Whodunit

Willard Chamberlain

Whodunit

Citation Records
Early sixties

Willard Chamberlain (Saxophone) played in one of Johnny Winter first band : Johnny Macaroni and the Jammers.  Probably Edgar Winter on piano here.

This Citation label is out of Beaumont, Texas and unrelated to any other labels of similar names.

Brigitte

The Barrons

Brigitte

KRCO 101
1959

Quite probably a Beaumont, Texas group.  Composers of the songs, Byrun Portor (?) and Doyle Coody, were possibly members of The Barrons.

Vocal with a Bo Diddley rhythm. This is by far their best track for my taste.  All their other songs are in a doo-woopish vein.  The KRCo single was leased (or sold) to Westminster Records, a budget record company and issued later that year in 1959 on their Whitehall subsidiary.

Also probably part of the Westminster deal were four songs issued later on Guest Star,  another budget label. 

Guest Star 1481 track list

 

On the 10-tracks album, apart the two "4 Seasons" songs, The Barrons are credited on eight songs.

But only four tracks are really by "our" Barrons.  The four other Barrons tracks are actually by The Crescendos, the Nasco recording artists (track 2, 3, 4 and 6).

KRCo (Ken Ritter Company) was owned by the nephew of the cowboy star Tex Ritter.  During his stint in the military, Ken Ritter worked in Armed Forces Radio, and upon returning to Beaumont affiliated with Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI).   In 1956, he was granted the first music-publishing license here, and at the time it was among the earliest in the state.  In 1958, his first major success came when he co-produced the recording that took J.P. Big Bopper Richardson to national fame. With two novelty songs back to back, the Chantilly Lace side became a huge hit and sold in the millions.  He also discovered the talents of brothers Johnny and Edgar Winter of Beaumont and produced some of their early recordings.   Ken Ritter was elected mayor of Beaumont in 1970.

For Sale or for Lease

George Jones

For Sale or for Lease

 1954 recording

(unissued at the time)

From George Jones first recording session, cut in Jack Starnes' living room in Beaumont, Texas, on a Magnecord home recorder.

"For Sale or for Lease"  shows Jones attempting to sound like one of his Texas idols, Lefty Frizzell.  It is actually this song that one can understand the oft told story that after listening to Jones sing for a couple of hours that night, [Pappy] Daily said to him that he sure can sing like Hank and Lefty, but "Can you sing like George Jones ?".      Harlan Taylor, October 2009

☆   ☆   ☆ 

After Elvis's concerts, the Colonel would have the announcer tell the crowd, "Elvis has left the building" to get the fans to clear the premises.

At George Jones's concerts, on the other hand, it got to the point where they had to announce that he'd entered the place.

Jones may be the finest country singer alive, but what good is that whiskey voice if you can't hear it.   Over the years George has had a serious problems with showing up for his scheduled concerts.  In 1977 and 1978 alone he missed fifty shows.  It got so serious that he acquired the unaffectionate nickname George "No Show" Jones.

In 1982 songwriters Glenn and George Martin penned a tune for Jones and Merle Haggard called "No Show Jones." Jones, of course, missed the recording session and Haggard recorded it alone. It's on their duet album.
 

Here is a tour of some of the fine arenas where George didn't show over the years.

 [follows two pages of places where George didn't show]


Quote from Vince Staten, Unauthorized America : a travel guide to the places the Chamber of Commerce won't tell you about, Harper & Row, 1990