F. Eddy Pierce with String Band -Pier-Wats Records # 1300 - 1956
Side A - Hold Back Tomorrow
Side B - Your Kisses Don't Thrill Me Anymore
Here we have a RITE custom press from 1956 with both sides written by Eddy & James Watson and released as a custom pressing using their own label (Pier(ce) - Wats(on).
These are both great country tunes, not Rockabilly as you may expect from 1956, Eddy was still holding the country flame high & proud. 'Hold Back Tomorrow' is really nice little country shuffle weepie and has some lovely steel & fiddle and Eddy's voice is just great.
Flip it over and BOOM! we get some real quick moving hillbilly with fiddle, steel and all that magic stuff you would expect from a quality recording by some fine musicians.
The 45 on Pier-Wats seems to be, out and around and quite easy to track down but this 78 version seems to be a bit of a mystery and pretty rare.
Side B - Sweetheart Mountain Rose (Holden Brothers)
Mr Holden does a pretty good job on this early hillbilly number, he has the right tone in his voice (not the crooner country sound) and delivers a real cool 1946 tune. Quality steel playing and steady rhythm guitar keeps this chugging along, then the fiddle and what you get is some sweet hillbilly music.
Fairley went onto record a whole bunch of great records over at King during the late 40's including this A side again in 1947 with Piano added to the ensemble. All his King output was in a real fast hillbilly style and was mighty mighty fine!
Just before Lloyd got the Rockabilly bug where he produced monster records for Starday & Rebublic he released this truly magnificent country 2 sider for the Ekko label out of Hollywood, California.
Released in early 1956 Lloyd along with Chet Atkins and Jerry Byrd he laid down these wonderful tunes onto vinyl & shellac and as I'm sure you'll agree are not wild, not crazy rockabilly but just two superb songs, played with perfection by some of the country music industries finest musicians .
Late 1955 or early 1956 Nashville, TN – Lloyd McCollough (Lloyd Arnold [vcl], Chet Atkins [gt], Jerry Byrd [steel], Buddy Hollie [bass], Tommy Jackson [fiddle], Jimmy Self [piano])
His first record was made for the Von label from Booneville, Mississippi, in the fall of 1955. Both sides, "Oh Darling" and "Watch That Girl" were pure country. It gave Lloyd something to sell on his radio shows on KWEM. The two sides of his second record, "Until I Love Again"/"What Goes On In Your Heart" (Ekko 1023, 1956) were mid-tempo country offerings, more polished and professional than the Von sides. Not surprising, given the fact that the backing musicians included Chet Atkins and Jerry Byrd. As country music's popularity started to wane due to the explosion of rock 'n' roll, Lloyd switched to rockabilly, which was a relatively easy task for him. His third single was in this new style : "Gonna Love My Baby"/ "Cause I Love You" (Republic 7129, 1956), produced by Murray Nash. His next single, "Half My Fault", again for a different label (Starday), was even better, but it was not released until March 1958, when rockabilly had already gone out of fashion. By that time Lloyd had changed the name of his band to the Rockin' Drifters.
Harry (Jole Blon) Choates - Macy's Recordings # 124 - July 1950
Side A - Gra Mamou
Side B - Catn' Around
You know exactly what you're gonna get with Harry Choates, great fiddle, catchy cajun country rhythms and with this release you get that and more! 'Catn' Around' is the side for me, and really does move at a pace and even has a little rockin' bop mixed in as well, bloomin' splendid. The flip is a lovely cajun waltz and sounds mighty fine as well.
Pat and the boys do a mighty fine job on this rare little country platter and 'The Jelly Song' really does move along at a fine pace with some terrific guitar work by Gene Davis & sweet fiddle by Johnny Wood.
Side B - Too Quick To Condemn (Too Slow to Forgive)
This was Jack & the Playboys second release on Debut Records . Their first showing was on Debut Records # 1000 where Jack and the boys backed vocalist Audie Andrews .
But here we get to seem them shine and they do a damn fine job on this record. The A side is all you would expect from the year and location, proper Country music, smooth vocals with harmony vocals to match, and top notch playing from the Oklahoma Playboys
Jack and his brother Herb were prominent figures around Los Angeles in the late 40's and early 50's , they both led their own bands and worked at all the big shindigs in California .
Jack Tucker (19 April 1918 - 26 September 1996)
He was born Morris Tucker in Haleyville near Oklahoma City and came from a musical family. Jack and his brother Hubert (aka Herb) led bands in Los Angeles, playing spots like the Hitching Post, Harmony Park Ballroom, and so on. Jack had a Saturday night television show on Channel 11. Tommy Allsup graduated from Herb Tucker’s band, and according to some, Herb led the more musically sophisticated outfit.
Stripped down rockabilly, with just a couple of acoustic guitars and an upright bass, gives this a rural feel but it still moves along at a right good pace! nice vocals by Bill and he gives it his all. Same goes for the flip, another solid slice of mid paced rockabilly with some sweet pickin' guitar and Bill's real cool vocal.
