Ramshakle Daddy

Bill HAYES

With Don COSTA'S ORCHESTRA And Chorus

Ramshakle Daddy
Hayes, Ampco Music Inc. ASCAP

ABC-PARAMOUNT 45-9809

04/1957

A direct descendent of America's nineteenth president, Rutherford B. Hayes, William "Bill" Foster Hayes III (born on June 5, 1925 in Harvey, Illinois)  has had a long and successful career as a recording artist, beginning in 1950.   A complete, chronological discography, arranged by record label, including Bill's gold record for The Ballad of Davy Crockett in 1955, can be found at his own website HERE

 

 

Lonely Week Ends

Durwood Currie

Lonely Week Ends
C.A. Rich
Hi-Lo BMI

TNT Productions
205 South Wilmington St. , Raleigh, N.C.

Late Sixties

Obscure obscure Charlie Rich cover pressed in Cincinnati by King Records.  No info on Durwood Currie or on TNT Productions whatsoever ...

 

Let’s Get Acquainted

The Coronados

(Ruben-Anita-Steve)

Let’s Get Acquainted

  Ray Stanley, Simon House Inc. BMI

Vik Records

1956

Anita, Rubin and Steven Ortiz (The Coronados), a sister and brothers group from New Mexico, had a TV show circa 1950 called "The Ortiz Trio Show".   They recorded quite extensively for Decca (as The Ortiz Trio) and, as The Coronados, for Vik, United Artists, Columbia, Peerless, Columbus, RCA Victor, 4 Corners, Jubilee and probably more.

Their father, also known as Tamborin the Great Clown, operated a family circus named La Compania Hermanos Ortiz :

La Compania Hermanos Ortiz presented trapeze, wire walking, fire eating, juggling, singing, dramatic excerpts, and comic skits.  José's wife, Florinda sang rhythm and blues, and served as straight man to her husband's comedy.  The children, Reuben, Steve, Gloria, Anita and Juanita, were also performers.  In Taos, the tent was set up in an empty lot near the Plaza.  On night as they performed, charges were brought against Tamborin because he apparently had made a woman laugh so hard she had a heart attack and died.

 
Ray Stanley version

Caldonia

John Bufano

Caldonia
Fleecie Moore
Campbell Music Inc. BMI

Arranged and conducted by Danny Hurd

Darlan Records

1958

"Caldonia (What Makes Your Big Head So Hard?)" was first recorded in 1945 by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five.

The writing of the song is credited to Jordan's wife of the time, Fleecie Moore.  However, in all probability it was actually written by Jordan, who used his wife's name to enable him to work with an additional music publisher.  Jordan later said :- "Fleecie Moore's name is on it, but she didn't have anything to do with it. That was my wife at the time, and we put it in her name. She didn't know nothin' about no music at all. Her name is on this song and that song, and she's still getting money."  However, by the time of that quote, Jordan and Moore had divorced after a number of arguments in which she had stabbed him with a knife.    Wikipedia

★

Pianist, arranger and musical director, Danny Hurd was born in Fitchburg, Mass., he began piano lessons at the age of eight, soon took up the violin, trumpet and banjo, and later learned to play the saxophone and trombone on his own. After landing a fulltime job with a local band, the Dick Langley Quintet, he began studying with Sam Saxe and gradually had the opportunity to write arrangements for Ella Fitzgerald, John Kirby and Vaughan Monroe. He later worked with Red Nichols, joining him in performance, and with such musicians as Hal McIntyre, Claude Thornhill, Jimmy Dorsey, Peggy Lee, Patti Paige, Connie Stevens and Maxine Sullivan.

Mr. Hurd was the musical director and arranger for Liza Minnelli’s and Chita Rivera’s first nightclub acts in the 1960s. He was a musical director for the productions of Hair, Golden Boy, How to Succeed in Business, among other shows. He was dance arranger for such television shows as The Perry Como Show, Dick van Dyke and the Other Woman, the Jerry Lewis Comedy Hour and The Jimmy Dean Show. In the mid-’80s he formed the Danny Hurd Jazzplus Quartet.

