Thursday, April 30, 2020

I'm Gonna Rock My Baby Tonight


W. O. White



 
This is William Ovilee “W. O.” White.

Mr. White was born in 1904 in Coleman, Texas. Also reared there, he married Thesia Smith in 1925. W. O. White owned and operated White's Music Store in Coleman from 1946 to about 1954. It closed after a fire in the Pool Building where it was located. He moved to Abilene in 1956. He taught piano and guitar at his home for over 30 years.  He died in Abilene in 2004, aged 99. Survivors included his wife, Thesia of Abilene; and one son, Wendell Olivee White of Abilene.

W.O. White operated his own WOW Records and a publishing company named Abilite Music from this home at 2134 Woodard, Abilene.

He previously recorded as Wee Willie and the Mellodiers (WOW 110, 1962). Other records were issued by Wow Records including Blanche Butler (''Boggle Man's palace", 1970) Judy Burleson (1971) and Benny Johnson (of  "Burn Your Bra Baby" fame).

"I'm Gonna Rock My Baby Tonight" (written in 1955) and the 3 other songs on this EP (Honey Baby/My Tomorrows Have Turned To Yesterdays), all penned by W.O. White, can be downloaded HERE 
 
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Sunday, April 26, 2020

My Baby Twist

The Sputniks


My Baby Twist

J. Mitchell, C. Stanton
Clintone Pub. BMI
Pam Mar 602
1962

According to Opal Louis Nations:
The Sputniks were a fine polished singing group out of North Richmond, California who flowered briefly during the late Fifties, then sadly faded into undeserved obscurity like so many groups of the time.  The Sputniks were best known for their infectious jump song “Hey Maryann” which became a regional success.
The Sputniks, led by Curtis Stanton, recorded previously for Class Records and, as The Greats for Ebb Records. Shortly before The Sputniks disbanded they cut "My Baby Twist" at Sierra Sound in Berkeley for the L.A.-based Pam Mar record company.

The tiny Pam Mar imprint issued a further release on The Sputniks. Claude And The Hightones and the duet Vernon & Jewell (Vernon Garret and Jewel Whittaker) had also one single on the label, which was possibly owned by Bradley Taylor, who operated Bay-Tone Records.

Sunday, April 19, 2020

Who's Gonna Sing?

Trolley


Who's Gonna Sing?
(wr. George Smith & Gloria M. Shaver)
Flip is "Man Of The Month" (same composers)

Believe it or not, this is the same label who issued two singles on Don Murphy in 1962-1963, some fifteen years earlier (hint: Nelma Music publisher) :
  • Don Murphy & The Hi-Liters - Mean Mama Blues / Seven High (Cosmopolitan 2264-1)
  • Don Murphy & The Country Rockets - Help Find My Baby / Every Night At Closing Time (Cosmopolitan 2264-3/4).  
Ad from The San Bernardino County Sun, September 1976
In 1976, Mister Smith published the above small ad in the The San Bernardino County Sun. He fairly honestly warned the potential investor that some risk were involved but profit potential could be high. I have no idea as who were the artists with star potential  (himself? his wife?).
First located in West Covina, California, the label by now in 1977 has a Rialto address (258 W. Shamrock).
Trolley is quite possibly George Smith himself who co-wrote, with Gloria Brown, both sides of this single, a much later release, some 15 years after the label's first release.

George Smith's wife, Alice M. Smith, wrote both sides of the first Don Murphy release. One of her composition, "Highway Of Life", was recorded by Marc Shaw for the song-poem Sterling label. She also had her own release on the label,  "Mister Nothin'", according to a list of records list for sale. Alice Smith was born Alice Marie Spurgin in Nebraska in 1934 to Roy L. Spurgin and his first wife, Nelma Naomi Dougherty, both of Nebraska. She died in 1986 in Riverside. According to her obituary, "she has been a housewife for 34 years."

Gloria Brown, aka Gloria Shaver, died in 1984. She had her own early morning radio show on KATE in her hometown of Albert Lea, Minn., at the age of 16. Back then she was known as "Little Gloria Brown."  The farmers who listened to their radios in their barns while her show was on would tell her "my cows gave more milk since you started yodeling to them," said Shaver. Shaver also sang on KGLO and at rodeos. For many years she was in a country band called Gloria and the Twilighters that also included her second husband, Mason City native Merle Shaver. (Her first husband, Byron Carr of Albert Lea, was killed during World War II).


