Good Luck, Best Wishes

Bill Lowery

Good Luck, Best Wishes

Woodall-Packham-Carrier

Lowery Music BMI

NRC 1958

Breakable, unplayable, but still a smoking item !

Gone Twisting

Alane Cochran  And The Nomads

Gone Twisting

Conco 149

Mfg. by Confederate Record Corp.

The unknown Alane Cochran is perhaps a relative of Wayne Cochran, a Macon recording artist who may have been owner of the Conco label, or part-owner with Bobby Smith.

I'm aware of only two other records on the same label :

• 145 Rocking Capris : Money / Lights Out
• 146 Otis Redding : Fat Gal

 

Bobby Smith died recently. He founded Confederate Records, Boblo Records, and Macon Recording Studio, the first recording studio in Macon.

Macon, GA- James R. "Bobby" Smith died Thursday, October 11, 2012.

Mr. Smith attended Mabel White Baptist Church and Musella Baptist Church. He was a die-hard University of Georgia fan. A former baseball and basketball coach, he played against the Harlem Globetrotters in an exhibition match in Macon. Mr. Smith founded Confederate Records, Bob-Lo Records, and Macon Recording Studio, the first recording studio in Macon. He worked with many artists, including Otis Redding, James Brown, Wayne Cochran, Bobby Lee, Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Ellis [Orion]. After retiring, his passion was working in his yard. He was predeceased by his daughter, Linda Neal, and brother, Billy Smith.

Published in The Telegraph on October 14, 2012

Shirley Ward With The Rockets

Shirley Ward With The Rockets 

101 Johnny "On The Run"

R.Golden - S.Long - P.Ferraro

Becks Music BMI

102  Dr. Ben K.C. 

J.Speca - S.Long

S&S Music BMI

 

Blossom Records

I'm not aware of any other releases on this Blossom label or any other releases by Shirley Ward.  It has to be a label out of Reading, Pennsylvania, as the four songwriters are from the seat of the Bercks County  :

• Emidio Vagnoni, better known by thousands of Berks County country music fans as Shorty Long. His career spanned more than 50 years, from Broadway shows to fronting his own performances. Not to be confused with soul singer Frederick Earl "Shorty" Long 
• John Speca wrote many songs with Shorty Long. He resided, I believe, in Pottstown, Pa.
• Patrick Ferraro headed Kingston Records, a Reading label, in 1963-1964.
• Russ Golding (R. Golden) was the associate of  Grover Barbour, owner of Bee Records, also a Reading label.

Shimmy Shimmy Shimmy

The Millionaires

Shimmy Shimmy Shimmy

(Do The Cocaminny)

Ann Curry, Stinson Music BMI

Cadillac 163

The previous release on Cadillac was the R'nB sounding "Arkansas Jane"  also by The Millionaires, oddly enough a cover of a  Dallas Frazier-penned song first recorded by Elwood James on the tiny Robie Lester's Bonanza Records, a Los Angeles concern.  Here, "Shimmy" is obviously sung by a white group. But perhaps the Millionaires were an "integrated" group after all ? I don't known.

Anyway, for want of any better regarding the Millionaires story or line-up ,  I made some progress in my research regarding the quite obscure Cadillac label, and was able to fill some gaps in the label discography that I've tried to compile.

Cadillac Records was founded in 1949 in Detroit as a subsidiary of Park Avenue Music publishers headed by songwriter, vocalist and former orchestra leader  Jerry Harris as president.  

The label moved to New-York in 1951,  a move mentionned by Billboard in their September 15, 1951 issue.   Graham Prince is then designed as the owner of the firm.   I've seen mention of another owner, Charles Boulanger, who like Graham Prince, was a band director.  One of the first release on the new New-York label was Ruth Casey's "Hold Me Just A Little Bit Longer" and "Cry" on #103. The ballad "Cry" was soon covered for Columbia Records on its subsidiary label Okeh, by Johnny Ray and became a national sensation, a big hit.     

The less obscure artist on the label is perhaps Charlie Graci/Gracie whose first three records were on Cadillac Records.  

