Rocky Morgan and the Rockin' Guitars

 

Rocky Morgan and the Rockin' Guitars
"Wolf Whistle Baby" B. Motola, R. Morgan, J. Dalton
Wheel Of Fortune Music, BMI

b/w

Mike Hufford and the Rockin' Guitars
"Turn That Gun Around"
R. Morgan, Echo Whalan, Peer International, BMI

Pic Records
#907

Record listed at Rockin' Country Style (no date or label location given). The other Pic records listed by The Jaguars is unrelated and were from Mitchell, Indiana.

Short-lived company founded in 1958, Pic Records was jointly owned by Buddy Motola and Rocky Paul Morgan at 13027 Lome Street, North Hollywood. 

Regarding the date of issue, I'm still unsure as RCS also lists a Garrison Studios "Wolf Whistle Baby" acetate dated 1961.

Rocky Morgan, backed by his Triple R Boys, had previously a record issued by the Modern label in 1948. See Swingbillies: Hillbilly And Western Swing On Modern/Colonial/Flair issued on Ace Records (UK) in 2003.

 "Wolf Whistle Baby"

download 

 

 

 

 

 

Princeton label (New York City)

 

 Princeton 101
(November 1958)

G-346 High School Blues (Mascari-Mac-Wenzlaff, Bob Cor Music Inc. BM)

1st copyright reg. : w & m Mac Vickory, Eddie Mascari, & Erwin Wenzlaff © Eddie Mascari, 28 oct 1958
2nd copyright reg. : w & m Charles Vic , pseud . , arr . Eddie Mascari (Edward C. Mascari) & Erwin Wenzlaff . © Charles L. Shean ; 17Nov58

 

G-347 We’re Not Engaged Anymore

same credits on label and copyright as above  

Princeton 102
(November 1958) 

G-310 The Wild One (Ricky Ricardo-Fred Petti, Copy Music Inc.)

G-311 Twang (Ricky Ricardo-Fred Petti, Copy Music Inc.)

Copy Music Inc. BMI (both sides), but Copley Music Inc.in copyright, which credits Ricky Ricardo, pseud, of Anthony Lobato, & Fred Petti. © 13 Npv.1958,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Princeton label (New York City)

The Clichés on Pama

 

[The Clichés]

Got Something For You Baby

Pama 1001
(1965)
Cleveland, Ohio

 According to buckeyebeat : 

Pinky and Jim Jenkins were a husband and wife act who were part of the Cleveland's folk scene in the 1960s. They played local clubs, including several appearances at La Cave opening for touring acts.

In 1965 they were on .one side of a split 45 that was released on Pama. On the other side was a recording by the Cliches of the James Brown song "Good Good Lovin" mistitled "Got Something For You Baby". The Jenkins' contribution was their own song "Manry and the Sea", a folk ballad styled song about Clevelander Robert Manry, who captivated the NE Ohio area in the summer of 1965 with a solo sailboat voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. The song was later recorded by the New Community Singers, a straight folk group, on Clevetown. The NCS recording was pretty popular locally.

Due to a pressing mixup, both sides of the 45 are credited to Pinky and Jim Jenkins and the Cliches, giving the impression that the Jenkinses are singing on "Got Something..." but that is not the case, each of the credited artists are only heard on their side of the record.

Discography:

Manry and the Sea / Got Something For You Baby (by the Cliches)  - Pama 1001, fall of 1965

Links:

Pama/Clevetown discography 
The Clichés at Discogs
The Clichés at Buckeyebeat.com

 Listed incorrectly as a different Pama label at RCS: Pama(loc?)  

 
Got Something For You Baby

direct download 

 

Steve Schickel on Foremost [RCS no location]

 

 

Steve Schickel

CP-1333 - Don't Lie

Williams-Hart, Windy City Music

CP-1334 - What A Night
Watts-Trace-Bohme

Foremost FM 115

November 11, 1957, Billboard

 

Location : Chicago, Illinois 

Note : this is NOT the Kansas City Foremost label. 

Steve Schickel was record editor for The Chicago Tribune, deejay for three years on WGN, free-lance promotion man, music and coin reporter for The Billboard,  Mercury public-relations director (1960-1962) and WGN newsman from 1962

This Foremost release is his second record, the first being on Mercury Records in 1956, "Leave My Sideburns Be", a take-off of "you know who" backed with "Cry-Baby Boogie".  

 

Two other songs from the same Mercury sessions remained unissued : "Educated Rock And Roll"  and  "What A Night" , the latter finally issued (or re-recorded?) by Foremost Records.

 

 The four tracks are in this folder

Inflammable Dan With The Igniters on Wine

 

High Flying Wine
download

 

The Buffer
download

 Both composed by C. Appel and published by Chart-Gap Pub.

