STARDAY RECORDS 626

BILLIE and GORDON HAMRICK with the Low County Gospel Band

Apr 57   (BMI Clearance on 26th April 1957.)

45-626-A - Gonna See My Lord Someday

(Nell Palmer)   (Starrite BMI)

45-626-B - Jesus Is The Name

(Nell Palmer)   (Starrite BMI)

STARDAY RECORDS 626

Another slice of Gospel heaven from the talented Billie and Gordon Hamrick.

A side is a torrid Blue Grass / Gospel number with nice harmonies. Very nice banjo solos, accompanied by a fiddle player. B side is slower with a Dobro more to the fore. Perhaps this is my favourite 45 by the artists so far. Almost makes me want to go to church! (except, in England, we'd have no music like this being performed.) (MC)

Label Shots: Phil Tricker


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COOSA RECORDS 625

ERNEST PAINTER

Apr 57   (BMI Clearance on 26th April 1957.)

45-625-A - No One But You

(Painter)   (Starrite)

45-625-B - Whispering Heart

(Painter)   (Starrite)

COOSA RECORDS 625

Shannon, GA

Sadly, no info on the artist. Nor have I heard either side. Ernest was brought into a recording studio by Hoyt Scoggins and most copies were given to DJ’s in the hope somebody more famous would pick up the songs. (MC)

Label Shots: Lars Lungren and Kent Heineman
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DIXIE RECORDS 624

TOM CROOKS and the Rock And Roll Four

Apr 57   (BMI Clearance on 26th April 1957.)

45-624-A - My Heart Don’t Lie

(Crook)   (Starrite BMI)

45-624-B - Weekend Boogie

(Crook)   (Starrite BMI)

DIXIE RECORDS 624

Rome, GA

A side is a slow number, sung with a hillbilly flavour. Tom has that great "hillbilly Twang" to his voice. There's some nice guitar gently supporting Tom whilst he's crooning his love song.

Flip the disc over and you get a great relaxed Rock-A-Billy/Hillbilly/Country hybrid ditty with an accoustic guitar taking the lead with fine support from a steel guitarist. Oh, the joys of the weekend (unless, of course, you're unemployed - in which case, to quote Morrissey,  "every day is like Sunday").

According to Terry Gordon, the artist was from Rome, GA. He sounds like he’s in his 30’s or later to my ears and calling the band “The Rock And Roll Four” is a little optimistic, but it’s a great track nevertheless. (MC)

Label Shots: Terry Gordon


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JAY RECORDS 623

BOB COLE

Apr 57  (BMI Clearance on 26th April 1957.)

45-623-A - Face To Face

(B.Cole)    (Starrite BMI)

45-623-B - You Lied

(B.Cole) (Starrite BMI)

JAY RECORDS 623

New Orleans, LA

Bob had his own radio show broadcast over WARB, Covington, LA and appeared as the MC and a singer on the "Old Country Barn Dance, which was held at the Ann Theatre, Baton Rouge, LA. (He was still appearing at the Ann Theatre in 1958, but after that I have no idea.)

A side is a slowish country ditty; a little like an early Hank Williams. (To be honest, most songs of this type always remind me of Williams). Nice dreamy steel guitar and tic-tac guitar. Guitar solo is a simple run around on the melody. The B side is faster and has a nice catchy melody. Again the guitarist skips along with the melody in the solo. (MC)


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Source: Al Turner

STARDAY RECORDS 622

LUCKY HILL

Mar 57  (Billboard review on 29th April 1957.)

45-622-A - Fickle Baby

(Lucky Hill)   (Starrite BMI)

45-622-B - It’s Comin’ Home To You

(Lucky Hill)   (Starrite BMI)

STARDAY RECORDS 622

A side is a hillbilly song, kinda like an early Lattie Moore King 45. Fiddles are the main instrument here. B side is slower and more bluesy (in a typical hillbilly sort of way). More of a Hank Williams type song, and the tune bears a passing resemblance to "You're Gonna Change Or I'm Gonna Leave".

As for Lucky himself, he appeared on the Jimmie Rodgers Memorial celebration in Meridian, MS, held over May 21st-22nd in 57. He wrote in billboard advertising this disc can be acquired from him form an address in Tiffin, OH. By July 57, having come back from an Armed forces tour of North Africa, Lucky could be found as a staff announcer over KDRO-TV, Sedalia, MO. In Dec 57, Billboard also announced that his piano player (Denny Bolin) had broken his neck in a car accident near Joplin, MO. That's pretty much all the info I have on this artist. He also recorded for TNT Records.

