Friday, August 27, 2010

Ten Pretty Girls


Big Johnny Love

Ten Pretty Girls

Unknown date. Big Johnny Love had another release on the TOF label (backed by Sam Kimble) which was a label out of Hartford, Connecticut. So, I assume THIS Impact label was also located there.


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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Bronco Rock


Tony Mandarin and the Mile High Rockers

Bronco Rock

unknown date


Tony Mandarin - name is copyrighted - is Bill Michaels.

He released a CD in 2007 which includes "Bronco Rock".

cdbaby.com :

Bill Michaels, a long time resident of Denver Colorado, is definately a Bronco's fan. He has had a life long dream of doing some recording, and has from time to time done so. These are eight of his best (in our opinion). If you are a Denver Bronco's fan, We can guarantee you will love the first track, and the rest is up to you.




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L. David Sloane


Marian Hall

L. David Sloane

Young Country





Marian Hall was a bit of a trend setter back in the 1950s, she was the "Queen of Steel" when up till then, the steel guitar was a male-dominated instrument....

Read more
HERE

She's the one on steel guitar behind Joe Maphis in this VIDEO


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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Jogger


Dennis Bice & the Rhythm Riders

Jogger

Detroit, Michigan

Late sixties?




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Sunday, August 22, 2010

Pee Wee and the Prophets - Fat Woman


Pee Wee and the Prophets

Fat Woman

No one seems to remember Pee Wee and the Prophets, except Pete Dakan. who saw them entertaining the crowd at the Billy's Meadowbrook Inn.

The Raven label located in Clarksburg, W.Va. had only few releases.

Panhandle Music, publisher company, was owned by John Bava (of Cozy Records, Davis, West Virginia).


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Saturday, August 21, 2010

Earl and the Dukes on Double H


Double H 002
Earl and the Dukes

"You Made Up For Everything"

"Don't Let Him"

A Tee Gee production (Tony Glenn)

1964


"Don't Let Him" was compiled on "Echoes Of Buddy Holly" (CD Classics 710 - Sweden) in 2000. The label was located in Greenville, South Carolina. The owners were John V. Hudson and J. Huffman. On the same label was Linda Masters (at least two singles). That's all I know, I swear.


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Fire Is Gonna Fly


Little Miss Sabra

Fire Is Gonna Fly

Tal Star 1001
(circa 1970)

Late Western Swing from Amarillo, Texas.

Tal Star Records was owned by Orville Junior "Houndog" Keith (1929-2010). He was a Texas Playboy with Bob Wills for a while in the 50's.

Betty Jo Bangs of "Daddy was a Preacher but Mamma was a Go Go Girl" fame was on the same label around the same time.


Orville Keith obituary



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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Johnny & the Blue Jays : Mama


Johnny & the Blue Jays

Fleetwood FL 4525 (1962)


Mama



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1964 teen rock on a Massachusetts label founded by Ray Samora in 1958.

Ray Samora
created the Drum Corps News publication and also established and headed Fleetwood Recording Studios, which recorded drum and bugle corps (*) competitions across the continent in the 1950s and ‘60s, then produced and distributed LP records through a wide variety of retail outlets. Fleetwood introduced hi-fi and stereo sound to drum corps albums, eight track and tape cassettes. Fleetwood, founded with partner Vincent Giarusso, also produced sports albums. See Fleetwood catalog.

(*)
Back in the late 50s and through the 60s, I had a lot of Fleetwood Records. You mentioned that they recorded mainly marching bands. That is incorrect.
What they recorded was drum and bugle corps, which, though there are superficial similarities between them and marching bands, are actually quite different from bands. Drum and bugle corps had (and still have) as instruments only various types/sizes of percussion instruments/drums and bugles in various sizes/ranges (e.g., soprano, baritone, contrabass, french horn bugle, mellophone, etc.). The sound drum corps produce is one of powerful percussion and brass. And precision in both music and in marching and manuevering (visual show) is emphasized.
In the 1970s, the drum corps style began to have a more significant influence on marching bands, with the result that, today, many bands imitate the more precise and powerful drum corps style.