The known Cosmopolitan six sides are included in this zipped file



Thursday, April 16, 2020

Bye Bye Blackbird




Wanda Schafer - Bye Bye Blackbird

From "An Evening With Wanda", from The Garden of Eden (1972)

Indiana supper club songstress. Some info from the album back cover can be found here
If you like what you hear, her full album can be downloaded from http://alleternalthings.blogspot.com/2017/01/lonely-wine.html




Tuesday, April 14, 2020

If It Wasn't For The Kids (Volume 8)

  —  You don't like Engelbert Humperdinck anymore?
— Not anymore, right now I prefer Hasil Adkins...




Tracklist

8-Year Old Carol Kay - A Good Man is Hard to Find (Recorded In Hollywood, 1953)  
Barry Gordon - Rock Around Mother Goose (MGM, 1956)                              
Brenda Lee - Doodlebug Rag (Decca, 1956)                                         
Jimmy Osmond - Long Haired Lover From Liverpool (MGM, 1972)                      
Little Barbara - Mom, I Want a Dolly Just Like You (Coral, 1953)                 
Little Betty Pruett - I Want To Stroll Over Heaven With You (Arlee, 1967)        
Mathilde (Gersby Rasmussen) - Hulubulu (Harlekin, Danemark, 1988)                
Reggie Pitassy - I'm Gonna Color My Eggs All Blue (Pitassy, 1964)                
Ricky Vera - How Can Santa Come To Puerto Rico (Coral, 1953)                     
Terry Davidson & The Barracudas - Hurray For Hazel (Hillside LP, 1966)           
The Musical Harts of Detroit - Surely I Will Lord (GMR, LP)                      
The Schulman Kids (Bob, Ilene, Jimmie) - V' Jinja (Renner, 1959)        

        

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Cleveland Crochet And All The Sugar Bees

Cleveland Crochet, American fiddler, bandleader and the founder of The Hillbilly Ramblers, born 30 January 1919 in Hathaway, Louisiana; died November 2011.

Artist Biography by Craig Harris
The fiddle player and bandleader of The Hillbilly Ramblers, a Cajun band whose 1961 song, "Sugar Bee," became the first Cajun song to reach the "Billboard Hot 100", Cleveland Crochet has never been financially compensated for the tune. "I didn't get anything out of it," Crochet said by telephone from his home in Iowa, Louisiana. "Eddie Schuler (owner of the Gold Band record label) stole the copyright." The son of a Cajun musician, Crochet built his first fiddle out of a cigar box at the age of twelve. Although he continued to earn his living as an iron worker, until his retirement in 1970, Crochet became a regular at Cajun dances throughout eastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana. Together with the Hillbilly Ramblers, which he formed in the 1950s, Crochet played every Saturday night at the Shamrock and Moulin Rouge dance clubs in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Since his retirement, Crochet has limited his playing to informal jam sessions.

 
The above Billboard bio published on Feb., 6 1961
gives Jennings, Louisiana as his birthplace and 1929
as the year of birth.

Friday, April 10, 2020

Dominic the Impotent Bull

 

Elvis Presley forced to serenade a farmyard animal in Stay Away Joe (1968)

Dominic

Warning : I don't own the copyright of this tune. If you are the holder of the copyright, I'm sure you will prefer remain anonymous?. If it hurts your artistic sensibility, leave a comment and I'll remove immediately this post!



Dominic, Dominic why are you stallin
Don't you hear love callin to you
Moo, moo, move your little foot do

Dominic, Dominic pick one of them ticker
Theres acres and acres to choose
Oh, oh, only a fool would refuse

I, I, if I had your trouble
Life would be double good sweet
Thered be no grass growin under my feet

Listen Dominic, Dominic when will you hunger
You aint gettin younger my friend
Love, love, love em all right to the end

I, I, I can't understand you, leavin them beauties forlorn
Its time to take the old bull by the horn
Come on Dominic, Dominic, they're itchin' and twitchin'
Better start pickin' some woo
Moo, moo, move your little foot do!

