Arriba

Chuck Vedder

Tenor Sax and Band

Arriba

Chuck Vedder, Dandelion Music, BMI

A Fabor Robison Production
Radio 123-45
Malibu, Calif.

1959

Charles Nicholas Vedder was born on Apr. 3, 1904 in Sweet Springs, Saline County, Missouri.  He probably played music in Kansas City before moving to California and may had been first a classical musician as I've found that he wrote a "Concerto in G minor" in 1945 (he was then a Ventura, Calif. resident). 

The Radio 45 is perhaps the only one issued under his own name, but The Chuck Vedder Band is credited on most of the releases issued by singer Ronnie Summers between 1959 and 1963 on various California labels. 

With his wife, pianist Iola Maria Vedder (born in 1909), he played supper venues in the sixties  (THE CHUCK VEDDER TRIO "West's Most Enjoyable Trio" at the THE WHEEL SEAFOOD BUFFET Served fresh every Friday night).

Yvette Vickers, their daughter (b. 1928), released a jazz CD in the 1990s called "Tribute to Charlie and Maria" that showcased some of her parents' songs.  She is probably best remembered for her role as Honey Parker in the cult classic ""Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" (1958).  She died at home in 2010. Her mummified body was discovered only one year later, on April 27, 2011.

Doing The Popcorn

Little Earl Jenkins

Doing The Popcorn

 Reynaud 1021
7422 Meadow Lark Lane

Texas City, Texas
1965

Reynaud Records was started in the early sixties in Opelousas, Louisiana by Lloyd Reynaud.  

Lloyd Walter Reynaud, Sr. was born on October 26, 1936 in Opelousas, Louisiana.  He was the brother of saxman Hot Rod, a member of Cookie and the Cupcakes’ horn section.   Band leader and drummer, agent and manager, he brought horn player Duke Stevens, Little Victor and guitarist Charles Tyler to Lanor Records.  For his own label, he recorded bluesmen Jay Jay Callier and Roscoe Chenier.

In 1963, he earned a degree in electronics and upon graduating NASA/Taft recruited him to their space center in Houston, Texas.  He moved to Texas and, with him,  his label as well.

He wrote and/or produced further records with Earl Jenkins and Charles "Chuck" Colbert which were issued on the Grover Barbour's Bee label, out of Reading, Pennsylvania.  What was exactly the agreement between Lloyd Reynaud and Grover Barbour and how it was made is not known.

 

Bad Luck

 

Danny

 

Bad Luck

Danny Winkle, Big Howdy BMI

Big B 557

 Bogalusa, La.

1960

 

Danny (Winkle) was perhaps from Biloxi, MS where he played The Copa Lounge on Pat Harrison Avenue around 1959.  Danny had at least another release on Village Records in 1962   :  "Don't Fall In Love" b/w "The Girl At Johnny's " produced by Pee Wee Maddux and Kennedy.

 

This Big B label (not to be confused by the Big B label from Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey) was owned by Hastel Joseph "Hack" Kennedy (1915-1994) whose main label was Big Howdy.  Village Records was also perhaps his own.

Voo Doo Drums

Aki Aleong

Voo Doo Drums

A.Aleong-B.Abbott-H. Beckett

All World Publ. ASCAP

Hank Levine Orchestra vocal acc. by the Ravels
Mona-Lee Records
1959

First pressing was on Pan World 520, Aki Aleong's own label.

Mona Lee Records was incorporated on April, 4 1960 in New York by Samuel Kaufman, Esq., 507 Fifth Avenue.  President was Leonora "Lee" Rupe,  ex-wife of Arthur Goldberg, better known as Art Rupe owner of Specialty Records.  In 1959 Lee was engaged (and she married him at a unknown date) to Harry Apostoleris, of the mighty records distributor Alpha Distributors, New York. 

The label issued about ten singles between 1959 and 1963, about half of these releases were re-issues. Original labels include G&G (Calif.), Antone, Bayou (Ft. Worth), Ebb (Calif.) and Carellen (Florida).  The label was re-activated in 1968 for three releases distributed by Bell Records.

