Jay Stevens : Tiger

Jay Stevens - Tiger



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No other record by Jay Stevens seems to have been issued on Bell.

Bell was originally specialized in budget generic pop music, with the slogan "music for the millions". Sold on seven-inch 78rpm and 45rpm records for 39 cents.

Ace Records (UK) issued a 26-tracks compîlation on CD : Rock 'n' Roll Bell Ringers.

A Bell Records discography is available online HERE.

Margo White : I'm Not Ashamed

Margo White did reasonably well in 1963 with « Don’t Mess With My Man » and « I’m not Ashamed. »

Floyd Soileau (owner of Jin Records) :

« She came through my door, she was an attractive black girl from Franklin, her real name was Marguerite Wright. Already she had recorded for George Khoury (‘Down By The Sea’ with the Cupcakes). She got a little reel-to-reel thing at the time, and I listened to her voice and said, ‘Yeah I’d like to record you for sure.’ Margo had one song she had written, and as she had no band I hired the Boogie Kings and we went down to Carol Rachou at his studio in Lafayette and we did a couple of sides on her.

« We redid the old Irma Thomas thing ‘Don’t Mess With My Man’ and it sold some, but I just couldn’t get it going. And the next thing I wanted her to do as a female R&B version of the Bobby Bland classic « I’m Not Ashamed’. That was a Bobby Bland favorite for years over here, people still asked for it and couldn’t buy it anymore. So I said, ‘Now a black female version of this song, maybe we could find a place,’ you wouldn’t want to compete a male artist against the Bobby Bland cut, no way. But my mistake was I had a white musician group. She was putting everything into it, but the musicianship, the background, wasn’t just right. It turned out more of a pop side, it didn’t have black soul feeling like it should have. But it turned out to be a pretty good seller anyhow, still selling. And she took on with a fast-talking promoter… when this thing was there, he recognized there was some money to be made with it. See, I never did fool with booking. I had enough irons in the fire without going into that, thats a full-time job, promoting and booking. Anyway this guy came on, the first thing I knew they went to California someplace and I’ve yet to heard of Margo White again, that’s been it."

Quoted from South to Louisiana: The Music Of the Cajun Bayous, book by John Broven

I'm Not Ashamed


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Beverly Buff

No Part Time Love

Bethlehem Records, 1963

It's in His Kiss

It's in His Kiss

Best known as "The Shoop Shoop Song ", a hit for Betty Everett in 1964, the song was first recorded in New York City by Merry Clayton with vocal accompaniment by the Blossoms; produced by Jack Nitzsche and entitled "It's in His Kiss", Clayton's version was released in June 1963 on Capitol with no noticeable result.

Louis Louis

Louis Louis (Louie Louie actually)

Summertime News (Summertime Blues actually)

Members of The Shags included two brothers, John and Tom Ginkel. (Tom Ginkel was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 2008)

Mini-Your Dress Is Too Short

Madame Nellie Robinson

Mini - Your Dress is Too Short (new link)

Viet Nam

Produced by Brother Henderson.

Brother Henderson obituary (from Jet magazine, 3 May 1973) :

Calif. Gospel Promoter Henderson Dies At 48

Sylvester Clarence Henderson, renowned promoter of gospel music and Religious disc jockey on his popular « Glory Bound Train » broadcast over several southern California radio stations, was found dead in this Pacoima, Calif., home recently, the victim of an apparent heart attack. He was 48.

Henderson, widely known as « Brother Henderson , » was a native of Liberty, Mo. He moved to Los Angeles in 1945 from Kansas City, Mo., and opened the first gospel music store in Los Angeles. The corner where the store was located is commonly referred to as « The Gospel Corner ».

Additionally, Henderson worked as producer, organizer and promoter of many gospel groups, including The Mighty Clouds of Joy and the Inspirational Souls. He was a producer and executive director of Kent Gospel Records and an ordained minister of the Apostolic faith.

