Well, Don-Cha Know

Ken Carlisle

Well, Don-Cha Know

Robert Iser, Kenneth Belt, Anne Willet(t),
Jungle Music, Inc. BMI
Arr. Mathias-Church
Jungle Records   Box 5883
Dallas, Texas
1960

The Ken Carlisle trail goes cold as soon I found "box 5883" listed in 1974 as one FROZEN FOOD EXPRESS, INC. 

Unmoved by the ballad on flip, "Gently", which doesn't grow on me, despite what said the Cash Box review.

Billboard, March 28, 1960

 

Cash Box, April 2, 1960

I Know The Lord

Katy Richards

I Know The Lord

Giant Records 1805 (GT-100)

This is the same Giant label founded in Texas by Bill Beasley, when he moved there from Nashville for a short period of time in 1957/1958, with his wife Jean Norris. In Tennessee, Bill Beasley previously operated the Tennessee and Republic labels. Katy Richards was Jean Norris' best friend. Her name is later found on some other Beasley's labels such as Hit, Country and Western Hits and Modern Sound. But these later songs were possibly by a different singer using her name, (the voice sounds quite different),  just as it was also used as a pseudonym for Bill Beasley at some point when he composed songs.

 

Artists recorded by Beasley when in Texas were : Jay Holiday, Dave Baucom, Ben Sharon, Don Eee and Johnny Houston & the Capitals.

Sky Rocket Love

Sky Rocket Love

(Paula Cloud)
The Cruisers

Vocal Paula Cloud

 

XR9 

MacGillvray, Gentry, McKenzie)
(The Spacers Vocal Sid Mack

 Nike Records

1958

Mrs Hortense Cludius (aka Paula Cloud) was born around 1912 in Louisiana.  She resided in Ohio with her husband, Harold C. Cludius, in 1940 and the couple moved afterwards to Texas.  She copyrighted "Sky Rocket Love" in 1958.  As far as I know, this was the only song she wrote.

Even less is known about The Spacers featured on the top side.  One Sid Mack from Dallas posted some fifteen years ago various messages on alt.assassination.jfk, a forum dedicated to the President Kennedy assassination, he's possibly him, the vocalist on XR9?

Both sides were published by S & M Music launched by "Skippy" Settle at the same time as his Skippy Records label in March 1958.

Miss Calendar Girl

Futursonic Productions
presents

Miss Calendar Girl

Radio Promotion Series

Examples of 365 Musical Jingles

1961

Judy Parma

Jim Wells and Jack Alexander started Futursonic Productions in 1958. Both came from PAMS where Wells had written much of PAMS Series #6.  Alexander was part of the PAMS sales staff.


Futursonic's first package was "Pacemaker" produced in September, 1958. It was followed by "Most Happy Sound" for CHUM in mid 1959, and "Econo-Pack" for WINS in June, 1959.  All were designed for Top 40 Radio.

"Calendar Girl KXOK" was one of the last packages produced by Futursonic in 1961 (the company went bankrupt the following year).   A complete package listing of the company can be found here

Calendar Girl was the first job assigned to Judy Parma [born Mansfield] and her husband Tom Parma when they came to work at the Futursonic.  This was an elaborate package that involved singing days and dates for each month of the year. Judy was doing well singing, and they were able to afford their first house. Judy Parma had been in the jingle business since 1957, her husband Tom Parma since ’58.

The Futursonic jingles were done in a primitive recording studio owned by “Pop” Sellers. The studio was in the same building as Gordon McLendon’s KLIF (AM).   The studio was in a two-room wooden building in the parking lot behind the office. Over the years, those same offices housed CRC and TM Productions, but the studio eventually became a storage shed.  “There was a cancer clinic across the parking lot from the studio run by a medical quack, and a lot of people died there,” Tom said. “Judy and I would see bodies hauled out from time to time.” . Later that office housed the abortion clinic that gained notoriety during the “Roe vs. Wade” Supreme Court case.

Shake It Baby

Ilene Rushing

Shake It Baby

Leo Teel, Phil York
Buena Vista Publishing Co., Teelbilly Publishing Co.,
Yorkshire Music, BMI

Bollman Int'l Records 936
1973

Ilene Rushing had three releases on the Bollman International imprint out of Texas.  This is her second record.

