Al And Sharon Short And The Multi-Sonics

 

CP-5895
Al And Sharon Short And The Multi-Sonics
Sam's The Man

CP-5896
The Multi-Sonics with Les Gary
Death Of An Angel

S-T-S Publishing Co.

Kay Belle

The Multi-Sonics were a dance band from Big Spring, Texas. Not much is know about this record. The composer of the B-side (Death Of An Angel)  is Bob Smith (Robert Laurence Smith) of the Big Spring Daily Herald who also composed "The Freedom Star" in 1964, a song published by The Kaybelle Publishing Co.

I wonder who is Sam the sax player, the man whose music brings ecstacy : Sam (The Man Taylor) perhaps ?

 

Jane Davis on Cowtown

Jane Davis

CP-6573 - (He's My) Dreamboat
Loudermilk, Acuff-Rose, BMI

CP-6574 - Dancing In The Shadows  

John Steagerman, Blue Ribbon ASCAP
(1961)

Cowtown 810

The voice is familiar.  She certainly sounds quite like song-poem sultry singer Cara Stewart. Actually I think she IS Cara Stewart using the Jane Davis moniker.

Billy Bownds on Vamalco

Billy Bownds

and Gil Baca Orch.

CP-6439 - I Got A New Babe
CP-6440 - You’ll Cry A Little Bit

both wr. Billy Bownds

Moss-Rose Pub., Vamalco Pub. BMI

produced by GC & JHM

Vamalco V-507

1506 Truxillo, Houston, Texas

1961

GC, one of the producers, is possibly Gene Crawford, star of "Gold Coast Jubilee," which was beamed each Sunday over KTRK-TV, Houston.  Billy Bownds recorded for at least two other Houston diskeries, namely Ark Records and Bow and Arrow Records. 

The name Baca for more than a century has been a part of Texas history along with the famous “Baca Beat.”    Gil Baca was the third generation Czech musician.  He began his musical career at age 9.   Gil began playing the piano at the age of fourteen and Kermit his brother was nine when he started playing the drums.   In 1949 Gil and Kermit went on tour with Tennessee Ernie Ford and then went on to join Hank Thompson’s group that toured the USA and Canada.  In 1952 Kermit was drafted into the U.S. Army where he formed his own band while stationed in Alaska for two years.   Gil appeared on the Kate Smith Show and other top TV shows.   Later Gil and Kermit formed their own band. The played at various Houston clubs and made appearances on Channels 11 and 13.   Initially, they played popular tunes but that changed when Ray Baca, their father,  joined them.   They added polkas and waltzes to their repertoire. They recorded the famous Baca Waltz and Gil’s Polka.  In 1967, they cut an LP featuring Ray Baca on the dulcimer. 


 

Gene Ray (Cowtown EP 702)

 

Gene Ray

 

CP-1557 - Oklahoma Waltz
               A Picture Of You

CP-1558 - Indigo Blue
              Learning The Mambo

Cowtown EP-702
P.O. Box 192, Avery, TX

Gene Ray's name can be found on three other Cowtown releases between 1957 and 1960.  I can't add much to that.

 

The four songs were penned by one D. E. Winstead who was quite probably Dr Dabney Edgar "D.E." Winstead (1889-1963) whose obituary report  :

Long-time doctor in Graham, Texas practicing since 1921. He graduated from Baylor Medical School in Dallas. He enjoyed a good practice in his profession.

In 1930, Dr. Winstead published a science fiction article, "Earthworms of Karma" in the pulp magazine "Weird Tales" in the July-September 1930 issue. With this issue, Dr. Winstead began his successful journey as a science fiction author. Dr. Winstead used a pen name "Lon Dexter" in all of his science fiction publications.

Among other songs he penned are "I Need Vitamin You", "Mambo is Going to School" and "My Rock 'n' Roll Baby And Me".

Hoodoo / The High School Chanters (Fashion Records)

Hoodoo
CP-2456 - Hoodoo The Voodoo

(Jack Morrow, Glendell Music Inc. BMI)

The High School Chanters
CP-2457 -  Teenage Chant 

(Jack Morrow, Glendell Music Inc. BMI)

Fashion Records #001

November 1959

Probably a Ft. Worth (or Dallas) recording intended to be pressed by the brand new National Recording Co. pressing plant of Atlanta, which apparently was not quite ready to handle the promised custom business and had to resort to an external plant,  as it happens, Rite Records of Cincinnati. 

Jack Morrow, writer of "Hoodoo The Voodoo," had penned two BMI award winning songs : "For Rent" (Sung by Patsy Cline) and "That's Why I Love You Like I Do"  (Sonny James).  Glendell Music published several songs penned by him.

