Sunday, 13 March 2011

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




Monday, 7 March 2011

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.

Tuesday, 8 February 2011

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




Sunday, 6 February 2011

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)

Saturday, 5 February 2011

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






HUFF RECORDS 616

COWBOY HUFF
Feb 57   (BMI Clearance on 5th April 1957.)
45-616-A - No Two Timing Me
(Huff / Raines)   (Starrite BMI)
45-616-B - What’s Gonna Happen To Me
(Not listed)   (Not Listed)
HUFF RECORDS 616
18 Southwest 27th, Oklahoma City, OK

As usual, despite exhaustive searching (well, browsing the internet and phoning a few people), I've found very little on this artist. I am informed that Cowboy Huff is Charlie Huff, a singer, songwriter and record label owner from Oklahoma. As Charlie Huff, he cut at least one good rocker on Arlo Records (which he may have owned) {She's My baby / Hiding My Tears - Arlo 100} which also appeared on Huff Records (#100). (Both labels carry the same Oklahoma City, OK address). There's also a Cowboy Charlie Huff LP on Northstar 1001, which may be the same guy. Also Billboard magazine mentions (25th Mar 67) that ...."Charles "Cowboy" Huff is trying to sell all of part of his publishing firm, Record Masters."
Also found two 4-Star Releases {4-Star 1190 "Conversations with a mule / Sad Sack"} and {4-Star 1191 "Maybe next week sometime / High hat blues"}, plus a couple of 45's on North Star (727 and 729), plus a couple of later Huff Records (722 and 723). (Man, I should check my database more regularly).

As for this record, the A side is a fast(ish) hillbilly number with fiddles taking the solo and what sounds like an accoustic guitar taking the place of a stand-up bass. (The record is a little stomped on so I'm not sure). B side is more of the same really. I like Huff's vocals - he's got that Texas/West Coast drawl to his voice. Obviously as a fan of Rock-A-Billy, it's hard for me to get too excited about these, but I can imagine Phil Tricker hopping around the kitchen when he spins this on his decks while Al Turner desperately tries to catch the flying plates, saucers and teapot in Phil's wake! (MC)

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Label Shots: John Burton



Friday, 4 February 2011

NO NAME LABEL 615

HOYT SULLIVAN
Feb 57
45-615-A - Hoyt Sullivan's Drug Products 1 and 2
(No info)   (No info)
45-615-B - Hoyt Sullivan's Drug Products 3 and 4
(No info)   (No info)
NO NAME LABEL 615
Phoenix Street, Greenwood, SC


Cut in records with R and B hits of the day. Hoyt ran a reasonably successful beauty products company. (See advert below). He later owned HSE Records (Amongst others) where he recorded Gospel Music. I'm figured Hoyt was (is) black, but according to Alistair Blazaar, he was white. (MC)

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VAN RECORDS 614

CAMPBELL TRIO with Jerry Tuttle (Steel Gtr)
Feb 57
45-614-A - Satan Lost A Sinner
(Jack and Billy Campbell)   (Starrite BMI)
45-614-B - God Can Do Without Your Service
(Jack and Billy Campbell)   (Starrite BMI)
VAN RECORDS 614
614 North Kimball, Malden, MO

Nice, delicate white gospel (with a hillbilly flavour)  from the Campbell Trio. It's the harmonies that win me over here. A side is taken at a faster clip than the B side, but it's the B side I prefer. Jerry Tuttle, the steel guitarist appears on a Rite Pressing from 62 (King Tutt - "Twisting At The Little Big Horn" / "Shorter Hours In School" - STARLINE RECORDS 1001 (Flint, MI), and he had at least one release on Dot Records ("Tweedle-O-Twill" / "Bop Goes The Weasel" - DOT 16093). As for the Campbell Trio - nada!

(MC)

Label Shots: Al Turner


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