The Royal Dukes on Bee

The Royal Dukes

7989 ~ Fat Man Twist 

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.) ........

Eddie Billups on Peachtree

Eddie Billups

20745 - Soldier's Prayer

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

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

Sample (both sides)

Garland F. Ferrell on BRW

 

Garland F Ferrell

20555 ~ Yes, I Love You

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. )

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

The Riots (Chicago garage band)

The Riots

17145 - I Can Go On

17146 - You're My Baby

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."

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

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.

• Al Dixon memories found here : http://www.wsfa.com/global/story.asp?s=11975036
• Bobby Jackson and his Sneakers picture is courtesy of the Alabama Dept. of Archives and History Digital Collections.

Betty Blevins on Ark

Betty Blevins

CP-7133 ~ Blues Stay Away From Me

CP-7134 ~ Worried Girl Blues

Ark 208

1962

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).



.

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)



.

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)


.

The Bright Clouds (SIR 106)

The Bright Clouds

27323 - When You See Me Walking
(Karr Enterprises, BMI)
Arranged and lead singer : Rev. George Temple

27324 - Mother's Love
(Karr Enterprises, BMI)
Arranged and lead singer : Simon Lofton


SIR 106

1970

The Bright Clouds on Bounty Records is almost certainly the same group (# 5598 : "It Was God (That Made The Trees)/ He's Coming Back", 1968 or 1969).

Are they the same Bright Clouds still active today in Rochester, New York ?


SIR Records discography



.

Calico on Gateway

CALICO

Vincent Sadovsky : Vocals, Banjo, Six And Twelve String Guitars
Karen Sadovsky : Vocals, Six String Guitar

Gateway Records
1979

This Side (40525)

East Street Getaway (Vincent Sadovsky)
Muddy Boggy Banjo Man (R.Hubbard)
Love Is Live A Butterfly (Dolly Parton)
Valley Of Live (Vincent Sadovsky)
Juggernaut (Vincent Sadovsky)
Some Of Shelly’s Blues (Michael Nesmith)

That Side (40526)

Embryonic Journey (Jorma Kaukonen)
I’ll Walk Along (Vincent Sadovsky)
Second Story Window (Mark Benno)
Them Dance Hall Girls (A. Fraser)
Nashville Skyline Rag (Bob Dylan)
So Many Goodbyes Vincent Sadovsky)

Recorded in Rite Record Productions Studio
Recording Engineer : Phil Burkhartd
Producer : Danny Burton




From MySpace

Vincent Sadovsky is no stranger to the music industry. In 1973 he opened an acoustic music store in Rochester, Michigan which he and his wife operated for over 30 years.

He has taught guitar, banjo, mountain dulcimer, and autoharp since 1970, and has become one of the most sought after instructor’s in Michigan for composition and technical ability for guitar and 5-string banjo. He currently teaches Guitar and 5-string Banjo at his teaching studio: Rochester Folk Workshop.

Over the year’s, Vincent has appeared on television and radio broadcasts. His performing has taken him from coffeehouses to festivals, to performing for dignitaries including former President, George Bush Sr. His expertise allowed him to become an "Artist In Residence" for the Michigan Council for the Arts. His passion for acoustic music led him to found and establish the Paint Creek Fokllore Society, a nationally known society of acoustic musicians which as been active since 1973. Vincent’s playing has appeared on radio and television commericals, documentary films, and as a studio musician on various recordings.



.

"Ten-Of-Us" on Wil-Met

Ten-Of-Us

14983 - Wild Yellow Flowers
T.L. Butler W.T. Curtis Rite Music BMI
6-65X2MR

14984 - Sally, Oh!
T.L. Butler Rite Music BMI
5-57X9 AMP

Dayton, Ohio

1965

Founded by 11 Centerville High School seniors. A musical group that performed folk songs.
Picture & soundfiles credit : The Ten Of Us

"The Ten Of Us"

Pictured In Front Of Sandy's In Kettering
(1965)

"Ten-Of-Us" reunited, July 2003

From Left to right and on the top: Denny Dutcher, Jim Dunn, Bill Curtis,
Terry Butler, & Ken Reed. Front row left: Joyce Marberger, Ginny Pulos,
& Janet Scott. Not pictured: Patsy Bair & Jennifer Griffiths.

(Sally Mowry, original member, died in 2001)

Ronnie Moore on Teen's Choice

Ronnie Moore

CP-4341 ~ Time For School
CP-4342 ~ Sweet Shop Doll

Teen's Choice 7




Billboard October 17, 1960

Ronnie Moore, bassist and singer from Birmingham, Alabama. He was the previous year on Stomper Time Records in Memphis. Bassist of The Stompers, Eddie Bond's band.

Later bassist of The Gentrys ("Keep on Dancing", MGM Records).

Leon Bowman co-wrote "Sweet Shop Doll".

