Updates

Please note that this blog is now available under a new URL: https://logcabinstoriesblog.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Walt Cochran

From Holly River to Columbus
The Story of Walt Cochran

Porter Waldo "Walt" Cochran was born on April 22, 1926. He hailed from Diana, West Virginia, a small place on the banks of Holly River's Right Fork. Cochran was raised on country music, influenced by the likes of Cowboy Copas and Ernest Tubb, although rock'n'roll music left its impact on Cochran's style as well. In 1945, he married Katherine Mae Pappas and settled in Columbus, Ohio. In 1949, son Jamme Joseph was born.

Cochran held down a day job at Westinghouse Plants but began performing locally in the mid 1940s. He founded a band, the Holly River Boys (named as a tribute to his hometown), which lasted for several decades. They played different places all over Columbus, including prison benefits, shopping centers, and fund raisers. He also performed with many top stars of the day. He performed at the Calvacade of Stars from Nashville at the Palace Theater when it came to town and opened up for such stars as Connie Smith. He also appeared regularly at the WMNI Country Cavalcade, a live stage and radio show held at Columbus' Southern Theater in the 1970s.

Their first record came in 1963 on Phil Gary's Olimpic label with  Cochran's own "(Darlin') What Am I Gonna Do" and the band's version of the classic "I'm Sittin' On Top of the World". Apparently, Cochran had a cold at the time of the recording session, which brought a little Ernest Tubb and Johnny Cash inflection to his voice. At that time, the band featured William "Billy" Strawser on lead guitar, which played on this record. Eventually, Cochran's son would join his father's band as a drummer and also his daughters Jetta and Janne would sing with him.

Catalog of Copyright Entries

Both songs reappeared in 1965 on the Holly label, was likely Cochran's own imprint. During the 1960s and 1970s, Cochran and the Holly River Boys recorded several discs on the Holly label. Those included own material "Way Back in West Virginia" and "Each Side of the River" (co-written with his wife) as well as cover versions ("Six Days on the Road", "Drivin' Nails In My Coffin") and renditions of classics ("Columbus Stockade Blues").

He retired from steady performing in the 1970s. Walt Cochran died on July 26, 2004, at the age of 78 years. He is buried at Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus. His son Jamme Joseph passed away in 2020.

Discography

Label No.# Artist Credit A / B side Date
Olimpic 45-249 Walt Cochran and the Holly River Boys (Darlin’) What Am I Gonna Do / I’m Sittin’ On Top of the World 1963
Holly 811H-2885 Walt Cochran and the Holly River Boys Drivin’ Nails In My Coffin / Six Days on the Road 1965
Holly 811H-4671 Walt Cochran and the Holly River Boys Darlin’ What Am I Gonna Do? / I’m Sittin’ On Top of the World 1965
Holly 811H-6101 Walt Cochran and the Holly River Boys Way Back in West Virginia / Columbus Stockade Blues 1966
Holly 811H-2513 [1] Walt Cochran and the Holly River Boys I Already Know / Don’t Lock the Door 1967
Holly 811H-2513 [2] Walt Cochran and the Holly River Boys I Already Know / Way Back in West Virginia 1967
Holly 811H-1228 Walt Cochran and the Holly River Boys Way Back in West Virginia / Each Side of the River 1971
Holly HF 41882 Walt Cochran I Already Know / Way Back in West Virginia 1982

Sources
Find a Grave entry
Jamme Joseph Cochran obituary
Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies entries
Rockin' Country Style entry
Recordsale
45cat entry
Discogs
Memories of Walt Cochran by Janne Cochran

Saturday, September 28, 2024

New Name, New URL: Log Cabin Stories


Please be aware that I changed to URL of this blog to logcabinstoriesblog.blogspot.com and the name to "Log Cabin Stories". I felt it was necessary to make a slight change of the blog's name to represent the development of this blog over the years: no more news, reviews, full downloads etc. This blog has (hopefully) developed into a resource for record collectors and researchers and into a platform to present my own growing record collection and my research results.

You possibly need to update the URL in your own blog feed to keep following this site. Many thanks to all readers and visitors who stop by regularly, to all of you that leave a comment!

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Buffalo Johnson

Rich-R-Tone's Forgotten Star
The Story of Buffalo Johnson

Although Buffalo Johnson was probably Rich-R-Tone Records' most enduring recording artist, being associated with the label on and off for more than 20 years, little information has surfaced on this artist, unfortunately. Rich-R-Tone, best remembered today for releasing bluegrass music by such artists as the Stanley Brothers, Carl Sauceman, Wilma Lee & Stoney Coiper, and others during the 1940s, recorded a variety of roots music styles - especially in its early years. Johnson was not tied to one style; he recorded honky tonk just as good as bluegrass tinged material and country boogie numbers.

Wayne "Buffalo" Johnson was born on April 1, 1926, to Chester W. and Elizabeth (Shelton) Johnson in Madison County, North Carolina, which is located on North Carolina's border to Tennessee, not far away from both Knoxville and Johnson City. He had three sisters and one brother. Although Johnson was depended on crouches all his life, this never distracted him from pursuing a career in music.