Regards,

John Grady


Fleetwood Singles discography


Sunday, August 15, 2010

Jack Merlin


Born 1933 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

It seems that he first recorded for the John Dolan's New Phoenix label located in Hartland, Wisconsin in the early sixties before recording four singles for Dot, Cameo and Hickory Records between 1962 and 1965.

In November 1965, Billboard reported : "Jack Merlin (who is also a policeman) has produced a new record on his own COR label which was grabbed up by MGM a&r man, Jim Vienneau. The disk, « He’s Coming Home », by the Indigos, has been released on the Verve-Folkways label."





I Beat The Blues





62 Dot 16332

I Beat The Blues
Girl Of My Dreams

64 Cameo 311

My Debbie
Drip Drop Sha La La Blues

65 Hickory 1296

Mechanical Man
One Song

65 Hickory 1322

Are You
Love Life Of Crime






Thursday, August 12, 2010

Royalty, Snow, Travis, Rector...



Listed in Rockin' Country Style without location. The record was recently on eBay with the picture of the B-side having sticker of Royalty Records - years of research regarding its location are ended -:


Royalty Records
802 Lillius Street
Abilene, Texas


Forever





In Billboard (classified section - Miscellaneous, April 25, 1960), I've found this little ad :

AT LIBERTY – BOB TRAVIS, TEXAS’ craziest comedian and A.F.M. musician. Clean comedy and plays several different musical instruments. Specialize on bass and drums. Sober. Open for anything and reliable. Write : 802 Lillius St., Abilene, Tex.
Same address and same year for the Royalty release and the Bob Travis Billboard ad. I assume that sober Bob Travis produced the record.

Bob Travis may be also the band leader credited on Royalty 213 (reviewed in Billboard, July 9, 1955), which featured one Teresa Rector on vocal : "Starlight Up In Heaven" b/w "Just A Hand-me-down", both published by 4 Star Sales BMI.

Bob Travis may also have been the vocalist credited on Almata 101 (released in 1957) :

The Royalairs Combo [ note the persistence of the royal theme ] / Vocal By Bob Travis
"Hey Ho Hey Ho Ho Ho Baby, Baby b/w Starlight Up In Heaven


As to Teresa Rector, she is now yodeling for Jesus :

After several failed marriages and years of alcohol and drug abuse, the Holy Spirit spoke to Theresa and through ‘prophetic dreams and visions’ helped here to write the landmark song: I Wanna Yodel for the LORD!


She also recorded great works such as Hallelulollalululujah Praise The Lord and I’m Gonna Yodel My Way To Heaven.








Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Dickey McCanless - Your First and Last Love

Dickey McCanless

Your First and Last Love


The slower side of the DE-MC single 369. "A Thing Called Love", the uptempo side, has been compiled on the Collector CD "Rock & Roll Covers - Hot Steamy Lovers, Vol. 3".





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Let Me Be The Teacher



George Nixon



A Columbia custom from the early sixties pressed in Nashville. Flip is "Jingle Bell Twist". That's all I know, I swear.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

He's Gonna Take His Children Out

Picture credit : rekkord4u

"Billie and Gordon formed a gospel bluegrass duet. Together,they wrote and recorded songs in the 1950's for both the Rangeland label and the Starday label. They hosted a gospel variety show , The Old Country Church. The gospel bluegrass variety show ran for over 12 years on WUSN-TV channel two in Charleston, SC. Billie played this Martin guitar and Gordon played mandolin on the show and numerous personal appearances throughout the Southeast. Their career spanned over 30 years. Ms. Hamrick passed away in 2002,"
http://martinacousticguitars.com/1951-martin-acoustic-guitar-000-28-good-condition/
HAMRICK - Gordon B. Hamrick born November 18, 1917 in Douglasville, GA, died December 30, 2001. He served in the U.S. Army in the Panama Canal Zone in the 1930s and continued military service in the Coast Guard through WWII on the USS Savage as a Chief. He also managed grocery stores in Jacksonville and performed gospel music with wife Billie in Charleston, SC on a television show called The Old Country Church in the 1950s and 60s. Billie and Gordon continued performing gospel music up until his retirement in 1998. He was a member of Biltmore Baptist Church and is survived by his wife Billie; daughter, Sharon; sons Marty; and grandchildren, Jade, Siminitus, Amanda, and Lauren Hamrick all residents of Jacksonville.
Source : http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/obituaries/archives/1000_04_January_2001.html