There was a Ronnie Moore who recorded for Major Bill Smith in Fort-Worth, Texas (records on Le Cam and Jaro), but probably a different artist.



.

Ken Idaho on Fame

Ken Idaho
Featured With
The Jimmy Heap Orch.

CP-2337 ~ From Loving You
Wm. E. Taylor, Mel-Mat Music BMI

CP-2338 ~ School Of Love
K. Aderhold, Mel-Mat Music BMI

Fame 506

Billboard, November 2, 1959

Fame Records and Mel-Mat Music were owned by Jimmy Heap and located in Taylor, Texas.

Ken Idaho, performing in 1963

Jimmy Heap (interviewed by Ray Campi) : "Ken took Perk Williams' place when Perk left. He was from South Carolina. When we started playing Las Vegas we found out we had to do a lot of show, comedy stuff, and Ken wrote and performed a lot of comedy. He ended up becoming associate editor of a joke magazine called "Sex-To-Sexty." He writes jokes for the magazine "


From (edited) Jim Linderman's blog FORGOTTEN VINTAGE SLEAZE ARTISTS :

Jimmy Heap , an old time Texas swing and twangster, recorded for decades and turned in at least one standard, the mournful "Wild Side of Life" which includes the immortal line "I didn't know God made Honky-tonk angels." Somewhere along the way, his songs became stale as the beer smell in a Texas honky-tonk, so to spice things up he added a comic to his act. Ken Idaho was a singer and sax player in the band, but he had a talent for bawdy humor, opening act style, so Ken would warm up the audience with some "Hey, how you doing, is that your wife or your mistress" humor. Umm...which came first? The chicken or the chicken wire in front of the stage?

Ken Idaho was actually Ken Alderhold, brother of steel-guitar Slim Idaho (real name : Dewey Hubbard Alderhold Jr.).

Somewhere along the beer trail, Jimmy Heap and his country boys decided a party record would sell more than just another "weeper" so they hooked up with the Sex to Sexty guys! Sex to Sexty is the putrid periodical of dirty humor which had a good run in the 1970s. Sex to Sexty was itching to expand their sleazy publishing empire into the lucrative recording industry

Gary Hamilton And The Northernaires on Capitol Star Artist

Gary Hamilton And The Northernaires

18339 – Forever Is A Long Time
Gary Hamilton, Red-Pol Music Co., BMI

18340 – Country Music Rock
Frank Ellis, Red-Pol Music Co., BMI

Capitol Star Artist
67 Chesnut Street, Rochester, N.Y.

Produced by Fine Studios, Rochester, N.Y.

1966

Label owned by Donald L Redanz (1927 - 1999)

The Northernaires is a band still active today, and is now led by Dick Jopson of Hemlock on vocals and rhythm guitar. Dick started his professional music career in 1957 with the Rhythm Riders before joining Gary Hamilton & the Northernaires as second vocalist. Gary’s departure to Florida in 1971 saw Dick taking charge of the band, which in coming years would open for Sonny James, Stonewall Jackson, Tommy Cash and the Hager Brothers, and serve as the house band at the Dansville Moose Club. http://www.geneseony.com/events/events.asp?ID=1


.

The Sensational Stereos At the Martinique

The Sensational Stereos
Vocals by Tommy Knight

11901 – Memphis - I Go Crazy - Try Me

11902 –Good Lovin' - Bewildered -Lost Someone

Martinique Nite Club Presents
EP 17

Recorded live Easter 1964
Daytona Beach, Fla.
Produced by Bill Sauls

1964

Lee Hazen :

Back in the early-mid 60's I used to carry my Ampex 960 2 track recorder around to clubs and record groups playing live.

I [...] have great recordings of "The Stereos" at the Martinique in Daytona with Tommy Knight singing a James Brown style show one night. Jim Matherly played lead guitar .

Bill Sauls a.k.a. Bill "Sweet William" Saul

Bill Hileman, Stereos drummer :

In 1964, [I] was drafted by a hot local band called, “Sweet William & The Stereos.” And wouldn’t you know it? They were from the same high school Bill attended in Knoxville! They played Florida, Tennessee and Washington, D.C., for years, including a 4-month stint in 1965 which Duane Allman was their fill-in guitarist. Later, Duane went on and formed a band called ‘The Allman Joys,’ with his brother, Gregg, and a drummer which Bill had personally tutored. The Joys improved enough by Spring Break that year that they were able to play during Sweet William’s musical breaks.

Shortly thereafter, Sweet William started playing back-up band to the main attractions at the Martinique in Daytona including Dee Dee Sharp, Lou Christy, Sam & Dave, Bo Diddley, Del Shannon, Jackie Wilson, The Marvelettes, The Angels, Ray Stevens and The Dovells.

