COWTOWN RECORDS 605

GENE HARRELL

Jan 57   (BMI clearance on 15th Feb 1957)

45-605-A - I Won't Be Back No More

(Mary L Miller)   (Starrite BMI)

45-605-B - Mumbles

(Daphine Orme)   (Starrite BMI)

COWTOWN RECORDS 605

PO Box 1694, Fort Worth, TX

Label owned by John W Stephenson. More of a vanity / Custom Press label than a song poem concern, he did manage to release quite a few great records in amongst the dross. The label was still going through the 70's.

As for Gene, he was performing at Chaylor's Night Club in Texerkana, TX at the time of this release. For some reason, there seems to be two pressings of this disc. (MC/PJT/AT)

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Phillip J Tricker

Phillip J Tricker

Phillip J Tricker

MOVIECRAFT RECORDS 604

ROD BURTON

Dec 56

45-604-A - Wedding Bells Are Ringing For The Bride

(No info)   (No info)

45-604-B - My New Sensation

(No info)   (No info)

MOVIECRAFT RECORDS 604

930 West 7th Place, Los Angeles, CA

Rod Burton / Roger Smith

Dec 56 (BB = 13 Jan 58)

45-604-A - My Darling

(William W Coons)  (Golden State Songs)

45-604-B - My New Sensation

(William W Coons / Phil Russell)  (Golden State Songs)

MOVIECRAFT RECORDS 604

6766 Hawthorne Ave, Hollywood 28, CA

Another musical blank. Missed a copy on a set sale list about 10 years ago and have seen sight nor sound of it since. Until that is - Ron Lees sent me some label shots.

The label had moved by 1957 and was located at 6766 Hawthorn Ave, Los Angeles and any correspondence was care of Gerard Enterprises. However, the Hollywood label had a review date of 1958 in Billboard - so this maybe just a recreation of the label in blue and repressed in 57/58. 

So - The copy listed with the LA address had a yellow label and perhaps this was the first pressing?

Confusingly, I have also seen listed another disc (Drake Morgan - My Heart Believes / Are You The One - Movie Craft 605) which may or may not be a Starday Custom, or perhaps 604 isn't one after all. Only actually seeing a copy is going to sort this one out. (MC)

Source: Ron Lees

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TREND RECORDS 603

KEN PATRICK with Chet Tant on Steel Gtr

Dec 56   (BMI clearance on 15th Feb 1957)

45-603-A - Snow Flake

(No info)   (Starrite BMI)

45-603-B - Do You Love Me

(No info)   (Starrite BMI)

TREND RECORDS 603

Grand Canyon, AZ

No info. Never actually seen or heard this record. I've been to the Grand Canyon though, if that helps :-)

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STARDAY RECORDS 602

FRANK EVANS and his Top Notchers

Dec 56   (BMI clearance on 15th Feb 1957)

45-602-A - Barrel Of Heartaches (And A Bucket Of Tears)

(J Dunklin / J Rowell)   (Starrite BMI)

45-602-B - If You Knew

(Bonnie Burke)   (Starrite BMI)

STARDAY RECORDS 602

Recorded at WHBO with Arnold Newman (Ld Gtr), Roland Newman (fiddle), Colin Thomas (Steel Gtr), Walter Studenberg (bass) and Frank on Vocals and rhythm guitar. Although neither side stands out, they are pleasant enough to listen to more than once, but sound musically inferior to their other offerings. As the Billboard advert below shows, they were performing over WHBO 5 days a week and performing live frequently.

Label Shots: - Doug Brown
(With thanks to Andrew Brown - Frank Evans article in Hillbilly Researcher #24, Al Turner, PJ Tricker)

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From Billboard 3 Nov 56

CIMMARON RECORDS 601

FRANK BOWEN and Dave Warren and the Ark. Valley Wranglers

Dec 56

45-601-A - A Broken Heart

(Bowen/Warren)   (Starrite BMI)

45-601-B - Rock And Roll Blues

(Bowen/Warren)   (Starrite BMI)

CIMMARON RECORDS 601

Lamarr, CO

Originally, this post was the usual one liner about having no info. But then I stumbled across a Blog called Pueblo City Limits and lo and behold - a wealth of info (well, compared to many of the artists listed on this site). 


The story starts with Gene Clay, founder of the Ark. Valley Wranglers, which was the most popular country band in Lamar, CO. Between 1949 and 1955, they were playing over KLMR (Lamar, CO) and performing at many local watering holes,(Spot 50 Tavern in La Junta and the Eagles Club in Lamar to name just two),  high school dances, American Legion halls etc. But in 1955 two members of the band joined the US Army and one moved to Pueblo to attend college, so the band took a break.


Meanwhile, another local band, The Rhythm Ranch Boys were performing locally and gravitating towards the Rock and Roll end of the music market. Wanting to make a record but not knowing where to start, Frank and Dave approached Gene for advice. As he had some influence at KLMR, he arranged a recording session there, but on the condition he was allowed to use his own band's name on the record. So the Rhythm Ranch Boys became part of the Ark. Valley Wranglers. 