Wine Records  #09

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1963

*

"Inflammable Dan" was the radio moniker of Charlie Apple, a popular radio disc jockey in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area (most notably on WPSL) during the 1960s. In 1963, Apple teamed up with a local Pittsburgh rock and roll band named The Igniters to record a novelty garage-rock single.

Some info found at Wikibin, the Wikpedia trashbin :

Charlie "C.A." Apple (born 1941 - Penn Hills, Pennsylvania) is a veteran R&B and oldies radio disc jockey from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Apple began broadcasting at WPSL 1510 AM in Monroeville, Pennsylvania in 1966, and his career has seen stops at mostly small AM and FM stations in the Pittsburgh area. Along the way, he has amassed a cult following of fans who refer to themselves collectively as The Apple Corps.

Heavily influenced by fellow Pittsburgh DJ Porky Chedwick, Apple's announcing style often utilizes speaking in rhyme and makes extensive use of reverb. Like Chedwick, Apple's show specializes in what he has coined "Pittsburgh Oldies" or simply "sounds" from his own record collection - songs originally popular on a local basis, but largely unknown outside the area. The format includes blues, doo wop, garage bands, and novelty records frequently - though not always - by groups from the Pittsburgh area.

The trio of Apple, Chedwick, and Mike Metrovich are seen as founders of this peculiar Pittsburgh radio subculture which has endured continuously "under the radar" since the 1950s. Through them, several other DJ's have been inspired to host shows of "Pittsburgh Oldies" on area radio stations.

Charlie is well respected by the students he taught at St. Edmund's Academy in Squirrel Hill. Always challenging his students to think and act, of which he has a formal pupil budding Broadway star Christian Borle. For several years Charlie was a home room teacher who inspired his classes through 50's movie, The Body Snatchers etc., music, and free thought. A family man and a teacher Charlie also found time to be the Head Chaplain at the small Episcopal grade school.

Also see article published by Pittsburgh City Paper in 2003

 

But Charlie Appel had a dark side : in 2014, Charlie Appel was sentenced to five years in prison for downloading child pornography. See Tribune Review.  He died in 2019. More serious related facts came to light after his death. See Spotlight On Abuse

 

Charlie Appel (1941-2019)

*

 

For the sake of completeness, I must mention that Rockin' Country Style also lists another single on the same label, likewise without a location. But I won't say anything about it here, because The Zaks' 45 holds little interest for rockabilly fans.

 

Missile Records (Johnny Garmon and the Shadows)

 

Johnny Garmon and the Shadows issued three singles for Garmon's own Missile label, which is listed at Rockin' Country Style unlocated. 

Billy Miller and Miriam Linna of Norton Records have included three of their sides in their "El Paso Rock" volume 4..  Therefore, as I trust the always reliable Billy and Miriam, we can say that the Missile label was located in El Paso, Texas.

 Johnny Garmon and the Shadows 
the six sides and labels

 

 

  

 

Jay Price on Cuppy Records

 

Jay Price - Hold Me
(direct link)

Cuppy Records C-104-B

Written by Dino and Price
producted by John Grande
Published by Jack Howard Pub. Inc. BMI

The A-side is "Everybody Out Of The Pool (It’s Dance Time)" written by Grande, Hummel and Hahn). According to a 45cat comment:

One of a couple of singles released by Cuppy (a label with connections to Bill Haley's ex-wife, whose nickname was Cuppy) that were produced by John (a.k.a. Johnny) Grande, who was Bill Haley's piano player in the Comets in the 1950s and early 1960s. Interestingly, in the late 50s the Comets, moonlighting as "The Lifeguards" recorded a tune called "Everybody Out'a the Pool" that is very similar in some respects to the one here (though the melody is different; the main similarity is somebody calling "everybody out of the pool!" every so often!)   

"Everybody Out'a the Pool" written by Frank Pingatore and recorded by The Lifeguards saw three releases (backed by "Teenage Tango") on Casa Blanca, ABC-Paramount and DR.

*

This record is listed by Rockin' Country Style but gives no indication as to it's address. The information regarding this small label is so contradictory—apart from the address —that I had to find out a bit more; something I admit I enjoy doing most of the time in cases like this.  While there is unanimity regarding the address (Philadelphia) which is incorrect, that is far from the case of the owners' names.  According to R&B indies it was owned by Bill Haley, Cuppy Haley, Tony Messina and Sonny Cassella. Jointly owned by Sonny Casella and Tony Messin, according to Discogs. Etc.

* 

Here is the correct information : 

Location: Folkcroft, Pennsylvania 
Owners: Earle Hahn 40%  Barbara Joan (Cuppy) Cupchak 25%, Johnny Grande 17.5.% and Jack Howard 17.5%.