In 1966, Sweet William recorded their first album at R.C.A. Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Their first single made it to 123rd on the Billboard charts without any promotional backing. The band’s success enabled them to open for the Rolling Stones and a Ray Charles sound-alike “as of yet unknown” Ronnie Millsap in Knoxville, and also, for Roy Clark at Chilhowee Park.

Bluegrass mandolinist Sam Bush :

Now, looking back, I'd probably be scared of a lot of the people we were hanging out with. Right down the street was a house band called Sweet William & The Stereos. Sweet William was a really big guy. They did R & B and rock & roll of the day and there were topless dancers there. Basically, the only people down there in those days were rock bands, strippers and hookers! (laughs)

★

Tommy Knight

Probably not a regular member of The Stereos, from Knoxville, Tennessee. The vocalist here came from New-York and relocated to Florida.

I found several mentions of Tommy Knight, soul and RnB singer on the internet. Not sure if all are refering to the same Tommy Knight.

★

In 1961, came two Kim productions, one on the Gold Eagle label (That's All I Ask / There's No Pain ) and the other on Atlantic's subsidiary Atco (It's Real / Say You Do).

In 1964, there was a release on San Francisco's Emerson label in 1964 (Yes Yes Go On / Ha Ha Ha And Oh Oh Oh)

Mid sixties? : two acetates have surfaced : Don’t Bring Back Those Memories sent to Eddie Singleton's Shrine Records, a Washington D.C. label and "Baby My Love" (Abtone studios recording).

Tommy Knight was certainly one of the artists who recorded under aliases in the Ed Chalpin's Studio 76 in New-York. One of these aliases was Slim Pikins.

Mike Rashkow, who worked there, has thus described the Ed Chalpin enterprise :

When I worked at Studio 76 [Ed Chaplin] business was something I had never heard about, nor knew existed. It was the reason he had a studio and the reason we had 10 track, as bad as it was. Basically, the business was making quick, down and dirty (and I would guess unlicensed) covers of bulleted chart movers, and then leasing them out to labels in foreign countries. He had ongoing business relationships with a group of labels all over the world. These independents, with which he regularly did business, would get the covers on the street before any major label even realized they had a hit or could get someone in their legal department to draw up a contract.

You can hear "Tighten up" HERE. (released on the german Vogue label in 1968 and probably on other labels).

★

In 1981, Tommy Knight and the Mighty Knights were the featured artists on the Babette Bardot Revue at the Kings Inn Motel in Daytona Beach.

Babette Bardot (born 1940) is the stage name of a buxom Swedish actress (and burlesque dancer) who appeared in Russ Meyer's films, including Common Law Cabin and Mondo Topless.

★

Wendell Holmes (The Holmes Brothers) :

"We used to work with Tommy Knight, the band was called Tommy Knight and the Mighty Knights, and we would gig mostly in Harlem and at private dances," said Wendell Holmes. "We used to play at a bunch of different clubs in the 1960's. There was a lot of night life in Harlem and it was exciting. We played more soul stuff and top 10 than straight-up blues, even though I'd rather play blues and gospel, but that wasn't really up to us. But all that scene just vanished.

★

Guitarist Wild Jimmy Spruill, tired of session work, formed an East Coast nightclub trio in the mid-sixties, with singer Tommy Knight and drummer Popsy Dixon

★

Finally, mentions of a Tommy Knight Trio in some New-York venues are made in seventies newspapers.




.

Tommy Long And The Varatones on Bellwood

Tommy Long And The Varatones
Music By "The Commanders)

10409 - D.J. (Disck Jockey) Joe
(Geo.Moore, RalTip Music BMI)

Tommy Long
Music By "The Commanders

10410 - High School Heart
(Tommy Long, RalTip Music BMI) )

Bellwood Records 635N10
PO Box 3572
Richmond, VA

1963

Both sides arranged by Geo. Moore

sample from groovy_grooves who has one copy for sale.

No info on Tommy Long or on the Varatones (who are only on the A-side) or on the Commanders.

The label was probably owned by Geo Moore (George Henry Moore) also owner of RalTip Music. Geo Moore issued at least two other records on Bellwood. See listing here.

Mr Moore was also a songwriter. He copyrighted several songs in the forties (Blessed Jesus, 1946).



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The Original Five Blind Boys Of Mississippi on Marathon

The Original Five Blind Boys Of Mississippi


CP-2420 ~ A Weeping For A Mighty Long Time
(Harvey-Duckworth, Calvin Brown, BMI)

CP-2421 ~ Take Your Burdens To Jesus
(Harvey-Brown-Duckworth, Calvin Brown, BMI

Marathon 182-1

November 16, 1959 (Billboard review)

★

Writers of both songs are Dr J. Gerald Harvey and Pauline Duckworth who wrote and/or produced for Calvin Brown, the owner of Marathon Records, at least two other records : the secular Rich McQueen & his Rhythm Rockers (Marathon Records) and gospel James Anderson (Electro Records).

