzy Dixon" or "Ugly Al", the radio DJ. "The Soul Mouth of the South...".

He recalls Bobby Jackson :

Bobby Jackson was well known around the local clubs. Starting out, Clarence Carter played in his band on the circuit. "We had a lot of fun. One thing about the Chitlin Circuit...you were comfortable, you were in your place," Jackson admitted.

During the '60s Jackson played The Elks Club in Montgomery where recording artists like The Drifters, Joe Tex, Tyrone Davis and The Manhattans would pack the house.

But the road to success did have its down side. "They didn't have business managers to go in and look at the books to know how many records were sold," Dixon said adding, "they didn't really concern themselves with it." Why? "All they wanted to do was perform. It was their life."

It was a journey that's seen many twists and turns. "Now, most everything is more sophisticated..." Long gone are the segregated clubs, and the road so many artists traveled to fame is now history.




Friday, October 5, 2012

Betty Blevins on Ark


Betty Blevins


Ark 208

1962





Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Bobby Everhart on Monumental


Bobby Everhart

14027 ~ Boney Maronie
Larry Williams, Venice BMI

14028 ~ Hello Memory
Clint Lewis, Joey Welz, J. Hutchins, P. Reynolds ; Ursula Music BMI

Monumental 515
Films and Recordings, Inc.
2203 Maryland Ave., Baltimore, Maryland

Produced by John A’hern and Will Taylor

Arr. and cond. By Joey Welz

1965


John D. A'Hern, was the president & general manager of Monumental Films And Recordings, Inc., a movie and recording company organized in 1950.

Joey Welz (Joseph Wallace Welzant) born 1940 in Baltimore, Md. From 1962 until he rejoined Bill Haley and the Comets in 1965, Joey Welz worked as the A&R manager for Wedge, Dome, and Monumental Records in Baltimore. He formed his own label in 1963 : Bat Records.

Some of his own recordings have been re-issued in 1990 by Hydra Records, a German label. (Rockabilly Years, Hydra 7713).



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Thursday, September 6, 2012

Carolyn Penley And The Shantones

Carolyn Penley And The Shantones

CP-7471 ~ That's All You Gotta Do

CP-7472 ~ The Twist

Piedmont Recordings
Lexington, NC

1962


Quite possibly the daughter of Rex Penley (1926-2007) bluegrass and country musician and singer of Asheville (NC) who had also a record on the same Piedmont label.



Label pic (B&W) and audio files are from "Savage Rockin' Girls" (Collector CD 4450, 1999)



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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

The Singing Frauenknecht Family


The Singing Frauenknecht Family
The Old Country Church



Side #1 – 38735

1. The Old Country Church (J.D. Sumner)
2. How Great Thou Art (Stuart K. Hine)
3. The Lighthouse (Ronnie Hinson)
4. I've Got More To Go To Heaven For (Jack Campbell)
5. The Old Rugged Cross (George Bennard)


Side # 2 – 38736

1. Ready To Leave (Joel Hemphill)
2. In The Garden (C. Austin Miles)
3. Glory Road (Mosie Lister)
4. I'm Feeling Fine (William J. & Gloria Gaither)
5. Let's Just Praise The Lord


Recorded in Rite Records Studio
Recording engineer – Phil Burkhardt
Producer & re-mix engineer – Dan Burton
Photography –Steve Green

Studio musicians :

Dan Burton- keyboards
Dennis Herrell-Bass
Kenny Bobinger-Percussion
Gary Smith-lead guitar

Date (est.) : October 1977 (or later)



Front (half-kneeled) : Mickey
Standing : Keith – Ruth – Dave – Ken

David M. (1936 –2006) and Ruth Frauenknecht (1937 – ) served several churches on Southwestern Ohio: New Burlington(14 years), Centerville, and Felicity. David was ordained in 1986 and retired in 2003.

Keith Frauenknecht is now director of Alpha Church Of Nazarene, Beavercreek Township, OH.



David M. Frauenknecht tombstone
Edwardsville Cemetery
Edwardsville Road at Kunker Road
Harlan Township, Warren County, Ohio




Acknowledgment : The Good, Bad & Ugly Gospel Record Barn (Mark Betcher)


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