He died on January 2, 2001. He was 82.

I'll Be There

Johnny and Barb

I'll Be There

Lene-Zeigler, Lud Music Corp. BMI

Radio-1

1958

This is Johnny Arvin Zeigler and Barbara Butsch.  Johnny and Barbara had been both members of the Ohio Epsilon Chapter at the University of Cincinnati in the early fifties. In 1957, as members of a vocal quartet named Invitations they recorded "Love Song To My Girl, / Next Date" (Bobby Records, 1957). 

As Johnny Arvin, Johnny A. Zeigler recorded  "Statues And Baby Shoes" / "Just Looking At You" for Podge Records  in 1958. 

As Johnnie Arvin, he also recorded some covers of hits of the day (such as "White Sport Coat" )  for Big 4 Hits, one offshoot budget label of Rite Records and wrote most of the songs issued on a Design Records LP by a Calypso night club act named King Streak and the Four Princes (Design Records #33, also issued on Gateway Records in a 3-EP series)

Co-writer of "I'll Be There" is Will Lene (or Lenay), one of Cincinnati’s top platter spinners (and also owner of 70% of the Lud Music Corporation.  

Hey copyright holder(s)!  There is some money due to you [ $182.89 exactly ], according to the National Unclaimed Money Database.

Leave My Sideburns Be

Steve Schickel
with Carmen Dello's Orchestra

Leave My Sideburns Be

Moore-Brinks-Bruno 

Discovery Music Pub. BMI 

Mercury

Rel. Nov. 5, 1956

Steve Schickel was record editor for The Chicago Tribune, deejay for three years on WGN, free-lance promotion man, music and Billboard coin reporter ,  Mercury public-relations director (1960-1962) and WGN newsman from 1962

Band leader Carmen DelGiudice, known professionally as Carmen Dello, was a clarinet player, arranger, composer, band leader and teacher in Chicago for more than 50 years. He died in 1991.

That's What I Want You To Do

Aleene Strawn

That's What I Want You To Do
 

Strawn-Davidson
Shelter Music BMI

Choice 850

1957

 Leroy Davidson, his wife Millie and Harold Hassler, 1971

 

Choice Records, offshoot of One Stop Phono Records, a record distributing chain located in Kansas City owned by Leroy Davidson, was active between 1956 and 1958.

In 1960, Davidson launched a new label, R label.  The initial disking by Zig Dillon and Frank (Shake Aplenty) Frazier were recorded with the aid of Sam Phillips and Scotty Moore, of the Sun Records organization, and "both men will continue to aid in the recording of R label artists".  (Billboard July 18, 1960)

Dry Bones

La Cille Watkins' All City Chorus

Dry Bones

(Watkins & Bell Arrangement)

Cecil Records

314 Norfolk Street, Newark, N.J.

1954

 Also issued on Jaguar #202

Billboard ad, April 24, 1954

Born in Newark (New Jersey) in 1923, La Cille Christine Watkins started her musical career as a gospel and opera singer.  In 1954, according to Jet Magazine, she became a night club entertainer. She was singing the blues in five different languages.  (Jet April 1, 1954).

 Her long time partner in songwriting and music was Wilbur Bell (her husband?) who also recorded as Johnny Bell (Cecil and Fleetwood Records).

Toegether, they recorded spirituals as by the Watkins-Bell Singers for Bandwagon Records (and Arlington, its folk and race subisidary) in the late forties.   LaCille Watkins had also at least two releases under her own name.  The first on Jaguar Records backed by the Volumes. The second on Kapp, backed by the Belltones.

