KYVA RECORDS 707

KED KILLEN
Mar 58
CP-1470 - The School Bus Tragedy   (Golden State Songs)
(Aubrey Garber)
CP-1471 - You'd Better Take Time   (Golden State Songs)
(Paul Gilley - Ked Killen)
KYVA RECORDS 707
Kentucky-Virginia Record Co, Grundy, VA


Source: Al Turner

SUNSET RECORDS 706

TONY and JACKIE LAMIE with the Swing Kings
Mar 58
CP-1464 - Wore To A Frazzel     (Golden State Songs)
(Lamie)
CP-1465 - Sunset Blues   (Golden State Songs)
(Lamie)
SUNSET RECORDS 706
Tannersville, VA   (Tony Lamie)

Source: Terry Gordon

DELTA RECORDS 705

LEROY MARTIN and the Rebels
Mar 58  (BMI Clearance on 31st May 1958.)
CP-1462 - Keen Teen Baby
(?)   (Golden State Songs)
CP-1463 - Upon This Day
(?)   (Golden State Songs)

DELTA 705
Radio Station KTIB, Thibodaux, LA.

No label shot - well, I was sent one ages ago but it's far too out of focus to use.

From: South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous. (John Broven)


Born in Golden Meadow in 1929, Leroy was mesmerized at an early age by the hillbilly recordings of Jimmie Rodgers. Many years later he repaid this inspirational debt when he presented his rare Jimmie Rodgers picture record, given to him originally by Jimmie’s widow, to the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. Leroy started playing music seriously in 1947, as a guitarist with Dudley Bernard ‘s combo the Southern Serenaders, waking up to his native Cajun music only when Vin Bruce began recording for Columbia in the early fifties. In 1954 Martin left the Southern Serenaders to get married, and spent his honeymoon in Memphis, where he saw the last Barnum and Bailey vaudeville show and met the young Elvis Presley. Music was at the crossroads, and Leroy was there. Quickly displaying his musical vision, he formed the Rebels in 1955 to play "semicountry and rock" - in other words, rockabilly. 

Two years later he made his first record, "Keen Teen Baby" and "Upon This Day", which he released on his own Delta label. "It was meant to sound like ‘Decca" he says of the name, "...only major labels were selling then. I pressed 500 copies and was left with 400 !". After this he played with the local Dominoes group before joining the Vikings, who were backing his cousin Joe Barry.

STARDAY RECORDS 704

FUZZY WHITENER with Jerry Dykes and his band
Mar 58
704A - Why Do I Love You   (Starrite BMI)
(Whitener)
704B - Sugar Buggar   (Starrite BMI)
(Whitener)
STARDAY 704

Source: Terry Gordon

PEACH RECORDS 703

LEWIS PRUITT and the True Lads
Mar 58  (BMI Clearance on 5th May 1958)
CP-1460 - I'm In A Daze   (Golden State)
(Bobby Dood)
CP-1461 - Pretty baby   (Giolden State)
(Lewis Pruitt)
PEACH 703
Box 111, Jefferson, GA

After the last few records reviewed on this site, I'd like to say there is not much disputing that this record IS a Starday Custom and fits in with the listing. Rite numbers are earlier that the Cowtowns or Beverly. Trouble is, Peach started a numbering series about this time in a rather sloppy manner - a couple of 500 series years apart for example, so perhaps we shouldn't take it for granted :-)
"Pretty Baby" is a good rocker. 

This is Neil Scott's version of a mint record. In fact, as he "downgrades" his records sometimes, the rumour that this was a mint copy until he put the sanding machine on it has yet to be proven. Though, to mimic our scummy UK journalists - "I've said it so it must be true."

Source: Neil Scott

TRAILS RECORDS 702

BILLY SAGE

A - Untie These Chains

B - Everybody's Crazy About Me

TRAILS RECORDS 702

Described as a "Fun, lightweight little hillbilly-bopper/western swing four piece. Not rockabilly, but in the ballpark. On one of Starday's boutique labels."

Anybody got a copy of this? I'd like to see it to see if it's a Starday Custom.
 

