This little treasure was recorded in 1955 in Lexington, Kentucky. Dave went onto record the red hot Starday Custom recording (Feel Sorry For Me). Whereas this corker hints more towards country with just a hint of rockabilly and western swing.
This is a great record and just swings right the way through to the Trumpet in the middle/end (yes Trumpet!!!!), but you also get some nice weeping steel, fiddle and strong lead guitar and all goes to make one swingin' little record.
Mr Brockman's Starday 45 may be the big hitter but this is still a mighty fine record and carries a punch!
Two fabulous country gospel sides can be found here on the Gabriel label in Gulfport, Mississippi I would imagine from around 52/53. Sacred songs never sounded so great with the rich tones of singer Powell Shaw and his little band. The whole thing is sublime and has a very pure and pleasant sound. Great voice, Steel, Accordian and fiddle makes this a very nice record for any sacred country collector.
Label owner Rev J. Charles Jessup was a fraudster, thief, bigamist, musician, cock fighter and an all round bad egg by all accounts. Indicted for mail fraud in 1963 and convicted in 1968 the Rev Jessup owned record labels and preached on border radio shows through the 1940's, 50's and 60's in which he would entice poor southern folk to give him their money and be saved by Jesus Christ! (the money never made it to Jesus but to the Revs own bank and nice cars, boats and real estate)
He was also responsible for the theft of song writing credits of Jimmy Donley who just a few years later committed suicide in 1963 after seeing various songs he had written but credited to Jessup being hits for Jerry Lee Lewis & Fats Domino.
The whole startling article by Jim Linderman can be found in the link below.
Lois Irwin ( The Singing Songwriter ) White Church Records # 5200 - 1954 Side A - Somebody Heard My Prayer Side B - Let Me Be Worthy
Fiesta Publishing, LA, Hollywood, CA.
Now this is a real purty slice of gospel country bop! Both sides written by Lois and the A side is a right cracker that bops along just fine with some great snappy rhythm guitar, red hot fiddle and Steel .
Lois has a lovely voice and sings with confidence throughout. A wonderful 78 record!
Bud Messner & his Skyline Boys (vocals by Bill Franklin) Abbey Records # 15004 - 1950 Side A - Slippin' Around With Jole Blon. Side B - I Died All Over You. Bill Franklin handles both sides with his smooth and rich vocals backed up by Bud Messner and the boys. Jole Blon the much maligned and sung about lady, here she gets another twist with a slippin' around tale with a heavy tip of the hat to Hank Williams with many of Hanks song titles mentioned in every line. This record is cool, cool, cool and shows even in 1950 things were starting to hot up in the hillbilly western world! 1950 unknown – Bud Messner And His Sky Line Boys (Bill Franklin [vcl], Molly Darr [duet vcl*], Norman Earl Bud Messner [rh gt], Bill Bailey [mandolin], Jack Throckmorton [steel], Bobby berne [], Don Adams [] ) 015 G-714 GEORGIA WALTZ* 15025 016 G 715 SLIPPIN' AROUND WITH JOLE BLON 15004 017 G 716 I DIED ALL OVER YOU 15004
Curley Griffin - Atomic Records (Tennessee) # 303 - 1956
Side A - You Gotta Play Fair
Side B - Love Is A Wonderful Thing
This is where you can very confidently place the A side right in the Rockabilly section alongside all the greats, this has it all, great lyrics, slightly off time hic-up vocal and some scorching lead pickin' guitar .......wow, this is a killer!
Curley was better known as a DJ in Jackson around this period and also as the co-author of two all time classic Carl Perkins tunes 'Dixie Fried' & 'Boppin The Blues'
Curley wrote both these tracks on Atomic # 303 and had a close musical alliance with Mr C. Perkins and Perkins did play lead on a couple of tunes in 1955 for Curley 'I've Seen It All' (Atomic 302) ,but not on this one! but still great pickin' can be found within these grooves and that pure rockabilly sound!
'Love Is A Wonderful Thing' is a slower tune but the heartfelt vocal is pure joy and carries the whole thing alongside even more beautiful weepy lead guitar (maybe Perkins?). In a word ..........brilliant!
Born Malcolm Howard Griffin on June 6th 1918, Curley was partially-sighted and attended a school for the blind. In later life, whilst working as a DJ for radio WDXI in Jackson, Tennessee he met Carl Perkins and allowed him to use the station's equipment to record some demo tapes. According to Perkins, Curley came up with the idea for both "Dixie Fried" and "Boppin' The Blues" and is credited as a co-writer on both singles. Griffin self-produced a number of singles for Atomic Records in the mid-late 1950s but experienced little commercial success. According to Perkins, Curley Griffin died circa 1964/5.
Rex Hale and his Tennessee Valley Boys. Atomic Records # 307 - 1957. Side A - Traded My Freedom (C. Griffin) Side B - A Hobo Life (Rex Hale)
Rex and his Valley boys really explode into life with this top notch B side 'A Hobo Life' . The A side is standard country fair written by Curley Griffin and sung and played with excellence by Rex and the boys but it's the flip where we live the Hobo life with the band, just amazing hillbilly bop. Recorded in Jackson, Tennessee in 57 this has all the ingredients to fulfil all your hillbilly needs, steel guitar, punchy lead guitar and a tip top echo vocal.
Joe Bryant and The Mississippi Woodchoppers. Mississippi Records # 512 - Starday Custom Side A - Pulpwood Blues - (Bryant) Side B - A Man Ain't Nothin' But A Woman's Slave - (Bryant)
My copy above is pretty rare as we now know only two copies exist (according to Malcolm Chapman in his blog and Starday Custom CD Box set review he only knows of one copy) below. So mine must be number two ......wow what a killer rare record.
Joe Bryant and the boys lay down some pretty hot country blues and it's pretty evident that Joe wrote these tunes after repeated plays of ol' Hank Williams and is pretty clear what sound he's after. You get all the usual elements, fiddle, rhythm guitar and steel guitar which does go a little off piste a few times on both side but as MC says above it just adds to the charm of the whole thing.
Jimmie Dawson - Rustic Record # 1926 - 1957 Side A - It Took An Older Woman. Side B - Money Talks. Another superb 78 record by Jimmie and this time on the fantastic looking label 'Rustic' out of Rockford, Illinois. Here you'll find two red hot slices of Country bop with some mighty tip top geet pickin' and of course the superb voice of Mr Dawson.