Recorded in the fall of 1956, they recorded two of Frank and Dave's compositions and despatched the tracks to Starday Records for pressing on their Cimmaron label (after nabbing the publishing on both sides). Boxes of records came back with postcards to be sent to radio stations that they sent to DJ's with the hope of some airplay. 


The A side is a pleasant enough country/hillbilly weeper with lovely harmony vocals on the chorus.  The B side is a nice relaxed rocker in the style of "Heartbreak Hotel", but with a more "countryish" musical leanings and again features some nice harmonies. The band, compared to other Starday Customs, sounds very tight and professional. 


After spending another year with the Wranglers, Frank moved to Denver and started another band, called the "String-A-Longs". Later, moving to North Carolina, he worked in the insurance industry before retiring. Dave worked for the Denver police before setting in retirement in Missouri.


Huge thanks to Lisa Wheeler who kindly allowed me to plunder her excellent Blogspot for the info above. For the full story of Gene Clay and the Ark. Valley Wranglers (plus two short sound clips of  the record above), visit the link below.
Pueblo City Limits

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Lisa Wheeler

Lisa Wheeler

ALABAMA GOSPEL RECORDS 600

THE TOM HARMON TRIO

Dec 56  (BMI clearance on 11 Jan 57)

45-600-A - My Secret Affair

(T F Harmon - Dan Garrett)   (Starrite BMI)

45-600-B - Get Away, Satan

(T F Harmon - Dan Garrett)   (Starrite BMI)

ALABAMA GOSPEL RECORDS 600

AL

More pleasant gospel from the Tom Harmon Trio (who appeared in this series earlier (#571), spoilt by the quality of the recording. 

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Source: Evin Thompson

HUGHART RECORDS 599

BURT HUGHART

Dec 56  (BMI clearance on 11 Jan 57)

45-599-A - Our Last Goodbye

(Hughart)   (Starrite)

45-599-B - Memories I Can't Forget

(Hughart)   (Starrite)

HUGHART RECORDS 599

Rt 3, Stigler, OK

My notes here says this isn't Burt's real name and that he was living in Stigler, OK at the time but was raised in nearby Hughart. Apart from that snippet - nothing.

Source: Ron Lees

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ROCK IT RECORDS 598

GENE TERRY and his Kool Kats

Nov 56  (BMI clearance on 11 Jan 57)

45-598-A - The Woman I Love

(Kid Murdock / Lila Hargiss)   (Starrite BMI)

45-598-B - Tip, Tap And Tell me

(Kid Murdock / Lila Hargiss)   (Starrite BMI)

ROCK IT RECORDS 598

Port Arthur, TX

Gene Terry was born Terry Gene DeRouen in Lafayette, LA on January 7th 1940, but raised in Port Arthur, TX, where his main musical influence growing up was his father and grandfather performing Cajun songs. He also attended house and barn dances with his uncle, R. C. DeRouen, a Cajun musician. His uncle taught him how to play guitar and eventually Gene accompanied him on stage. Gene formed his first band, the Kool Kats, in the mid-'50s, doing mainly country and western songs but they gravitated toward rock and roll, eventually changing their name to The Downbeats. Gradually rhythm and blues began to enter the band's repertoire as Gene became influenced by Little Richard, Elvis Presley and local KTRM deejay J. P. "the Big Bopper" Richardson. Word spread to Lake Charles, LA gaining the attention of local club owners and a five year contract with Goldband Records. Gene Terry and the Down Beats recorded several singles for Goldband including classic "Cindy Lou."


Top side is a fast rocker with a nice long guitar solo (although he seems to have not been expecting the first part of the solo because he's a little under-recorded). Flip is more mid paced with a nod towards "Heartbreak Hotel". Awesome! (MC)

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Neil Scott

Neil Scott

.

PEACH RECORDS 597

LEON HOLMES and his Georgia Ramblers
LEON HOLMES and JOHNNY GARRISON and the Georgia Ramblers

Nov 56  (BMI clearance on 11th Jan 57)

45-597-A - She's My Baby

(Leon Holmes)   (Starrite BMI)

45-597-B - You're Not Mine At All

(Leon Holmes)   (Starrite BMI)

PEACH RECORDS 597

Box 111, Jefferson, GA

Possibly one of my favourite discs in this series. Great stop-start vocals through the verses with a nice hint of rock-a-billy mumbling through the choruses! But it's the guitar breaks that have always grabbed my attention (for obvious reasons I guess). Slightly understated with a smattering of Carl Perkins with a lovely cascade of notes at the end. It sounds to me that right at the end of the song, the guitarist must hit his pick-up switch by accident as the tone changes slightly. I could probably listen to this all day and not get bored. In fact, sometimes I think I do!
Both sides were recorded at WIMO (Winder, GA) as a trio with another of Johnny Garrison's brothers. It was supervised by Slim Williamson (who owned Peach and Chart records amongst others). According to Slim, he paid Don Pierce $150 to press the record with the promise that if it was a success it would be released again on Starday. So Slim got his pressings and started mailing the out to DJ's.
Leon appears later in this series on Starday Records and also again on Peach Records. (MC)

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Steve Holloway

Steve Holloway