Henry & Homer and the Southernaires Humming Bird Records # 1010 - 1951. Side A - Cripple Heart. Side B - Eternal Love.
Early 50's splendid country by Henry & Homer . The very un PC sounding 'Cripple Heart' is actually a terrific little song with lovely harmonies and bops along with pure delight. The B side finds the vocals with just Henry (Bennetsen) telling us about his 'Eternal Love' .
Charlie Brown and his Lazy V Hands. Rose Records # 101 - 1955 Side A - Mean Mean Mama. Side B - My Hungry Heart.
Recorded in Cisco, Texas. Label owned by Charlie Brown.
Here you have Charlie with his Lazy V Hands on Rose # 101 with some perfect country bop, it's simple quality played with perfection. Strong shout backs from the band as Charlie sings about his Mean Mean Mama . Superb punchy guitar, Steel and nice piano makes this 78 a must have for your shellac collection.
Curt and Faye Bartmess . State Records (Faith Series) # 4001 - 1951 Side A - Walking The Sea. Side B - The Downward Road. Pure and rural hick gospel country from married couple with Curt & Faye. This is sacred gospel in its purest form, you get guitar, Mandolin and two heart felt vocals that makes this a masterpiece in early 50's country evangelistic music. Curt and Faye later saw a release on the Starday Custom series on their own 'Evangelistic' label 'Country Music In A Sacred Way'/ 'The Narrow Way'.
Dudley Bernard Smoky Records - Golden Meadows, Louisiana - 1949. Side A - Alone Without You Darling. Side B - That Loneliness Behind Your Smile.
Lead guitar by Luke Charpentier Jr.
Recorded at the first studio owned by Cosimo Matassa . Located at the rear of a record store on Rampart Street.
This hick little record was recorded with just Dudley and his Rhythm Guitar and vocal and some really basic but kinda cool lead guitar by Luke Charpentier Jr. Two very simple tunes played with just enough talent to make it a thing of beauty.
Billie and Gordon Hamrick. "The Honey Hill Sweathearts" Rangeland Record # 506 - 1954. Starday Custom Pressing ! Side A - He Is My Guide. Side B - He's Gonna Take The Children Out .
This is Sacred bluegrass at it's finest and also it's most rustic ! such a great and rare Starday Custom record that I have the honour of owning and cherishing . What I can only describe as full throttle gospel harmony . 'He Is My Guide' is Mandolin led and tells the story of leaving Satan and meeting with the Lord. The tune is a thing of pure wonder . The flip is a more up tempo preaching stomper that just jumps out from the grooves, Jesus is coming folks so hold on tight ......just listen below to hear pure heavenly magic !
Cowboy 'Charlie' Huff . Huff Recording Co. # 617 - March 1957. Side A - Lover's Waltz. Side B - Patonia Starday Custom Record. Charlie Huff was prolific around this time and was releasing records like they were candy ! he had two consecutive releases on the Starday Custom series in 1957 both using his 'Huff Recording Co' label based out of Oklahoma. Both sides are decent enough cowboy country material, the A side is a straight waltz but what saves this record is Charlies strong and tuneful vocal. 'Patonia' is a more mid tempo cowboy horse story with fiddle and upright bass and again more decent vocals and bolts along just fine.
Early Graham and his Musical Drifters - 1954 Texas Records (Starday Custom Pressing) # 508. Side A - I Wish You'd Start Fooling Again . Side B - Stop Fooling My Heart. Here is another very rare Starday Custom pressing from Nov 1954. Early Graham and the band start with a nice slice of country on the A side but then really start to cook with the mid tempo flip ! well it starts mid tempo but actually gets quicker as the band start to turn up the heat. These early vanity pressings may not be killer rockabilly like the later releases on the Starday custom series but by jingo they are IMO works of art. Mr Graham may not have a the greatest voice in country music but by heck he gave it a go on this his only ever release .
Al Warwick - California Records # 507 Starday Custom Pressing - Flexi 78 rpm. Side A - Rag Doll Side B - You Are The Only One . Al hired the studio and band for the day and they then proceeded to record two of his self penned tunes. Now Al would, I'm sure be the first to agree he does not have the best voice in the world and is sometimes troubled by timing issues but what we have here is someone who just had to record his songs that he obviously loved . Great guitar, Steel and fiddle and both have a good beat. Very rare Starday Custom .
