Oh Baby

 Teen-Beets
Oh Baby
(We've Got A Good Thing Going)

Chain Records 5-5588
(pressed by Kay-Bank)
 Recorded by Arthur Smith Studios Charlotte, N.C.

"The Teen-Beets of Winston-Salem, North Carolina released four fine records, the first three featuring original songs by vocalist and guitarist John McGee along with cover of Barbara Lynn’s “Oh Baby”."

Plenty of info and pictures here at the garage hangover website.

Rompin' Stompin'

 

Grady Lewis
Pinnacle #8788
date : unknown precisely

Rompin' Stompin'

Later remake of his very scarce platter on Star Records. (hear at YT here)

Grady Lionel Lewis (1933-2003)

Accomplished saxophonist, champion fiddler, professional educator, singer, expert on school law, high school principal, Grady Lewis had the opportunity to become a full time professional musician many times (he has been offered a job with Faron Young, Bill Monroe, Cedarwood Publishing Company to name a few), but he chose to remain an educator.

Grady Lewis had his own televsion show, The Grady Lewis Show, on WFMY-TV in Greensboro for a while in the late sixties.

Grady Lewis, of 329 Shoals Road, Pinnacle, then retired from the Surry County school system, passed away July 13, 2003, at his home.

Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'

Don Thompson
Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'

Gregdon GS-5010

Recorded at Reflection Sound Studios, Charlotte, N.C.

"Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" is a song written by Joey Levine and Ritchie Cordell and recorded by Crazy Elephant. It reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Presumably Gregdon were Don Thompson's own label, the Greg being quite probably Greg Caruso (1947-2019). The UR master number would indicate a 1978 pressing?

A previous record on Gregdon (#5008) is by the Don Thompson Trio (recorded in South Carolina at Skyline Recording Studio, West Columbia). 

Talk To Me

Dawn Owens

and the Rhythm Kings

Talk To Me

Flip of Hang Up My Rock And Roll Shoes, as requested by Aidan B.  

 

God Is So Good

Joel Stafford
and The Starlighters




God Is So Good

Joel Records

1975

Statesville Record And Landmark from Statesville, North Carolina, September 20, 1976, page 9

Wheelchair Is Sought WINSTON-SALEM (AP) — Joel Stafford, 9-years-old and suffering from a rare bone disorder, has his heart set on an electric wheelchair. "I'm going to buy myself a wheelchair," he vows. "I'm going to take it to school so I can roll myself around." Joel has a congenital condition called osteogenesis imperfecta, which means his system lacks the calcium needed to harden and develop bone tissue.  He has steel rods in his legs, but his arms have not developed enough to permit such bone-replacing surgery. Joel sings regularly at his church, and his parents — Wayne and Linda Stafford — took him to a small recording studio to make a record.  It is called "God is So Good," and has sold about 1,000 copies so far. The electric wheelchair Joel wants could cost as much as $1,500. Joel made the recording in hopes of raising enough money to buy the chair.  Though small and unable to move around well, Joel has a happy face and is undaunted by the dangers confronting him.  He hasn't broken a bone since February, a considerable improvement over the past. Often a simple wrong movement could cause a bone to break. He has received therapy at the Shrine Hospital In Greenville, S. C. He attends school at the Children's Center In Winston-Salem, and enjoys school.

Apparently little Joel had raised enough money to buy the wheelchair. But the wheelchair was stolen shortly after, in 1977.  The Piedmonitor.from September 01, 1978 reported :

Frank Barnes, of Winston maintenance, met one of his special friends, Joel Stafford, at the Children's Center during the solicitors' tours of the Forsyth County United Way agencies. The Company long has had a tradition of giving generously to the United Way. It is a tradition that unquestionably deserves to be maintained. and Frank helped promote Joel's gospel singing records to raise money to replace his wheelchair. Joel and Edwin are two of the many people helped by Piedmont's participation in the annual fund drive.

God is so good?

Hang Up My Rock And Roll Shoes

 Dawn Owens
 And The Rhythm Kings




Hang Up My Rock And Roll Shoes
1964

In the 1950s, Fred Rumfelt and some friends formed a band called the Rhythm Kings. Soon, the Rhythm Kings were playing gigs throughout the region. They performed on television shows in Charlotte, Asheville and Spartanburg, S.C. Although they started out in bluegrass and traditional country, they soon adapted to the new rock and roll sound.  

Before long, the group recorded two songs in a Nashville, Tenn. studio. They recorded “Billy Boy,” a song written by Rumfelt, and Elliott’s rock and roll instrumental “Boppin’ Guitar.”  The record was issued in June 1960 on Brooke Records.  The lineup included Ed Elliott on lead guitar and Ray Hall on steel guitar. Jim Jones, who had worked with Rumfelt at Marion Manufacturing, sang harmony vocals and also played guitar.

In 1961, Hall left the Rhythm Kings but the group continued making music. The lineup would change some more. Eual Owens and his wife Dawn later joined the group. Eual played drums while Dawn was the lead vocalist.

The band went down to Arthur Smith’s Studios, recording the old Chuck Willis song (Atlantic Records 1179, 1958) backed with "Talk To Me", and has the 45 out on their own Star label pressed at the Kay Bank plant.

I Got Rhythm

The Trowells

I Got Rhythm
(Gerschwin)

La Ru Ha Records
819 Brookhurst Drive
Charlotte, N.C. 28205
1974

Here it is :  the La Ru Ha Records response to Tamla-Motown produced at Arthur Smith Studios.  Karen, Edith and Ellen Trowell are three sisters from the Carolinas singing the old Gerschwin classic song from 1930.  That's all about I known. 

