Howdy folks ! This is early April 2019 fortnight’s favorites’ selection.
Lefty Nicks
We begin with a rarity, aimed at Rockabilly circles, and sold between $ 800 and 1000. On the Nicktone label (# 6020) LEFTY NICKS delivers a great « Model A Ford Blues ». An utempo half-sung vocal over great guitars and steel throughout tune.
Then a well-known figure, this of JOHN TALLEY with two different styles. First an uptempo straight Nashville style – steel and fiddle solos, guitar to the fore – for « Hillbilly Sweetheart » on Jamboree 509 from 1954. Then a « perfect » song on Mercury 70902 : « (I’ve Changed My) Wild Mind » is a classic Rockabilly, with great guitar and a lot of echo, from mid-1956. Talley had another good tune, « « Shine, Shave And Shower (It’s Saturday Night) » on Tennessee 752 from 1954.
On Mercury too, EDDIE BOND & his Stompers and two classic sides, « Boppin’ Bonnie » and « Baby, Baby, Baby » (Mercury 70941, issued August 1956). Bond was from Memphis, TN, and delivers great tunes on a par with what Sun was doing at the time. Lot of echo, uptempo song with drums.”Bopping’ Bonnie” was written by Jerry Huffman and Jody Chastain, the two sidemen of Charlie Feathers. The B-side is a bit slowier with a touch of blues.
From Shreveport, La., the 17-years old JAMES WILSON offer in 1957 on Ram Records (unknown #) the great « Wilson Blues N° 1 ». Of course a bluesy uptempo, a good atmospheric tune with drums. The record when located change hands for $ 600-700.
Two sides now by LUKE GORDON. Originating from Kentucky, he’d cut in 1958 (May, or November) on Vienna, Va. Blue Ridge label (# 502). « Dark Hollow » is the old Bill Browning song, done here with dobro and fiddle. Gordon’s voice is well fitted to this type of material.. The flipside « You May Be Someone (Where You Come From) » is in the same style : fiddle and dobro solos.
Finally SONNY BURNS, a largely underrated Starday artist. Here he is with a July (?) 1956 Eddie Noack tune, « If You See My Baby » : it’s an uptempo with fiddle (Ernie Hunter) and steel (Herbie Remington) solos. Classic Starday backing : tinkling piano of Doc Lewis, and Hal Harris on lead guitar.
This fortnight’s favorites feature will be separated in two sections. First we will be wandering between some artists of various importance. Second we will hook up on a familiar theme in 1954-55, that of « Daydreamin’ »…
First comes the very unknown from the early days, WALLY MOORE& His Tennesseans. He cut seemingly first for the R&B indie Acorn (a subsidiary of N.J. giant Savoy label), which had its Hillbilly serie : « A dream lives on » (# 317-B) in 1951. A sweet little jumping bopper with good voice from Moore. The steel is uninspired, but the guitar takes a fresh short solo. Earlier he had been on the big concern Savoy – again in its 3000 Hillbilly serie – for the proto-Rockabilly « Down at the picture show » (# 3025). He had also a good disc on # 3023, “Tie a little string around your finger” (announced by 7th Jan. 1950 Billboard issue); I include the reverse side, “A vision of yesterday“, a weeping ballad for a change, because of the mandolin accompaniment and the Hawaii style steel (which sounds like Jerry Byrd, according to the provider of this 78rpm, Ronald Keppner). Finally Moore had another record on Regent 170 [unheard] then he disappeared from my researching antennas.
Galen Gart’s ARLD gives the date of Savoy 3024 (wedged in between the two Wally Moore issues) as issued in January 1950, and Acorn 316 on March 1951.
Billboard Feb. 18, 1950
Curley Sanders
The name CURLEY SANDERS surely rings a bell to many. He had first waxed for Dallas’ Star Talent label (« Last on your list », # 749), then he came to Imperial in 1951, Concept later, finally on Jamboree. That’s when in 1956 he cut his most famous track « Brand new Rock’n’Roll », a fiery slice of wild Rockabilly (# 590). I’ve chosen his second issue on Jamboree (# 1833A) « Heartsick and blue », again with the Kentucky Rangers : backing of piano, a rockabilly picking guitar solo, a good steel solo and a welcome mandolin solo over a urgent vocal. Sanders story was told in this site in March 2013.
From West Monroe, La. comes the back-to-back Dos record by AL DOSS (# 944). Fine uptempo of « That’s my baby ». Quieter is the double-voiced flipside « Everytime you waltz again ». A nice little record. Doss had another good record on Dos # 945 with two boppers: “Why do dont” and “Everytime you waltz“.
courtesy Some Local Loser
Both sides have a “GS” written in wax; so a Gold Star recording location (Houston) is probable.
