En Mi Barquito (Ooo-Wee Baby)

 

 Tiny Morrie

  En Mi Barquito (Ooo-Wee Baby)

This is "Sea Cruise", the old Frankie Ford hit from 1958, sung in spanish by Tiny Morrie (Morrie Sanchez). From 1975.

Amador Mauricio “Tiny Morrie” Sanchez (born 1940 in Ojo Zarco) is a leading New Mexico artist. Influential since the rock ‘n’ roll era, well through, to the modern era.

Rock N' Roll Music Box

"Toad" Fraley With The Tadpoles

Rock N' Roll Music Box
Wr.: Charles Nathan, Dave Heisler (Chase Music Co.)

Singing-guitar player  Freddie “Toad” Fraley, who doubles as a professional wrestler, with his first release –  and possibly his last - on the Allied label, subsidiary of the Allied Record Manufacturing Company, one of the oldest independent pressing plant dating back to the thirties.

The Fraleys, a wrestling father and son team
Pat and Freddie Fraley (1958)

A Gruntin' And A Groanin' (The Wrestlers Song)

Maurice Tillet "The French Angel"

Scat Man Crothers's  recording of “A-Gruntin’ And A-Groanin’ (The Wrestlers Song)" backed by the Red Callender Sextet, combined R&B with professional wrestling, which was just getting some high profile popularity on TV out of the Olympic Auditorium in L.A.   It was issued on Intro in 1951, a subsidiary of Aladdin Records. The Billboard's reviewer wasn't that impressed by this side : "Another case of a good performance and flimsy material, here some nonsense about the wrestling matches" (Billboard, May 26, 1951)

The French Angel (picture above) was one of these wrestlers who appeared in L.A. at that time. Maurice Tillet (The French Angel's real name) is widely believed to have been the inspiration for the cartoon character "Shrek", although DreamWorks has never confirmed precisely from where Shrek's inspiration arose.

A Gruntin' And A Groanin' (The Wrestlers Song)

Jelly-Bean

Obscure group on the equally obscure Carthay label.  The Galaxys 45 is rare, that's all about I can say about them. 

Incorporated in January 1959, Carthay Records, first located at 1614 N. Argyle in Hollywood,  released their first release in April 1959,  an unreleased master recorded the previous summer by the thrush Mimi Harp and heavily promoted by KLAC radio. According to Cash Box, August 16, 1958

     . . . To help bring talent to the attention of record companies,

    radio  station KLAC-Hollywood, Calif, inaugurated a “Sun-

    day Scoop” series Sunday, Aug. 3rd, with a spin every 15

    minutes from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. of an unreleased master record.

    The first waxing to get the treatment was “Going To Heaven

    Ridin’ a Mule”, recorded by Mimi Harp. Total plays were 52 for the period.

Shortly after the first release, Carthay moved not too far at 1608 N. Argyle and issued five more singles in 1959 and 1960.  A last release, five years later oddly enough, were on a Denver, Colorado band, The Fogcutters, record which was leased to Liberty Records.



Carthay label discography

101      Mimi Harp    

A - The Morning After (The Night Before) (Winn, Gould, Lidville BMI)

B -  Goin' To Heaven (Ridin' On A Mule) (Joe Lilley, Mark Warnow ASCAP)

     Arranged And Conducted by Danny Gould

     Promotion :  Irwin Zucker

     Master purchased (but not issued?) by Ed Brown prexy of Mun Rab Records

102      Zola And His Horn

A - The Slide (H. Winn, Moonbeam Music Co. BMI)

B - Marching To The Coliseum (E. Alperson Jr., N. Malkin, Fairlane Music, Lansdowne Music (ASCAP)

103      The Galaxys

A - Jelly-Bean (Dwight Davis, Moonbeam Music Co.)

B -  A Lover's Prayer (Robert Robertson, Moonbeam Music Co.)

104      Mickie Adrienne

A -  I'll Remember Johnny (Walter Straub, Moonbeam Music Co)

B -  Mr. Heartbreak (R. Freed, B. Weber  , Fairlane Music ASCAP)

105      Johnny Prophet

A -  (I've Got) Two Arms (Winn-Gould, Lidville Music Co BMI)

B -  Find A Penny (Winn-Gould, Lidville Music Co BMI)

Arranged And Conducted By Danny Gould

110      Bob Grabeau (1960)
A - (I'm Gonna) Be You (Alperson-Winn, Fairlane Music Corp. ASCAP)

B - Passing By (Alperson-Winn, Fairlane Music Corp. ASCAP)

