Monday 9 November 2009

BIG STATE RECORDS 539

ROY ROBINSON
Jan 56 (BMI clearance on 3rd February 1956)
45-539-A - I Told It To Jesus
(Robinson) (Starrite BMI)
45-539-B - Little Romeo
(Robinson) (Starrite BMI)
BIG STATE RECORDS 539
Po Box 153, Keltys, TX
This disc was issued twice. The first release is vocal with accoustic guitar accompaniment. The second release is vocal with guitar, steel guitar, bass and fiddle accompaniment. The only means to distinguish between the two releases is that the second issue has the letters RE in the dead wax / run off after the A and B designation. In a way, I think I prefer the accoustic version, especially the religious A side (gospel, in my mind, should always be sparse in instrumentation). Flipside is a happy little ditty about a young (some say very young) “Don Juan” who chats up the girlies with the aid of candy bars and bubble gum. Kinda cute. This disc would have perhaps made a good demo, though I’ve yet to discover if anybody covered it. Perhaps that’s why he rerecorded it with a full hillbilly band and reissued it a few months later. The gospel track loses something with the band behind him but the B side comes off better with instrumentation. I drew a blank on Roys’ identity - a familiar story where these artists are concerned. I did find an artist with the same name on TRC (Texas Record Company) with songs entitled "Blood Weed" / "In Your Arms" - TRC 8457 - which was reviewed by Billboard on 15th Sept 1962, but I have no clue as to if it's the same guy. Both of these sides were published by Glad Music which is a tenuous link. (MC)


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