Gene Champlin - Amanda

Gene Champlin - Amanda (No label #SPS-5018)

One of the visitors asked for Gene Champlin's version of "Amanda" due to my recent post on him. The original post contained his cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain".

Madison County Record July 14, 1977

Written by Nashville songwriter Bob McDill, "Amanda" was first recorded by country singer Don Williams, whose version was released in April 1973 on the JMI label (for which McDill also recorded). It peaked at #33 on Billboard's Country singles chart as the flip side of Williams' hit "Come Early Morning". Waylon Jennings recorded "Amanda" the following year and it appeared on his album "Ramblin' Man" but was not released at the time as a single.

It was not until 1979 that "Amanda", now edited with overdubs, that Jennings' version reappeared on a greatest hits album and saw release on single as well. It became a smash #1 country hit for him that year in the US and in Canada. It also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100 at #54.

There were a few cover version by no-name artists, too, but the song was been recorded by surprisingly few artists. One of those was Gene Champlin.

Don Williams singing "Amanda" in 1979 on TV

See also

• Gene Champlin

Sources

• Wikipedia entry

• 45cat entries for Don Williams version and Waylon Jennings version

The Tragic Case of Misty Bonner alias Barbara Kelly

The Tragic Case of Misty Bonner alias Barbara Kelly

Many collectors and researchers believed for years that Misty Bonner was a pseudonym for Bobby Lee Trammell. This was due to the facts that both songs she recorded were actually written by Trammell and that she recorded those for Atlanta Records, a label that otherwise released only Trammell material. It added to the thesis that she sounded like Trammell's voice pitched high enough to sound like a female singer. But it was not. Misty Bonner was a real person and her case is one of the most tragic and intriguing I ever found.

Misty Bonner alias Barbara Kelly was born Bobbie Lee Bonner on September 10, 1946, to George Hargrove, Jr., and Beverly Bonner. She was born and grew up in the small town of Gillett, Central-East Arkansas. The family had to bear a tragic loss when Bonner's younger brother George Hargrove III died as an infant in 1952. Singing was an early interest of Bonner and she gained experiences in local church groups and her high school Glee Club. 

Around 1962, Bonner got acquainted with rockabilly singer Bobby Lee Trammell, who had written two songs, "I Can't Sit Still" and "Watch Me Do the Twist". In the spring of that year, Trammell had a hit with "Arkansas Twist" on Joe Lee' Alley Records and it is likely that he set up a session for Bonner at Lee's studio in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She recorded both songs much in the style of Trammell's own recordings: non-sense, stomping and roaring rock'n'roll. The songs were released on Wayne McGinnis' Atlanta record label as the debut single (#1500, approx. fall 1962).

McGinnis, who also hailed from Northeast Arkansas and had recently set up his own recording company Santo Records, signed Bonner to a recording contract and there were certainly plans to release her material on one of his labels. Though sessions were scheduled in Memphis, nothing came of it in the end and Bonner was left without a second release by the mid of the 1960s.

By January 1965, Bonner's family had moved to Santa Cruz, California, where she continued her singing career. Following some show dates around town she performed several times in Las Vegas and ended up singing dixieland jazz regularly in Dick O'Kane's "The Warehouse" night club on Monterey's Cannery Row. The leader of the club's house band, the Warehousemen, had discovered her during one of her performances at Big Al's Gashouse in 1966 and signed her on the spot. It was at that time that she began appearing as "Barbara Kelly". With the Warehousemen and other groups she also appeared on other events such as the Monterey Dixieland Jazz Festival. Besides her performing career, Bonner was attending Monterey Institute of International Studies.

She had been married to Martin Theodore Oberto for a very brief time in 1971 and married Michael Simeone the following year. Her siblings got some public attention as her brother Greg was known as a talented surfer in Santa Cruz and her sister Joy who also sang.

Bonner opened up her own nigh club on Cannery Row in 1974, which was open to the public for a brief time, however. She continued to perform at the Warehouse until 1977, when she moved to the Los Angeles area, and moved in with her sister Joy in Whittier. She wanted to to take her career to a higher level. However, she reportedly performed on a cruise ship as remembered by one of the Warehouse's regular attendees. She also performed on several TV shows, including frequently on KABC-TV's "Hurdy Gurdy Show" and "The Gong Show".