Tennessee's east was rich of Appalachian music traditions and Johnson became a part of it, when he moved to adjacent Washington County, Tennessee, where he would live most of his life. Though Knoxville was the center of country music in East Tennessee during the 1940s, Johnson decided upon Johnson City. He started his career in country music following World War II, when he began recording for James Hobart "Jim" Stanton's Rich-R-Tone record label in Johnson City. Stanton had founded the label earlier that year and Johnson's "I'll Always Find a Way" b/w "Come Back Again" (Rich-R-Tone #401) from December 1946 became one of the label's earliest releases. He was also soon heard on local radio WETB and had added a disc jockey show on the station to his portfolio by late 1948.

Billboard October 18, 1947

Johnson continued to record for Rich-R-Tone through the 1940s and until the early 1950s, mostly solo with a band variously called the "Melody Boys" or "Buffalo Johnson and his Herd". He recorded in a variety of different styles like honky tonk ("Where Are You Now", "You Sure Look Lonesome (In That Corner)" on which one might hear shades of Ernest Tubb), bluegrass, and renditions of traditionals like "Frankie and Johnny", "John Henry" or "Nine Pound Hammer" (complete with Merle Travis styled lead guitar). In 1948, Stanton struck a deal with Mercury Records and sold a total of 72 of his master tapes to the label, including some by Johnson. This resulted in two Mercury releases in 1948 and 1949: "My Angel Sweetheart" b/w "Between the Lines" and "That's Why I'm Nobody's Darling" b/w "Come Back to Me". Though, the discs did not sell well enough to earn him a contract with Mercury and Johnson returned to recording for Rich-R-Tone.

In October 1951, Stanton paired him with another Rich-R-Tone act, the Church Brothers and their Blue Ridge Ramblers. The results from that session, including the classic "Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms", were pure bluegrass and, like many of the Church Brothers' recordings, noteworthy recordings in bluegrass history.

By October 1949, Johnson had moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked the night clubs and bars, including such spots as the Swing Bar and the Casa Grande. His band at that time included Dusty Rose, Guy Pealer, and Sterling Simpson. In April 1951, Billboard reported that Johnson "got a new five-year contract with Rich-R-Tone" but this did not turn out as fruitful as it seemed. In 1952, Jim Stanton sold the Rich-R-Tone label (following a move to and brief phase in Campbellsville, Kentucky) and Johnson's contract lapsed.

However, Johnson soon became acquainted with Cincinnati independent record producer Carl Burckhardt, who owned Rite Record Productions and several budget labels that were specialized in releasing cover versions of the hits of the day - for cheaper money than the original version. Johnson recorded bluegrass for Rite's Kentucky label and mainstream country hits for Big 4 Hits.

Obviously, Johnson split his time between Cincinnati and Johnson City during the early 1950s, as Billboard reported in August 1951 that he headed a new show on WJHL in Johnson City, which was also broadcast via ABC. The show also included such local acts as the Burleston Sisters, Smokey White, Jack Lane, and Toby "Guy" Pealer. At some point, Johnson moved back to Tennessee. In the meantime, the Rich-R-Tone label had undergone some changes and it seems by the 1960s, Jim Stanton had gained control over the label again. He produced occasional releases by Johnson out of his Champ recording studio in Johnson City in the 1960s and 1970s, including "Time Don't Mean Much Anymore" (Rich-R-Tone #8002) and "Another Mile to Nashville" (Rich-R-Tone #8040).

Buffalo Johnson died on June 17, 2002, at the age of 76 years in Johnson City Medical Center. He had spent his last years in Sulphur Springs, a small place east of Johnson City, where he is also buried. There never has been a proper reissue of Johnson's recordings, although he gathered enough material for a whole CD throughout the years.

Discography

Label No.# Artist Credit A / B side Date
Rich-R-Tone 401 Buffalo Johnson and his Melody Rangers I’ll Always Find a Way / Come Back Again 12-1946
Rich-R-Tone 403 Buffalo Johnson Alone and Blue / Rangers Rag 02-1947
Rich-R-Tone 405 Buffalo Johnson Something Within Me / Where Are You Now 08-1947
Rich-R-Tone 408 Buffalo Johnson I Just Dropped In to Say Goodbye / Home in San Antone unrel.
Rich-R-Tone 409 Buffalo Johnson The Foolish One / The Sweetest Dream 12-1947
Mercury 6123 Buffalo Johnson My Angel Sweetheart / Between the Lines 08-1948
Mercury 6178 Buffalo Johnson That’s Why I’m Nobody’s Darling / Come Back to Me 03-1949
Rich-R-Tone 430 Buffalo Johnson Come Back Again / Alone and Blue unrel.
Rich-R-Tone 434 Buffalo Johnson The Loser Pays / I Dreamed My Daddy Came Home unrel.
Rich-R-Tone 442 Buffalo Johnson The Fairy Tale / Untrue Love 06-1949
Rich-R-Tone 458 Buffalo Johnson Untrue Love / Left My Gal in the Mountains 02-1950
Rich-R-Tone 702 Buffalo Johnson Whisper Goodbye / Goodbye Boogie 1950
Rich-R-Tone 1013 Buffalo Johnson Let’s Live a Little / You Sure Look Lonesome 02-1952
Rich-R-Tone 1016 Buffalo Johnson Frankie and Johnny / No Love No More 1951
Rich-R-Tone 1019 Buffalo Johnson & the Church Bros.
& their Blue Ridge Ramblers
Day Dreaming / I Don’t Know What to Do 11-1951
Rich-R-Tone 1023 Buffalo Johnson and his Herd John Henry / Nine Pound Hammer 1952
Kentucky 520 Buffalo Johnson and his Herd Tain’t Big Enough / Tappin’ Boogie 1952
Kentucky 521 Harry Adams with Buffalo Johnson Milk Bucket Boogie / Arkansas Traveler 1952
Big 4 Hits 12 Delbert Barker
Buffalo Johnson
Dont’ Stay Away / Don’t Just Stand There
Lady’s Man / Gold Rush is Over
1952
Rich-R-Tone 8002 Buffalo Johnson Time Don’t Mean Much Anymore / Come Back Again ca. 1967
Rich-R-Tone 8036 Buffalo Johnson Long Chain Charly / Let the Cold Winds Blow 1970
Rich-R-Tone 8040 Buffalo Johnson Another Mile to Nashville / These Summer Days 1970

