The Doke label

 The Doke label

Columbia, Tennessee

H.B. Jones (alias Phil Barclay)

Doke Records was founded by Nashville booking agent H.B. Jones early in 1958. The label was based in Columbia, Tennessee, but moved to Nashville in 1960. Jimmy Key joined Doke in 1960 and became general manager as well as A&R manager, while Jones remained president of the company. At that time, Jones was seeking new talent and planned to expand his activities to overseas, as it was reported by a Billboard article on June 20, 1960.

Jimmy Key was an influential figure in the Nashville music scene of the 1960s. He owned New Keys music that published also a lot of the Doke releases, led his Key Talent agency, and was a DJ, too. He managed such artists as Linda Manning, Dave Dudley, George Kent, Jimmy Newman, Shirlee Hunter, and many more.

H.B. Jones' first release was "Young Lost John" b/w "It's Raining (Doke #101) in 1958 under the pseudonym of "Phil Barclay." He followed up with three more discs, all in the rock'n'roll style. Most of the material he recorded was composed by him. 

Linda Manning in 1968, Mercury publicity
photo

It was probably in late 1958 when Jimmy Key discovered Linda Manning from Cullman, Alabama, who was twelve years old at that time. According to Key, she "really belts out a song." He was searching for song material for Manning in early 1959 for her first recording session. Her debut single came in June 1959 with "I Don't Want to Say Goodnight to You" b/w "Puppet Lover" for Doke Records (Doke #105). At that time, Key was a DJ at WMCP in Columbia and probably had made connections with H.B. Jones earlier on. "Puppet Lover" was written by the blind couple Floyd and Mary Biggs as well as Jimmy Key. The Biggs were also writing songs for a lot of Murray Nash's singers on his Do-Ra-Me label. Manning had at least two other singles on Doke, before switching first to Bulletin ("Our World of Rock and Roll" / "Sweeter Than Sweet," Bulletin #1000) in 1961 and then Goodlettsville, Tennessee, based Gaylord Records in 1963 ("Johnny Kiss and Tell" / "Thanks a Lot for Everything," Gaylord #6425 and "Turning Back the Pages" / "Hello Little Lover," Gaylord #6429). She had her own radio show in Cullman from 1961 up to 1964 called "The Linda Manning Show" and also appeared on WAPI-TV in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1964, she signed with Key's Rice label and later also recorded for Roulette, Mercury, and Columbia.

Country singer David Price also recorded for Doke in 1960. He was later signed to Rice and Hickory.

Discography

101: Phil Barclay and the Sliders - Young Lost John / It's Raining (1958)
102: Phil Barclay and the Sliders - I Love Em All / Short Fat Ben (1958)
103: Phil Barclay and the Sliders - Hey Gang / Deep Desire (1958)
104: Phil Barclay and the Sliders - Loving Baby / Be Mine (1959)
105: Linda Manning - I Don't Want to Say Goodnight to You / Puppet Lover (1959)
106: Linda Manning - The Boy I Can't Forget / Walking on a Cloud
107: Paul Davis - One of Her Fools / When You Fall (1960)
108: Linda Manning - Gotta Run / My Heart's with the Angels (1960)
109: David Price - Between the Juke Box and the Phone / Could It Be (1960)

Notes:
- Doke 108 was also released on Forlin 501 in 1961.

Thanks to Bob.