Her life found a tragic and way too soon end. On October 20, 1977, Bobbie Lee Bonner was murdered in the laundry room of her apartment complex. A local newspaper wrote: "Police said that on Wednesday, Miss Kelly, who had been staying at her sisters's apartment in Whittier, went to the apartment complex garage area to do the laundry. Apartment complex residents reported hearing a loud noise and went to the garage area where they found Miss Kelly lying on the garage floor. A young man was seeing fleeing the area." Tragically, her case was never solved and it is still one of those "cold cases" that gains attention from time to time.

Discography

Singles
Atlanta 1500: Misty Bonner - I Can't Sit Still / Watch Me Do the Twist (1962)

Albums
Fly-By-Nite No.#: Barbara Kelly and the Warehousemen - Exporse Yourself! To the Music of

Sources

• Find a Grave entry

• City-Data (Memories of the Warehouse) 

• Barbara Kelly Cold Case Facebook page 

• Rockin' Country Style entry

• Expose Yourself To the Music of Barbara Kelly and the Warehousemen (YouTube)

Gene Champlin

Gene Champlin - The Early Mornin' Rain (No label #SPS-5018)

Gene Champlin was from the Fayetteville, Arkansas, area and a local singer active in the 1970s and 1980s. According to local Fayetteville DJ Bill Banner, who wrote the liner notes to Champlin's debut album, his first record was not a serious approach at the music business but, as Banner put it, more of a "joke". The single comprised "Early Morning Rain", the popular Gordon Lightfoot song, plus a version of "Amanda", which was a hit for Don Williams in 1973 and for Waylon Jennings in 1979. This sets the time frame of Champlin's records: these were probably recorded at some point between 1973 and 1979.

Both songs were put out by Champlin on his own private label and soon, "Amanda" became a favorite on local radio station KFAY (where Bill Banner was working). The record obviously caught people in other areas as well, as my copy comes from the estate of radio KLSZ in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The good reaction resulted in Champlin's first album, "Teardrops", which was released on the Lookout label, which was probably also his own venture. Another single was released off of that album featuring the Bill Banner compositions "Walls of Sorrow" and the album title track "Teardrops".

In the 1980s, Champlin performed under the name "Hambo Latham" and recorded several singles for the BOC and History labels in addition to an album on BOC entitled "Hambo in a Plain Brown Wrapper". Unfortunately, it escapes me what happens to Champlin after the 1980s.

Sources

• Discogs entries for Hambo Latham and Gene Champlin

• 45cat entry for Hambo Latham

KTHS & KAAY - Hot Springs and Little Rock, Arkansas

Little Rock, Arkansas, in the 1950s. The KTHS building on the far right

Kome to Hot Springs / The Mighty KAAY

The Split History of KTHS / KAAY in Hot Springs and Little Rock

One of the most powerful radio stations in Arkansas was KAAY. The story of this station began in 1924, when the station signed on the air as KTHS ("Kome to Hot Springs") in Hot Springs, Arkansas. In the early 1930s, the it became a 10,000 watt station, sending its signal clear to the state capital Little Rock as well. KTHS was the founding station of the "Lum & Abner" show, which started in 1932.

KTHS was a NBC Blue network affiliate and continued to be part of the network even after 1945, when it was renamed ABC. The station was operated by the local Chamber of Commerce until 1942, when it was sold to Radio Broadcast, Inc. from Shreveport, Louisiana, making it a sister station to KWKH. Shortly after it changed owners, KTHS became a 50,000 watt station and was moved to Little Rock in 1943, though it stuck with its call letters.

The station featured a lot of country music programming, featuring such artists as Leo Castleberry, Tommy Trent, the Shelby Cooper and the Dixie Mountaineers, the Haley Family, Jack Hunt, or the Melody Boys. In the 1930s, the station had its Country Store stage show and in the early 1950s, the station carried KWKH's Louisiana Hayride.

Cast of the KTHS Country Store, presumably the station's 1930s live stage country show.
If anyone has more information on this program, feel free to leave a comment!

