Ring A Ding Dong Dandy

Jo Ann Reynolds

Ring A Ding Dong Dandy

(T. Williamson - M. Williamson)
Heart of the Hills, BMI

Banner Records

Lubbock, Texas
1966



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The Way It Goes

Nickey, Lorraine, And Lucy

The Way It Goes
(M. Theodore-A. Kay, High Hopes BMI)

Arr. & Prod. by Mike Theodore

Sound Score Records

★

Detroit girl group. They attended Mumford High believes their producer, Mike Theodore. Their manager was Ian Gaum.

"Does anyone know where these girls are ?" asked Mike in 2003, in the Soulful Detroit forum.

If their own producer don't known, why should I known better ?



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Bony Moronie

Miss Nikki and The No Names

Bony Moronie

Infinity Records

Produced by Bobby Bare

1961


★

Nikki (Sullivan) was inducted in the Iowa Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. :

Nikki and the No Names originated from Roosevelt - Jefferson High School(s) in Cedar Rapids. Nikki grew up in Cedar Rapids and started in music at Keeney Guitar Studio, where she took lessons on the Hawaiian Steel Guitar for 5 years from age 9 - 14.

A school friend and her began playing guitars together about the time "Bye-Bye Love" and the Everly Bros. started. She traded her double neck Fender steel for the electric Fender. Then they began playing Everly Bros. music in local private clubs. She toured with the concert choir and studied Music Appreciation the last 3 years of high schooland picked up a few tips on playing lead from local musicians in the area, and from listening to the 45's.

She taught guitar at Hiltbrunner's music for a short time and worked at Hiltbrunner's in sales, after high school, which was where she was working when contacted by sax man, Don Poe from Charles City to go on the road. He had been contacted by an agent in Minneapolis and was putting together a road group to tour.

Eventually Nikki Sullivan-Zimmerman settled in California where she worked with Li'L Bit Country, then Nite Life for several years and finally the County Hoedowners.

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Jump and Shout

Billy and the Fabulous Echoes

Jump and Shout
(Adkins, Ford; Lyn Lou BMI)

Clearpool Records
P.O. Box 27027
Memphis,Tennessee

Clearpool Records was probably named after a popular Memphis fifties spot. (In those days, most Memphis restaurant kitchens closed at 10 p.m., so going "out to Clearpool to grab a bite" became very popular with the late-night crowds. The Garavelli family had built the entertainment complex, which included the circular Clearpool swimming pool.)

Dennis Turner, then vocalist of Bill Black Combo, had a single on the label as had Marlon Grisham of Ain't That A Dilly fame. The label was likely owned by Bill Black. [Lyn-Lou was his publising company]

Billy and the Fabulous Echoes had another record, "Road Runner" [original release unknown] compiled on the Collector CD 4486, and also compiled on Collector CD 4521 as by Billy Adkinson.

On Billy [Adkins.] or Billy Adkinson or on the Fabulous Echoes, I can't find any information.

Today, the Memphis postal box correspond to "Project Single Moms Worldwide, Inc."



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The Spades on Rebel

The Spades

Jim Dandy, vocal by Sara Lee

Hey Hey, vocal by Jerry Bradford

Rebel Records
A Bill Cooley Enterprise

South Pittsburg, Tennesee

Fetched $US 990 at a recent auction, a real bargain for this outstanding and quite rare two-sider.

★

Jerry W. Bradford (1944-2009)

Born Feb. 11, 1944, in Athens, Tenn. Jerry W. Bradford, a resident of Carrollton, Ohio, for more than 20 years, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Bowerston Pointe Care and Rehabilitation Center in Bowerston, Ohio. He was of the Baptist faith and employed as an electrician for many years. He enjoyed fishing and was the drummer and lead singer in a band called The Spades in the late 1950s, later known as The Dolphins. They played in Athens, Cleveland, Atlanta and Texas. A native and former resident of Athens, he also lived in Sweetwater and Niota. He was the son of Pauline Hafley Bradford of Niota and the late Paul Bradford.
Source: The Monroe County Advocate (Sept. 1, 2009)

★

Bill Cooley (1931-2010)

Bill Cooley had a distinguished, but brief, military career in which he wrote propaganda for the United Nations in Korea with the poet Rod McKuen and country music artists Country Boy Eddy.

After the [Korea] war he returned to South Pittsburg and became a disc jockey at radio station WAPO (Chattanooga). Soon after he moved to Nashville and enrolled at the Middle Tennessee State University. After a decent stay at the MTSU, during which time he sang in gospel quartets, sang solos on Wally Fowler concerts at the Ryman and on other southern stages.

During his years in Nashville he had his own rock' n roll band.He started Rebel Records in 1956 and recorded a very young Brenda Lee and Archie Campbell of Hee Haw fame.

★

Few questions remains :

Is this the only Spades record ?
Who is Sara Lee ?
What about the Bill Cooley r'n'r band ?
And, above all, what about the Brenda Lee record (on Rebel Records, I assume)?

The last assertion is quite surprising, but possibly true, even I can't find no evidence of such recording on the Rebel label (its listing has many gaps). Unissued songs, perhaps, before Brenda Lee was signed to Decca Records in 1956 ? Or released as by an alias ?

★

Audio files from "Real Black Rhythm", SLCD 1156 (a black rockers compilation!).
Label picture : restored image (my work)



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