777      The Fogcutters (1965)
A - You Say  (Eric Karl Circle Seven BMI)

B - Cry, Cry, Cry!  (Don Cameron, Circle Seven BMI) 

           Leased To Liberty Records, Issued on Liberty 55793

Jelly-Bean

Just A Little More Time

*

Just A Little More Time

Born in 1930 in Greensboro, North Carolina. His dad was a tailor and part-time musician. Robbie Robinson played saxophone in the early 50s for the Johnny Otis band and had since a long career in the music industry as both vocalist and musician. His credits include many musical groups, including Blinkey Allen band, The Dominoes, The Flares/Flairs and the Ink Spots. Robbie has worked as a backup singer for several other popular groups, including The Platters. He also appeared in two movies : “Rock All Night” with The Platters, and “Pillow Talk”, with Rock Hudson and Doris Day

One session for Jim Foulds Productions and his Flair label (not the Modern subsidiary) in 1962 provided two records,  this one and the other with his older brother, Robin, credited to the Robinson Brothers.

Um-Hum

Virginia Niquette

Safe 230

Um-Hum

Zeke Strong-Ann Lacoste, Melodic Music
Arr & Dir By Zeke Strong
Produced By Ray Niquette

Song previously recorded by Ann Lacoste on Zeke Strong's Progress Records.

Saxophonist, arranger and producer for small Los Angeles labels,  Ezekiel "Zeke" Strong, despite numerous arranged and produced recordings, is still largely unknown.  Born in early 20s in Oklahoma, he died in 2003. Not much is known about the man.

Little Ishana Man

Eddie Daniels

and his Daniels Nine



Little Ishana Man

Eddie Mae's E-501
2720 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles

Written and produced by Jewel Akens and arranged by Miles Grayson.  

Creole with roots in Louisiana, Eddie Daniels was born in Watts, CA.  During Junior High School, he acquired the nickname, The Ghetto Baby. Eddie started in show biz in 1954 with a singing group called “Vernon Green and the Medallions”. The group had hit records like “Buick 59”, “The Letter”, “Maybe Yes, Maybe No”, and many more.  Eddie also played piano on Bobby Day’s “Rockin’ Robin” and Eugene Church’s “Pretty Girl”, and also played with Bob & Earl of “The Harlem Shuffle”.

Eddie took his first tour with bluesman Floyd Dixon. He recorded his first record, “Whoa Whoa Baby”, with Ebb Records in 1957. In 1958, he started singing with Jewel Akens. They recorded 8 songs together. They had a hit record called “Opportunity” that received good air play on the biggest black radio station at that time, KGFJ  

Having been taken advantage of by both Bumps Blackwell and Jerry Capehart, Daniels concentrated on touring as a vocalist and keyboard player with Bob and Earl during the ’60s. Then, in 1972 he hooked up with the Platters’ original female vocalist Zola Taylor, forming a lifelong kinship with her that lasted until her death in 1986.

Popcorn

Rudy Harvey And The Pips

R.D. Stokes Band

Popcorn

Capri 103

1958

Better known as a DJ and entrepreneur, Rudy Harvey owned and operated several labels in California :

Capri (58), Dynamic (60-61) Dynamite (62) Titanic (62-63), Amazon (62-63) and Azuza.  

Henry Strogin, a long time friend of Rudy Harvey, reported :

We received the astonishing and shocking news that Rudy was found dead. That was shocking and surely it was surprising to say the least. To this date, we never found out the details of the death of Rudy Harvey.

There was much talking about Rudy having ties to the «mob». If he was and did have ties, we knew nothing about it. Rudy was a young man of about 28 or 29 years.

So You Walked Out On Your Baby

Lucille Hutchinson

So You Walked Out On Your Baby

Lucille E. Hutchinson, Greek Music BMI
Alpha 633
1970

Song published by Greek Music, a John Greek publishing company. Yes, the John Greek original member and founder of The Fabulous Wailers in Tacoma, now turned mixer (and studio musician) at the Artists Recording Studio located in 1648 N. Cherokee Avenue, Hollywood. 

The studio was created in 1966 by Alex Furth.and Alpha Records was the in-house label providing an outlet for artists willing to pay the price.at some occasions, like that was the case for Lucille Hutchinson, I think.

Xocquitumi

Ada Maria

Xocquitumi

A.C. Pena, Poco Loco Music

Flamingo Records #5002
late sixties?

Xocquitumi was copyrighted on 1 Aug 1968 by Flaco Music Co. and was also recorded by Ray Avila on the El Monte label (see 45cat)

There was an early Flamingo label (also pink, not surprisingly) in the West Coast (Kim and Grim, Flamingo 501,  1965)   but probably a different label.