In 1954 on Meteor # 5014 BUD DECKLEMAN had a mammoth hit with « Daydreamin’ », the quintessential Hillbilly bop heard even in New Orleans [n° 2 in Cashbox charts], or Des Moines (Iowa), not to say Memphis [n° 1] of course. Sam Phillips had previously turned down Deckleman and was bitterly biting his fingers..Les Bihari (Meteor label’s boss), who had renamed Daydreamers the label’s house-band (for Jess Hooper, Barney Burcham and Jimmy Haggett), was very cutup when Deckleman agreed to the offer made by M-G-M, still in the hunt for another Hank Williams. Bud Deckleman waxed a dozen sides [all were released] between 1955 and 1956, and athough he had a small success with « No one dear but you » (M-G-M 11952, March 1955), his style really out of date at the time being eluded him the renewal of his contract with M-G-M. Here it is « I gotta find a way », the very last song he cut for M-G-M on October 18, 1956 (# 12419), and the penultimate issue (before # 12552, « I done fell too fer/As long as I can dream », a prophetically title !). Good, excellent bopper, very confident and driving. The story of Bud Deckleman can be found in this site, as it has been told in May 2009. Unfortunately Deckleman’s career gradually came at its end in 1957, because he was out of date and, according to Q. Claunch « You’d never be quite sure you could rely on him ». Final record in 1961 on Stompertime # 1400, « I’ll be the one/I’m sorry now », a fine swansong in the M-G-M days mould. Deckleman died in February 1998.
And that’s when the story of « Daydreamin’ » begins, thanks to its writers, Mrrs. Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch. (respectively guitarist and fiddler on the « Daydreamin’ » session) : led by Sam Phillips in astray, they wrote the follow-up, « Daydreams come true » for Maggie Sue Wimberly at Sun (# 229) and Buddy Bain, Kay Wayne and Merle (Red) Taylor at Meteor (# 5027). Note that both of them played on the two sessions!
In the meantime « Daydreamin’ » had been covered at least 7 times, first by Jimmy Newman (Dot), who hit to # 7 in early 1955 with it; then by Wanda Jackson, Carl McVoy, and later by Tibby Edwards (on Todd) or Warren Storm. I include the version made very early by DOUG BRAGG on Coral (# 61364) – recorded January 1955, it’s a carbon copy of Deckleman’s, which went unsuccessful. He liked the theme, as he even had also his sequels to « Daydreamin’ » on Houston, Tx. D Records 3 years later : « Daydreaming again » (# 1018)[with little yodels..] and its reverse, « If I find my dream girl » ! Of course Bragg also recorded for Dixie and Skippy. His story was told in this site in December 2012.
Sources : my own archives ; notes by Martin Hawkins to Ace CD « The complete Meteor rockabilly and hillbilly recordings » ; 45cat and 78rpm-world. Michel Ruppli’s « The M-G-M label » (session details). As usual thanks to Ronald Keppner for his precious help on Wally Moore 78rpm. Thanks DrunkenHobo for the press snippet.
If Joseph Stalin inspired some harsh songs during his lifetime, his death ignited even more vitriol. Anderson’s unforgiving lyrics (“He died with a hemorrhage in the brain, they have a new fireman on the devil’s train“) are set against such a cheerful country melody that someone unfamiliar with the English language might mistake the tune for a square dance record. (more…)
It was owned by Alan and Reynold Bubis (cousins) and formed in late 1949 by Williams Beasley who owned Coastline Distribution and was a protege of Jim Bulleit at a time when the Bullet label was having great local and national success. This was a time of expansion in Nashville as the Opry radio show became more and more popular and the number of studios grew. The Tennessee label used Castle or Bullet studios, but also radio stations after-hours (WKDA, WMAK), before Beasley set up his own studio. It had its musicians (The Nite Owls, a bunch of ever-changing musicians) and publishing outlet (first Tennessee, then Babb Music). The biggest hits Tennessee had was in the pop field: Del Wood and her singalong piano solos. But, like Bullet, Tennessee also recorded many excellent hillbilly and honky-tonk songs, and had no idea of recording star names. Beasley was looking for regular sales of 25,000. Often thee had the boogie rhythm and low-life themes that paved the way for country rock and rockabilly music a few years later. The musicians involved frequently included Harold Bradley (g), Farris Coursey (d), Allen Flatt (g) and Ernie Newton (b).
arkansas 45s