The station introduced KTHV as its televison station in 1955 but in 1962, both stations were sold to different new owners. Call letters of KTHS were changed to KAAY and was turned into a top 40 station, abandoning the country music and its local programming. After 11 pm, the station featured programs that played progressive pop and rock music, making it an underground favorite among young listeners. It was especially "Beaker Street" hosted by Clyde Clifford that became extremely popular not only in Arkansas but in different states of the Mid-West, Mississippi Valley, and as far as Cuba. Other DJs at that time included Rock Robbins, Charlie "King" Scarbrough, A.J. "Doc Holiday" Lindsey, and others.

The station was sold once more in 1975 to Multimedia Radio and in the 1980s, changed to religious programming, which it continues to this day. Citadel Broadcasting announced the purchase of the station in 1997 with the official purchase taking place in November 1998. Citadel became Cumulus Media in 2011.

See also

• Tommy Trent - Little Rock's Forgotten Star

Sources

• Thomas Harold Riggs Find a Grave entry (Rock Robbins)

• Doc Holiday obituary

• KAAY 1090 blog and The Mighty KAAY blog

• Wikipedia entry

James Fred Williams

James Fred Williams

The Spiritual Ambassador of Southwest Arkansas

James Fred Williams is an Arkansas based gospel singer and minister that has been around on the music scene for more than six decades. He has recorded at least four different discs, including a gospel EP for United Southern Artists in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1963, and two more platters for Curtis Kirk on his Tyler, Texas, based Custom label, in the 1970s. Recently, my southwest Arkansas correspondent Mark Keith interviewed Williams via telephone so European roots music fans now can learn of this artist.

James Fred Williams was born in 1940 in Magnolia, Arkansas. He remembers that radio played a major role in shaping his music taste. He would place his ear near the radio to listen closely to gospel music. It was of course gospel music and nothing else but gospel that became Williams' sole influence. Naturally, his first public appearance was in a little country Baptist church south of Magnolia and later on, he would sing in a choir as well.

Williams could be also heard on local radio throughout the years, including on KMSL (which later evolved into KZHE), where he had a Sunday evening show. Mark Keith worked at that station, too, and recalls: "He'd come on playing "Standing by the Bedside of a Neighbor" and when the instrumental break came on, he'd come in and talk over it and welcome people. He has a beautiful speaking voice and sounded so warm and friendly."

The Hope Star, January 19, 1963

Williams' first record came in 1963 for the Hot Springs based United Southern Artists label. He remembers that it was Carl Friend, the label's A&R manager, who organized the deal. Williams recorded four songs during a session in Hot Springs that were released on an EP record by the label. Two more records came into existence when Williams came in touch with Curtis Kirk, who had a studio and record label in Tyler, Texas. Four songs were recorded in Tyler and on that particular session, he was accompanied by the Ambassadors of Sweetwater, Louisiana. Kirk released them on his Custom label and Williams distributed those two releases to radio stations in Magnolia, Sweetwater, Shreveport, and Houston, among others.

A special record came along in 1979, when Williams cut his own "Stay with Me Jesus" backed by Brother Eli Taylor on organ. It was re-released the next year on the Love label. Original copies are nowadays quite worthy and sought after.

Williams still works as a minister in the Magnolia, Arkansas, area and does church programs. Mark Keith conducted an telephone interview with him in January 2025 which was the main source for this text.

Discography

United Southern GLP 101: James Fred Williams - Hold On to God's Unchanging Hand / Stay with Me Jesus / I Need the Lord / Every Child of God (1963)
Custom 185: James Fred Williams - If You've Got Jesus / I Feel the Spirit
Custom 191: James Fred Williams - He Will Take Care of His Own / Thank You Lord
No label No.#: Dea James Fred Williams - Stay with Me Jesus / God Is Taking Care (1979)
Love 3607: Dea. James Williams - Stay with Me Jesus / God Is Taking Care (1980) 

Sources

• 45cat
• Discogs [1] and [2]

• Thanks to Mark Keith for sharing his memories and providing information on James Fred Williams and interviewing him at my urging.

Leon Fulgham & the Dealers on Bejay

Leon Fulgham & the Dealers - Poor Boy (Bejay 82479), 1979

Leon Fulgham's band, the Dealers, was founded in the late 1970s. Fulgham was a native of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and came from a large family. He worked as a used car dealer and operated Fulgham Used Car Center in Fort Smith. He played music with friends for years until he put together his own band, the Dealers. He was also known as the "Singing Car Dealer".