Chuck Bowers - Choice Record # 841 - 1955 Side A - Wandering Shoes. Side B - Pinball Boogie.
Pinball was all the rage in the mid 50's and Chuck and the boys quickly latched on to the craze and added a little boogie so what you get is some fantastic western swing played with love and joy . All the usual stuff here, steel, guitar and a boogie beat that means you gotta dance !
Roy Aldridge - Emperor Record # 209 - 1956. Side A - It's Not Easy To Forget. Side B - You're Pickin' Up The Pieces (Of My Heart) Wonderfully quirky uptempo country boogie released on the Emperor label out of Westbrook, Maine.Lenny Breau is on pickin' lead Guitar and this just bops along just nicely. Roy swings and is joined by some sweet and crazy fiddle and steel, this is top of the tree stuff and pretty rare on 78. Roy Aldridge: Vocals Lenny Breau: Lead Guitar Harold Carter: Bass Dick Curless: Acoustic Guitar Curly Eyles: Steel Guitar Dave Miller: Fiddle Unidentified: Drums
Mel Price and his Santa Fe Rangers. Blue Hen Record # 3006 - 1954. Side A - I Know That I've Lost You. Side B - Nothing Seems To Go Right Anymore.
Just a cracking record by Melvin Price and his Rangers, released late in 54, it swings and rolls just fine, some top notch lead guitar and steel makes this worth a pretty penny. Melvin also saw a release or two on Starday in 1956 and 57 in a more uptempo feel.
Delta Recording Company in Jackson. Jimmie Ammons & Mabel McQueen recorded a wide variety of music and issued records by blues artists Tommy Lee (Thompson), Little Milton Anderson, and Tabby Thomas on the Delta label.
Milton Beasley scores big with this magnificent uptempo rollicking 'Mississippi Boogie'! The boogie tunes were all the rage and the Blackberry Boogie gets a revamp and Delta Records were riding the wave! The flip returns to the normal format of a nice ballad but still sounds like Delta Gold!
Henry Ford with String Band . Delta Records # 417 - 1953 Side A - No More Money No More Honey. Side B - Is There Peace In Korea.
Henry zips through this jolly little tale of no more money and a money grabbing woman. Plenty of Piano,Guitar and Fiddle and some top notch vocals makes this a top tune a very rare label out of Jackson, Mississippi. Just love the way the end of the song goes a tad squiffy and the guitar player hits a bum note but who cares, it was live and it was real .
MAC QUINN and his 'DUBS' Delta Record # 422 - 1954
Side A - Don't Flirt With Me In Public (I'm A Married Man) Side B - My Good Gal Left Me.
Another Delta record hits the mark with two real cool sides of tip top hillbilly blues. Marcellas 'Mac' Quinn gives us two self written tunes and they both bop along at a nice pace. The B side is just Mac and his Rhythm Guitar and tells a simple story of getting his gal back......real nice bluesy country with a touch of yodel here and there. The more uptempo A side has Mac with band that includes Lead Guitar, Fiddle and Bass. Another fine song written by Mac and hits the spot with a real rural sound that is what you expect from Delta around this time.
Dillard Anderson and Solon Maynard - The Tennessee Harmony Boys # 451. Side A - I'm A Millionaire . Side B - On The Cruel Tree. 'Tennesee' on label (spelt incorrectly) should be 'Tennessee'. This earlier version is different than the later 'Fortune Records' # 149 release (shown below) Harmonica driven rural hick sacred gospel brilliance from The Tennessee Harmony Boys (Dillard & Solon), superb harmony vocals with guitars and a harmonica make this a truly rare and beautiful song. The 'Fortune' release in 1951 ? is a re recording of the same song but is more Mandolin driven and is slightly more uptempo and bluegrass in style.
Lucky LeRoy & the Rhythm Rangers . Go-Lish Records # 100 - 1955 Side A - All Tied Up Side B - Now Get Goin'
Recorded 1955, Harrisburg, Illinois
Frequent on-air appearances were made by local musicians and citizens airing their opinions on local or national topics. Lucky Leroy was a frequent flyer before he started appearing regularly on WSIL-TV in Harrisburg.
