Doug Tubb . Mart Record Company # 1003 - 1954 The World Is A Monster / Deaf, Dumb And Blind .
Before recording for Decca and Dot and changing his name to Glenn Douglas, Doug Tubb recorded this monster for 'Mart' in late 1954 and wow what a tune. Written by Doug and Roy Duke this is killer country music, not a mover i'll give you that .....but changing from minor to major chords this lil' devil rolls and bops for sure and when Doug states "For the world is a monster and it's food is mans heart" you better believe it buddy ......I just love this 78, not in the greatest condition but it's a monster all the same ! Born Douglas Tubb (Son of Ernest Tubb), June 29, 1935 in San Antonio (Texas). Glenn Douglas is still active as Country singer
Bert Bryson and his Musical Boys Bethlehem Records # 1294 - 1954 One Sided Heart / I Was Burned In Carolina. This very early release by the newly formed 'Bethlehem' record companyshowed just a little pomise. After failing with their early pop crooners they opted for the Country sound with this nice little yodel hillbilly tune right out of New York. Bethlehem was formed in 1953 in New York City by Gus Wildi. Wildi, a Swiss immigrant, had been in the country for about two years and wanted to create something According to the announcement concerning Bethlehem's establishment, found in Billboard on February 27, 1954 (p26), Bethlehem Records was initially structured with Gus Wildi as President of the label, with Murray Singer the General Manager & National Sales Manager, Jim Bright as the A&R (Artists & Repertoire) Manager, and Elaine Bergman handling promotion. In June and early July, 1954, Bethlehem released "One Sided Heart"/"I Was Burned in Carolina" by Bert Bryson [Bethlehem B1294], "Honky Tonk"/"Moderner Liebestraum" by Jim Bright [Bethlehem B1295], "Don't Steal My Heart"/"Hip Shaking Mama" by Beulah Swan [Bethlehem B1296], and "Broken Hearted Waltz"/"Echoing Mailbox" by the Simmons Twins [Bethlehem B1297]. So by the end of July, 1954, Bethlehem had released seven singles with Sy Oliver as musical director. As is not uncommon with new labels, sales of these singles were, to put it bluntly, dismal. The funds that had been set aside to start the company were running out.
Don Ray with The "High Steppers" Meladee Records - M 118 - 1956 Step Aside (And Let A Good Man Pass) / Hand Full Of Memories RCA Custom Pressing.
Very little is known about Mr Don Ray and his "High Steppers" but what I can confirm about this Meladee record is .......that it is an absolute top drawer record and that 'Step Aside' is pretty much the kinda song that sticks in your head for days & days. It is not ferocious rockabilly or even quick high tempo hillbilly , it is melodic, tuneful, and damn right brilliant, wonderful voice and the guitar pickin' and steel work is sublime......if you find this on a 45 or 78 BUY IT !
Recorded late 1954 or early 1955, SUN Studio, Memphis Tennessee Carl Perkins (vcl/gtr); Jay Perkins (gtr); Clayton Perkins (bs); W S Holland (dms).
Carl makes a big splash with his first release on Flip records in early 1955. Movie Magg is a great song, it has both, bounce and energy but never gets to raucous or wild, it just stays in the pocket and it definitely kept the Memphis Country fans very happy, as it sold locally very very well, a terrific tune and Carl was heading towards the big time when he gets his chance on Sun Records just a few months later. Turn Around is just a beautiful song, and handled with care by Carl and the band.
Charlie Feathers Flip Record Inc. # 503 - March 1955. Peepin' Eyes / I've Been Deceived
Charlie Feathers (vcl/gtr); Quinton Claunch (gtr); Stan Kesler (steel gtr); Marcus Van Story / William Diehl (bs); Bill Cantrell (fiddle)
Sun records founder Sam Phillips launched Flip records in February, 1955. The label folded abruptly after threats of legal action were voiced by Ed Wells, owner of another Flip label in Los Angeles. Recording took place at Sun studio, 706 Union Avenue in Memphis. This rare as hens teeth 78 is a thing and sound of beauty , Nothing comes close to Charlies voice and every word is crammed to the brim with pure raw emotion ! Within months of the law suit from LA , Flip # 503 saw a release on the Sun label as Sun # 503 ( both the Charlie Flip and Sun records are highly prized by collectors) I have been after a copy on 78 for years and finally got my chance to own what I consider to be one of the greatest and important records of that era ......Flip #503 is nothing short of a masterpiece !