Label Shots: Neil Scott.

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JAMBOREE RECORDS 621

BILL and BOB // BILL BOLAN and the Country Melody Boys

Mar 57

45-621-A - Falling Apart At The Seams

(No info)   (Starrite BMI)

45-621-B - Country Music

(No info)   (Starrite BMI)

JAMBOREE RECORDS 621

4213 Rose Ave, Lyons, IL

Bill was born in Alabama and according to the note posted to DJ's below, was married and had five children. Like many southerners, he may well have headed north on the promise of better job opportunities. Musically, the A side is a weepy country ballad with that sad steel guitar sound throughout. There's a fiddle player in the background who takes a brief solo. The B side is a faster, fiddle and steel gtr led hillbilly song. Bill sounds like a real southerner when he sings, despite the label location of IL.  (MC)

14 Jul 2013 - Updated bio of artist, courtesy of Al Turner. See below with label shots.

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CAROLINA RECORDS 620

RENE McCALL and her Candy Ranch Boys

Mar 57   (BMI Clearance on 26th April 1957.)

45-620-A - We’re Strangers Now

(C Johnson / R McCall)   (Starrite BMI)

45-620-B - The Waltz In The Rain

(Preston Miller)   (American Music Inc)

CAROLINA RECORDS 620

Rt 7 - Box 474, Charlotte, NC

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Source: Al Turner.

CRESTWOOD RECORDS 619

MARVIN JACKSON with the Battreal Boys

Mar 57   (BMI Clearance on 26th April 1957.)

45-619-A - Honey, If You Love Me

(M Jackson)   (Starrite BMI)

45-619-B - World Of Make Believe

(M Jackson)   (Starrite BMI)

CRESTWOOD RECORDS 619

Cadet, MO

Here's Marvin Jackson's first record. Now, Marvin may not be household name around these parts, but thanks to White Label / Collector Records, there's a whole CD of his stuff floating around out there. He cut some rough and ready rockabilly tracks, a few instrumentals (Marvin plays lead guitar) and some country stuff. Marvin got this and his follow up disc pressed by Starday - 300 hundred copies and perhaps some promotional material (which was either post cards to send to DJ's or - in Red Moore's case - a stamper which you could stamp "Play This - It's Hot" on the paper sleeves.) His third disc was pressed by King who only pressed 200 copies. According to my notes, the artist was based out of Cadet, MO at the time of these recordings, and Crestwood was his own label.

A side is pretty much country, but Marvin's got that voice that easily skips the fence of Country into the green fields that is rockabilly, so it's an early example of what he's gonna sound like later on. B side is a ballad. Quite nice steel guitar featured on both sides. I'll have some more info on him by the time we reach his next release (#644) (MC / Steve Kelerman / Adam Komorowski)

Better label shots would be nice!

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Label Shots: Phil Tricker

STARDAY RECORDS 618

BUDDY SHAW

Mar 57   (Billboard Review on 13th April 1957.)

45-618-A - No More

(Ruth Snider / B Shaw)   (Starrite BMI)

45-618-B - The Breath Of Life To Me

(Ruth Snider / B Shaw)   (Starrite BMI)

STARDAY RECORDS 618

Buddy's back with another offering by him and Ruth Snider. "No More" is ALMOST rockabilly. In fact, if you cut out the steel and added a guitar it'd be darn close to being really good. But as it is, it's darn fine hillbilly. Flip is a ballad which, apart from the fine vocals by Buddy, is a little pedestrian for my tastes. (MC)

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HUFF RECORDS 617

COWBOY HUFF

Feb 57   (BMI Clearance on 12th April 1957.)

45-617-A - Lover’s Waltz

(Huff / Raines)    (Starrite BMI)

45-617-B - Patonia (Pride Of The Plains)

(Arr: Huff)    (Starrite BMI)

HUFF RECORDS 617

18 Southwest 27th, Oklahoma City, OK

See previous entry for (what is laughably called a) bio. More of the same here from Huff. A side is indeed a waltz with fiddles taking the lead. Flip is faster and more like the previous two sides. (MC/Bill McClung).

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Label Shots: John Burton
78 Label Shot: Bill McClung