Earle Hahn : business man, Cuppy's boyfriend
Barbara Joan (Cuppy) Cupchak : married to Bill Haley from 1952 to 1960
Johnny Grande : ex-Comets
Jack Howard : ex-manager

Source : "Crazy Man Crazy (The Bill Haley Story)" by Bill Haley Jr (and Peter Benjaminson) published by Omnibus Press in 2019.

 

 

Souvenir From Geno Lanzi (re-up with update)

 "Countdown 4-3-2-1"

 

"Boney Maroney O Yeh!"

*

 

[Post from 2010 updated]

Record listed in Rockin' Country Style (no location) as Souvenir From Geno Lanzi.

Location : Long Beach, California 

This is the first record of a series of 8 recordings (last issued in 1967) produced by Mark Hendrix who operated the United Artists Theater in Long Beach, California. All following records were either by his son Marlow Hendrix (also using the pseudonym Marlow Stewart) or by The Monacles of which he was the guitarist. 

The United Artists Theater was operated by the father of budding surf rock guitar star Marlow Hendrix, who performed as Marlow Stewart.  Marlow’s dad would publicize his son’s guitar prowess with stage shows and buy-a-record-get-free-admission deals (or vice versa) and book other stage shows, like the Elvis impersonator show of which Dick Dale took first prize.  14-year-old Marlow also had his own interview show on KNAC-FM, which was located in Lakewood Village.  http://longbeachhistory.wordpress.com/2010/08/21/long-beach-movie-theater-goings-on/

Date is probably 1962 as Geno Lanzi introduced his record , " Countdown 4-3-2-1 , " from the stage of the United Artists theatre , adressing his record off the press to Col. John Glenn at Cape Canaveral for his teenage daughter. [Mercury-Atlas 6 was the first crewed American orbital spaceflight, which took place on February 20, 1962. Piloted by astronaut John Glenn]

For the other records in the UA/VP (United Arists/Variety Production) see

    https://www.45cat.com/label/variety-productions and  https://www.45cat.com/artist/the-monacles

 

 

Hilton (Carole Bennett)

 

 

 

Carole Bennett With The Satisfiers  - He's Coming Home (direct download)

 *

Record listed at Rockin' Country Style (no location). Nice record, but is it rockabilly?

Singer from Long Island, New York. In 1955 she was a winner on the Arthur Godfrey "Talent Scouts" television show. As a result she was signed to the Rama label in New York and, shortly afterward, to the Capitol label before recording for the Hilton label in 1957. Record re-issued by Verve Records on the West Coast. See her discography at 45cat.

Location is given by "The American Record Label Directory and Dating Guide, 1940-1959" by Galen Gart at 510 Madison Avenue, NYC.

 

 

Carole Bennett, early 1955

 

 

Alja Records (Vinni Vincent)

 

Wailin' and Scalin' (dl)

Hey! Cobella (dl)

 both songs published by Gordon & Lefleur Music, Inc. (BMI)
ALJA 1002
1957

Record listed at RCS (location unknown)

*

Real name : Peter J. Veneziano,  He was born Sept. 8, 1932, in Clarksburg, W.Va. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1951-1955. A recording artist, disc jockey and radio and television personality known all over Ohio, he sang and appeared on TV on American Bandstand and won a TV Emmy award and appeared in several motion pictures filmed in Ohio including, "Welcome to Collinwood," "Brubaker," "8 Men Out" and "Rainman."

He had been employed as a school teacher, coach and wrestling official in the Springfield area for 21 years. He was Wooster High School wrestling coach from 1967-1970. Inducted into the South-West Ohio Wrestling Hall of Fame. Peter Veneziano also ran a wrestling camp for 15 years in Delaware.

Died in 2005 in Ohio.

 Above, the only Vinni Vincent picture I was able to find. 
It's from Cash Box (October 24, 1959)

*

Gordon & Lefleur Music, the publisher, was listed care of Telepix Ltd., 66 West 87th Street, NYC (president : Joseph  B.  Dunkelman). 

Al: Alvin Lefleur and JA: Jack Gordon, hence ALJA Records. Location found.

* 

N.B. : A note to Google: I couldn't give a flying fuck who Vinnie Vincent is—apparently a popular musician in a band called Kiss.

 

M & K Records (Eddie Quinteros)

 

M & K Records is listed at RCS (location unknown). 