Sources
• Entries at 45worlds/78rpm and 45cat
Find a Grave entry
Hillbilly-Music.com
Rich-R-Tone discography
Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies entry

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

I'll Be All Smiles Tonight


June Carter and Luther Perkins - I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (different lyrics), 1967 Johnny Cash Show PBS Special

"I'll Be All Smiles Tonight" is probably one of the most beautiful songs that were ever written in music history. Originally a popular music tune, it became a standard with country musicians in the 20th century. 

Written by T.B. Ranson in 1879, the song became a favorite tune in a time when heartfelt songs were extremely popular. Families would gather around a piano and sing those tunes, among them "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight." It was first published by T.B. Harms & Company in New York City that year but soon several other companies published it, too.

By the 1920s, rural musicians had taken up the song on guitar, fiddle, and banjo. The first to record it were Luther B. Clark and the Blue Ridge Highballers on March 24, 1926, in New York City for Columbia, followed by the the duo of Lester McFarland and Robert A. Gardner. Several other old-time acts cut the song during the late 1920s and early 1930s, a testimony to its popularity among rural folk singers. The Carter Family recorded it on May 8, 1934, in Camden, New Jersey, for Bluebird with Maybelle Carter on guitar and vocals, Sara Carter on vocals and guitar, and A.P. Carter on vocals. Many later versions credited the song solely to A.P. Carter, whose usual practice was to take both old popular and folk songs and claimed copyright his own. One of the few later versions that credited Ranson (as T.B. Bransom) was Eddie Shuler's recording on Goldband Records. Many artists also took songwriting credit for themselves when releasing their versions - like Bill Clifton or Kitty Wells. 

It was probably through the Carters' version, which was released both on Bluebird and Montgomery Ward chain store's own label, that the song gained popularity especially in the country music field and in the following years, many artists recorded their own version of "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight". Those included Hylo Brown, Mac Wiseman, the Louvin Brothers, Kitty Wells, Johnny Cash, Kenny Baker, and many others. In the 1950s, it was also collected by a couple of folk music researchers in their publications.

Recordings
The following list contains historical recordings which I chose to include here. The list is incomplete - additions are highly appreciated.

Luther B. Clarke, I'll Be All Smiles To-Night Love (Columbia 15069-D), rec. March 24, 1926, rel. May 1926
Lester McFarland & Robert A. Gardner, I'll Be All Smiles To-Night (Brunswick 164), rel. Dec. 1927
Bradley Kincaid, I Will Be All Smiles Tonight (Gennett 7053, Champion 15876 as "Dan Hughey", Supertone 9566), rec. Oct. 4, 1929, rel. Jan. 1930
Allen Brothers, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Victor V-40210), rel. March 7, 1930
Linda Parker with the Cumberland Ridge Runners, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Conqueror 8164), rec. April 11, 1933, rel. Dec. 1933
Carter Family, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Bluebird B-5529, Montgomery Ward M-4497, RCA Victor Bluebird Series B-5529 [CAN]), rec. May 8, 1934, rel. July 5, 1934, (CAN 1946-1949)
Bill Carlisle, I'll Be All Smiles, Love (Bluebird B-6938), rel. May 5, 1937
Eddie Shuler's All Star Reveliers, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Goldband G-1023), rel. 1952
Louvin Brothers, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Capitol EAP 1-769 [US/UK/NZ]), rel. 1956 (NZ July 1957)
Randy Atcher, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight, Love (MGM K12347), rel. 1956
Bill Clifton & the Dixie Mountain Boys, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Starday 45-548, SEP 195), rel. 1961
Kitty Wells, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Decca 7-38219), rel. 1961
Johnny Cash, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Columbia unreleased), rec. 1962
Trails Blazers, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (instr.) (Nashville 5169), rel. 1964
Lulu Belle & Scotty, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Starday 746), rel. Dec. 1965
Maisie McDaniel & the Clubmen, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Fontana TE 17447 [UK]), rel. 1965
Mac Wiseman, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Dot DLP 25,731 "Bluegrass"), 1966
Jim Crabtree, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Dearborn D 557), rel. 1967
John Kelly & the Capitols, I'll Be All Smiles (Dolphin DOS.30 [Ireland]), rel. 1969
Ginger Broadback & Her Hot Lips, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight No.2 (Outhouse 10206), rel. 1971
Danny Ross, I'll Be All Smiles Tonite (Stoneway 1057, GNP Crescendo GNPK-4801 [Australia]), rel. 1971
The Mom and Dads, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (MCA 7019 "Reminiscing with the Mon and Dads" [CAN]), rel. 1972
Roy Clark, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Dot DOS-26018 "Roy Clark's Family Album"), rel. Nov. 1973
Troy Hess and Little Angela Perry, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Show Land SL 301973), rel. 1973
Brother Oswald, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Rounder 0013 "Brother Oswald"), rel. 1973
• Deacon Brumfield, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Gusto SLP-340 "That Dobro Sound's Goin' Round"), rel. 1975 
Emma Smith, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Old Homestead OHS-90157 "Hazard"), rel. 1982
Shot Jackson, Chubby Howard, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Wasp WR-128)
Olabelle, Alex and Deacon & the New River Boys, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (New River 1032, New River EP 100)