The Plano Daily Star-Courier from Plano, Texas, reported the release of her third record in January 1974 as follows :

A former area resident, Ilene Rushing, has cut a new record. Bollman International Records in Dallas has released “Brand New- Key” and “He's My Baby." Bollman International is a new recording company, and Miss Rushing was the first artist to sign with the company three years ago. She was discovered by Bob Massey of Blackbird Records and B L. Bollman while she was performing with J.W. Davis and "Saturday Night in the Country Band" at Wylie, Miss Rushing was formerly employed by the Plano Star-Courier and also played softball with the Plano Women’s Softball League for three years under coach George Henson.    The daughter of Mr. and Mrs, John E. McCrary of McKinney, Miss Rushing is an active member of her church. She is soloist, teacher of the Young Adults, Youth Director and was elected delegate to the G r a y s o n Baptist Association, Miss Rushing travels over Texas with Joe Paul Nichols and the Four Pennies and Orvile Couch and the Troublemakers. She has performed for radio, television, carnivals, rodeos, benefits, gospels and various other activities. When she has an open Saturday night, she sings at Farmersville with “Saturday Night in the country Band."

Richard Wolfe

Shake It Baby

Bollman Int'l Records 115

Leo Teel and Phil York had probably faith in their song as they recorded also an instrumental version by Richard Wolfe, also conveniently here for your enjoyment

Never, Never, Never

Jimmy Littlejohn

Never, Never, Never

Meredith, Littlejohn
Fairway Music Co

Columbia 21417

1955

Onetime performer and songwriter born in 1924 in Texas, Jimmy Littlejohn recorded several sides for Columbia, produced by Don Law.  He also wrote and co-wrote a number of songs, the biggest of which was "Walking The Streets," recorded by Webb Pierce for Decca.   He also was a well-known portrait photographer. 

He died in 1972 after a number of years in poor health.

Jimmy Littlejohn in 1956

He's Got The Whole World (in his hands)

Gene Princeton

Big Fat Saturday Night 

Covay-Berry-Dixon

Deaville Music, BMI

He's Got The Whole World (in his hands) 

Vandanburg BMI

1960

This is Gene Rambo.  "He's Got The Whole World" was recorded at the suggestion of Gene Vincent.

“Man”, recalls Gene Rambo, “After I saw Gene Vincent I said forget Elvis – It was pure excitement from the start to finish”. His brother Bobby remembers too: “All of us were Vincent Nuts, Man! If he made some wild stage move, we’d pick up on it and do it too!”

Gene Rambo, a.k.a. Gene Princeton

Gene Rambo and the Flames were key figures on the Dallas scene since '56 when Gene and 16 year old guitar rippin' Lil' bro Bobby caught the Elvis bug.  They lay down a pair of ruff covers of recent Presley faves "Shake, Rattle and Roll" and "Don't Be Cruel" that never got beyond a scratchy pass around acetate.  It was a cool start for the Flames, but it was the tornado-like roar like Gene Vincent into town that turned the entire Big D, in particular the Rambos, into one mojo jumpin' bean. (from the notes of the No Hit LP "the Desperate Dallas Demos")

The Flames became the house band at Pattie’s Teen Club and later at the Irving Youth Center. In May of ’57, The Flames won first prize at the Big D Jamboree’s weekly talent show and came back for ten weeks with the support from their all chicks fan club “The Flamettes”. Those gals used to flash banners stating “The Flames will burn Forever”. Bobby will also back some other performers on recording sessions like Joe Poovey on “Teen Long Fingers” (Dixie 2018) or Scotty Mc Kay, a Blue Caps, on “Rollin’ Dynamite” (Event 4295).  Back at Sellers Studio, Bobby would record great covers of Carl Perkins “Your True Love” and Eddie Cochran’s “C’mon Everybody”.  In Dec 1957, they will play the Big D Jamboree with Charline Arthur, Darrell Glenn, Joe Poovey and Johnny Dollar. Around the same time they also played on the same bill with Country Johnny Mathis, Johnny Horton, Bob Luman, Mac Curtis …