Bull Dominic, also known as Dominick

Thursday, April 9, 2020

That's My Ginny In Her Mini-Skirt


The Beacon St. Society

That's My Ginny In Her Mini-Skirt



On the quite obscure Diablo label from Youngstown, so obscure that isn't even listed by Dan DeClark in his Ohio River Valley discography

Written by William Schaffert and published by Paubil Pub. Co.; arranged and conducted by Sam D'Angelo. Date is 1967 based on the copyright and also on the Capitol custom pressing code (W=1967).

William Fred Schaffert was born in 1929. He wrote several songs, among them one he copyrighted in 1969 intriguingly titled "Nasturtium Neighborhood"

Sam D'Angelo (1941-2019) was a composer, arranger and musician. He was also a teacher  at the (Catholic) Ursuline High School, from 1965 to 1971.  Sam has been described as "a very hip band director " (1)

Diablo Record Co. was located at 3518 Champlain Ave. in Youngstown (2), which was certainly the residence of Bill Schaffert, the owner, who started the Diablo label with a single numbered 3518, thus imitating, perhaps without knowing it, the Chess Brothers.  The first release number on their Chess label (by Gene Ammons) was selected after their first Chicago home address - 1425 South Karlov Avenue.

Five singles were issued between 1966 and 1980:

3518 Mike Rance :
I'm In A Dreamer's Paradise / Awake All You Lovers, To Love  (66)

3519 The Beacon St. Society :
That's My Ginny In Her Mini-Skirt / Awake, All You Lovers, To Love   (67)

3520 Cycles Featuring Kathy Onderko :
I Was A Loser Now I'm A Winner / Gone, But Not Forgotten    (78)

3521 Colleen Cefalu :
Why Speak Of Love / Love Can Be

3522 Teri Butler :
I'm Gonna Find Out / Cause I Love You       (80)

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Bottoms Up




Promotional recording from 1965 (pressed by Kay Bank). A brand new dance with the same name as the new Perma-lift panty ! It's like the Jerk... only jerkier !  As advertised in The Pittsburgh Press, Aug 25, 1965 :

DANCE PARTY AND SHOW
In person KQV's Chuck Brinkman
LET HIM AUTOGRAPH YOUR COMPLIMENTARY
COPY OF THE WILD NEW "BOTTOMS UP" RECORD
Don't be a drag, man, get hip to the latest on the dancin' scene . . . and meet your favorite D. J. besides! He'll be spinning the new "Bottoms Up" platter , . . and you can swing along. Bring all your girl friends and get the platter I LEARN THE NEW "BOTTOMS UP" DANCE AS SHOWN BY THE GIMBELS YOUNG JUNIOR CLUB DANCERS Studio 7's gonna be jumpin' tomorrow when our swingers start movin' with the "Bottoms Up"! It's like the Jerk . . . only jerkier! Like the Freddy . . , but wilder! You've gotta see it and dance it to believe it! See the Perma-Iift "Bottoms Up" panties too. Don't miss the fun; come learn "Bottoms Up" 

Wear Perma-lift's New "Bottoms Up" Panty Made with Lycra' The panty with the same name as the dance! Molds and holds your curves; shapes a girl where she needs it. Natural back panty girdles made with Lycra Spandex. Buy the Perma-lift panty, the 45 R.P.M. record is attached.




Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Harper Valley P.T.A.



Bobbie Dee
Megatone #706
4-D Sound by Jack E. Downes
Hollywood, Calif.

Harper Valley P.T.A.



No info. Three references found about live performance by one Bobbie Dee :
  • Bobbie Dee (The Brown Eyed Princess of Country Music) in Ontario
  • Bobbie Dee The Country Vibrations (New Jersey, 1976)
  • At The Frontier Lodge in Alaska (1980)
But perhaps none by the same artist. 