Tommy Little and Sunrise Rangers . Ollit Records # 2001 - Date 1950 ? Mean, Mean Woman / One Time Too Often.
Top shelf Country bop, superb Guitar, fiddle and Steel and pure hick vocal from Mr Little on this hillbilly bruiser right out of New York .......both sides are monsters ......this is what it's all about for me, rural, hick bop !!!!!
Lattie Moore and his Allen County Boys . Arrow Records # n/n - 1951. Married Trouble / Hide-Away Heart.
Here is Lattie Moore's 1st ever recording, this record was the holy grail for most collectors for over 50 years and I only know of two other copies apart from mine !!! so it's rare ....VERY RARE ! This is tip top hillbilly bop, superb Guitar solo and some solid bass playing . Recorded most likely at label owner Tate Bolands house in Indianapolis in 1951.
Uranium Miners's Boogie / No Use To Feel Blue "And Start Cryin' Now"
Riley Walker - Vocals / Rhythm Guitar
Belva Walker (Riley's sister) - Piano
Gordon Hawkins - Bass
Charles Gallagher - Steel Guitar
Here is the first of Riley Walker and his self promoted records on his own label Atomic! 'Uranium Miner's Boogie'. He sold both his releases (78 & 45 rpm) at local bars, record stores and roadhouses around Salt Lake City for the princely sum of 98 cents!!
This is the better of the two releases IMO and is sought after by collectors on both formats, a real country boogie about a subject that was a major part of life and industry in and around Salt Lake City, Utah and down to Cortez in Colorado.
Prominent Piano and some superb Steel playing make this one helluva Uranium geiger counter boogie woogie!
Westport records released these Milt Dickey tracks in 1955, don't get me wrong these are very nice country songs, Milt has a decent voice and the musicianship is very good, but it feels and sound like the Rockabilly explosion a little further south had not quite reached Kansas City yet (or they refused to accept it) and just kept on insisting it was just a fad and it will pass. Either way, you can only love and gaze in wonder at the fantastic Westport label and the fact that Alvis Wayne woke them up just a year later with some damn fine Rockabilly releases.
Side A and you'll hear Milt singing a nice slow song about his bleeding heart and over the other side 'Television Love' is a little more up-tempo but never gets close to getting a tiny bit raucous, but is a better tune when all is said and done.
The Westport Kids - Westport Records # 130 - Dec 1955
Side A - You Kaint Take It With You
Side B - Your Kisses Turned Sour
(Photo) Members of the Westport Kids are: Cathy Ruf, Singer and accordion; Hank Ruf, steel guitar; Christine Ruf, singer and guitar; Betty Ruf, guitar; Bobby Ruf, age 6; and Dave Ruf, bass.
December 1952
The Westport Kids are in splendid form on this toe tapping ditty country tune, you get plenty of triple harmonies by Frank, Dave & Marvin, some great fiddle and steel and it really moves along at a jaunty pace and is actually a decent tune played really well.
Then over on the other side you get a really good up-tempo female vocal bopper sung by Christine Ruf and again you get hit with some great steel and fiddle, this is a real barn burner and proves that these Westport Kids were cooking up some fine country bop by the end of 1955.
JIMMY DALLAS ( with Cathy Justice) Westport Records # 131 - 1956 Who Do, Honey You Do / I've Got A Right To Know .
Here you get two fine tunes by Jimmy Dallas, the A side has Jimmy singing with Cathy Justice and a mighty fine duet it is, perfect mid tempo county bop, loads of great fiddle and steel. The flip is not as hot but delivers a strong heart felt slow love song, and Jimmy delivers a great strong vocal and both sides he is backed by The Westport Kids.
Jimmy Dallas (1927-2004, rn Keith B. Kissee) was a country performer famous on the KC scene of the 50’s. He had 3 releases on Westport. «Good Intentions» is a fine uptempo hillbilly tune : strong vocal, sawing fiddle and bright steel. «Eeny-Meeny-Miny-Mo » and « How Do ? Honey You Do » are duets sung with Cathy Justice.
Born Franklin Delano Gulledge, 21 October 1932, Mill Creek, Arkansas Died 12 September 2003, Fayetteville, Arkansas
The station manager persuaded Frank to audition for Joe Leonard, who owned the Gainsville based Lin label and KGAF radio. Leonard was impressed by the uptempo hillbilly stuff on offer and a session was arranged for early '55 at the Cliff Herring Studio in Fort Worth, Texas.
