Flip Records !

Carl Perkins - Flip Records # 501 - Feb 1955.

Side A - Movie Magg

Side B - Turn Around

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.

.....................................................................

Add caption

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 !

...........................................................................................................

Smokey Joe (Baugh) with Clyde Leoppard Band 

Flip records # 228 - Sept 1955

A Side - The Mystifying Monkey.

B Side - Listen To Me Baby 

Flip were trying to cover all the angles in popular music and this cross over Blues R'n'R record does that with ease. Yes, it's a novelty tune, but it really does bob along nice and the flip on Flip is even better, Rock 'n' Roll jump with the very White looking Smokey Joe sounding every note like a Black singer (no wonder they were surprised in Harlem when he got booked for shows in 1956)

Sam Phillips at Sun again got the same tunes released on the legendary Memphis label on both 45 and 78 rpm.

Smokey Joe Baugh - Vocal and Piano

Stanley Kesler - Steel Guitar

Buddy Holobaugh - Guitar

Jan Ledbetter - Bass

Johnny Bernero - Drums

Bill Taylor - Trumpet

Stan Kesler - Steel Guitar

............................................................................................

Rosco Gordon - Flip # 237 - Dec 1955

Side A - "The Chicken" (Dance With You)

Side B - Love For You Baby

Flip & Rosco had a local hit with this little tune so Sam Phillips at Sun quickly rushed it out on the legendary Memphis label (this was the last Flip/Sun duel release)

Rosco made his fame in Memphis with "The Chicken" song and he deserved it, it's a tip top novelty blues mover and has all the charm to back it up, splendid little slice of Blues shellac.

Ollit Records !

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 !!!!!

Arrow Records !

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.

Atomic Records (Salt Lake City)!

Riley Walker and his Rockin-R-Rangers.

Atomic Records # 1039 - 1954

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 !

The Westport Kids - Westport Records # 128 - May 1955

Side A - Yearning - Praying

Side B - Mama-I Won't Rock It

Catchy dittiy 

.................................................................................................................

Milt Dickey - Westport Records # 129 - 1955

Side A - Bleeding Heart

Side B - Television Love

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.

Red label variants

  

............................................................

Original Westport Sleeve - 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.

Lin Records !

Frank (Andy) Starr & The Rock-Away Boys.

Lin Records # 1013 - 1955

Tell Me Why / From The Want Of Your Love .

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)

Sims Records !

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.