First we have TROY JORDAN & his Cross-B-Boys from Midland, Tx. There’s a joyful uptempo with piano – steel barely audible, plus a fiddle solo : « Who Flung That Mater » on Tred-Way 100.
Now here’s JIM HAND with the Mountain Ramblers – although the disc comes from NYC. A bit crooning 1947 goodie ; discreet steel and an accordion solo for « There’s No One Home » on Crown 156. Jordan had also « Columbus Stockade Blues » on the flipside (untraced).
ARCHIE JEFFERIES and the Blue Flame Boys, probably from the West coast, are doing on a 4* Custom Blue Flame (OP-107) label, « G. I. Talking Blues », a decent bopper from 1950 with rinky-dink piano and steel. Flipside « One For The Money, Two For The Show » is a good mellow bopper.
TOMMY KIZZIAH & the West Coast Ramblers give us « Two Timing Kind », an uptempo bopper, a good guitar throughout and a lot of fiddle on another 4* custom, Pearl label (# 203).
« Red’s boogie » is done by OZARK RED (rn. Red Murrell) and his Ozark Mountain Boys : a very good instrumental, a bit Western in style – agile guitar and good piano backing. It’s to be found on Cavalier 811.
Finally SMOKEY WARD and « Dog Bite Yo’ Hide » : prominent fiddle and forceful Bluegrass vocal (chorus), a nice and fast mandolin solo, on Barrel Head Gang 1001 released June 1951.
Sources : YouTube mainly ; also photograph of Tommy Kizziah from the book « A star that winkled but never got to shine » (Sharon Kizziah-Holmes)
First three are exceptions to the rule. CAL DAVIS does a shuffler, with a bit of echo on the steel for »Loving lifetime » on the Mack label (# 258). No indication at all of its origin. A RCA Custom of 1954.
Second dates from 1957 on the Hilton label, yet still unknown origin. RAYBON BUSBY does the complex, half slow, half fast « I reckon so » (# no #) : A sort of talking blues, steel phrases on the slow side ; fast side reminds me much of the Blankenship Brothers.
Note: Hilton was based in Louisiana, according to DrunkenHobo.
TOMMY RIDDLE with « Rayford line » pertains apparently to the late ’50s/early ’60s on the Staircase label (# 6651), from where I don’t know. Good fast honky-tonk, a lot of echo on the lead guitar.
With a classic theme – either in Blues or Country – « Walking blues », RAY BEACH couldn’t go wrong in 1968. Solid guitar and light drums for a good uptempo. 3 backing members are listed on label (Ray Beach, really?), which don’t give any clue to the origin of this record.
Picked from my good friend Alexander’s site « Mellow’s log cabin», here is the nice « After I have broke your heart » by LEO GRAY, from Mt. Healthy, OH, in 1965, issued on Log Cabin 903. Good steel over a jumping tempo.
On the presumably Ohio Harron label, here are two fine Bluegrass duets (male/female) led by ERNEST STACEY (great vocal) and backed by HARLIN KAZY on vocal and fiddle, the fast « I do » and the dynamic « I made up my mind » from 1962 (# 995A). They had also at least one other record, « Lonesome road » on Arvis, another label from Ohio. Usual Bluegrass backup : dobro and bass.
arkansas 45s