Poco Loco Music, as were Padua Music and Tamkoda Music, was part of Faro Music Publ'g owned by Edward L. Davis, better known as Eddie Davis

I'll Get Another

The Sisters

Big Time Man
Clark, Debbi (BMI)
 
I'll Get Another
Chick Carlton, Debbi (BMI)

Produced by Aston-Clark

September 101

(1963)

Undocumented female vocal group.  These Sisters are probably the same Sisters [see below] who had three singles on the soon-to-be-dormant Del-Fi label (By 1964, the label was winding down, with only eleven singles released, none of which charted. 1965 was even leaner, with only four singles released before the owner, Bob Keane decided to discontinue Del-Fi (and Donna) in favor of Mustang and Bronco.)

There is no info at all about this record in the various articles and discographies about the Arvizu Sisters.  Perhaps I should ask to Chick Carlton, writer of "I'll Get Another", who is still around to confirm my theory....

Ersi, Rosella, and Mary Arvizu

According to Mark Guerrero :

In the mid-1960s in East L.A., The Sisters were the Eastside's answer to Motown's Supremes.  Like The Supremes, they were three well-dressed, classy, female vocalists who could sing extremely well.  The Sisters were actually formed several months before The Supremes burst on the national scene.  However, according to Ersi and Rosella, although they liked and were influenced by The Supremes, they were more influenced by other female vocal groups such as Martha & the Vandelas and The Ronettes.  The Sisters recorded three singles in 1965 for Bob Keane's DelFi Records and were a fixture on the East L.A. music circuit of the era.  Ersi went on to sing with El Chicano on their second album, "Revolution," where she provided the lead vocal to their classic recording of "Sabor a Mi."  Rosella, a great singer herself, has done very well recording and performing ranchera music with some of the great mariachi bands in the world.  In 2005, Ersi and Rosella sang on Ry Cooder's Grammy nominated album, "Chavez Ravine," along with my dad Lalo Guerrero, Little Willie G., and others.  Ersi, Rosella, and Mary Arvizu are once again singing together in La Chicana and Her Revue, where they sing pop and r&b songs from the era of The Sisters with a rock band, as well as ranchera music with mariachi.

More .........

Ersi got into boxing in 1976

Picture credit : Ersi Arvizu

From Gene Aguilera : Mexican American Boxing in Los Angeles

Ideal Records (Los Angeles, 1958)

500 - Frankie White

I-500-A —  It's All Over Now

I-500-B  — Gee-Huh-Hee Baby

501 - Heavy J. Lockett with Frankie White and The Enchanters  

I-501-A —  Chicken In a Hurry

I-501-B  — Smack Me Baby

This is, I assume, the entire output of this obscure Los Angeles label.  The two records came probably from the same recording session and were issued in the summer of 1958.  That's all I known.

No info about Frankie White.  No info neither on Heavy J. Lockett.   A John Lockett had a single issued in 1962 on the L.A. Triangle label (It Shouldn't Happen To A Dawg / The Circle Twist).   He sounds like he's possibly the same singer.

I Wish You Were Mine

Deloris Ealy

I Wish You Were Mine

.A. Johnson - D. Ealy

Telldell Music

Velvet Records 101

Los Angeles, Calif.

Late sixties ?

Most of the releases on Velvet Records are from Deloris Ealy, who was managed by Aaron Johnson, head of Velvet Productions in L.A.   It seems that the label was reactivated in the late seventies for several releases by The Kenyattas backing Arlene Bell or other artists.  

At that time, Deloris Ealy was with Big Vick Productions (Victor Green in Oakland, Calif.) for at least one release "Deloris Is Back With Jerome And His Band / Don't Be Afraid" (Big Vick Hammond #401).

Telldell Music is the publisher, a name usually associated with Detroit music and Odell Bailey, but Dennis Talley (Stag Distributors Records) was perhaps also involved with the publishing company. ?

Eddie Can I Park In Your Lot

Sharon Mason

Eddie Can I Park In Your Lot
 Please-Regan, Hillary Music Inc.-Music Please Inc.

Produced by Bobby Please

Dore 525

1959

Eddie is Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, the parking attendant on the popular TV detective series “77 Sunset Strip”.



Bobby Please (real name Robert Alton Plaisted) started his recording career in 1950 as the vocalist of the Nature Boy (Eden Ahbez) Orchestra (Mercury Records).  

Several years later, he recorded four singles between 1957 and 1959 for Era ("Your Driver's License, Please"), Imperial, Starla and Jamie. 