 Songs they penned together have been recorded, among others, by Marie Knight ("  Up In My Heavenly Home", Decca, 1949),  Earl Connelly King  : "Nothin'  ", King 5038 (57),  Annie Laurie : Please, Honey, Don't Go (Deluxe 6135),  Kenny And Moe (The Blues Boys) :  Yes I Will (Deluxe 6139) and John Lester And Mellow-Queens : "Getting Nearer  " (C&M, 1959)

   

La Cille Watkins & the Belltones

picture credit

Shot Gun Boogie

 Rosemary Clooney

Shot Gun Boogie

Columbia Records

 1951

Tennessee Ernie Ford cover recorded in New York, January 27,1951 :   Rosemary Clooney: Vocal; Mitch Miller: Leader; Mundell Lowe: Guitar; Robert Haggart: Bass; Terry Snyder: Drums; Buddy Weed: Piano; Budd Johnson: Trumpet

Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002).   Born in Maysville, Kentucky. Along with her sister Betty and brother Nick, Clooney was shuttled between her alcoholic father and her mother who traveled constantly.   Eventually, the two daughters moved to Cincinnati when Rosemary was 13.  After collecting soda bottles for money to survive, the two sisters successfully auditioned for a spot on Cincinnati's WLW Radio in 1945.   Clooney's record, "Come On-a-My House," became a big hit in 1951. It also started her career as a star and headliner.

Mighty Ernie holding the Capitol Tower in Hollywood

Last Night I Heard Somebody Cry

Sue Thompson

Last Night I Heard Somebody Cry

Mercury Records

1952

Song penned by W.C. "Red" Wortham.  The other side has been posted HERE

 A former jazz guitar player from the 1930s, bandleader and songwriter in the late 40s, Red Wortham married country singer Tabby West and migrated into production and music publishing.  Mr. Wortham is perhaps best known for his association with label Bullet Records and with Johnnie Bragg and the Prisonaires, who had a hit in the 1950s called "Just Walkin' in the Rain."

Bullet Records and Sur-Speed Records imprints were just two of the independent "custom labels" that Wortham established in Nashville (others included the Avenue, Silver City, Slam, Viking, and Gold Mine labels).

 He passed away December 31. 2002 in Bon Aqua. TN..

Twin Guitar Boogie

Leichester Howard “Corky” Edminster

1916-2013

Corky Edminster

Twin Guitar Boogie

Cormac Records

(Santa Ana, Calif.)

1950

How About It

Dave Brockman

How About It

(Bob Mooney - Tommy Mooney, Fayette Pub. BMI)

Fayette 1002

1955

 

(Lexington, Kentucky)

 

Second release on early Bob Mooney owned label.  First one was "Let's Change The Alphabet" by Middletown, Ohio girl Loretta Thompson.

 Backed by the Twilight Ramblers Dave Brockman will later have a record on Starday in 1957 (Foolish Pride / Feel Sorry For Me, Starday 669).  In 1959 he was disc jockey on WTMT (Louisville, Ky.)

 

 

East L.A.

Solid Jackson

East L.A

(John Orvis)

A Free-Sac-Andrews Production

Candix 308

1960

Bob Arlin's version on Olympia Records is probably best known and was a minor hit around San Bernardino and San Francisco.  The two versions were released about the same time (late November/early December 1960). 

Singer Solid Jackson is totally unknown.  Probably not the Solid Jackson on Nucraft (1952) found HERE.

Song writer John Orvis (1936-2001) is slightly better known :

Blues, r&r guitar player and vocalist, first record with Sessionaires,
"Boogie Boo" released in early 1950s.  Also recorded as Johnny Wilde on
Coronet label, played with local blues talent that morphed into Canned
Heat into the 1960s.  Member of Galopping Gooses Motorcyle Club, wrote
"East L.A.," recorded by Bob Arlin.  Also member of Smoke (Uni), John
Orivs Blues Band.  Wrote various songs, lived in Ojai since 1971, known
as "The Original Ojai Blues Man."