Jan Doss

Jan Doss

Don't Say This Goodbye Is Forever
From The Best Of Big D Rock, Volume 2 (Collectables)

Don't Weep For Me

From The Bop That Never Stopped, Vol. 59 (Buffalo Bop, 1990)

According to Phil York {1}, Jan Doss was a tall, lanky guy with thick, black-rimmed glasses an inch thick.  He sang and performed well, but got carried away with trying to get unique effects, such as the weird lead guitar sound on these 1960 cuts.  His guitar amp was cranked up very loud, as was the tremolo knob.  

These tracks were recorded at the Lew Williams {2}, ' studios in Dallas.  It is not known if these two tracks, certainly from the Phil York archives, were ever released.

The only mention of Jan Doss I've found is in the Bryan Adams High School - El Conquistador Yearbook (Dallas)  - Class of 1960 (probably the caption of a photography included in the yearbook)

Members of the NDCC and their dates enjoy dancing to music by Jan Doss and the Sonics. 1960 Military Queen Miss Betty Sharver Officers and their dates lead the grand march.

{1} Phil York, was a sound engineer.   He wrote the liner notes of the Collectables CD From The Best Of Big D Rock, Volume 2    He died in 2012.  See bio and obituary here

{2} Lew Williams, rockabilly recording artist (Imperial Records, 1956-1957) retired from performing in January 1959 and a few months later opened Le-Drene Productions, a recording studio and talent agency he operated with partner Adrene Bailey.

Wham Bam

 Jo Ann Miller

Wham Bam

Carroll-Griggs

JaMar Publishing Co. 6562 Patrick Dr. Dallas, Texas/ M.L. Griggs BMI

Jag 250

1965

A pallid interpretation sure to please to the song-poems aficionados.

"Wham Bam" originally issued as 'Hot Damn',  was a very risqué record for the times, especially with a girl saying it, whose lyrics in part go :  A new stud / I happened to meet / He's a real sharp bone / He's real neat / Now should I act just like a lamb / Or should I say hot damn? // On the day that / He hit this town / All of the chicks / Began to gather around / Now did I act just like a lamb / Or did I say hot damn?  

The not sanitized version is available on "Great Rockin' Girls" (Collector Records (CD 4409)

Mary Lois Griggs, a former singer and guitarist from Griffith Switch, a Texas whistle stop near Alvarado, Texas, began writing lyrics in the early sixties.  Now a physical education teacher she recruited some local singers, arrangers and musicians and started her own publishing company and record label, Jag Records.  

Jag Records issued about ten singles and one album, all songs penned by M.L. Griggs.    Sharon Leibow And The Jag Singers, Jerry Hitt, Tony Harrison, B.J. Wright and Jo Ann Miller were the vocalists who delivered the words of the enterprising teacher..   Several of her songs were put in music by Billy Winston Baker whose name appears on the first Andy Starr rockabilly release on Lin Records (Dig Them Squeaky Shoes, Lin #1009, 1955)

Jo Ann Miller was raised in Arp, Texas (pop. 850).  A graduate of Texas State College for Women, she spent four years in college as a vocalist for the school orchestra. She also captured the much sought after, title of "Princess of the Red Bud Festival," one of the highest honors presented to the loveliest girl in the school.   In 1953, she was the featured singer with Blue Barron and his orchestra.

She was working on her master's degree in archeology at Columbia (New York) when Tommy Dorsey heard her sing in summer stock and hired her.   She recorded a full album for Audio Fidelity Records ("Unrestrained", AFPL 1864).   

She may be also the Jo Ann Miller who recorded for Tally with Bonnie Owens as The Kern County Sweethearts (1956) and for Scope Records ("Talk To Me" / A Brand New Man", but it's not confirmed.

Walking With The Blues

Jerry Ballad

Walking With The Blues

American 1000
American Music Associates Inc.

From 1958.

Dallas, Texas label, possibly owned by Bill Lindsey. American 1001 is by Jackie Hurst. Both label releases are listed in Rockin' Country Style.

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