Monday, April 6, 2020

'Wrong Yo Yo' before Carl Perkins


First recorded version of Wrong Yo Yo

A short history of the song
Paul Oliver suggests in his book 'Screening The Blues' that Wrong Yo Yo probably came from black songwriters Cecil Mack and Chris Smith who wrote You're in the Right Church But the Wrong Pew in 1908, which became a major hit in 1909 when it was recorded by Arthur Collins and Byron Harlan, the leading blackface duo of the day. You're in the Right Church But the Wrong Pew inspired a number of variants, notably You've Got the Right Key But the Wrong Keyhole, which was recorded in New York for OKeh in October 1924 by Virginia Liston with Clarence Williams' Blue Five (including Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet).

This bawdy song was revived in Vernel Bagneris 'One Mo' Time' musical and Alan Parker's movie “Angel Heart”, where composer credits read Clarence Williams.

In November 1929, Douglas Finnell and His Royal Stompers recorded The Right String But The Wrong Yo Yo in Dallas for Brunswick. The writer credit on the label reads Finnell. Next was Speckled Red's version, recorded in Chicago on April 8, 1930, which was also released on Brunswick and credits Finnell.

Piano Red's 1951 hit The Wrong Yo Yo became his signature tune. His remake on Groove was just out in '56, when Speckled Red recorded another version in September 1956 for Bob Koester's Delmark label (with no credits at all). He cut it again for Storyville (as by Speckled Red) in 1960 during his sole trip to Europe. In between, a cover version appeared on 'The Dance Album of Carl Perkins' on Sun which had no writer's credits. Piano Red came up with yet another version released on OKeh as by Dr. Feelgood which hit the #26 slot on the Cash Box “Hot 100” chart in August 1962. Then it was credited to P. Red. Willie Perryman (Piano Red) may have claimed authorship, probably because he felt that he had made a new arrangement.

The Wrong Yo Yo went on to become Piano Red's most recorded song. It appeared on seven more albums recorded throughout the 70s, and in the '80s, it even gave Red a late hit in the country charts. It was still being covered as late as 1988, when Elvin Bishop included it in his 'Big Fun'Alligator album. 


Information above (slightly edited) is from The Story of Willie Perryman

In THIS FILE, you will find five pre-Perkins versions of Wrong Yo Yo



1 - Douglas Finnell and His Royal Stompers, 1929
2 - Speckled Red, 1930
3 - The Jubileers,  1942 (rec. 1941, Dallas)
4 - Piano Red, 1950
5 - Piano Red, recorded at a concert in Atlanta, Georgia, February 1956 (Groove, LP)


Saturday, April 4, 2020

If It Wasn't For The Kids - Volume 7






Bonita Stevens - All Girl Band
She was 9 years old when Bonita Stevens recorded her first single in 1967 in Nashville, which was issued by Sims Records (In Between Trains/Take Your Guitar And Git).   "All Girl Band", her second single from 1968, was on the Pretty Girl label, one of many subsidiaries of Style Wooten's Style Records Productions founded in 1964 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Jackie Butler And His Playmates - Paw Ain't Got A Cent
Jack Butler had started out in music when he was seven years old.  In 1951, he won the $100 first prize in the North Carolina Annual Hillbilly Contest and even made a couple guest appearances over WLAC in Nashville, Tennessee. He was then 11.  Jackie Butler and his Playmates were heard each week on Saturdays and Sundays on WRRZ out of Clinton, South Carolina.  More info here

Jeanie Dell - Dixie Danny  
8 Year Old Jeanie Dell; orchestra directed by Frank Hunter; with The Overtones.  A master purchased in 1953 by Coral Records, possibly purchased from Philadelphia arranger and bandleader Frank Hunter.  Little Jeanie had further releases in the fifties on Jubilee, Ritz and Josie.

"Lil" Margie Crane - Pretty Face, Cute Figure   
From 1964 and one of the last on the label, discontinued in late 1964. Produced by Bob Swaringim & Clem Murski who also wrote both sides of the single.  Eric - a division of Crazy Cajun, Conroe, Texas - .was probably Huey Meaux's most significant early label, on which Barbara Lynn made her debut ("Dina & Patricia"). 
          
Little Betty Pruett - Satan Lied To Me   
From 1967 on the Arlee label (Hickory, North Carolina). A member of the Wilson Baptist Church of Bostic, N.C., Betty later recorded several albums with the Betty Pruett Singers, a trio consisting of Betty, her brother, Ronnie and her mother, Joyce.
       