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Bob Pauley

Bob Pauley - The Indianapolis Plantation Playboy

Bob Pauley wrote - well, he rather played - rockabilly history when he performed lead guitar on Tommy Lam's "Speed Limit" for Indianapolis based Nabor Records. Not only the song but Pauley's guitar work is still cherished by fans around the world. "Great record, and I always loved the guitar breaks on it," says Detroit music expert Craig Maki and adds: "Bob Pauley was quite the take-off guitarist." Maki documented some rare information on Pauley in his book "Detroit Country Music". For a musician that turned out such wild licks on a late 50s rockabilly record, Pauley began his career well before rockabilly was even developing. He had spent many years on the road before finally settling in Indiana. This is the attempt to retrace Pauley's path in music.

Early Years
Harold Edward "Bob" Pauley was born on January 5, 1922, in West Virginia to Andrew and Ruth Pauley. By 1938 at age 16, Pauley had mastered the guitar and was part of  Mel Steele's Oklahoma Ramblers. This band traveled across West Virginia and adjacent states, appearing on various radio stations, including WCHS in Charleston, WJLS in Beckley, WING in Dayton, Ohio, WMMN in Fairmont, WWVA in Wheeling, and even WOPI in Bristol, Tennessee. Pauley patterned his style after Harry C. Adams, guitarist with Eldon Baker and his Brown County Revelers, a popular act on powerful station WLW. The Oklahoma Ramblers played western swing influenced country music like Clayton McMichen's Georgia Wildcats or, the idol of them all, Bob Wills.

Traveling with Casey Clark
While with the Ramblers, Pauley became acquainted with fiddler Casey Clark, who joined the group in 1938. Another young singer from West Virginia came to the group while they were working in Beckley. It was future star Little Jimmy Dickens, who joined the group at the recommendations of Clark and Pauley. "Bob Pauley was the guitar player, a big old husky guy, and Casey was a big guy, and I slept between 'em!" Dickens later remembered with a laugh.

The Oklahoma Ramblers disbanded in 1940 and both Clark and Pauley wound up in Indianapolis afterwards. Clark and Dickens performed on WIBC and its Hoosier Barn Dance by 1943. Pauley worked the same station, too, during those years, though we have no detailed documentation of Pauley's activities. By 1945, he had married Thelma E. Brooks, whose family had moved to Indiana in the 1930s. They would go on to have two sons and three daughters and made their home in Indianapolis, though Pauley worked as a musician in different places until the early 1950s.

In 1947, Pauley returned to work with Casey Clark in Saginaw, Michigan. There, Clark had assembled the first version of his Lazy Ranch Boys for the newly formed WKNX. Pauley was also working with Dickens' band, who was working on the station as well. Clark and Pauley would also work a comedy routine known as "Nat and Les". In 1948, Pauley was also part of the Lazy Ranch Boys' first recording session held at WKNX, which produced "Prisoner's Plea" b/w "Cigarettes, Whiskey, and Wild, Wild Women" for the PhonoCraft label. The latter, of course, was a cover of the Sons of the Pioneers song sung by Clark and Pauley as "Nat and Les, the Kentucky Boys".

The first edition of the Lazy Ranch Boys disbanded around September 1948, leaving Saginaw. After a short stint in Centralia, Illinois, Clark and Pauley resurfaced on WVLK in Lexington, Kentucky, where the Lazy Ranch Boys were reborn. This lasted until June 1950, when Clark and band mate "Brownie" Reynolds moved on to WRFD in Ohio and finally settled in Detroit, where they became local country stars. Pauley did not move with them and instead took a job with the Dixie Playboys on WDBJ in Roanoke, Virginia. He briefly rejoined Clark in 1951 at WIMA in Lima, Ohio, but returned to Indianapolis afterwards.

Indianapolis Years
There, he formed the Plantation Playboys and played the night clubs and bars of the booming city. By then, Pauley's family already included three little children and he was probably searching for a more steady lifestyle and income.

His next recordings came not until 1958, when his brother-in-law Earl Brooks recorded his debut release. Brooks was a local country singer and had teamed up with guitarist Jerry Lee Williams and Stan Cox to try their luck in the record business, founding different record labels. From the session with Brooks, which took place probably in late summer or fall 1958, two of Brooks' own compositions were released on Nabor (one of the labels Williams, Cox, and Brooks had set up), "Open Up Your Heart" and "Restrained". These recordings featured a slight western swing feel, which is no surprise considering Pauley's background, and featured some jazzy lead guitar by him.