The band consisted of Fulgham on rhythm guitar, bass, and lead vocals, Harold Van on steel guitar, Louis Lyles on vocals, lead guitar and fiddle, Ramona Lyles on bass, piano, and vocals, and Billy Wise on drums. Occasionally, Fulgham's wife Maxine appeared with the band on vocals. All of the members were said to hail from the Fort Smith area.

Leon Fulgham and the Dealers, 1979
(taken from the band's LP "First Time Around")

In 1979, Fulgham and the Dealers went into Ben Jack's recording studio in Fort Smith to cut eleven songs. They probably performed those songs frequently at their shows and included a good cover of Jimmie Martin's bluegrass tune "Free Born Man", the bluesy "Poor Boy", or "The Devil and the Cowboy". All eleven songs were issued on the Bejay LP "First Time Around" and those last two songs, which were Fulgham's own compositions, were also released on a 45rpm disc by Bejay the same year.

Although many of his siblings already passed away, it seems that Leon Fulgham is still alive. His used car dealership has been closed down, as far as I can tell.

If somebody has more information on Leon Fulgham, please leave a comment or send me an e-mail through the formula at the top right of this website.

See also
• Ben Jack on Bejay
• Bobby Whittaker on Bejay
• Red Yeager on Bejay
• David & Darlene Robinson on Bejay

Sources
• Discogs
• 45cat entry
• Jimmy Fulgham Find a Grave entry

Walter (Arkie) Bittle

Walter "Arkie" Bittle & the Flying Saucers

Arkansas Country Boys Went Rock'n'Roll in Indiana

Many Arkansans moved west in the 1930s and 1940s, many moved east to Memphis in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s but few musicians moved to the northern states during that period. Walter Bittle was one of them. He lived in Indiana in the 1950s, where he cut a rare and little known rockabilly gem, "Jitterbug Drag". Like so many fellow rockabillies, Bittle later abandoned secular music and turned to the gospel.

Walter Thomas "W.T." Bittle, also known as Arkie Bittle or Reverend Walter Bittle, was born on January 13, 1931, in Prim, Arkansas, a rural area north of Heber Springs near Greers Ferry Lake. His parents, H. Gordon and Blanche D. Bittle, also gave birth to two daughters Georgia and Wanda as well as another son in 1935, Bittle's brother Loy Emery. At that time, the family was residing in an isolated place called Woodrow down the road from Prim.

Life was hard in the 1930s for rural Arkansans and Bittle worked on the farm and in the timber industry very early on. However, music was his passion and he learned to play guitar as a child. Bittle enjoyed playing and singing with family and friends; country and gospel music were likely his main influences. At age 17, he and his brother-in-law Wayne Harlan took part in a talent contest in Heber Springs and won.

By the advent of the 1950s, Walter and Loy Bittle were working with guitarist Glynn Hipp, who was also born in Woodrow but already in 1927, and played clubs along Highway 67, today known as the Rock and Roll Highway. They performed at such venues as the Oasis and the Wagon Wheel. Bittle joined the US Marine Corps in 1952 and served his country during the Korean War. Upon his discharge around 1954, Bittle took up music again with brother Loy and Hipp. They moved north to the Marion, Indiana, area, possibly in search of better working and living conditions than what they were used to in the rural South. On the personal side, he married Esther Shook in October 1954 in Marion.

Billboard September 17, 1955

Although they had started as a country music trio, Rock'n'Roll was the thing by then and naturally, the trio began performing in that style. Later in 1955, Bittle had assembled a band known as the "Sunny Slope Boys" and this group was heard over WMRI in Marion, Indiana, and the station's "Hoosier Barn Dance". The group also played on TV and in several local clubs. A year later, the Sunny Slope Boys had morphed into the Flying Saucers, adapting a more popular name for rock'n'roll audiences. By then, Loy Bittle had dropped out of the act. The group included Arkie Bittle on vocals and rhythm guitar, Hipp on lead guitar, Ray Smith on bass, and Bobby Johns on drums.

Arkie Bittle and Glynn Hipp, mid 1950s
(taken from the front cover of Collector CLCD 4495)

In 1956, Claud J. Nash, Sr., set up his own independent record label, Claudra Records, and Bittle and his group were the first to record for it. Hipp had written a rockabilly piece called "Jitterbug Drag" and together with Nash's song "I Kissed You in a Dream", was recorded under primitive circumstances as the songs sound like being cut in a kitchen. Nash released them on Claudra #CL-200 in 1956.