Little Jeannie Greer - Who, What, Where, When, How and Why
From 1955 on the Sandy Stanton's Fable label.  A fascinating label as noticed by song-poem collector Bob Purse:  "most of the label’s output was not of the song-poem variety, although there seem to have been at least some vanity records and hybrids among the releases, and second, many of the non-song-poem records released by Fable are really great and/or fairly (or very) odd, particularly those featuring the guitar and band-leading of label head Sandy Stanton".

Little Judy Adams - I Slipped And Fell     
            
From "Little Seven Year Old Judy Adams Sings For The Little Girls And Boys" her album issued in 1968 by Process Records (Franklin, Pennsylvania).  Backed by Gordon Sizemore on guitar. Little Judy is possibly related to Jimmie Adams, one of the three composers of the song.
 
Marie-Adele Black - I Want to Be a Mother
From the LP "Songs For A Mormon Child", a collection of 16 "bright and happy" songs penned by Sister Janeen Jacobs Brady and issued in 1976 by Covenant Recordings (Salt Lake City, Utah)
In 1991, then a soprano (age 22), Marie-Adele won the second place and $400 at the Finals of the Utah Metropolitan Opera auditions.

Missy Connor -  Cowgirl For Jesus  
A no label 1980 custom recording from Sutton, West Virginia. Missy began her musical career at the tender age of five.  Carolyn, her mother, traveled with her evangelistic family for many years singing country and southern gospel music. Originally from Canton, she met and married Don Connor of West Virginia. One year later Missy was born. The family booked as The Connor Family was now The Connors.

Richard Hitchner - I Want A Rocket Ship For Christmas     
Full credit on label: Eddie Williams and his Echo Valley Rangers, vocal Richard Hitchner.  The Echo Valley Rangers, a country swing band, a 4-piece unit led by Eddie Williams, a member of the "Grand Ole Jamboree" since its start.  Issued in 1958 on M.P.P.C. Records (Woodstown, N.J.).  M.P.P.C. stand for Motion Picture Productions Corp. Doesn't that sound impressive?  Actually this was a quite small label, also known as Mopic, possibly operated by Norman (Old Lad) Kingsley, director of The Grand Theater in Woodstown.

Sherry Crane - Winnie The Parakeet    
Recorded by veteran country and gospel singer Wally Fowler who pitched the master to Sam Phillips. Backed with"'Willie Willie'' , the song was issued on Sun 328 in the summer of 1959.  Two other masters from the same source, unreleased at the time, came out finally on the Trumpet label out of Atlanta, Georgia in the summer of 1964 : ''I've Just Discovered Boys'' b/w "Santa Bring Me a Puppy Dog". One Billboard' panel member, finding the record, was a little surprised. « Even with the air conditioning going full blast, it’s kind of hard to take this record seriously. » Meanwhile, outside the thermometer hovered around 92 degrees. (Panel Cool To Yule Disk, Billboard July 11, 1964)

Yvonne Jordan (age 10) - Long Tall Johnny  
And The Cherryville Drifters. Yvonne is probably related to Ron (artist) & Martha Jordan (composer), names found on the following Jalyn release credited to Ron Jordan & The Cherryville Drifters. From 1970 on the Dayton, Ohio owned by Jack Lynch. No further info.                     

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Rain Sounds



Rain (sample)


This Youtube channel is offering some sixty "videos" intended to bring you sleep and relaxation : sounds of wind, pink noise, white noise, various rain sounds (in the night, on a window, on a tent...) and even sounds of a B-17 Bomber (?) are on the menu.


Specially relaxing and entertaining is the video titled Rain Sounds :
Nine continuous hours of the relaxing sound of rain. We combined many of our rain sounds for this new recording that will last all night long. Occasional distant thunder.
You will find here the audio part of the so-called "video" which actually shows a stupid still image (the above image) for nine hours without even one little sunbeam. Morever, keeping only the audio part will save you some 500M of disk space...

I'm convinced that these refreshing sounds will bring some reconfort in these troubled times to many of you and will be appreciated as well by all the confined inhabitants of the most arid desert parts of this planet.

Relax and stay safe!


Big thanks to Brad McBride, Google, Video Downloadhelper, VLC media player, my wife and Mother Nature...