RILEY CRABTREE
Riley was born on his parents’ farm in Mount Pleasant, Texas, in 1912 as the youngest of eight brothers and sisters. At age two, he contracted infantile paralysis (polyo), so he depended on crutches for the rest of his life. Perhaps this handicap forced him to make a career in country music. His bluesy voice is genuine and comes from the heart. The life he lived is reflected in his songs, as he had a lot in common with his idol Hank Williams.
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first ever Work LP, Dot sides (1985)
All too often, country composers of the 1940s and 1950s who didn’t have a substantial string of hits of their own are forgotten even if their songs have not been. Jimmy Work is a classic example. The author of three bonafide Country classics – “Tennessee Border” (1948), “Making Believe” (a simultaneous hit for both he and Kitty Wells in March of 1955) and “That’s What Makes The Juke Box Play” (1955) - Work’s records have been a little more than a footnote to the fifties, a composer’s credit on someone else’s records. That fact is truly unfortunate, for in truth, Jimmy Work was among the most expressive composers of the era. Though Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell enjoyed greater success, Work’s best songs were among the most evocative of the period: raw, unvarnished gems with an undeniable directness and beauty. Read the rest of this entry »
JACK BRADSHAW
One of the most prolific and sensitive artists on the Mar-Vel’ label was Jack Bradshaw. He, like many other members of Harry Glenn’s musical family, migrated North during the 50’s. Jack was born on March 29, 1930 in a little place called Scutty near Harlan County, Kentucky.
BILLY BARTON
London, Kentucky area
Billy Barton was born in London, Kentucky, on November 21rst, 1929. At the age of sixteen, after special training at school, he had secured a job as a tobacco auctioneer but, when he was twenty-one, his love of music carried the youngster to his first professional appearance on radio KXLA out of Pasadena, California. However, it seems to have been a further two years before Billy was to see his name on record. This first release for Fabor A. Robinson’s Abbott label was a duet with Johnny Horton on the flip of Johnny’s ninth Abbott issue. The next record on the label showed the same format, Horton solo on one side coupled with Horton/Barton duet on the other.
At this time, he was recording as Hillbilly Barton and would persevere with this name for a further two issues
before simplifying his name to Billy Barton for his remaining six Abbott platters. Although none of these records became mammoth sellers, the Country press was full of praise and D.J.s were giving them plenty of spins. One side of each of his last two Abbott discs were duets with Wanda Wayne, who he would go on to marry shortly afterwards, in December 1954.
Whilst on the honeymoon the couple cut at least one session for the King label of Cincinnati, but it was most probably two separate sessions in a matter of days. The penultimate of the songs is Wanda Wayne’s « Turn Your Fire Down », which is an excellent Hillbilly bopper.
It was 1957 before we know of him recording again and then it was for the obscure Stars Inc. company. After that the next two seem to have been custom pressings from the same plant, the first under the banner of a music publisher, Vidor Pub. Inc., which was subsequently issued on the Barton label, and the second for the small Fire company, which was then picked up by the Radio label. These tracks were recorded in 1957/58.
There followed at least two releases for Gulf Reef, the first as Billy Boy Barton and the second under the name of Laurel London.
The last known issue by Barton is the out and out rocker on the Sims label. After that, who knows ? Barton wrote songs for Benny Martin, Cleve Warnock, and of course Wanda Wayne ; he co-wrote « Let This Be The Last Time », « Stop Talking » and « I’d rather Take A Beatin’ Than To Write » with Rose Maddox. But his most successful composition has proved to be the early 50’s « A Dear John’ Letter ». Recently (1999), he left Nashville for Florida, and promises/threatens to release a tell-all book about the music business.
Ian D. Saddler’s view of Billy Barton’s music
I have to confess that Barton is one of my favourite artists, his records show a mastery of Hillbilly music, Hillbilly Bop, Rockabilly and Rock’n’Roll…My only regret is that he only made one Rockabilly disc in the classic slap-bass style. Of course, it is a marvelous two-sider and, although « Crazy Lover » is the recognised side, I personally prefer the flip. « Day Late And A Dollar Short » which has a great backing and the lyrics have a wonderful wry humour.
The Abbott ditties are quality Hillbilly, the duets with Johnny Horton being particularly fine boppers. The King tracks are again good Hillbilly, with « I’m Turning Over A Brand New Leaf » the stand out track for me. It is a top quality bopper, with a strong vocal. The Stars Inc. disc couples a nice Rock-a-ballad with a truck song that just does not come off. Despite the appearance of the titles, the Fire/Radio platter is not a Gospel effort, but a Country influenced Rocker.