I've not be able to found any trace of activity (release) on the label between 1955 and 1960, except the mention of a Cadillac recording artist performing in front of the inmates at the Detroit House of Correction.  One of another artists of this 1956 Yule confined show was Jack Scott and His Rock-A-Billies,  well before his very first record on ABC.

In the early sixties, there were new releases out of Detroit,  still produced by Graham Prince on Cadillac, and on S.A.K. Records  and Go-Gee Records as well.

Graham Prince (1904-81) started out in the 20s with Whitey Kaufman's band. He is credited with quite a few publishers' arrangements and some co-credits on songs.

In compensation for the lack of a Millionaires picture, please find below one of Ruth Casey. It's so cold and rainy tonight.

 

Little Texarena with Texas Roy Lucas and his Rangers

Little Texarena with Texas Roy Lucas and his Rangers

537-A - Jolly Old Fellow
(Lucy V. Penny) (Starrite BMI)

537-B - Oh Gee - Oh Gosh - Oh Golly
(Frances Rodgers / Roy Lucas) (Starrite BMI) 

4414 West Crest, Tampa, FL

 (Florida State Barn Dance address)

December 1955

 

(Record in the Starday Custom Series )

 

 Texas Roy (1947)

The tall cowboy with the white hat, I assume

 

The child (female?) singer is perhaps related to Texas Roy Lucas who ran a dance band in Salt Lake City before relocating to Tampa, Florida where is was a regular on the Florida State Barn Dance in the early fifties.

Johnny Cale Quintette (Chan 860)

Johnny Cale Quintette

Troubles, Troubles, Troubles

The Purple Onion

Both wr. Cale,  Westwall BMI

Chan Records 

1960

Blues vocal number b/w bluesy instrumental

Born John Weldon Cale (better known now as "J. J.," Cale)  on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City but raised in Tulsa, Cale played in a number of rock and roll bands and Western swing groups, moved to Nashville, and moved back to Tulsa before reconnecting with Leon Russell. The two young musicians moved to Los Angeles in 1964.

Chan Records was owned by Lloyd Linville, former Southern Regional head of United Artist Records and Bobby Boyd.

This is the first release on the label, pressed by King Records of Cincinnati and it's in the Starday Custom Series.

Link : Chan Records page at the Rockin' Country Style website.

Somethin' Else

 

The Trophies

Somethin' Else

(Cochran-Sheeley, Metric Music BMI)

Nork Records 79908

1964

 

According to Flower Bomb Songs :

The Trophies hailed from Brattleboro, Vermont and got together sometime in 1963, before the British Invasion in other words. Their first outing on vinyl was 'Walking The Dog'/'Somethin' Else'  recorded in early 1964. It was a very popular record in their locale reaching the #1 spot on both WBZ and WMEX in Boston.

The flip side,"Walkin' The Dog", is on youTube http://youtu.be/323gpusb06M
 

Rock And Roll Is Spreadin’

Plaz Adams

Rock And Roll Is Spreadin’

Verve Records

1958

If all my assumptions and deductions regarding this obscure Verve release are correct, 

Then :

• Plaz Adams' real name is Precious A  Adams, Jr
• This was recorded at Cosimo Matassa's studio in New Orleans' French Quarter at the same session that Gerri Hall's "School Boy".    Jazz guitarist Barney Kessel was the A&R man for the session. 
• He's the same Plaz Adams who played bass in the George Lewis New Orleans All Stars during the 1964 Japan Tour.

Ronny Johnson on Sunset

RONNY JOHNSON 

With Curly Fagan’s Band And The Flickers

J08W-1717 - If A Dream Means Anything

J08W-1718 - Rainbow Of Love 

SUNSET 1001

1958

Ronny had a second release on the same label in 1960  :  My Everything  / Midnight Moon  (Sunset 101). 

Curly Fagan (Clark Fagan) was a long-time performer with Rebe and Rabe at WVOK, Birmingham, Ala., likely the home of this Sunset label.   The backing vocal group (the Flickers) is likely the Henry Strzelecki's group who was the following year  on Lee Records in Memphis (as by the Four Flickers).

One of These Days

Lee Randy

One Of These Days 

(Eddie Williams, Duchess Music Corp. BMI)

Arranged & Conducted by Hardy Salwitz  

 Square 45-S304

July 1962

A perfectly square record.