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| Look at Central Avenue in Hot Springs, Arkansas, ca. 1962 |
Greetings from Hot Springs National Park
The Story of John Roddie's SPA Records
SPA Records was based in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and was connected (or probably owned) by John Roddie, an entrepreneur and song publisher originally from Mississippi but who had lived in Hot Springs for years by the advent of the 1960s. He owned a publishing firm that was variously called "Roddie-Miller Music Pub. Company" or "Roddie Music Pub. Company". SPA was likely his first label, which was established in late 1960 with the debut release by local Hot Springs country singer Leo Castleberry, who dabbled in rock'n'roll with "Teenage Blues" b/w "Come Back to Me" (SPA #100-10).
Between 1960 and at least 1964, the label released several discs of various musical genres. There was more rockabilly (Lafay Hawkins), country music (Eddie Bond), instrumental rock'n'roll (Johnny Hughey, who was probably steel guitarist John Hughey), and pop music (Adrain Loraine, among others). Opal Winstead and H. Lindemanis were two of the regular songwriters for the label, as their songs were recorded by a string of SPA recording artists. Noteworthy, many of Roddie's composers were women: Winstead, Dahwiss Meiszinger, Frances Adickes, and his wife Bonnie Roddie.
There was also a subsidiary label called Caesar, which was used only infrequently, however. Only two releases are known to exist on the Caesar imprint (one dated as late as 1970).
The last known release on SPA is from 1964. John Roddie had founded a second label, United Southern Artists, in 1961, which had a greater output but focused on country and rock'n'roll music. This label came to an end in 1964, too. John Roddie died in 1980.
Discography
SPA
100-10: Leo Castleberry - Teenage Blues / Come Back to Me (1960)
25-1001: Eddie Bond - Only One More Minute / I Walk Alone (1960)
25-1002:
25-1003:
25-1004: Johnny Hughey - The Crawl / Last Date (1961)
25-1005:
25-1006: Ersel Standridge - Khruschev's Call to Satan / Story of My Life (1962)
25-1007:
25-1008: Sammy Marshall - Kiss Me Good-Bye Tomorrow / John Greer - (Oh, Ho, Ho) Heartaches (1963)
25-1009:
25-1010:
25-1011:
25-1012: "Wishy" Washburn and his Carolina Cool Cats - Cool Cat from Carolina / Simple Simon / Little Laurie Little - Come Get Me Johnny / Beverly Bronte' - Golden Hour of Love (1963)
25-1013:
25-1014: Eddie Bond and Dahwiss and her Dixie Drifters - Buffalo Trace / Nobody's Darling (1963)
25-1015: "Wishy" Washborn - Perfect Fool / Beverly Bronte' - Love Is Such a Little Word / Mama Lady - Dear Lord and Santa Claus / Biddle (Bo) Beep (1963)
25-1016: Adrain Loraine - The Serviceman's Dream / Cottage in the Lane / Lafay Hawkins - I Never Had a Girl / Adrain Loraine - I Want a Trailer (1964)
25-1017:
25-1018:
Caesar
25-101: Lafay Hawkins - Let's Be Happy Tonight / Just for Tonight (1961)
25-1025: Don Ange and the Melody Men - My Pet Gorilla / "Wishy" Washman and Orchestra - Miami Blues (1970)
See also
Sources
• 45cat entries for SPA Records and Caesar Records
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