Actor and record executive Aki Aleong was born on December 19, 1934 in Port of Spain, Trinidad, to Henry Leong (Aleong), a cook from Hong Kong, and Agnes Vera Gonsalves from St. Vincent, British West Indies; he was originally called Assing Aleong by his father and Leonard Gonzales by his mother. Aleong attended Progressive Education Institute in Trinidad as a youth. After moving to Brooklyn, New York, with his mother in 1949, Aleong graduated from Boys High School; in 1951, he started taking classes at Brooklyn College while working in a hardware store.

Responding to a casting call for an Asian character, Aleong was cast as the Goat Boy in the 1954 Broadway production of Teahouse of the August Moon on Broadway. In 1956, Aleong made his first live television appearance in The Letter, an episode of NBC’s Producers’ Showcase. In 1957, Aleong was cast in the movie Motorcycle Gang...

The Lip

Doug Johnson & The Outlaws

The Lip

Johnson-Pitman, Venetia Pub. BMI

Prod Howard Pitman-Doug Johnson

Corina 101

1963

"The Lip" was also issued on Witch Records.  A previous record issued in late '62 by Doug Johnson and the Outlaws was on Bethlehem Records.  You can listen to both sides on YouTube.

Doug Johnson, about who little info can be found, collaborated with Howard Pitman for a release on Concord Records by the Candidates. Concord Records was started by Howard Pitman, a former member of the Five Chances on Blue Lake.  Initial release was "The Gorilla" by The Ideals. The master was leased to Cortland Records.

Venetia Music was owned by Bill Erman.  He was the owner of the Diamond Coal Company, at 1501 Est Cortland on the Chicago North Side.  He made his money from coal and oil, but his real love was music.  Bill Erman founded the first of his labels in 1961 : Witch and Cortland for r&b music and Ermine for rock 'n' roll and country music.  (Robert Pruter : "Chicago Soul", book)

Little Atom

THE MEGATONS

Little Atom

Dixon DeVore II

Jaspar & Beam Pub. and Whitecap Music (BMI)

Forest F-046

1963

Manchester, New Hampshire ?

The Forest label was perhaps owned by Dixon DeVore, who also wrote both sides of the previous release on this tiny recording label (which was Jimmy Helms : Fairytale Princess / Daddy! Daddy!)

Jaspar Music Publishing Co. was owned by the Marvel Records Co.  located (at least since the late forties) in Manchester , New Hampshire.  The company was the US representative of Banff and Rodeo International (Canada), and W&G and Melbourne (Australia).  

Born in Buffalo, New York, Dixon began piano lessons at the age of 4. His Mother was a Piano Teacher and his Father was a Doctor.   A classmate of Oscar Hammerstein's Physician, who took him to his first Broadway musical at the age of 5, Dixon says, he has been hooked on the art-form ever since. Particularly English Music Hall, type Theatre. To this day, "HALF A SIXPENCE," is still one of his favourites.

Dixon attended and graduated from an East Coast Prep School, went to college in Mexico and served in the Far East; Tokyo, Hong Kong and environs for the U.S. Government for several years.

He later became a staff writer in New York and wrote "special" material for New York nightclub acts. Dixon has also written and won awards for the music plays he has done in the children's field, some of which have been produced and performed at various elementary schools around the U.S.

***

 Wannabe Wino, a song sans words
One of numerous videos posted by
Dixon DeVore II, chart-topping songwriter, on YouTube

Hours of listening pleasure on the Dixon DeVore YouTube channel, with titles such as
Never Take A Nap On A Firing Range , Please Don't Pee In The Whiskey, Marry Yourself A Plumber, Honey Please Rent Me A Hooker For My Birthday...etc

Dixon DeVore is listed by Irwin Chusid in his valuable reference book "Songs In The Key Of Z: The Curious Universe Of Outsider Music".   Now, I know why.