Billboard (November 2, 1959) announced the formation of Glendell Music, a new C&W label :

Glendell Music, Fort Worth, has Artie Glenn as president; Darrell Glenn, vice-president, and Marvin Montgomery, secretary-treasurer.  The new record firm is slated to announce its first release soon, with "Crying" occupying one of the sides.

Glendell Music as publishing company was formed earlier and had a number of profitable songs. Glendell published "Percolator," (written by Jack Morrow) which was the B-side of the Boots Randolph hit "Yakety Sax".

Anyway the Glendell Music label as such never was, but instead there was a Fashion label which released only a handful of equally obscure records by Darrell Glenn (60), The Smith Brothers (62), Homer Lee (63), Jack and the Rippers (64) and Artie Glenn (66).  There was also "So You Want To Write A Song", a educational LP published in 1972 by Artie Glenn.

In 1960, Fashion Records issued "Take Time To Be Happy" by Darrell Glenn after he left the NRC label.  Or rather re-issued, as the record was first released in 1957 by the unknown LuLu Records of Hollywood.   The single was followed by "Hoo Doo The Voodoo" on Robbie 101.  Same title as the Rite-pressed Fashion 45, but different song, penned by D.Glenn and J.B. Robertson (hence the label's name Robbie ?)  and published by Downey Music Pub.

Danny Reeves on L.G. Gregg

Danny Reeves

9495 - Little Red Coat 

L.G. Gregg and Danny Reeves, L.G. Gregg Music Pub. Co. BM

9496 - Judgement Day

L.G. Gregg Records #1001/2
8414 Fulton, Houston, Texas

1963

This is certainly the same Danny Reeves who had recorded two rockin' singles.  The first was on Pappy Dailey's D Records ("I'm A Hobo", 1961). The second was on Troy Caldwell's San Records ("Spunky Monkey", 1962). Both are listed by Rockin' Country Style discography.  

 

On this one, Danny isn't really singing, he's just speaking on a music background.  Nothing more is known about him.  

L.G. Gregg is perhaps L.G. Gregg who was the founder and pastor of the Pilgrim Baptist Church of Houston.   And, more recently, a L. G. Gregg Ministries Company was based in Mesa, Arizona.

At the address printed on the label, there is no house today, just a empty lot.

Johnnie Forrer on Bow and Arrow

 

Johnnie Forrer

 

9355 ~ Long Gone 

Johnnie Forrer ~ Moss Rose BMI

9356 ~ I Just Think Of You

Johnnie Forrer ~ Moss Rose BMI

  

Prod. by Gene Crawford At Forrer Studios

Bow And Arrow 1003

6207 Sherwood Ave.
Houston, TX
 

1963

Johnnie Forrer was previously on Pappy Daily's D Records in 1958  (D 1021 : Fools Paradise is on YouTube).     He was later produced by Eddie Noack at Music City Recorders in Nashville ("Singing the Blues Again" , Studio Records, a Waco, Texas label.  

 

Johnnie E Forrer was born in 1927.  He died in 2005 and is buried in the cemetery: Houston National Cemetery, which is located in Houston, TX.

The tiny Bow and Arrow label  (only three releases) was owned by Kenneth N. Everett, which is the real name of Gene Crawford, star in the early sixties of the "Gold Coast Jubilee," beamed each Sunday over KTRK-TV, Houston,

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

Mary White (Cowtown 804)

Mary White

CP 4667 ~ Christmas Bells
CP-4668 - Rudolph Pouts

Cowtown 804

According to Phil Milstein : "Cowtown Records was a hybrid vanity/song-poem concern operated by John W. Stephenson. It's not entirely clear which of their releases fall into which category." This record belongs without the shadow of a doubt to the "song poem" category.

Both songs were written by Dennis Tenney whose several songs are listed in the ASPMA discography :

• Lost My Man / Goody Goody Gonna Love (Belle Meade Records, 1960)
• I Love Two Men (Tropical 220 (LP "Betty Bond Sings Pop")
• Dream West Virginia (Preview 2326)

[Record found at Diggin' It, a Westex blog, HERE]




Dennis Tenney, who traces his ancestry back to the time of William the Conqueror, was born in Ten Mile, West Virginia, in 1897. As his mother became a widow when he was very young, he became acquainted with responsibility early in life. He started to work at the age of twelve, and a fourteen had his own business. Bad health and lack of money slowed down his schooling, but Mr. Tenney eventually received his master’s degree in social science from Denver University.

Mr. Tenney has been a preacher, salesman, probation officer and real estate broker. Real estate management provided him with financial security and later the leisure to return to his early interest, the writing of poetry.



.