Dallas songwriters Mietzl Miller and Bill Baker were commissioned to write a couple of songs, the first The Dirty Bird Song is a catchy uptempo item, not a million miles from Marvin Rainwater. The second number, Dig Them Squeaky Shoes is a plodding country rocker, with some nice guitar work from Frank. The resultant single (Lin 1009) failed to click on the charts but was a more than decent debut. Tell Me Why is probably the best song from the session, a real chugger, Franks vocals still very rural at his stage and the band on top form. It was written by bass player Marvin Pace, a local car salesman whose band, including fifteen year old piano playing son Johnny Pace, backed Frank billed as the Rock-Away Boys. For The Want Of Your Love is a country weeper with backing vocals from the pen of W.D.Patty who supplied songs to other Joe Leonard artists, most notably the excellent Buck Griffin but when released as Lin 1013 both sides sank without trace. ( Taken from RAB Hall of Fame)
Jimmy Patton . Sims Record # 103 - 1955 Guilty / Careful (Duet with Ann Jones)
Born Oscar James Patton, 28 October 1931, Berwin, Oklahoma Died 25 June 1989, Portland, Oregon Jimmy Patton was basically a country singer and not a very successful one at that, but his claim to fame lies in a couple of ferocious rockabilly recordings, most notably "Okie's In the Pokie", "Yah! I'm Movin'" and "Let Me Slide", all of which have been heavily reissued on compilations. Born on a farm in Oklahoma, Patton and his family moved to Springfield, Oregon in 1943. It was here that Jimmy began to take music seriously and took all chances to sing and play wherever he could. He had a job as a rodeo rider which came to an abrupt end when he broke his arm in July 1953. Jimmy did his first recording in 1955, for the Sims label which was then based in Sun Valley, California, although the recordings were made in Fabor Robinson's home studio in Malibu. Three singles were released during 1955, the first of which was "Careful" (a duet with Ann Jones) c/w "Guilty" (Sims 103). This was still old-fashioned hillbilly, sung in a high pitched voice, not unlike Charlie Feathers' Sun recordings.
Ramblin' Lou Schriver and his Twin Mountaineers . Ramblin' Lou Records # 205A/205AA - 1951 Dust On The Bible / Radio Station S-A-V-E-D.
Here we have a great rare slice of Gospel country by Ramblin' Lou on his own label out of Niagra Falls, NY in 1951. Ramblin' Lou had quite a stint at WJJL in the Niagara Falls area. He had a daily three-hour shift as disc jockey; he had a live show called "Rainbow Ridge"; and a special Saturday night broadcast from Ramblin' Lou's Record Ranch, which was one of the leading country and western record stores in Niagara Falls. He had a band around 1951 called the "Twin Pine Mountaineers". He and the band did personal appearances in Western New York and Pennsylvania and in Ontario, Canada, too. He also appeared on the WWVA Original Jamboree at one time, too.
Jack Ford Chess Record # 4858 - June 1954 I Understand / That's All You Gotta Do.
Hot diggity dog ! this is a nice lil' humdinger from Jack Ford. Been after this platter for quite a while, missed out on it a few times but finally managed to get it for an absolute steal .....£8.00 !!!! I just love Jacks easy going vocal on this rare slice of Chess Country . Back in 1951, the Chess Brothers tried to set a Hillbilly Series that lead to 4 records by Harmonica Frank Floyd and by Bob Price, all sides being purchased from Sam Phillips. In 1954, they made a second serious attempt purchasing a number of masters from Stan Lewis. The series was numbered 4800 and Jack Ford opened the way with his first solo record "That's All You Gotta Do"/"I Understand (Just how you feel)" (Chess 4858) was issued in June 1954.
This the very next release after Jack Ford (see above) we get this BIG hit for Jimmy & Johnny'. The A side is the usual country weepie, high vocals and screeching fiddles! OK but nothing compares to the flip! now you ain't gonna get red hot Rockabilly but you do get dual harmony vocals on a steady chugging tune that sounds just perfect and then!!!! you get that pickin' solo by Jimmy Lee Fautheree and wow! there it is just on the edge of Rockabilly but not all the way! just letting you know that he has the chops when it will be needed in a few months time! This was a monster record for the pair but did not lead onto major success which is a real shame!
