LISTEN RECORDS 681

AL SIMS and the Alpine Two

Nov 57  (BMI Clearance on 31st January 1958.)

45-681-A - Party

(Sims)   (Starrite BMI)

45-681-B - Girl Without A Heart

(Sims)   (Starrite BMI)

LISTEN RECORDS 681
Box 6601, Roswell, NM.

Source: Terry Gordon

Born 17^thJan 1932 and one of 6 children, Al was brought up on a farm near Santa Rosa, NM. Whilst serving in the US Navy, he decided he wanted to learn the guitar, so he purchased one from a local pawn shop.

After his service (with stints on the Korean peninsula), he returned to the US and enrolled at a state university in Alpine, TX. 

Al had written some songs and learnt some chords on the guitar, so he formed a band and gigged locally, supporting artists like Johnny Horton and Roy Orbison and The Teen Kings.

In January 1957, Al and his band found themselves at Norman Petty’s Studio in Clovis, NM to cut a record. (“Love That Lives Forever” / “Hard Working Man” – SUNSHINE 11075). Although he managed to either sell or hand out quite a few, he still only continued to gig locally or end up near the bottom of shows in the line-up. But the band practised as much as they could and were getting better all the time.

This leads up to his next record. I’m guessing that “Party” was aimed at the Rock-A-Billy end of the musical spectrum, whilst the flip was leaning towards the country end. Booking some time at Radio KVLF in Alpine, TX (where his university was), Al and his band (Don Powell on Ld Gtr and Bud Turner on Bass) set up and got themselves ready to record two titles that he had penned. Now “Party” has a real “Back-In-The-Hills” quality to it, mainly due to what can only be described as a somewhat muddy recording. Don’s lead guitar is quite upfront on the recording which leaves Al’s vocals a little behind in the mix. (Can barely hear the bass at all). The recordings don’t get any cleared for the flip-side either. Al’s vocals are up a bit in the mix but the lead guitar still drowns him out a bit. 

I’m guessing that Al wasn’t that happy with the recordings as about 4 months later, he recorded Party again (with a different flip-side). We’ll be hearing from him again in nine records time. One more thing of note, according to Phil Tricker and Dick Grant (who wrote an article on Al for the Rockin’ Fifties magazine – written or translated into German! – (My German is pretty poor), they mention in the discography that there is an un-named steel guitarist on these sides. If there is, I can’t hear him/her at all!! Now, if Phil Tricker told me the guitarist was John Lee Hooker and the band was the Johnny Otis Orch, I’d take it for granted that he knew something I didn’t. But I still can’t hear it! (Maybe Al told them there was one present.) Maybe he went out for a cigarette break and missed it all J