Joyce Records!

Ruth 'Ginger' Callahan - Joyce Records # 100 - 1955

Side A - Ogee, Ome Omy

Side B - Tooten Tellum

Ginger was a very versatile musician, she played guitar, banjo, Fiddle & Mandolin and this first release on the Joyce label shows two songs with good humour and a good backing band.

Both songs are firmly in the country novelty field and they are both pretty decent tunes but by no means fantastic, just pretty good. Both songs were written by Ginger and she displays a real love for the more jovial side of country and both songs really capture the good humour in her song writing.

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 Joyce Records 

Bob Roark - Joyce Records - June 1955

Louisville, Kentucky 

Side A - Have A Talk With Your Heart

Side B - Love Commandments.

Bob and his string band really cook up a pretty good mid tempo slice of Country with this second release on Joyce! Have A Talk With Your Heart is pretty standard Country fair! but Bob has a top voice that makes it worth the while! decent back up unknown band even though the piano player does hit a bum note on the second solo! plenty of great fiddle and sweet Steel just about elevates this record above the standard string band in the mid 50's! 

Interesting note the 45 release of the same record corrects his surname as 'Rourk' and NOT Roark! as seen on the 78 version!

Gotham Records!

Lou Graham - Gotham Records # G-416 - 1952

Side A - Two Timin' Blues

Side B - Long Gone Daddy

Lou Graham lays down two spicy tunes of borderline Rockabilly on Gotham and by jingo they both get jiggy!

Backed by Bill Haley's & his Saddlemen! both sides hit the spot! You can tell that Lou is a massive Hank Williams fan as he covers the master with a great version of 'Long Gone Daddy' and on the A side a self written tune 'Two Timin' Blues' which is right out of the Hank rule book! they both move and you can hear that music will very soon be moving from country/hillbilly to this new thang called rockabilly! 

Von Records!

 

Shorty Sullivan - Von Records # 1004 - Booneville, Mississippi - Nov 1955.

Side A - Tell Me, Tell Me.

Side B - Gotta Have Your Love Tonight.

This is a diamond of a record! it literally sparkles from start to stop! the A side hits all the right notes with a competent country tune but it's when you flip flop the monster over! well you better hold on to your hat! it's a real mover! its a damn fine tune where all musicians taking part in the recording really know what they're doing! It's really is Von-Tastic!!!

TNT Records!

 

Jacoby Bros. - TNT Records # 1004 - 1954

Side A - Warmed Over Love

Side B - Cannonball.

This TNT record is not so much a rare one but is definitely one needed for all hillbilly/Country 78 record collectors! It has avoided me over the years! after being outbid! forgetting to bid! but finally one appeared for sale in the UK and here it is!

A true twin spin if ever there was one! Warmed Over Love is just magic with those sweet Jacoby Bros at full voice & harmonising so well ! Fiddle led with some tasty mandolin! but it's the vocal delivery that steals the show!

Cannonball! again moves at a pace and is just magical as it switches gear with little effort! Train whistle intro and down the tracks the song shoots along! Again the fiddle drives the thing! as the brothers hit each sweet note with perfection!

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!

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

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!