He penned songs for Herb "The Black Singing Cowboy" Jeffries (on Maze), "Voodoo doll" (Ray Johnson on Flip), "Slap Happy" (The Congo Kid on Bull Dog), Sonny Warner (Freedom), "The Happy Reindeer" (Dancer, Prancer and Nervous, Capitol), "The Clock Rock" (Little Hymie, Liberty), Joiner, Arkansas Jr. High School Band (Liberty), The Milky Ways (Liberty) and "Hairspray" (Stanley Livingston on Marilyn) among others.  

Bobby Please died in the seventies.

Her Name Is Geraldine

The Sparklers

Her Name Is Geraldine

Marvin Liblick, View Music Co. BMI

Laitini (LAI-TEE-NEE) Records

2656 1/2 SO. La Cienega Ave.

L.A. 34, Calif.

September 1958

Likely owned by Marvin Liblick who is the songwriter credited on every song issued by the label with only one exception :  "Cherish My Love" by The Glens (later re-issued by Sudden Records)

Marvin Liblick frequently recorded the same song by different artists.  For instance, "That's My Baby" was recorded by Jerri Shaw and by Betty Stewart.  Probably not satisfied by the result, Marvin Liblick (backed by the Darts) recorded it again in 1961 for Mastersound,a label he also probably owned.

Marv Liblick also dabbled in the commercial jingle songwriting.  Several copyright were filled in the mid-fifties for songs such as "Doctor Pepper's The Drink For You",  Manischewitz Is The Wine For You", Coca Cola's The Drink For You (also known as We' Re The Boys Of The Film Industry), Cadillac Is The Car For You,  Brigley's Gum Is The Gum For You, Standard Shoes Are The Shoes For You and Lucky Lager's The Beer For You. ...

As for The Sparklers : blank blank blank. 

But :

At the very same address on La Cienega Avenue that was once the headquarters of the tiny Laitini Records you can find today Robin Zodiac and her Psychic Domain ("Soulful Healing through an Accurate Telephone Reading").  One may wonder if she can help to find anything about this shoestring recording company.

I Need You

The Utmosts

I Need You

Oma Heard, Beechwood Music Corp. BMI

Pan-Or Records

February 1962

Pan-Or Productions headed by independant producers Adam Ross and Jack L. Levy was part of the Beechwood Music Company, itself founded by Capitol Records in 1948.    The most successful act produced by Pan-Or productions was The Rivingtons (Liberty Records).

Oma Heard was the lead singer and/or member of various girl groups.  Rob Finnis has told their story. 

From the liner notes of The Dore Story (Ace Records) :
 

The DARLINGS, a female quartet comprising Oma Heard, Carlotta Robertson and the sisters Maxine and Julia Waters, were managed and produced by a former artist named Bobby Sanders - real name: Jerome Lenoir. In 1963, Dore issued two consecutive singles by the group under different names, the first as the Postalettes singing 'He Played 1, 2, 3, 4' (a variation of 'The Paddiwack Song'), the second as the Darlings with their punchy revival of 'To Know Him Is To Love Him', heard here. Sanders produced all four at the same (with Grayson arranging) and assigned the masters over Dore on 23 January 1963.

Three of the four girls had previously sung in a Fremont High School group named the Sweethearts, who recorded for producer H.B. Barnum in 1961 and moonlighted on obscure one-off 45s as the Utmosts and the Sa-Shays.  Although amateur, they were already establishing career paths as versatile session vocalists and barely knew their identity from one release to the next - immediately prior to signing for Dore, they had recorded a one-off 45 for producer Steve Venet (himself a former Dore artist) as the Dynels on Dot.

Something about 'He Played 1, 2, 3, 4' piqued Lew's interest because a few months later, he re-issued it with a new B-side ('My Pillow') on Dore 677 crediting the Darlings. Then again, in October 1963 on Dee Dee 677 as by the Delicates! (This can be heard on Volume 2.) And he wasn't finished yet. Possibly frustrated by his inability to break the record, Bedell sold the master to a couple who ran a tiny R&B label, Celeste, out of their LA home, prompting a further re-issue with the revised title 'This Old Man' on Celeste 676.

Oma Heard later sang with Ike Turner's Ikettes, did session work and recorded under her own name for Motown in the late 1960s, while the Water sisters worked as background singers on countless sessions by such diverse artists as Paul Simon, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Paul and Rod Stewart.

Hawk Is Chicken

Indians

Red Feather
-

Hawk Is Chicken

 Glenn Castle

Wild West Music BMI
-

House of Castle 94289

Arr. and prod. by Glenn Castle

Red Feather, I assume, is the singer.  The flip, an instrumental, "War Dance" penned by Frank L. Coyote, can be heard elsewhere on the net.  