1955 KWKH Radio Station Studio, 509 Market St., Shreveport, LA - (Jimmy Lee Fautheree [vcl/gt], Wayne Walker [vcl/rh gt] + Sonny Trammel [stee], Tillman Franks [bass], D.J.Fontana [drums], Dobber Johnson [fiddle], Floyd Cramer [piano])
005 U-7768 LIPS THAT KISS SO SWEETLY 4863/
006 U-7769 LOVE ME 4863/
Quite frankly! if you want top notch Country Rockabilly then look no further than side Chess 78 masterpiece! The A Side 'Lips That Kiss So Sweetly' is superb! a real country mover & if it was not for the totally brilliant B side this would still be a desirable record! But it's the B side screamer that collectors need! Jimmy and Wayne are simply in a different ball park to all the others trying to climb aboard the rockabilly train with 'Love Me' and they skilfully weave their way through this toe tappin' masterclass in blistering boppery with consummate ease! dual vocals come no better than this! you cannot help but sing along! tap your toes and swing your hips to this one! it is right up there as the pinnacle in monster Rockabilly!
Rocky Bill Ford and the Sunset Wranglers . Gilt-Edge Records # 5023 - 1950 Beer Drinking Blues / Aggravatin' Woman
Written by Bill, this song has been reworked many times in many guises. This is your classic drinking tune, and tells the story of a man bragging how he can out drink any man, any time ! Also recorded in the 1960's as Beer Drinking Blues by Eddie Noack and has Beer Drinking Daddy by Johnny Champion and James Mask .
October or November 1950 Houston, TX - Rocky Bill Ford 001 3879 BEER DRINKING BLUES X1 Gilt-Edge 5023/Audio Lab AL-1561 Design SDLP 002 3880 AGGRAVATIN‘ WOMEN X1 Gilt-Edge 5023/Audio Lab AL-1561 Design SDLP ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SLIM RHODES . GILT-EDGE RECORDS # 5026 - 1951 SIXTY DAYS / MEMPHIS BOUNCE.
Recorded at The Memphis Recording Studio (AKA Sun Studio) in December 1950. Dusty Rhodes handles the vocals on "Sixty Days" and the flip is a tremendous instrumental. Released in early 1951 this was Slims second release on Gilt-Edge and the A side motors along, western swing with a touch of Hillbilly makes it a classic from the Sun vaults . Pee Wee Suggs can be heard playing some sweet Jazz guitar on both sides . --------------------------------------------------------------------
"Rocky" Bill Ford & The Sunset Ramblers.
Gilt-Edge Promo Record # GE-5039 - June 1951
Side A - You Know Doggone Well I Do
Side B - Was I Dreaming William Anderson Ford "Rocky" Bill Ford - 28th Dec 1926 - 15th Nov 1998
Before Bill recorded the monster 'Have You Seen Mabel' on Starday he was a truly special country singer and writer! the A side is cool sounding mid paced country shuffle and exactly the sound for the year and label! OK! It's not a monster tune and not get you bopping around the floor but this was what the folks wanted in 1951! something that you could tap your feet along to and if you wanted! you could grab your gal and smooch together around the floor! Mr Bill Ford never disappoints!
Curley Cole Gilt-Edge Record # 5029 - 1951 I'm Going To Roll / Another's Arms Are Holding You.
Not much is known about Curley Cole, no photo's that I can find and the only the info is on the DJ copy label that I own. He was born in Mayfield, Kentucky and that he plays Mandolin, Fiddle, Guitar and Bass. 'I'm Going To Roll' is a typical train rollin' down the line tune, with great steel and some nice piano.
Tennessee Valley Boys Mode Records - 101 - 195? Bitter Feelings / I'm Wondering Now .
This is a 78 record I found that is not listed anywhere ! Pretty rare and all attempts have me stumped on it's history and date ! This song 'Bitter Feelings' and 'I'm Wondering Now' were both released in 1953 on two different releases on 'Demo' Records ( a anagram of 'Mode' ? ) and were straight Country songs under the name 'Larry Lee (Phillipson) and the Westerneers' . This 78 (pic above) is a Bluegrass version with very sparse instrumentation (Mandolin and Banjo) so I would estimate an earlier recording (poss 1952) Larry Phillipson later recorded the 'Bitter Feelings' side again in 1959 and was released on the 'Cinch' label and the song was faster and in a straight Rockabilly style.
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