Eddie Quinteros: 

I think I was 13 or 14 when I joined the musician union at 14. I got busted playing a union house at 14 and after that I had to join, they were very powerful in those days! About 1956 I had another little group - we did a TV stint in San Francisco on KPIX...  after I joined the union there was a singer bamed Bobby Freeman, and his manager saw me and wanted to know if I wanted to play guitar with them. He just had his song out "Do you Wanna Dance?"  They were going to tour in Hawaii and they needed a guitar player who could read music and I auditioned and got the job at 15.     

I was getting a solo spot playing the dances and stuff and eventually we went down to LA and we cut some songs and that was a hit record I had "Come Dance With Me".  So the manager went to New York, he knew Bobby Shad, from Time/Brent/Shad Records. They gave me a contract and released the record. On the East Coast it hit really big, top ten; on The West Coast, it was just under the top 40, That station KYA was playing it - in those days the DJs were Tom Donahue and Bob Mitchell.     

When that record came out I was touring back there with Alan Freed on the Easter tour. That was a series of one nighters, they filled the bus up with all the performers. You would perform that night, drive all night to next venue - it was grueling. That's kind of I started. I was on Dick Clark's show four times, including the Saturday Night Beechnut show. The bad part I wasn't getting royalties - my father checked into it. I was 17 at the time. What he found out was that Dick Clark sent us a letter saying the payments (for appearing on the show) had been made but the checks were endorsed and cashed by my manager who didn’t have power of  attorney. The record company - all of your expenses to promote and record came out of royalties. Studio time, all expenses... We lived quite well, very well, but found there was nothing left.     

After that experience I was pretty bummed about it.  With nothing for your future but one nighters. I decided to go back to school,

Upon returning home to Dale City in California, Eddie launched his own label, Ed-Dar Records, with his manager.  "Come On, Little Girl / Waited For You" were issued on Ed-Dar 102 in September or October 1960.

Soon, the songs had a second issue on M & K Records. While who was M isn't known for sure, but K was Bob Krasnow, who ran the King Records branch office in San Francisco from 1958 to 1964.  It doesn't seems obvious, but the M & K release is the same label as MK 101 issued in October 1960. See Winkly and Nutty (two KYA DJ's : Jim Stag and Bob Mitchell).

Location found : San Francisco, Calif

Marty Gino on R&M Records (location found)

 

Marty Gino - That Feelin' (direct link)

Record listed at Rockin' Country Style (no location).  Victor J. Mendolia, president, announced in Cash Box the formation of his R&M Records with their first release by Marty Gino. The label operated out of offices at 1705 Royal Road, East Meadow, Long Island, N.Y.

 

Cash Box ad

Marty Gino had further releases on Time (1959), Wink (1961)  and Amy (1962)

 

Frank Monday & Steppers on M.T.F.

 

Stepping (direct link)

 wr. Kenneth Ellis

M.T.F.

Record No 201 B

Monroe, Michigan

(label listed at RCS without a location)

 

 

Same song as by J.C. Sawyer on DIXIE. (but as "Goin' Steppin'")

“Stepping” by Frank Monday & The Steppers is one of the rarest 45s featured in the “Michigan Box”. The song was released on the M.T.F. label in Monroe, Michigan, in 1958 and only 4 copies are known to exist. That accounts for its high market value of $2,000.  [ https://michiganrockandrolllegends.com/index.php/blog/308-the-michigan-box-pt-2 ]

The side A ("Lonely Echoes") holds an interesting piece of information : the song was composed by Forrest (Speedy) Combs.  Searching his name at the BMI website,  we discover that he wrote or co-wrote eight songs, as Speedy Rogers,  six in association with Bill Sterling or with Charles Rufus Schoffner and 2 songs that he written alone : "Lonely Echoes" and " Road To Yamanaka". 

Today, the copyright for "Lonely Echoes, "Steppin" and "Goin' Steppin'" are all managed by Fort Knox/Trio Music, (Freddy & Johnny Bienstock's Fort Knox Music - the New York based monster that gobbled up all the King-Starday copyrights and many more as well). 

With Rufus Shoffner, Speedy Rogers as Speedy Rodgers recorded "Lovelight" in the 50s. He also penned "Walk On The High Ground" with Bill Sterling and Rufus Shoffner (recorded by Bill Sterling on JED Records). As Forrest Combs, he penned "Hillbilly Wedding Bells" sung by Ruffus Shoffner & Speedy Rodgers issued by Hi-Q Records in 1963.

Forrest (Speedy) Combs. Speedy Rogers, Speedy Rodgers, Forrest Combs, whatever his name, was almost certainly a member of the Rufus Shoffner's band.

Finally, a last remark : in 1962, Rufus Shoffner recorded "Orbit Twist", his best known song on his own American Artist label which was located at 416 Cass St. – Monroe, Michigan.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Rufus Shoffner was involved in some way in the release of the two versions of "Steppin'".