An Old Wolf Whistle

Jack Butler

An Old Wolf Whistle
Mel Butler, Butler Publications BMI

Decoy 7105
Decoy Records

600 Beaman St.
Clinton, N.C.
1958
Also on Sparton (Canada), 1959

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.  There was at least two records on the Decoy label in 1951-1953.  According to hillbilly.com,group members  in 1953 included  Jackie Butler, 13 years old, guitar, vocals, Wade Hargrove, age 12, steel guitar, Pam Luter, age 10, tenor guitar and ballads, "Snodgrass" Carter, age 12, washboard and comedy and Ciana Dawn, age 8, ukulele and novelty songs.

Owner of Decoy Records was Mel Butler, father of Jack/Jackie. Composer and publisher, Mel Butler had written songs with Shep Sessons (59 songs published in 1945!) before organizing a five-piece hillbilly outfit, the Mountaineerfuls in 1947.   

According to the Billboard issue dated November 3, 1958, Mel Butler re-activated the label with Bruce Earp as A&R man.  Jack Butler was (indeed) signed to the label, and Tony Valero and the Goshen Four as well.

Bruce Earp snagged the Canadian distributing rights to the Decoy record of "An Old Wolf Whistle" and also signed Larry Cotton to the label (Billboard Feb. 23, 1959). There was also a second release by Jack Butler on Decoy in 1959 (Sunshine Street b/w Make Believe Ballroom).  

Decoy, "The label that lures plenty of lucre" 1951

Let's Make Love

Little Buddy

Let's Make Love

NRC 010

1958

James B. McKnight (Little Buddy)  was born in Durham, N.C., in 1943.   This is his first record, probably brought to NRC by John C. Greene, Jr., a Durham, North Carolina radio station manager (WSRC) and record label owner (Joy Records).  Buddy McKnight relocated later to Orlando, Florida and had two singles released by the local Pine Hills Records (1967-1968)

In the mid-sxities, he played organ for the Mighty Dee-Jays, a band formed by Jimmy (Dee) Dudley (see sirshambling). 

He died in 1996.  According to his obit, McKnight moved to Central Florida in 1969. and was a truck driver for a cement company, He was a member of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church. Survivors were : wife, Georgia; son, Corey, Orlando; daughters, April Henson, Orlando, Dee, Ocala; five grandchildren. 

James Benjamin McKnight

Chick Chick

Donnie Moneymaker

(13 yrs. old)

Chick Chick

Irene Howard, Be Sure Music

Produced by Allen Howard

Mike NR14259

1982

The song was first recorded by  Junior Dean And The Avalons in 1958 for the Mike label, owned by Otha Howard (1957-2006), the father of the producer of this cover version, Allen Howard.  

The label says Donnie is 13 years old, but he sounds much older.  The flip is a Elvis tribute of lesser interest, "Memories Of Elvis", written by Otha Howard and Terry Gragg.  This "new" Mike label was revived by Allen Howard in the early eighties in Taylorsville, North Carolina.

The Frog

 The Constellations

The Frog

 Impel Records

Shelby, NC

mid-sixties

Over the course of three decades beginning in the late 1950s, David Lee, this unheralded songwriter, musician, producer, and entrepreneur released fourteen 45s and two LPs on his Impel, Washington Sound, and SCOP labels, run out of his Washington Sound record shop in Shelby, North Carolina.

The Constellations had 3 records on Impel

More on David Lee here

Come Along Santa

Delores Bissette

Come Along Santa

(Vida Nixon)

Nixon Records

(© 19 February 1962)

Vida Lellon Munden Nixon (1894-1988), North Carolina native, was a composer of songs and hymns for children.  See hymnary.org for a list of some of her songs.

A Kay Bank pressing from 1962

Coming soon to this screen*

• The Panthers on D&C
• The US Beatles on DR
• Tiny Morrie (his first on Hurricane)
• Jerry Jaye on the Label label
• Little Brad Williams (awful kid singer, clips only)
• Bill Eagle on Reeta Pass
• A little something on Chuck Nix

*unless I'll found out that they are already blogged, youtubed or butchered elsewhere!

Lonely Week Ends

Durwood Currie

Lonely Week Ends
C.A. Rich
Hi-Lo BMI

TNT Productions
205 South Wilmington St. , Raleigh, N.C.

Late Sixties

Obscure obscure Charlie Rich cover pressed in Cincinnati by King Records.  No info on Durwood Currie or on TNT Productions whatsoever ...

 

Jailhouse Rock

 

Sammy Hawker
And The Hawker Bros. / Virginia Ramblers 

 

JAILHOUSE ROCK

 

 Crescent-City Sound Studios Incorporated

1230 Gatewood Ave., Greensboro, N.C.

1973

Band probably from Danville, Virginia.    Crescent-City Sound was founded in 1968.  Walt Copeland was the manager and the chief engineer.

Country Rock

The Singing Jones Family

Country Rock
(D.A. Jones)

Sunnyland Records
Box 1621, Nashville, Tennessee

1970?

You can hear a cover of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", and a version of Prince Buster's "Ten Commandments of Man" at the Waxidermy blog from their album on Sunnyland Records. (Jones Family picture above is borrowed from that blog with thanks) .

This singing recording religious family were from Mount Olive North Carolina.



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