A little later, Pauley and the Plantation Playbos were called back into the studio to back up local rock'n'roll singer Tommy Lam on his debut. The results were "Speed Limit", which became a favorite years later among young rockabilly fans, and "A Teenage Birthday", released on Nabor in January 1959. In the wake of the recording, Lam probably also appeared with the Plantation Playboys at local night clubs and other venues.

The Plantation Playboys backed up Earl Brooks on two more Nabor country singles in the mid 1960s, though it's not known if Pauley was still part of the group as there is no mention of him on the records. He was also part of the Indianapolis Barn Dance show at one time but I could not determine any details. Pauley probably continued to perform locally but retired from music at some point and settled in Plainfield, an Indianapolis suburb where his wive's family was also living.

A few country songs written by a Bob Pauley were recorded by Nashville artists in the 1970s and 1980s, including "It's So Hard" (recorded by Jerry Naill for Americountry) as well as "Christmas Time in Heaven" and "Goldenrod" (both recorded by Jimmy Kish, the Flying Cowboy, for Pyramid), though I'm not sure if this is the same Bob Pauley.

Pauley died on July 26, 1997, at Community Hospital East in Indianapolis at the age of 75 years. He is buried at Maple Hill Cemetery in Plainfield. His wive Thelma died in 2003. 

Sources
Find a Grave entry
Different 45cat entries
• Craig Maki, Keith Cady: "Detroit Country Music - Mountaineers, Cowboys, and Rockabillies" (University of Michigan Press), 2013, pages 79-89

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Earl Brooks on Nabor


Earl Brooks and his Plantation Boys - Thirteen Minutes (Nabor 129), 1965

Indiana country and rockabilly music is what some people call a "rabbit hole". If you dig deeper, you'll find more and more interesting stuff, connections you never made before, and you'll discover music never heard of. And I'm just beginning to dive into this hole. One of Indianapolis' many musicians was Earl Brooks, who played country music at the local clubs and was involved in Jerry Lee Williams' record labels during the 1950s and 1960s.

Earl Anderson Brooks was born on March 13, 1922, to Ray Anderson and Bessie Orpha (Gladson) Brooks. Brooks had three brothers and two sisters. The family were Hawkins County, Tennessee, natives and father Ray was a carpenter by trade. By 1935, the Brooks family had moved north to Indiana. They first lived in Wayne, adjacent to Indianapolis, where Brooks also attended high school. The family later settled in Plainfield, another suburb on the outskirts of the greater Indy metropolis. 

Brooks served in the US Army during World War II and following the war, took up music. By the mid 1950s, he had made the acquaintance of local guitarist Jerry Lee Williams. Joined by Stan Cox, the trio went into the record business to found three local labels: Solid Gold in 1956, Nabor in 1958, and Yolk in 1960. To which extend Brooks and Cox were actually involved remains unclear at the moment, as Williams seems to have been the main man behind these labels.

Brooks was given the debut release on the newly formed Nabor label in 1958, which appeared around September 1958 (at this early stage of the label, the actual record had no catalog number assigned). The disc featured "Open Up Your Heart" b/w "Restrained", recorded with Brooks' brother-in-law Bob Pauley's band, the Plantation Boys. Pauley was a skilled guitarist and played country and rockabilly music in the city's clubs with different musicians (including rockabilly cult hero Tommy Lam). Brooks' western swing-tinged songs were far away from the hep cat sounds of Lam and other Indiana rockers, however.


Billboard November 11, 1958, review

Brooks wouldn't record again until the mid 1960s, when he released two more records on Nabor. Compared to his previous single, "I Wish (I Didn't Love You)" b/w "Oh, What a Price I Paid (for Loving You)" (Nabor #116) featured a more polished and better produced sound with a moaning steel guitar and female vocal chorus, coming nearer to the urban Nashville trend - though it remained stone-hard country music. His third Nabor disc was comprised of the death row lament "Thirteen Minutes" and "Tonight" (Nabor #129) and both songs were handled by Starday's in-house publishing arm. Brooks was a bit of a songwriter; BMI has a total of 10 songs registered by him. He wrote or co-wrote a few songs that were recorded by other Nabor artists, including "My Future's In the Past" by Elizabeth Johnson, "If You Belonged to Me" and "Dead End", both recorded by Jack Shaw & the Kings, as well as "A Teenage Birthday", the flip side to Tommy Lam's infamous "Speed Limit".

There was a Earl Brooks who recorded with a band called the "Southern Playboys" on the Southaven, Mississippi, based Spite record label. This artist was likely a different singer.

Nabor continued to release country music well into the 1970s but no records by Brooks anymore. He probably kept on performing in Indianapolis and surrounding areas. In 1970, both his father and his mother died, Brooks unexpectedly passed away a few years later on March 2, 1976, shortly before his 54th birthday. He is buried at Maple Hill Cemetery in Plainfield, Indiana.

According to his obituary, Brooks was a "self-employed musician" at the time of his passing, suggesting that he had no day job but working full-time to earn a living. Furthermore, he was apparently a bachelor, as he had no children and was probably never married.