He's Gonna Take His Children Out




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Eilart Pilarm - Hound Dog


Some good news and some bad news from the Swedish Elvis :

"I like to entertain" and "I have stopped recording for a while"
(Eilart Pilarm, at his space at MySpace)


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Hound Dog




17 other tracks are available HERE


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Friday, August 6, 2010

Phantom Lover?




This is a Joey Castle (1942-1978) recording made in the late sixites on his own label, Out Of Sight.



Bruce Eder :

Among the ranks of Elvis Presley sound-alikes, there are the imitators who came along in the wake of his death in 1977 and then there are those who came to the sound a little more honestly, back in the formative days of rock & roll. Joey Castle, aka Cliff Rivers, real name Jospeh Fohn Castaldo, fits into the latter category -- he was even signed to RCA. And he never had the chance to cash in on Elvis' death as a sound-alike artist, succumbing to brain cancer less than 18 months after the demise of his onetime idol.


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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Mocking Bird Special




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Bob Riley

Bob Riley

A regular on the Hayloft Jamboree (WCOP, Boston, Mass.) Bob Riley jumped on the rockabilly bandwagon once Elvis came on the scene. Bob Riley was known as "the Elvis of New England." In addition to having a notable career of his own, Bob played lead guitar on Freddie Cannon's early recordings. He was still performing until recently locally on the country circuit.


Bob Riley (center) in the Radax studio
Cover of Eagle 90203 (CD) (Germany, 1994)
Rare Fifties Boston Rockabilly, Vol. 1

Two unissued acetates from 56 or 57

Four Button Suit
Rock 'N' Roll Mama


1957
Dot 15625
Without Your Love / Baby Sitten



1958

MGM 12612

The Midnight Line / Wanda Jean



1958
Coral 62002

I Waited / Mr. Bluebird


1959
Coral 62125
I Think It's a Shame (They Don't Care) / Blue Guitar Waltz


1960

York

Big Dog / I'll Win You Back Again



1961
Tibor 4500
Weekend Vacation / Memories Of Home

1965
Vikim 7661
Red Roses For A Blue Lady / Blue Suede Shoes

year?
Fleetwood Records FL51971
Bob Riley and His Fabulous "Nashville Sounds"
Far Away Places b/w "Starbrite




OTracklist

Download (re-up)

Note 1 : Included is "To The Aisle". original release unknown, I'm not even quite sure that is the same Bob Riley.

Note 2 : "Big Dog" is perhaps his best rocker. Never compiled, as far as I known. Also included, even if the file is cut before the end.


Sunday, August 1, 2010

Johnny Ryall


Jay Rainwater, credited as the writer along with Isle (Jimmy? Ronnie?), was Brenda Lee's step-father.

In 1955, Brenda's mother married Jay Rainwater. The family lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. Brenda began working in Jimmy Skinner's Record Shop on two Saturday programs over WNOP in Newport, Kentucky. Brenda sang the big country music hits of the day.

Later that year, the family moved to Augusta, Georgia. Brenda appeared on the Peach Blossom Special on WJAT-TV. It was while appearing on this show that the name "Brenda Lee" was created by the show's producer, Sammy Barton. He felt that Tarpley was to difficult to remember and suggested that she shorten her last name to Lee. Jay Rainwater opened a record store in Augusta and called it the Brenda Lee Record Shop. Station WRDW originated a program in the shop each week and Brenda sang on the show. Disc jockey Charlie Raiford "Peanuts" Faircloth was the announcer. Brenda composed her own theme song.
Was Jay Rainwater continuously hoping for the discovery of another Brenda Lee? Perhaps.

Anyway, in 1962, he found Johnny Ryall.