WGGH is still located at 1801 E. Main St. and to the best of my knowledge is still broadcasting the Christian format.
Artist un Credited - CRL Records . American Brewing Co. New Orleans / Miami. Side A - Regal Boogie. Side B - That Regal Feeling. Rare little slice of shellac which would have us believe that drinking Regal Beer will do you nothing but good and make you a better person....oh yeah !!! . Un credited singer and band on this superb slice of western hillbilly boogie. Hillbilly compilations CD's and LP's had named the artist and band as .......and it's quite funny 'Al Kahole and his Drinkin' Buddies' .....this is not the artist name but would be great if it was !!!!! This 'Regal Boogie' hits the spot in more ways than one with sweeping steel, top guitar pickin' and loads of call and response from the band .....just perfect. This was obviously a publicity scheme for the beer company and I'm not sure how many were produced but I would imagine not too many .
Anyway , grab yourself a beer and listen to this ........boogie !
Big Jeff Bess and the Radio Playboys. Dot Records # 1058 - 1951 Side A - Step It Up And Go. Side B - After We Are Through.
Big Jeff Bess - Rhythm Guitar/Vocals Ed Hyde - Fiddle Johnny Sibert - Steel Guitar. George McCormick - Lead Guitar. Ike Inman - Upright Bass. Johnny Maddox - Piano.
Big Jeff was a Nashville legend, even back when this was recorded Jeff was a hero to many in town. Bar owner, film star, this guy done it all, he even married Tootsie and they opened a bar in Nashville which is still open today.
This 78 was the second release by the band on the label and my god what a rip roaring tune it is, pounding piano and some sweet boogie guitar by George McCormick.....this is as close to the start of Rock 'N' Roll as you can get, this is a record of mega magnitude in the world of country music ......SUPERB HILLBILLY BOOGIE !!!!
"Country" Johnny Mathis . J-B Records # 1500 - 1952 Side A - Contented Side B - Me For You And You For Me.
This is Johnny Mathis (Not to be confused with the other more famous Johnny Mathis crooner from the 60's and 70's) and is better known as "Country" Johnny Mathis . This is his second ever release and both songs were written by Mr Mathis himself. He also became part of the legendary duo 'Jimmy & Johnny' and they cut some brilliant rockabilly in the mid to late 50's. Here we have a typical country weepie A side and is just OK really and not really gonna set the world on fire but the flip is a real nice slow to mid tempo hillbilly tune and in my opinion the better of the two, nice song with some nice steel and Johnny's voice is smooth as ever. Jim Bulleit the label owner went onto finance and help Sam Phillips set up Sun Records in Memphis in 1953 .
Larry Lee and The Westerneers . Demo Records # 1029 - 1953. Side A - Bitter Feelings. Side B - While I Was Waiting For You .
This is the second recorded version of the classic song 'Bitter Feelings' written by Larry Lee AKA Larry Phillipson . The first was recorded on the 'Mode' label probably in 1952 and is in a more bluegrass style, this superb version on 'Demo' is more of a straight country style and is clearly leading the way to the more Rockabilly version that was to be recorded and released on the 'Cinch' label in 1959 as Larry Phillipson and the Larry Lee Trio. This version on 'Demo' is pure classic country and is just marvelous, recorded with great feel and shows superb song writing skills by Larry and you can tell that he believed in this song and was determined to make it work no matter what it took. It is now a classic rockabilly song and the 'Cinch' version is loved by the rockin' vinyl collectors.
Jimmie Dawson . Playboy Records # 346 - 1951. Side A - Flat-Top. Side B - Here Today Gone Tomorrow.
Here, not only do we have one helluva great looking label but we also get some great country bop from Mr Jimmie Dawson. This is red hot, hair dressing country bop with some rip roaring lead guitar and boogie fiddle, just a joyous record and by jingo this only cost me $15 !!!!!
Don Holt & The Ranch Boys . Buddy Records # 102. Side A - Let Me Love You. Side B - My Baby Still Loves Me . Manufactured by Tanner'N'Texas , San Antonio, Texas. It's a boogie woogie rhythm from the very start with this little gem. Fiddle and sweet Steel lead this right off the bat and then some delightful lead guitar, this is raw and at the same time just like a polished diamond , great great great .
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