The first of the Gulf Reef couples a Pop-rocker with a ballad, and is the poorest of Barton’s offerings. The second, again a Pop-rocker, has lyrics that will be appreciated by all R’n’R fans, and musically is a good jiver. Lastly the Sims (# 176), a fine rocker, with good guitar backing. Pop-country on the other side though.
Reprint from Roll Street Journal #5 (Autumn 1983) : Wayne Russel and Ian D. Saddler. Additional notes by Wayne Russell from « Let’s Flat Git It, Vol. 8 » (Bear Family 15936). Actual name of Billy Barton may have been « John Grimes » (or was it another pseudonym ?), according to Prague’s Frank Discography on Johnny Horton. Wanda Wayne had a duet with Johnny Grimes on King.
Stampede 5001 (2009), UK (Abbott sides)
BILLY BARTON – a list of his records.
Abbott 108 Betty Lorraine (Horton only)/Somebody’s Rockin’ My Broken heart
Abbott 109 Rhythm In My Baby’s Walk (Horton only)/Bawlin’ Baby
Hillbilly Barton
Abbott 110 Strange Affection/She’s A Good Ole gal
Abbott 111 No Interest (Nothing but a girl)/Never Satisfied
Billy Barton
Abbott 113 My Darlin’ Liza Lou/You Made Me Love You
Abbott 117 Blues In The Blue Of Night/You Will Lways Be In My Heart
Billy Barton & Wanda Wayne
Abbott 155 I Cried My Eyes Out Over You/What’s The Matter With Me (Barton only)
Abbott 166 You’re You (Barton only)/That Word Called Love
King 1440 The Song You Just Played/Why Don’t They Leave Her Aloine (Barton only)
King 1457 Pardon Me, Old Buddy/What God Has Put Together, Let No Man Tear Apart
King 1478 Do You Love Me, Do You Love Me/I’m Turning Over A Brand New Leaf
Stars Inc. 548 No Tomorrow/Ten Wheels
Vidor Pub. Inc. 1007 Crazy Lover/Day Late And A Dollar Short (also on Barton # ?)
Fire 1008 Doorway To Heaven/The Deviul, My Conscience And I (also on Radio 117)
Billy Boy Barton
Gulf Reef 1001 Blue Lover/Monkey Business
Laurel London
Gulf Reef 1007 Don’t Knock The Rock/My Conscience And I
Sims 176 Even Steven/Remebering
Sims 209 After The Boy Gets The Girl/Backstreet Affair
Sims 244 Letter To A Fool/Arms Of A Child
Jimmy Simpson : Ramblin’ Blues (reprint of A.J. Nightingale’s article in RSJ 7, 1984)
Many people regard the state of Tennessee as the cradle of Country music and I suppose that it was only appropriate that one of the finest hillbilly singers of the Fifties, JIMMY (J.D.) SIMPSON have been born in the state, at Sullivan Hollow, Ashland City, some twenty odd miles from Nashville on 24th March, 1928. His father, it seems, owned the Simpson Construction Co. « My parents were hard-working, honest, and religious people », Jimmy recalls in his book A Vanishing Breed. « This was the Depression era and we learned early in life to cope with hard times. We didn’t have a radio, but an old wind-up Victrola that played 78 rpm records, and that’s was our entertainment. »
A big man, six feet tall, Jimmy had definite stage presence and a gift of gab that enabled him to enjoy a side-career as a disc-jockey for most of the fifties and early sixties. His records were released on an array of small labels that continue to fascinate collectors – Republic, Hidus, Jiffy, Big State, Caprock, and his own Sourdough – but included a brief run with Starday as well. Along the way he managed to get in appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, the Louisiana Hayride, and the Big ‘D’ Jamboree, with a wide array of country music characters, musicians, songwriters and disc jockeys : Jim Denny, Jack Rhodes, Harlan Howard, Slim Willet, Hank Harral, Tillman Franks, Willie Nelson, and Don Pierce, to name a few. Read the rest of this entry »
Jack Turner – Where’d he go ?
