Why Can't I Have You Tonite

 

Tommy And The Delnotes

Why Can't I Have You Tonite
(Pat Tedder, Viola Music BMI)

Charter Records 101
3105 Louise Drive, Nashville

1961

Obscure release on this one-off Nashville release. Tommy And The Delnotes are unknown. But, thanks to an article published by The Tennessean newspaper in 1969, some interesting info about Pat Tedder, the composer, has be found.

According to the article, Tedder has written songs since 1938. Some of his songs have been recorded by such country music greats as Kitty Wells, Webb Pierce and the late Patsy Cline. Once, while "on a bender" several years ago, Tedder sold for $12 a song he had written. It later became a hit tune all over the country and has since been recorded by numerous artists. If Pat Tedder has written many songs, most were sold. like that, for cheap.

Quoting the article :

"Pat Tedder is a saint. He works all day at the charity store, and then spends his nights at home, working on old appliances he salvages and sells for the store."  Added to Tedder's burdens is the fact that his wife is confined to Central State Hospital [ed. a mental hospital] and he has been caring for their three children, ages 3, 6 and 11. But this own personal problems are the least of his worries.

Instead, he talks of what is needed to make the St. Vincent DePaul Center into a more effective means for helping those in need. "We would like to build a dormitory, costing about $4,000, so the guys we keep would have a good place to sleep," Tedder explains. "But we'll need some outside help to do that we already owe for a truck we use to pick.

To try to help make ends meet, Tedder has joined with singer Billy Wallace to publish several records. Their most recent single was issued last week. Tedder wrote the lyrics and Wallace sang the song.

One side of the record features the song, "Don't Throw Stones At Me." It is about alcoholics, and makes the point that many people in high society have problems similar to the so-called hopeless derelict but their failures are not quite so obvious and they don't suffer as much as the man who society has rejected. The other side of the record features "Forbidden." It tells of those people, down and out, who are trying to make a comeback but who are hindered by others who don't want to give the unfortunate another chance.

The record in which Pat Tedder placed his hopes was issued on the Twin Rose label, issued as by Billy Wallace and Sue Wilburn and The Roses. It was the very last single issued by Billy Wallace.

Billy Wallace's son, Phil, wrote the liner notes of Billy Wallace sings his hit, album issued by the German Cattle Records, 

Quoting Phil [in bold, my edit]:

Bill Carlisle ,Jimmy Dickens, Patsy Cline, Kitty Wells, Webb Pierce and others recorded his compositions, some of which were award winners. Fact of the matter is Billy's songs have been used and recorded by just about the big name stars in country music today

I can't help to wonder  what if these successful Billy Wallace's compositions were actually bought to poor Pat Tedder ?

 

 Billy Wallace discography