See also

Sources
• Official records accessed through Ancestry.com

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Arkie Shibley on Gilt-Edge

Arkie Shibley and his Mountain Dew Boys - Arkie's Talking Blues (Gilt-Edge 5078), 1952

Arkie Shibley's "Hot Rod Race" became the first song to capture the enthusiasm of automobiles and racing. It introduced cars into American popular culture, especially in youth's culture. It also caused a string of similar themed songs in country music and rock'n'roll, namely such songs as "Maybellene" by Chuck Berry. Other similar themed songs were Charlie Ryan's "Hot Rod Lincoln", the Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun", "Little Deuce Coupe" or their "Little Honda", and a seemingly never ending list of rock'n'roll songs variously named "Hot Rod", "Hot Rod Baby", "Hot Rod Boogie", or other combinations with the term "hot rod".

The man behind "Hot Rod Race" was Jesse Lee "Arkie" Shibley, born on September 21, 1915, in the growing city of Van Buren, Arkansas, near the Arkansas River. His parents, David Monta and Prudence Shibley, were farmers and life was simple but hard. Shibley became a cattle farmer himself and married Evelyn Marie Breeden in 1935. The next year, the couple moved to Bremerton, Washington state, where Shibley found work building Illahee State Park for the "Works Progress Administration", which was part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Later on, starting in 1941, he also worked as a sheet metal worker at Puget Sound Navy Yard. In Arkansas,  Shibley was initially called "Buck" due to his deer hunting skills but in Washington, he became known as "Arkie" due to his origin.

After moving to Bremerton, he had bought a $5.00 guitar in a pawn shop and taught himself how to play. Soon, he was confident enough playing Bremerton's venues by night with an uptempo, swinging, style of country music. Bremerton was a US Navy town with lots of young male sailors looking for an opportunity for entertainment. Shibley first performed solo as the "Lone Cowboy" but by 1939, had teamed up with Earl Dobeas, performing in taverns and on radio. Eventually, he changed musical partners and met up with guitarist Leon Kelley from Fort Worth, Texas. The addition of Bill Drinkard  made it a trio and gave birth to the "Mountain Dew Boys". However, Drinkard, who was later known on local radio and TV as "Montana Bill", soon left the band and was replaced by 
bassist and banjo player Jackie Hays from Oklahoma. This line-up played the bars, joints, and dance halls for sailors, loggers, and shipyard workers. They also performed regularly on local radio, first on KBRG and then on KBRO, and Shibley acquired a night club he called "Arkie's Corral" in mid 1949. However, he was not a good business man and by the end of the year, the club had gone back to its original owner.

Shibley, Kelly, and Hays were also the core line-up for Shibley's recordings a little later on. By 1948, Phil Fregon on fiddle and "Dockie" Dean Manuel on piano and fiddle had joined the band, too. Manuel became a member of Jim Reeves' band in 1959 and died in the same plane crash as Reeves in 1964. 

By 1947, Shibley had set his mind on California-based record companies and made connections with a small record label, Hal Sarb's MaeMae Records from Hollywood. Several records were released during that year but none of them had any greater impact. Then, Shibley visited Bill McCall of 4 Star Records in Pasadena. Shibley and the Mountain Dew Boys had worked up a song called "Hot Rod Race", written by 17-years old Ronald George "Ron" Wilson from Washington state (contrary to some beliefs this was not a pseudonym for Shibley). Reportedly, Wilson's father George Erwin had approached the band while they were playing the Peedle Weezer Tavern and he shared his son's work with Shibley, who took it up for his band's act. They performed the song instantly that night to an enthusiastic reaction of the crowd.

Arkie Shibley on the front cover of "Songmakers Magazine", August 1950


When Shibley played the record to McCall, he was rejected (an event Shibley later reworked as "Arkie's Talking Blues") but Shibley in turn set up his own small label, Mt. Dew Records, in Bremerton to release the song backed by "I'm Living Alone with an Old Love" (Mt. Dew #101) on both 78rpm and 45rpm formats. He managed to press those early 200 discs through the 4 Star company and the songs appeared around August 1950 and soon became a hit in the Bremerton area. Bill McCall got word of it, overthought his initial decision and soon purchased the master for reissue on his Gilt-Edge label (#MD-101/#5021, December 1950).

With McCall promoting the song heavily, it took off (although some eastern radio stations refused to play it due to the line "we were rippin' along like white folks might") and eventually peaked at #5 of one of Billboard's C&W charts in February 1951. The song saw several releases over the years and caused rivaling cover versions at the time, including those by Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan (Capitol), Red Foley (Decca), and Tiny Hill (Mercury), which were successful as well. According to the Coeur d'Alene Press, it sold over one million copies, although this number is not assured and possibly includes combined sales figures of the original releases, reissues, cover versions or is simply exaggerated. It is undisputed, though, that it became a big influence on rockabilly and rock'n'roll music. Chuck Berry cited "Hot Rod Race" as a big influence on him to write "Maybellene", a similar themed song that became his breakthrough hit, and Charlie Ryan based his "Hot Rod Lincoln" on Shibley's original. Though some recognize the song as a rockabilly song, which would make it the first ever recording in that style, it is rather "hopped up country music", or to put it more eloquently, a primitive country boogie, which makes it an influential precursor to rockabilly and rock'n'roll.

During the 1950s, Shibley released his recordings on the Mountain Dew label and Bill McCall would pick out some of them to release on Gilt-Edge, including several continuations of "Hot Rod Race". For some time, Shibley lived in California, where probably most of his recording sessions took place but none of his later discs could match the initial success, however. Apart from his automobile saga, Shibley recorded country boogie tunes in various forms and songs aimed at the Navy audience of the Pacific Northwest areas: "Uncle Sam Has Called My Number Again", "Shore Leave", and "Three Day Pass".

