Penny Records (Picayune, Mississippi)

Picayune, Mississippi, in the 1970s

Picayune, Mississippi - a 11.000 people city in Pearl River County, Mississippi, near the Mississippi/Louisiana state border. The city's legacy in music history is limited, very limited. But it has a few contributions to offer. Country comic and Picayune native Jerry Clower recorded his live LP "Live in Picayune" for MCA at a charity event of the city's Women's Club. Allegedly also a son of the city was rockabilly and country singer Vern Pullens - although others say he was born in nearby Bogalusa, Louisiana.

However, Picayune was once home to record labels and a recording studio. Yes, more than one label - including Penny Records. The name "Picayune" drives from the french word "picaillon", which itself rooted in "picaioun", which was the name of a coin from the Savoy region in Europe. So the label's name "Penny" is probably a reference to the city name's history.

The label started in the early 1970s from a house on Chateau Cove road in the northeast of the city near Highway 59. Possibly also operating from that address was Precision Recording Studio, were many of the label's recordings were cut. Until early 2026, I could not tell you who the owner was but I sensed a connection to Hack Kennedy's Big Howdy label, which had been originally located in the Bogalusa area but had moved to Picayune as well by the early 1970s. Some of the Penny releases bear the Big Howdy publishing stamp. And I was right!

I contacted Dave Travis, British country/rockabilly music enthusiast, musician, and label owner. He bought the Big Howdy label from Hack Kennedy in the 1990s, so I had high hopes he could tell me more about the connection between Big Howdy and Penny. When he visited Hack Kennedy in 1994, Kennedy mentioned that he and his friend Dayward Penny (another reference to the label name) went into partnership to form Penny Records. Dayward Penny was a local country singer, who had recorded for Big Howdy prevsiously.

The formation of Penny Records apparently took place after Kennedy had moved to Picayune. However, when Kennedy sold Big Howdy to Dave, the Penny label was also part of that deal. Dave assumes that Kennedy outbought Dayward Penny at some later point and became the sole owner.

1406 Chateau Cove in Picayune, where Penny Records was located in the 1970s
Source: Google Street View

Picayune country disc jockey B.J. Johnson ("B.J. the D.J.") also penned some of the songs released on the label and more than likely had a hand in the label, too. Johnson had recorded for Big Howdy and was partner with Hack Kennedy in their Angie Sound Studio in Angie, Louisiana, where many of the Big Howdy recordings took place. It is my understanding that Kennedy and Johnson built Precision after Kennedy's move to Picayune.

The Precision Recording Studio had its life of its own. While many of the Penny releases were recorded there, the studio served as an outlet for other local labels throughout the 1970s. The discs were mainly pressed by Atwell Record Pressing in Lafayette, Tennessee (including the Penny releases). B.J. Johnson, who appears as the songwriter on some Penny productions, also produced records at the Precision studio.

Discography

Label No.#	Artist Credit	A / B side	Date
103	Wayne Morse	Don’t Hide Your Heart / Pull Down the Blind’s Momma
104
105	Joe Brady	You’re the Reason I’m Leaving / You Were Only Fooling
106	Jerry Evans	Go on Home / Your Old Standby
107	Harvey Mansfield	Keep That Country Music Playing / You Destroyed My Life
108
109
110
111	Jerry Evans	Catch the Wind / I’m Walking the Dog	1972
112
113
114
115	E.J. Saucier	Mr. Warden / Little Girl	1972
126	Spectrum	Forever and Always / Made for Me	1973
126	Country Comfort feat. Bobby Boyles	Words / Got You On My Mind	1974
127	Johnnie Kirk	Wicked Women / Big Bad Stuff	1974
128	Gwen Bush	If You Got Leaving On Your Mind / I Don’t Want to Live (Without His Love)	1974
129
130	Billy Mulkey	Give Me Freedom / Let’s Fight	1975
131	Tommy Gray	Broken Heart Repairman / ?
177	Patty Mason and the Slade Gang	Constantly / Hickory Hollar’s Tramp
178	Cleat Wooley	That’s Why I’m Walking / You Can’t Stop the Rain from Falling	1971
201	Jerry Evans	Green, Green Grass of Home / Rhythm of the Rain	1975

See also
• Big Howdy Records
• Vern Pullens
• The Pearl River Valley Jamboree

Sources
• Thanks to Dave Travis for sharing his recollections and knowledge with me.
• 45cat entry
• Discord entries for Penny Records and Precision Sound Studio
• Locals Only