Jack Turner is probably best known amongst Rockabilly collectors for his original version of « Everybody’s Rockin’ But Me » and amongst Hillbilly fans for his many R.C.A. Victor sides, but what became of the man who won much acclaims from the Country press in the 1950s ? Read the rest of this entry »
SLIM WILLET (notes to Collector CD 2857)
Slim Willet will forever be remembered as the composer of « Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes ». The song was a monster hit in 1952, initially for Slim Willet himself, then for the likes of Skeets McDonald, Ray Price and Red Foley. The song also made inroads into the pop field, with successful covers by a slew of pop singers, including a N° 1 hit for Perry Como in 1953.
Ironically « Don’t let the Stars Get In Your Eyes » was the B side of Willet’s second release on his own 4 STAR Custom pressed SLIM WILLET label. Slim gleefully recalled in a 1950’s article in COWBOY SONGS that 4 STAR had written to him upon receipt of his masters advising him that « Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes » was – quote – « Off beat, off meter, off everything and would not sell ». Needless to say when the record started to attract considerable attention, 4 STAR speedily reconsidered their position, brushed aside any doubs they may have harboured about the song, and signed Slim Willet to a recording deal.
Before taking a closer look at what led on from the success of « Don’t let The Stars Get In Your Eyes », it would be better to first take a glance at Willet’s formative years in order to put events into perspective. Read the rest of this entry »
Curtis Gordon – Play the music louder (from 1998 Rick Kienzle notes to Bear Family CD 16253)
At 1 :30 on Wednesday afternoon, October 22, 1952, newly signed RCA Victor recording artist Curtis Gordon began his first session at Brown Brothers in Nashville, with RCA A&R man Steve Sholes presiding. Three of his own band members joined him in the studio : fiddler Charles Mitchell, pianist Curly Gainous and bass player Slick Gillespie. Rounding up the band were three of Nashville’s early studio A-team : guitarist and Sholes protege Chet Atkins, singer and rhythm guitarist Eddie Hill and steel guitar virtuoso Jerry Byrd.
For Gordon, landing a deal with RCA, the label of Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow, was a major break. A regional performer who mainly worked south Georgia and north Florida and did occasional national tours, he fit into the honky-tonk sound in vogue at the time. It didn’t matter that he had no national home base like the Opry or Louisiana Hayride. He was a regional favorite around Georgia, Alabama and Florida, and in those days major labels didn’t shy away from signing such acts, hoping to break them nationally.
Born in July 27, 1928 on a farm near Moultrie, Gordon spent his boyhood drinking in music. « Ernest Tubb and Bob Wills were two of my favorites.(…) Ernest Tubb was really my idol until I got into Bob Wills. » Soon enough, Gordon was trying to sing locally, winning a talent show sponsored by a Moultrie radio station.
Jimmy Swan was born November 18, 1912 in Alabama. After his father left the family, his mother moved to Birmingham, where young Jimmy helped support his mother by shining shoes and selling newspapers. His most famous shoeshine customer was Jimmie Rodgers, known as the Singing Brakeman, and the Father of Country Music. He won a talent contest sponsored by a local radio station at the age of 15, and decided he might have a career in music. At 17 he married Alabama beauty queen Grace Armour, and they had three children, Charles, Wanda, and Randy. Jimmy ended up riding the rails to Mississippi and working for awhile to support his family during the Great Depression. The 1940’s found Jimmy in Mobile, Alabama, where he formed the only live Country nightclub band playing in the area. Jimmy’s first lead guitar player was Hank Locklin, who would become famous in his own right with such hits as Send Me the Pillow that You Dream On, Please Help Me I’m Falling, and Country Hall of Fame. Read the rest of this entry »
Though highly revered within hillbilly and rockabilly circles, the name of Lattie Moore is practically unknown outside auction lists. Even there’s a tad mysterious, Eddie Bond’s « Juke Joint Johnnie », Jerry Reed’s « If The Good Lord’s Willing » and George Jones’ « Out Of Control » have been reissued on CD but they were probably more familiar than Lattie’s versions even before they were readily available. Yet, arguably, Lattie’s records are more rewarding. His experience-laced vocals have far more expression than Jerry Reed’s or the affectless Eddie Bond and the countrypolitan elements which often diluted George Jone’s 60’s music are almost entirely absent.
Lattie’s voice is absolutely perfect in a coarse, grainy, ragged sort of way and there’s the odd device like a half yodel when he sings about doleful effects of drink. Country traditionalists go for the light, twangy vocals on hillbilly songs like « Don’t Trade The Old For The New ». Rockabilly enthusiasts bid big bucks for Lattie’s very scarce records on Arc and Starday. Lattie, however, admits to singing about drink more than anything else. Read the rest of this entry »