"Happy" Hal Burns on Gold Arrow

"Happy" Hal Burns
With The Rhythm Masters

10711 – The Stamp Song
10712 - Somebody Else (Is Loving You)

Gold Arrow GAR-100
Gold Arrow Enterprises Inc.
San Antonio, Texas

Copyright 1963

-

Left : Happy Hal Burns
(From "Birmingham Broadcasting", book by Tim Hollis)

Hal Byrnes became better known as Hal Burns. Happy Hal Burns. A longtime country music performer mostly active in Memphis and Birmingham - very popular regionally.

"He made a couple of Western movies, even before Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. He was always a great one. He was a good yodeler, a good singer, a great promoter and a great personality."

Born in 1908, Happy Hal Burns began his radio career at Birmingham’s WBRC Radio in the 1930s. He later moved to WMC in Memphis, Tenn., where the "Garrett Snuff Variety Show" featured Happy Hal, a cast of musical regulars, top-name guests and a little dog named Sissy.

"It became one of the leading country-music shows of the day. It was carried by major stations in Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, New Orleans and Atlanta. Mr. Burns always told a happy thought, a happy story or a joke. His closing remark and signature signoff was always, ’Beeeeeeee happy!’ "

After his service in World War II, Happy Hal returned to his native Birmingham and started another crowd-pleasing musical variety show on WBRC Radio.

"He helped many people succeed in their music careers as a music promoter and variety-show host. Not only did he perform all over the country with his Country Jubilee Shows, he also wrote more than 100 songs. One in particular was ’Cow Town,’ which he co-wrote with Tex Ritter. More recently, it was recorded by country great George Strait."

Happy Hal died in 2000.

Happy Hal Burns singing You'll Never Find Another Daddy Like Me on the Country Boy Eddie Show 1987

Sources :

Alabama Music Office,
mackari (Corsicana, Texas)
Tim Hollis : "Birmingham Broadcasting" (book)



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Lynn Ready on Cowtown

Lynn Ready

Cowtown 809

CP-6453 ~ Jeremiah Peabody's Poly Unsaturated Quick Dissolving,
Fast Acting, Pleasant Tasting, Green And Purple Pills
(Ray Stevens)CP-6454 ~ Rhythmin-Him (John Steagerman)

1961

Avery, Texas

Lynn Ready
(picture Mickey Mouse Club Show)

From the Mickey Mouse Club Show :

A third season replacement, Lynn had already appeared on television before joining the Mickey Mouse Club. Lynn got to perform on both the Mouseketeer segments and in a serial. After leaving the show, he continued in show business for a number of years as an actor, singer and musician.

Born Lowrey Lynn Ready to Robert and Myrtle Ready, in Dallas, Texas, he began dancing and singing lessons at an early age, and soon was winning amateur contests in the Dallas and Ft. Worth areas. Lynn, who was always billed by his middle name, sang on local radio and television shows from age three on, and later learned to play piano and the steel guitar. Lynn's first professional engagement was in February 1957, on a local Dallas television program, The Curt Massey Show. Shortly afterwards, Lynn took part in a regional audition for replacement Mouseketeers, and became the only Mouseketeer ever hired whose family wasn't already living in California. (...)


Before the Cowtown release, there was one song on the Air label (EP), "A Night For Love" in 1959 and a release on the Spin label in 1960 ("Pogo Stick", picture above).

These three labels (Air, Spin and Cowtown) are all listed in the Phil Milstein' Song-Poem Discographies.

Lynn Ready was later member in 1965-1966 of the Bostweeds on the Chattahoochee label and on a one-sided record for Eve Productions with a song featured in the Russ Meyer movie "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!".

And he was one of the Teddy Neeley Five LP on Capitol in 1966.






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Carlton May & Pete Runnels on Knight

Knight L&F NO 111/112

Carlton May

10217 - Please Don't Go
(C.May, Neches Music BMI)
sample

Pete Runnels

10218- McDonald’s Place
(Runnels, Neches Music BMI)

sample

Sound samples credit : eBay http://myworld.ebay.ca/breakaway-records/

.

Jay-Kay 111/112

Jay-Kay 111/112
607 W. Yandell
El Paso Texas

Johnny Behrens and The Jay-Bees

CP-4343 - All Because Of You


Sam Baker and The Jay-Bees

CP-4344 - Island Of Regret

1960


Second issue was on Donna 1332 (Del-Fi subsidiary)

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The Venetian Blinds on Grudge

The VENETIAN BLINDS

Grudge Records 1651
470 Springwood
San Antonio, Texas

19961 ~ Just Knowin' You Love Me

19962 ~ Quit Your Belly Achin' Baby

A Ric Jansen Production

A-side is garage/British Invasion, while the B-side is in a Roy Head & the Traits' vein (Treat Her Right-styled)
Mike Nolen is credited as the co-arranger on the side one.