The Montana Stardard, April 6, 1952
During the 1950s, Shibley and his band, which included by then also his son Jesse Frederick (alias "Arkie Jr.") who was adept at bass and guitar, traveled across Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho to play small venues. By 1952, Grover Jackson had taken over lead guitar duties from Kelly. Shibley accompanied Mary Lou (Manges) Flesher, his bass player on some of his demo tapes, to Fairbanks, Alaska, and while she stayed there, Shibley soon left again. Although the Mountain Dew Boys continued to perform, they had given up recording by 1960. Shibley's last single had appeared the previous year on the 4 Star main label, comprising "Pick Pick Pickin' (My Guitar)" and "I'm a Poor Old Oakie" (#1737). He also operated a night club in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, for some time.

Eventually, Shibley moved back to his home state Arkansas, where he spent his final years. Arkie Shibley passed away on September 7, 1975, in Van Buren at the age of 59 years shortly before his 60th birthday. He is buried at Macedonia Cemetery in Uniontown, Arkansas. A definitive reissue of his complete material is still missing but Dutch Collector Records compiled 25 songs of Shibley's onto their CD "Hot Rod Race" in 1997.



Recommended reading

Sources
• Entries at 45cat and 45worlds/78rpm

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

The Poor Boy Connection


The Poor Boy Connection
Wayne Raney's First Adventure in Record Production

Wayne Raney had been an established artist by the mid 1950s but his heyday as a recording artist had been over by then. His influential work with the Delmore Brothers had come to an abrupt end when Rabon Delmore died in 1952. Raney's last hit and biggest hit, "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me" from 1949, was eight years old when he decided to try his luck and switch to the other side of the studio.

In 1957, Raney returned to WCKY in Cincinnati and continued to sell song books and harmonicas on air successfully. That same year, Raney decided to switch sides and established his own Wayne Raney Studio in nearby Oxford, Ohio, operating the Poor Boy, American, New American, and Down Home labels out of it. He also set up Oleta Publishing, which became his outlet for composition for the next decades. In late 1957, Raney recorded "We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (and a Lot Less Rock and Roll)" and "Don't You Think It's Time", which saw release on Poor Boy #100 the following year (although Billboard would not announce the founding of Poor Boy until February 1959) and the former became a hit in the gospel hit. "We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus" was also recorded by several other artists in the years to come and became a minor standard.

Raney's business partner was Jimmie Zack, a singer and songwriter who worked in Raney's band before the founding of the recording studio and record labels. Born James Zack Yingst in 1924 in Fair Oaks, Arkansas, Zack penned about a dozen songs, mostly with Raney or Raney's son Zyndall. Zack's "Evil Ways" b/w "I Can't Do Without You" (American #102, 1960) has been featured on a few compilations. He had another release on Starday's Nashville imprint, "Lost John's Gone" b/w "My Get Up and Go" (#5010), which was released in 1961 and probably recorded at Raney's Oxford studio or, though rather unlikely, at his Rimrock studio.

Raney and Zack operated a handful of labels out of the Oxford studio with changing adresses, however, They also began an association with Norman Walton of Richmond, Indiana, who operated Walton Records and probably served as a manager for the Raney/Zack labels.

Location of the labels' addresses:
Oxford, Ohio / Richmond, Indiana / Muncie Indiana


The Poor Boy label was started in 1958. The first release (Poor Boy #100) showed a Richmond post box address. Then, they changed it to a Muncie, Indiana, post box address. Muncie is located about 43 miles southeast of Richmond on the Indiana-Ohio state border. Poor Boy releases #105 up to #107 showed addresses in both Muncie ("Home Office") and Richmond ("General Manager Office"). The final releases on Poor Boy only had a Muncie address. The label was closed down in 1960. Its last release is probably the best known: "Sweet Marie" b/w "Servant of Love" (Poor Boy #111) by the Van Brothers, Arnold and Earl Van Winkle. Both songs were also reissued by Norman Walton on the Walton label. Other notable recordings on Poor Boy include those by Raney himself, Norman Witcher, and Connie Dycus.

American was headquartered in Muncie. It was only active in 1960 and released four discs, including Zack's "Evils Ways". They also operated a New American label out of his Raney Recording Studio in Oxford, Ohio, that same year, which issued a string of bluegrass EPs featuring the likes of Wade Mainer, Clyde Moody, the Stanley Brothers, among other well known names. The tapes possibly came into Raney's possession through his job with WCKY. The last release on New American, a six track gospel EP, was re-released on the one-off Raney label as well.

Down Home Records was another very short-lived venture and released only one disc, a gospel EP by Raney and his family. These as well as other cuts recorded by Raney were also leased to Starday Records.

The Walton label was founded by Norman Walton in 1961 and released a slew of country and gospel singles and EPs up to 1966. Even an album by Gil Richmond was recorded in 1964 on Walton. Several of the songs recorded on Walton were co-written by Norman Walton, including Winston Shelton's sides. Similar to Poor Boy, the record labels also showed different addresses. The address on Winston Shelton's EP was 2923 Boston Pike in Richmond. Possibly these addresses were printed on account of the particular artist.

