Pat Riley And The Rockets on Reed

Pat Riley And The Rockets

CP-1769 ~ I Need You Baby
CP-1770 ~ Little Bop A Little

Reed 1201

May 1959

★

"Little Bop A Little" saw the light again in 1997, thanks to Cees Klop (The Rockin' "Reed" Recordings, Collector CD 4440), which was not the case of "I Need You Baby".

Both songs were written by one Payne (probably Irvin Payne, a guitar and steel player who died in 2009. Irvin Payne taught many people in the Birmingham area how to play guitar for over 50 years).

The "Sensational" Pat Riley on Tin Pan Alley (two singles in 1957) is obviously a different Pat Riley. You can hear Pat "not bopping" Riley at YouTube here, here or even here...

In the sixties, there was one Pat Riley on Gold Standard and one on Bandit. but I've not heard them.

Another Pat Riley listed in Billboard on Whiz Records (1968) but it's a misprint. The artist is actually Pat BRILEY.

★

Reed Records was founded by Homer Milam in 1958. The first releases were pressed by the RCA Records custom division and the songs published by Double "M" Music, BMI. The Pat Riley record is one of the first of many pressed by Rite Records. Later records were published by Starland Music, a company owned by Gary Sizemore, blues singer Jerry McCain’s manager and sales manager of the Bel-Aire Distributing Company (formed in Birmingham in 1959).
This is perhaps the indication of a change of the label's ownership.

According to Malcom Chapman, Reed Records & Recording Service was located above Brittney’s Cafe on 1917 First Avenue N in Birmingham.

The studio was already active as early as 1956, when Birminghamian Baker Knight (and his Knighmares) recorded here “Bring My Cadillac Back" (Kit Records, leased to Decca).

According to Bobby Mizzell, Homer Milam had a heart attack and died in the early 70's. "They tore Reed to the ground and I have no idea what happened to all those records." (see Bo Berglind article).


Label pictures credit : Udo Frank

Reed Records discography (Rite pressings only) 45rpmrecords.com

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