.

Jimmy Reid And The Mississippi Valley Boys

Jimmy Reid And The Mississippi Valley Boys

Colsam 101

A Col. Sam Lillibridge Enterprise
310 Ft. Hood Rd, Killeen, Texas

14209 - I Can't Help It
sample

14210 ~ Jambalaya
sample

1965

Don't known much about Sam Lillibridge. But for sure he was not a man to give up an idea. Some twenty two years earlier already, he reported to Billboard (Feb.7, 1953 issue) that "he is still pioneering the trumpet as a country instrument on various jamborees in Texas". Sam Lillibridge was, at that time, D.J. on KCLW, Hamilton, Texas. This Colsam release is indeed a country record and, indeed, you can hear plenty of trumpet...


Label picture and audio samples : eBay (colnel)



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The Owens Family on Legend

The Owens Family Of Speedwell , Tennessee

Legend 112

A Sammy Lillibridge Enterprise
310 Ft. Hood Rd., Killeen, Texas


CP-6647 - You Are The Sweetest (Dave Owens);
Vocal Dave Owens

SAMPLE

CP-6648 – Is There Someone Else? (Dave Owens)
Vocal Butler Owens

SAMPLE

.

Peggy Little on Pathfinder

Peggy Little

Pathfinder

16111 - If I Had Wheels
(wr. Buddy Lackey)

16112 - Hardest Easy Thing

(wr. Jerry Lane)

*
If I Had Wheels

*

This is likely Peggy Little's very first record on a Mineola, Texas label owned by Jack Rhodes.

From 1966. Not listed in THIS Peggy Little discography.

Peggy Little’s succes started on a front porch in Marlin, Tex., when she was singing and rocking her little brother to sleep one afternoon. A man named Jerry Dykes heard her, at first thinking someone had a radio turned up full blast, and immediately offered her a job singing for a Waco, Tex., radio station. Peggy was 11 years old at the time.

She now lives in a very small town in Texas and still sing, but only in Church.

Her big hit "Son of a Preacher Man"

.

KOGT radio, PAMS jingle

KOGT Radio

CP-7019 - Orange, My Home Town (PAMS Production)
Vocal: Terry Lee
CP-7020 - Orange, My Home Town (PAMS Production)
Instrumental

"In 1961 the Pams jingle company in Dallas launched it's "My Home Town" series of jingles. The basic premise was a two minute song that sang the praises of a particular city, naming the best sites, attractions and such. They all start with "Let me tell you about my home town....." This one was cut for their client KOGT 1600 am in Orange, Texas. Orange is a small town of about 35,000 just up the water from Port Arthur and Beaumont, near the Louisiana border. Where many of these discs sing about the big things in their cities in this small-town song they're bragging about the waterways, mighty industry, Chemical Row, the shipyards and the community band."

-

Orange, My Home Town (sample)

Marie Therese Leahy (aka Terry Lee)

While Terry was consistently the main singer on these records, her name credit on the "My Home Town" singles is anything but. Variations on her name have included “Terry Lea," "Terry Lee,” “Terry Lea Jenkins," and "Terry Lee Jenkins.". Read more about Terry Lee HERE

More about the PAMS singles HERE

KOGT
CP-7021 – The Master’s Visit
CP-7022 – A Moment spent with God
both sides written by Ed Lovelace

I’ve never known a better promoter than Ed. He rode around the county in a bright orange van with the call letters of KOGT painted on it. He promoted Orange at every turn. When he arrived, he brought the AM station out of the dark ages. (from Roy Dunn's article, read HERE)

Ed Lovelace died last month (October, 2009).

Joe Ortego on Du-Go

Joe Ortego

Du-Go 1
[ 1963 ]

11201 - Take A Little Look [L & F 113]
11202 - 20-20 Vision [L & F 112]

Country swamp. LeBlanc and Ortego wrote both sides. Publisher is Neches Music BMI.

Recorded at the L & F recording studio in Port-Arthur.



The L & F Recording Service began in October, 1957 as at 1820 - 7th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. The studio was relocated to 1812 - Procter Steet in October, 1959. The studio was owned and operated then - as it is now - by Lois and Floyd Badeaux.

Renamed Musik Faktory in 1970, the studio is now known as Great Recordings, LLC (Limited Liability Company under the Laws of Texas) since 2008.

Allen Mann and the Mustangs

Allen Mann and the Mustangs

Label : Mustang

15031 – Tears in My Heart
15032 - First Love

Rite account # 445

1965

Port-Arthur, Texas

.Update : much more info here :

http://ontheroadsouth.blogspot.fr/2017/07/allen-mann-mustangs.html