Frank Monday & Steppers on M.T.F.

 

Stepping (direct link)

 wr. Kenneth Ellis

M.T.F.

Record No 201 B

Monroe, Michigan

(label listed at RCS without a location)

 

 

Same song as by J.C. Sawyer on DIXIE. (but as "Goin' Steppin'")

“Stepping” by Frank Monday & The Steppers is one of the rarest 45s featured in the “Michigan Box”. The song was released on the M.T.F. label in Monroe, Michigan, in 1958 and only 4 copies are known to exist. That accounts for its high market value of $2,000.  [ https://michiganrockandrolllegends.com/index.php/blog/308-the-michigan-box-pt-2 ]

The side A ("Lonely Echoes") holds an interesting piece of information : the song was composed by Forrest (Speedy) Combs.  Searching his name at the BMI website,  we discover that he wrote or co-wrote eight songs, as Speedy Rogers,  six in association with Bill Sterling or with Charles Rufus Schoffner and 2 songs that he written alone : "Lonely Echoes" and " Road To Yamanaka". 

Today, the copyright for "Lonely Echoes, "Steppin" and "Goin' Steppin'" are all managed by Fort Knox/Trio Music, (Freddy & Johnny Bienstock's Fort Knox Music - the New York based monster that gobbled up all the King-Starday copyrights and many more as well). 

With Rufus Shoffner, Speedy Rogers as Speedy Rodgers recorded "Lovelight" in the 50s. He also penned "Walk On The High Ground" with Bill Sterling and Rufus Shoffner (recorded by Bill Sterling on JED Records). As Forrest Combs, he penned "Hillbilly Wedding Bells" sung by Ruffus Shoffner & Speedy Rodgers issued by Hi-Q Records in 1963.

Forrest (Speedy) Combs. Speedy Rogers, Speedy Rodgers, Forrest Combs, whatever his name, was almost certainly a member of the Rufus Shoffner's band.

Finally, a last remark : in 1962, Rufus Shoffner recorded "Orbit Twist", his best known song on his own American Artist label which was located at 416 Cass St. – Monroe, Michigan.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Rufus Shoffner was involved in some way in the release of the two versions of "Steppin'".  

 

Women of Music Volume 9 (re-up)

 

 

Women Of Music Volume 9
with Bobbi Lace on cover

 

 

 

 

Women Of Music - volume 28

 

 Women Of Music - volume 28

Elise (of Elise and the Cats) on cover 

 

tracklist

Ann Jones & Her American Sweethearts - Monkey Business.mp3   
Blinky - Life Can Be Beautiful If We Make It That Way.mp3    
Cher - The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss).mp3           
Cherry Wainer  _ Itchy Twitchy Feeling.mp3                   
Elise and the Cats - Blue Suede Shoes.mp3                    
Ida James - The Chair Song.mp3                               
Johnny Ryall - Little Gypsy.mp3                              
Mabel Scott - Baseball Boogie.mp3                            
Madeline Kahn - Ain't Got No Home.mp3                        
Nola York - Here I Stand.mp3                                 
Sonya - Little Red Rooster.mp3                               
Susie Church - The Loco Motion.mp3     

 

 

Johnnie White on M-S Records

 

Johnnie White - Happy Birthday Cake Boogie - M-S

 

Johnnie White - My Tattooed Wife - M-S 45 

M-S Records
M-S 225

1970

Songs obviously inspired by those recorded in 1950 on Fortune Records while Johnnie White was the leader of his group featuring Skeets McDonald. Today, Skeets McDonald is held in much higher regard than Johnnie White, and well remenbered : Bear Family has issued on him a five CDs boxset and Nick Tosches in his book "Unsung Heroes Of Rock ‘n’ Roll"has devoted.a full chapter to him : Whom In The End The Tattooed Lady Slew.

* 

M-S label : 1960s-1970s label based in Dearborn, Michigan, and founded by Frank Martin and Jerry Snyder as a sub-label of M.S.K. Productions.

*

Johnnie White (1925-2013)

Johnnie graduated from Humes High School in Memphis, Tennessee in 1946, after serving his country in the United States Marine Corps from 1944 to 1946. He was the second most celebrated alumni of Humes; in first was a fellow by the name of Elvis Presley.

During his stint in the 2nd Marine Division, he served with distinction and earned the rank of field music corporal and received a Purple Heart from his experience in the battle of Saipan.

Johnnie became a 32nd Degree Mason in the Scottish Rights while he was living in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. His rapid advancement to that level was matched by only one other person, former senator and vice-president Hubert H. Humphrey.

Their stint on WNAX included several radio programs. Johnnie and his group "Rhythm Riders", later to be known as the "Sons of the West" and then finally as "The Johnnie White Show" did two shows that were on Monday through Friday. Their morning show was at 5:30 to 6:00am called "Good Morning Neighbor" and the other was "Sons of the West" that aired from 3:05 to 3:30pm.

When Saturday nights came around, Johnnie White was one of the stars on the "Missouri Valley Barn Dance" that was heard over WNAX from 8:30 to 9:30pm.

And if that wasn't enough, they would appear on Sundays from 1:00 to 1:30pm on the "Sunday Get-Together".

The group was a bit pioneering in that they were the first live musical group to play over the then new television station, KVTV, channel 9. The station was began by WNAX and located in Sioux City, Iowa. Their work on KVTV was no less time consuming. The boys worked on two daily, Monday through Friday shows over KVTV. One was on from 4:00 to 4:30pm and the other was 5:30 to 6:00pm.

In addition to KVTV, in the 1950s and 1960s, Johnnie also did shows on KELo, KPLO and KDLO in Sioux Falls.

Sources : 

https://hillbilly-music.com/artists/story/index.php?id=12795

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/argusleader/name/johnnie-white-obituary?id=19790911

 

A Delightful Record

 

 

A Delightful Record
(A J & F Enterprise)

Don Hart Featuring Ray Wix

J8OW 0579  Girl Of My Life
(Hart, Gale & Gayle (BMI)

J8OW 0580  I'm Not Ready Now

(Hart)

DBS-101

1958

Featuring The Heart Strings -- Chuck, Vi & Ray Wix

credited on the picture sleeve only

see 45cat 

*

 

Record listed at Rockin' Country Style (location unknown) . Although listed as a different artist on the Reserve label (real name Donald Dougherty) this is the same artist. 

 

This is also a Cleveland, Ohio label. Backing Don Hart, guitarist Ray Wix grew up in a musical family that was quite well known in the Cleveland area in the 1950s as The Wix Family.

 

Intriguing is the mention on the A-side of Gale & Gayle, the publisher, not seen on the B-side. This is also the publisher on the "Presley On Her Mind", previous Don Hart record on the Reserve label, but as Gayle & Gale.

 

Intriguing because Gale & Gayle(s) was owned by Jack Gale and Juggy Gayle. The publisher's address was given at 1619 Broadway, New York City (otherwise better known as the Brill Building, which housed music industry offices and studios where some of the most popular American songs were written).

 

Juggy Gayles (1913–2000)  also known as Juggy Gayle, Juggy Gales or George "Juggy" Gales, born Israel Bernstein, was an influential New York-based song plugger and promotion man. While primarily operating out of New York, his promotion work frequently took him to major radio markets, including Cleveland, to push hit records to local DJs.

 

My hypothesis is that Juggy Gayles took advantage of his frequent trips across the USA—undertaken for East Coast promotional work—to pick up a few titles here and there for his publishing company. 

 

And who were J & F ?