★

One of the few gospel groups to make the R&B charts, the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi were a powerful aggregation who were known to have influenced Ray Charles, among others.


The Piney Woods School, near Jackson, Mississippi, was one of the pioneer establishments in education for blacks and it had a separate teaching for blind children. Some blind students began singing there, on of the school grounds in 1936. They were called the Cotton Blossom Singers.

In the mid-1940s, they began calling themselves the Five Blind Boys.

In the late fifties, the health of their lead singer, Archie Brownlee, deteriorating, the owner of Peacock Records, Don Robey, for whom they recorded extensively since 1950, probably had no intention of re-signing them and sent them on their way.

That's when they recorded for Calvin Brown's tiny Marathon Records, not a Checker subsidiary as I've seen written. The single was also released subsequently on Checker Records [#953, May 1960].

In 1961, they recorded a very successful album for Checker called "I'll Go". According to one source, Just Moving On, This was not to Robey's liking. While on tour in Houston, Robey paid them a visit. "Chess has a lot of money," he said, "why don't you tell them you're still under contract to me, and we'll sue them for big bucks!" ...

★

The group has seen numerous personnel changes, as it's quite normal for a such long lasting aggregation. Also, they were not always five... They were not always all blind... They were not always all from the Magnolia State... But.. boys? are you going to ask. Wait.

According to a review of E. Patrick Johnson’s “Gays and Gospel: A History
of Sacred Music ”, "One of the more interesting asides is that a member of the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi was found to be a “she” after his death in 1994."

It's interesting to see how some reviewers are going right to the important.

God works in mysterious ways

★

sample



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Tony Bowens And The Soul-Choppers

Tony Bowens And The Soul-Choppers

21181 – Don’t Be So Mean
21182 - Boilin’ Water

Tony Bowens

1968

Recorded in NY Bell studios.

One of the most popular bands in Hartford, Connecticut.

Bertha Lee ``Glass'' Bowens, Tony's mother, managed the Soul-Choppers band formed in 1967 around Tony. In 1968 they won amateur night at The Apollo Theatre in NYC. The band recorded one other single 'Do you feel it' pts 1 and 2.

Leader Tony played sax. Lt. Tony Bowens was killed in Vietnam in 1970.

Guitarist was Eli. Eli is originally from Savannah, GA. After his move to Hartford in 1967 Eli played with, "Tony Bowens and the Soul Choppers". Eli was the only black guitarist in Hartford playing in a 'punk' band, "The Repels". Later known as XY Eli.

Rob Fried was the drummer [1]. Another member was Sharon Clay Watson, who had already recorded with the Daydreams, a female singing group she had formed.

Hartford musician Roland Carter remember Tony Bowens in an interview :

Man, Hartford was burning hot during that era. I guess music was the commonality of that generation, huh?

I have a cousin in N.C. (North Carolina) named Joe that was born blind. Joe was considered to be a musical prodigy because he could not only play almost any kind of instrument; he was a fantastic singer as well. I took Tony Bowen and The Soul Choppers' 45(record) "Don't Be So Mean" down with me and he freaked out on how good Tony and the group sounded. He played that song over and over. He called Tony the best sax player he had ever heard. That song became the yard stick around here by which all of the up and coming sax players were measured.

from Roland Carter interview HERE

[1] Not the drummer ? : see Funkman53 in comments

A copy is currently auctioned at eBay. Five copies are archived in popsike, in the 150-415 $US range.

The Pilgrim-Aires on Process

The PILGRIM-AIRES
Lead By Sonny Motley

11713 - God's Saints

The PILGRIM-AIRES
Lead By Melvin Johnson

11714 - I Trust In God

Process 114

1963

black gospel

sample

Melvin Johnson recorded also as the leader of The Barnett Harmonizers of Washington, D.C. (Lark Records).


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Dave Wilburn on Redwing

Dave Wilburn

11435 - Why Can’t I Have You?
11436 - Ninety-One Pounds of Lovin’

Redwing

1963

One of the first records on the Redwing label. a label possibly owned by Hale Vance, a country singer and musician who also (later or about the same time?) worked as a distribution clerk at the Rogersville, TN Post Office.

The label issued some ten singles between 1963 and 1966. Two (Jay Earls and James Dotson) are listed in Rockin' Country Style.



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Helen June Gray and The Noojinaires

Helen June Gray
and The Noojinaires

CP-1984 - Gimme, Gimme
CP-1985 - Too Late For Tears

both wr. Ferguson-Ferguson, Double "M" Music BMI

Reed RR 1023

1959

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Dabbie Kaye on Cabut

Dabbie Kaye and The Original Road Rangers

24445 - The Third Man
24446 - Satisfied

Cabut 1015

8 Mohican St.
Shelby, Ohio


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