Many of the releases, especially Raney's EPs on his own labels and Starday, were promoted and sold by him through his radio show over WCKY, which was a powerful station and gave Raney a wide audience (similar businesses were run by WCKY DJs Nelson King and his successor, Arlen Vaden). However, by 1961, Raney decided to pack up things and move back to Arkansas. He discontinued his mail order business, the small labels he had established previously and bought a 180 acre farm near Concord, Arkansas, not far away from his birth place. On his farm, Raney raised Black Angus cattle but his farmer life only lasted for a few months. Later that year, he built the Rimrock Recording Studio and also established a pressing plant and, in 1965, his own Rimrock record label.

Norman Walton continued to release 45s and even some LPs on the Walton label until at least 1966 but discontinued it at some point. Wayne Raney sold the Rimrock company in 1975 to Stax Records of Memphis, Tennessee, and died in 1993.

If anyone has more information on Jimmie Zack or Norman Walton, please feel free to share your memories or information in the comments or via contact form.

Discography

American
101: Charlie Moore & Bill Napier and the Dixie Partners - Story of Love / Big Daddy of the Blues (1960)
102: Jimmie Zack and the Blues Rockers - I Can't Do Without You / Evil Ways (1960)
103: Krazy Kords - Malaguena / Return to Me / That's My Desire / Ol Man River (1960)
104: Rocky Rose - Won't You Reconsider / This Is the First Time (1960)

Down Home
100: Wayne Raney & Raney Family - I'll Be Listening / Where the Soul of Man Never Dies / I Need the Prayers / In the Shadow of the Cross / The Wrath of God / We Are Going Down the Valley

New American
101: Don Reno & Red Smiley - Springtime in Heaven / Stanley Brothers - He Said If I'd Be Lifted Up / Tommy Magness - Jesus Will Save Your Soul / Harlan County Four - John Three Sixteen / Brother Claude Ely - Little David Play on Your Harp / Clyde Moody - I Feel Like Traveling On
102: Trace Family Trio - My Mothers Dying Message / Clyde Moody - Through the Pearly Gate / Wade Mainer - God's Radio Phone / Tommy Magness - When I Safely Reach That Other Shore / Mac Odell - Be on Time / King's Sacred Quartet - The World Can't Stand Long
103: Esco Hankins - Mother Left Me Her Bible / Wade Mainer - He's Passing This Way / Bailes Brothers - Ashamed to Own the Blessed Savior / Trace Family Trio - I've Got a Longing to Go / Tommy Magness - Wings of Faith / Clyde Moody - I Need the Prayers
104: Wayne Raney & Family - A Little Pine Log Cabin / Hand in Hand with Jesus / I Found It in Mothers Bible / Where No Cabins Fall / The Uncloudy Day / An Empty Mansion (see also Raney 104)

Poor Boy
100: Wayne Raney - We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (and a Lot Less Rock and Roll) / Don't You Think It's Time (1958)
101:
102: Norman Witcher - Somebody's Been Rocking My Boat / Wake Me Up (1958)
103: Raney Family - When Heaven Comes Down / Lilac Bouquet (1959)
104: The Gays - Don't Rush Me / You're Never There (1959)
105: Les & Helen Tussey / Golden Hill Boys - They Went Around / Married to a Friend (1959)
106: Les & Helen Tussey / Golden Hill Boys - If Jesus Was in the Hearts / We've Got to Answer (1959)
107: Danny Brockman and the Golden Hill Boys - Stick Around / Don't You Know It's True (1959)
108: Connie Dycus - Same Old Thing / Hand Full of Ashes (1959)
109: Wayne Raney - Simply Wonderful / Everybody's Going Crazy (1959)
110: Originales - Bandstand Sound / Lend Me Your Ear (1959)
111: Van Brothers - Sweet Marie / Servant of Love (1959)

Raney
104: Wayne Raney & Raney Family - A Little Pine Log Cabin / Hand in Hand with Jesus / I Found It in Mothers Bible / Where No Cabins Fall / The Uncloudy Day / An Empty Mansion (see also American 104)

Walton
Singles
001: Richmond Friendly Four - Lord / I've Been a Hard Working Pilgrim / He Will Go / He Knows the Way / Someday They'll Be No Tomorrow (1961)
002:
003: Norman Walton & Van Brothers - Take That Lock from Your Heart / Too Many Women / Sweet Marie / Servant of Love (1962)
004:
005: Gentry Brothers - My Wildwood Flower / Uncle Orie - Uncle Sam (1962)
007: Gil Richmond and Earl King - Doing Things / Let Me Talk It Over with My Heart (1964)
008: Betty Browning - Do You Remember / My Larry (1964)
009: Gil Richmond and Earl King - Stop, Slow Down / Your Faithful Fool (1964)
010: Jimmy Walls - What a Little Kiss Can Do / Stop Look and Listen (1965)
011: Flora C - Walk Away, Walk Away / A Dairy of Dreams (1966)
EP-950: Winston Shelton and the Country Gospel Singers - From Bethlehem to Calvary / Stop and Think / I'm Not a Poor Man / On the Banks of Old Jordan
1500: Jimmy Walls - Hello Out There World / Look at Me Eyes (1966)
2500: Van Brothers - Uncle Jim Riggs Will / Lonesome Tonight for Tomorrow (1965)

Albums

No.#: Gil Richmond and the Golden Hill Troupe - Hootenanny Roundup (1964)

Recommended reading

See also

Sources