COWTOWN RECORDS ep 702

GENE RAY
May 58
CP-1557 - Oklahoma Waltz
               A Picture Of You
CP-1558 - Indigo Blue
              Learning The Mambo
COWTOWN ep 702
Po Box 192, Avery, TX   (John Stephenson)

This was pressed even further away than Beverly 701. I can't seem to locate my label shots for this but I seem to remember both sides were at least mostly Starrite BMI. More of a continuation of Cowtown Records than anything else, Starday could have still been paid to press this (and again sending it to Rite). 

You think this is confusing - wait until I get to Brite Star!

BEVERLY RECORDS 702

THE KOOL TOPPERS
Apr / May 1958
CP-1535 - Is That Exactly What You wanta Do   (Golden State Songs)
(Unknown)
CP-1536 - Cause I Love You So   (Golden State Songs)
(Unknown)
BEVERLY 702
Kinson, NC

Like Cowtown 701, there's a general opinion that this fits as part of the Starday Custom series. However, this was pressed even later that Cowtown 701 - this came after Big State 718, which leaves some the believe this isn't really a true custom, rather a follow up for Beverly 701 (Anyone got info on this?)

Personally, despite it being pressed a couple of months out of sequence, it doesn't mean it isn't one. But I'm willing to be persuaded either way. Both sides published by Golden State which is a good sign.

I did have label shots for both sides, but it was from a bootleg. I've used Michel Proosts label shot from his blog "That's All Rite Mama" as (I'm hoping) this is a shot of a real copy. (Well, at least it looks more real than the boot does.) The boot 45 came with a picture sleeve -  I don't know if the original did.

Source: Michel Proost

STARDAY RECORDS 701

LOU WALKER
Apr 58 
45-701-A - Little Bitty Man
(Walker)   (Starrite BMI)
45-701-B - Cause I'm Losing You
(Walker)   (Starrite BMI)
STARDAY 701

Source: Terry Gordon

COWTOWN RECORDS ep 701

JOHN STEPHENSON and the Texans
Apr /May 58
CP-1494 - Was I Borned To Lose     (Starrite BMI)
(J W Stephenson / Mary M Miller)
               Sweeter Day By Day     (Starrite BMI)
(Mary M Miller)
CP-1495 - The Truth Hurts
               I Was Warned.
COWTOWN 701
Po Box 192, Avery, TX   (John Stephenson)

Now - conundrum time. Is this a Starday Custom pressing and does it fit in with this listing? Well, after every London Record Fair at Great Portland Street, the weary collectors, sellers and dodgy geezers with notebooks and plastic carrier bags full of beaten up 45's (sounds a lot like me, except for the carrier bag), get together in the local pub / bar / watering hole and talk rubbish for an hour of two, usually about records. (It's a bit like fishing stories - the "One That Got Away" and "I Used To Own That But Not Anymore"). Anyhooo, as most of the contributors of this listing seem to drink together, especially on the rare occasion Phil Tricker blows the dust off of his wallet, flits away the moths and gets the beers in, the talk usually steers towards Starday Customs. (Don't often see Ian Saddler in there, but he's usually behind his stall counting his money).

The general consensus is:- (cue trumpets or drums) that it was probably sent to Starday for pressing and Starday farmed off the duties to Rite in Cincinnati. The Rite numbers are a little ahead of March 1958, but Rite wouldn't despatch until payment was received. (This was pressed after the Starday Custom 712 - Jesse Stevens). So in theory it is one. But others stammer and yell that, as there is already a bonefide 701 (Lou Walker on Starday), then it's probably not part of this series and simply a Starday / Rite pressed follow up to Cowtown 700. Whatever, I've included it anyway. It's covered with Starrite Publishing and it almost fits datewise. You know it's not like DNA sequencing - there's probably not a true "order" of things except the fact that the listing is numerical. Feel free to leave your comments and I'll add them to this page - unless of course it's simply to tell me it isn't one without some kind of explanation.

John Stephenson and his Cowtown label was sometimes part of the "Song Poem" legacy. 

Source: Udo Frank / Dan DeClark