Hey Cat !

Hey Cat !

Saturday, 14 October 2023

Bally Records!


 Frank Deaton and The Mad Lads - Bally Records # 1042 - 1957

Side A - My Love For You
Side B - Just A Little Bit More.

The A side is a pretty cool tune! Frank shows us some laid back hiccup vocal on a really nice rock-a-ballad, some snazzy lead guitar from one of The Mad Lads! overall not a bad little tune! BUT! flip it over and you get some Red HOT bass slappin' rockabilly! pure excellence! Frank again shows off even more 'over the top' hiccupy vocal style and really lays it on before you'll hear even more blistering lead guitar that really moves through the grooves! 
A late 78 pressing of this classic and is pretty hard to find rockabilly scorcher!







Friday, 13 October 2023

Amijo Records

 


Skeeter Bonn - Amijo Records # 933 - Chicago, 1954

Side 1 - Honey Baby

Side 2 - I've Been Down That Road Before.



This promo 78 record + press pack was sent out to Radio stations and DJ's to promote Skeeter Bonn and his music! The A side 'Honey Baby' has a yodel style and is a pretty decent slow/mid paced track! Piano and Fiddle are prominent throughout! I prefer the flip 'I've Been Down That Road Before' which really moves along nicely! Nice chugging lead guitar, sweet fiddle and of course Skeeter and his high octave vocal! 

Promo poster 

Skeeter Bonn - Info sheet

Info sheet (Back)

Promo 'Honey Baby' postcard

Postcard back




Tuesday, 10 October 2023

Colonial Records!

 Colonial Records - Hollywood, CA.

Tommy Little and his Sunrise Rangers.

Colonial # 116 - 1949

A Side - High Geared Daddy

B Side - We Can Never Love Again

After the minor local success of 'High Geared Daddy' on Tommy's own TRC (North Carolina) label earlier in the year! Colonial stepped up to release the same two tracks on their Hollywood label towards the end of 1949! 

High Geared Daddy has all the ingredients to be considered borderline Rockabilly! not quite! but you can hear the subtle movement in that direction! A true hillbilly record that really moves! The acoustic guitar sweeps around and really rocks! a top top rare 78 record!

The flip side has some great duet vocals Tiny & Cliff with some terrific steel and superb acoustic guitar and mandolin! which makes this tune! way above the standard weepie majority of B sides around this time! this track bops along real fine!





Thursday, 14 September 2023

Sterling Records!



 Sterling Records Inc, New York

Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboys.

Sterling Records # 210 

Side 1 - Honky Tonkin' (Williams)

Side 2 - Pan American (Williams)

Recorded February 13, 1947 at WSM studios in Nashville, TN.

Classic Hank! on a classic label! this is as pure a country record that you will ever ever hear! Honky Tonkin' even as early as 1947! Hank started to push the country envelope with a chugging beat! sweet fiddle & lush steel heavily layered on top! you get the very early beginnings of Rockabilly (still a way off! but it's starting to raise it's head) . It was very soon after this release that M.G.M came knocking and whisked him away to make his fame and fortune! and he never looked back! until it all came to a sudden end! 


Bass [Uncredited] – Louis Innis

Electric Guitar [Uncredited] – Zeke Turner

Fiddle [Uncredited] – Tommy Jackson 

Steel Guitar [Uncredited] – Dale Lohman

Vocals, Guitar – Hank Williams.



Wednesday, 30 August 2023

Rural Rhythm!

Rural Rhythm # 501 - 1955

Earney Vandagriff and The Big "D" Boys 

Side A - Guest Star In Heaven (A Tribute To Hank Williams)

Side B - I Know I'm Falling In Love. 


Earney & The Big 'D' Boys strike up a hearty rhythm and top notch record with the really good 'Guest Star In Heaven & 'I Know I'm Falling In Love' both are just lovely country sides and basically do what they are supposed to do! they get your toes tappin' and your ears caressed!  


Audition Records!

 Audition - Acetate Record (year unknown)

Record manufacturer is unknown! 

Chuck Holder 

A - Side - I'm Long Gone 

B - Side - Slowly 

Picked up on e-bay for a cheap price! But as with most acetates the sound on both side is a bit eggs & bacon! but still sounds pretty good and for historical reasons it needs to be heard!

The A side is a lovely country song about a cheating wife and how he'll be long gone in the morning! Chuck's vocal is superb and with unknown fiddle & Electric guitar (I would imagine Chuck plays the Rhythm Guitar) this is just a really good country tune! played with elegance and has all the makings of really good record! The flip 'Slowly' has a lot more noise and is your typical country slow tune! good but not as good as 'I'm Long Gone'







Friday, 2 June 2023

Hornet Records!

 


Lynn Pratt - Hornet Records # 1000 - 1956

A Side - Tom Cat Boogie (Pratt)

B Side - At Night Time (Pratt)

Lynn Pratt - Vocals / Rhythm Guitar

James 'Ikey' Hauner - Lead Guitar

Charles F. 'Charlie' Roach - Steel Guitar

Bill Grantham - Piano

A.J. Maness - Bass

Henry Hays - Drums

Lynn Pratt was born on April 9th 1926 in Sugar Tree, Tennessee and died on January 19, 2002, in Lexington at the age of 75. He is buried at the Henderson County Memorial Gardens in Lexington.

In early 1956 after recording at Sun Studios (to no reward) Pratt started up his own label simply called 'Hornet Records' in Lexington, Tennessee. 1st issue on his new label was 'Tom Cat Boogie/At Night Time - The A side is the mover for sure and all band members are going for it ! Recorded in Nashville WSIX Radio studios it really is a tip top Tom Cat tune! fine Rockabilly guitar laced with Piano & Steel(this session probably did not include drummer Henry Hays)

The Flip is a really nice country slow song played with care and has some nice piano with Pratt singing this broken hearted melody with gusto! Nice guitar to start interspersed steel guitar and  an unknown fiddle player!







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Lynn Pratt & The Tomcats - Hornet Records # 1001 - 195?

A Side - Troubles (Pratt)

B Side - I Don't Need (Pratt)

This 2nd Hornet release by Lynn Pratt (seen now with his named band 'The Tomcats) and they give us 'Troubles'! now! not as good as Tom Cat Boogie! but non the less it's a cracking mid tempo slice of country bop!  I would imagine the band from the 1st release would remain but as we are unclear on a actual recording date and year this is just a guess (but it does have a similar feel to # 1000). Two cracking country numbers by Lynn and the boys , plenty of steel and piano and it is basically a verry very good country record! the A side swings with some great guitar pickin' and the B side weeps! just as all good 78 records should! shouldn't they?