Henderson’s survivors include his wife, Leona, a daughtern Lill etta, and his parents, Mr. And Mrs. Johnnie Henderson of Liberty, Mo.

Gospel Corner discography



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Testa Records - Joe Adams

Testa Records, the Missouri diskery, wasn't just Larry Terry and his legendary "Hep Cat" platter. Other -obscure- records were issued between 1957 and 1960, none reaching the sheer splendor of the Missouri Hepcat.

Testa 100 -[May '57]

Adi Bell & the Bel Boys

Memory Waltz
Don’t Let Me Be The Last To Know

Likely the same artist who recorded "My Santa Claus" b/w "I Cried And Cried" (Kay Records, St. Louis) as Adi Bell Nelson.

Testa 103 [Billboard Feb. 23, 1959, Country & Western]

Janet & Eileen, the Ozark Sweethearts

Gotta Travel On
♦♦ The folk tune, now a hit via the Billy Grammer disking, is handed a listenable country chant by the gal duo. May get some spins in the country marts (Sanga, BMI)

Ozark Moon
♦♦ On this side the gals tackle a ballad to fair results as they sing of their lonely days and nights. (Ozark, SESAC).

Testa 104

Chris Christian and the Chordaires

Lover Boy
No Use Pretending

Deke Dickerson wrote in his Missouri discography published many moons ago in Show Me Blowout #3 : "Anybody know this record? Cashbox reviewed it in 1960 and called it "rockabilly". If anybody knows, swing the info my way.". Even Deke didn't hear this record, is to say how obscure it is! And, yes, it's rockabilly in the Elvis mold, especially on the "No Use Pretending" the ballad side. To best of my knowledge, none of these sides were compiled. Intriguing note : the Ozark Music Pub. address on label is St. Cloud, Florida, which was also the home, around the same time of the Blue Sky label (Rocky 'Hot Rod Baby' Davis)

Testa Records and Ozark Music Publications were owned by Joe Adams. Before establishing his own label in 1957, Joe worked hard to promote a record he wrote and probably also produced. According to a snippet from the Billboard issue dated 5 January 1957 :

Joe Adams, of Ozark Music Publications, Normandy, Mo., typewrites : « Since Sarg Records released No. 141 with my company two numbers, ‘Our Secret Rendezvous’ and ‘Down in Brazos Valley,’ I have personally visited over 100 stations and jocks and mailed out over 250 copies. The jocks are in favor of the ‘Rendezvous’ side. I have about 150 more stations to cover, and if that doesn’t do it, I might as well take a job with some name record company and get paid for my hard labor. My agreement with Sarg was to cover the South. So, if I missed any C&W stations, I’d like to have them drop me a card. The Key Twins are the vocalists on the record. I was somewhat disappointed in the rating I got in The Billboard, and I intend to make your reviewer unhappy when it makes the charts. »

Fiddlin' Willie and his Ozark Pals
Vocal by the Key Twins

Down in Brazos Valley …………..67

Here’s an appealing Western tune with a bright melody. Key Twins handle a lilting vocal with gutty fiddles in backing.

Our Secret Rendezvous………….. 66

More « slippin’ around » going on here in a very down-to-earth country theme. Key Twins handle vocal in emitional style.

[Billboard 17 Nov. 1956]

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"Down in Brazos Valley" will be heard in the soundtrack of a new documentary film by Damon Cook & Dan Pringle " Sgt. Fitch The legacy of Sarg Records" :

Sgt. Fitch explores the advent and influence of Sarg Records, a small independently owned record label cultivated by WWII hero, Sgt. Charlie Fitch. With his unconventional approach to the recording industry, Fitch redefined Texas music in the 1950s by mixing ethnic styles and different genres to create entirely new ones. Although, Sarg played a significant role in launching some of today's rock 'n roll and country music legends, the label's legacy arguably lies in the overlooked and undervalued treasures from it's relatively unknown artists....

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