A Ring Around A Chain

 

The Cruisers

A Ring Around A Chain

 

 Loyce Whiteman-Marti Barris

Meadowlark Music ASCAP

Arr & Cond Danny Gould

Era Records

1957

 

Songwriter Loyce Whiteman was vocalist with Gus Arnheim and His Cocoanut Grove Orchestra.  You can listen to her duet with Bing Crosby (his first duet with a female singer), singing "Ho-Hum" HERE on YouTube.  In 1931, Loyce married  Harry Barris, a songwriter, musician, and actor, who worked a lot with Bing Crosby.  (they divorced in 1946)  They had only one child, Frances Maurine, also known as Marti.

 

Marti Barris  (1938-1995)  recorded pop songs in the late 50s and 1960s but never had a big hit.  She was a guest on several variety shows in the late 50s. She appeared on "The Bob Crosby Show," "American Bandstand," "Music on Ice" and "The Lawrence Welk Show" as well as being a regular cast member of "Howdy Doody" playing the character "Peppi Mint."

Who were the Cruisers, I don't known.  Two singles by The Cruisers were issued, the following year,  on the newly formed Doré Records, but it's a different group comprising LA session men (?).  'Rendezvous 22'  (Doré 500) was purchased from Wayne Shanklin. 

I Like to Rock 'n' Roll Slowly

Lynn Marshall
with Dale Fitzsimmons' Orch.

I Like to Rock 'n' Roll Slowly

Mitchell Tableporter, Choice Music ASCAP

Crest 1046

1958

Her last record (of four) on Crest Records. Lynn Marshall was the daughter of Hollywood arranger Jack Marshall, best known for scoring the Peggy Lee classic 'Fever'.

She warbled in and around Hollywood since the early fifties (Lancer's Quartette, "Tears in My Heart", Serenade Records, 1952). She had also a record on Neely Plumb's Star Records.

If you have see her name before that's probably because Eddie Cochran played on one of her Crest sessions. Not sure if Eddie is on this, but unmistakenly I can hear Buddy Holly playing with something in the background...

★

Speaking of death (Eddie & Buddy are dead, that's the transition!) , I'm just learning today that music lovers can now be immortalised when they die by having their ashes baked into vinyl records to leave behind for loved ones.

A UK company called And Vinyly is offering people the chance to press their ashes in a vinyl recording of their own voice, their favourite tunes or their last will and testament. Minimalist audiophiles might want to go for the simple option of having no tunes or voiceover, and simply pressing the ashes into the vinyl to result in pops and crackles. We live in a such great time!

Here how it works :

1. Confirm with us your location and the viability of these services in your area
2. Identify a family member or a chosen representative who will accompany you (your ashes) to the pressing of your records
3. Establish audio and cover art content
4. Attend the mastering of your record
5. Receive playable proof sample of your record and cover
6. Die
7. Get cremated
8. Your family member or chosen representative books and attends the sprinkling and pressing of your records
9. Your chosen recipients will be sent details of where to collect their copy of your personal record
10. Live on from beyond the groove

That's so easy (with the possible exception of point #6). Interested ? Then go to their site HERE



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Telephone Baby

Don Miller - Carolyn Day

Telephone Baby
(Jim Stivers, Webster Music BMI)

Bedford Records

Produced by Bob Scherman

This is likely the same Don Miller on Melker and Libra, two records listed in the Rockin' Country Style discography. "Missile Monkey" (not listed in RCS and issued on Kangaroo Records, 1961), is available on the "Bent, Batty And 'bnoxious! " compilation.

About Carolyn Day, I known nothing.

Bedford is just one of the myriad of Los Angeles labels owned by Bob Sherman, one of the earliest independent record company owners on the West Coast. Robert Scherman born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1920, started his career in the music business as producer for Syd Nathan's King Records and Federal Records. One of Robert Scherman most important labels was Atlas (1944-1948). He later formed and owned Skylark Records. In 1951 Scherman formed and solely owned Tampa.Records... etc. etc.

Jim Stivers, credited as the writer and backing band leader, was pianist at the Whip, a Long Beach club frequented by Eddie Cochran when Eddie handpicked him in 1958 as one of the musicians for his backing band. First billed Jim Stivers And His Hollywood Swingers, they later became the Kelly Four and recorded on Silver and Candix Records.

English rockabilly guitarist Darrel Higham (born 1970) played in the USA during six months with the Kelly Four in 1992, just before the passing of Jim Stivers the same year.



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