A second disc appeared the following year featuring "Teen Age Blues" and "Glynns Hopp", both composed by Hipp. While the A side was a vocal number sung by Bittle, the B side showcased Hipps skills on the guitar. It seems that Hipp was the driving force of the band - he was not only a talented guitarist but also wrote most of the song material. In addition, some  band members of the Flying Saucers also played on other Claudra releases.

In 1958, Bittle dropped out of the group as he became a born again Christian. Hipp took over the band and renamed it "The Jokers", which later also included Larry Kinser on vocals and Harry Miracle on vocals and guitar. The band continued to perform well into the 1960s and had two records out - one on Claudra and another one on Cliff Ayers' Lincoln label from Fort Wayne (Ayers also owned the Emerald label that released several rock'n'roll discs).

In the meantime, Bittle had begun preaching in Indiana churches and the 1960s saw Loy Bittle becoming a converted Christian as well. Loy became a deacon at Marion General Baptist Church in Marion in 1964 until his return to Arkansas. Walter Bittle returned to Heber Springs as well, where he established Sunny Slope Church in the 1960s. Loy began his work as a deacon there in 1968. In 1973, Walter Bittle received a theological degree from the Oakland City University of Indiana. Bittle also claimed to have written the song "I Hold a Clear Title to a Mansion", although different sources suggest this gospel hymn dates back to the early 20th century. He also claimed to have a recording of his (first) version and that the song was stolen from him. Bittle tried to regain the legal rights to no avail. The song has been recorded under different titles by several gospel artists.

Dutch collector Cees Klop gathered a couple of Glynn Hipp recordings and released those on his White Label and Collector reissue albums, beginning in the early 2000s. Also "Jitterbug Drag" was released on a few European CD reissues in the 2000s, probably unbeknownst to Bittle.

Walter Bittle passed away on October 21, 2016, at the age of 85 years. His brother Loy died a few years later in 2021. Glynn Hipp stayed in Indiana, where he already passed away in 1995 at the age of 67 years.

Sources

• Find a Grave Entries for Walter Thomas Bittle and for Glynn Hipp as well as for Claude Jackson Nash, Sr. and Claud Jackson Nash, Jr.

• Rockin' Country Style Entries for Walter Arkie Bittle and for Glynn Hipp

• 45cat entry

• Claudra Records on Discogs

• Obituary

• Clear Title to a Mansion (Bluegrass Messengers)

• Robert Cochran: "Our Own Sweet Sounds - A Celebration of Popular Music in Arkansas" (University of Arkansas Press), 2005, page 53

Johnny Hughes on UBC

Johnny Hughes - Pretty Little Girl (UBC 1017), 1960

Pre-teenage Johnny Hughes cut three records for the Fort Smith, Arkansas, based UBC label in 1960 and 1961. We feature his debut release from December 1960, "Johnny Blue" b/w "Pretty Little Girl". The exact artist credit on this disc reads "(12 Year Old) Johnny Hughes", which places his birth date around 1948.

And indeed, further research substantiated this date. John Lee Hughes was born October 23, 1948, in Midwest City, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City. He was born to Floyd A. and Thyra Juanita Hughes and had a couple of siblings. The family later moved to the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Oklahoma City, where Hughes started his career as a singer. He attended several music schools to train his voice and also took up the guitar.

By 1959, Hughes began making appearances in the city and surrounding areas and his mother Juanita began acting as his manager. A year later, Hughes was popular enough that UBC Records from Fort Smith, Arkansas, became interested in the young boy and signed a recording contract with him. Hughes' recordings for UBC were teenage rock'n'roll and aimed at the flourishing teen market, although he was likely a bit too young for that target group. His debut session was likely cut in Oklahoma City, as Bobby Boyd, who also owned the Boyd label there, produced today's disc. "Johnny Blue" b/w "Pretty Little Girl" was released at the tail end of 1960 and according to former radio KOMA's Wax Museum curator Larry Neal, "Johnny Blue" became a local hit in Oklahoma City. 

Johnny Hughes in 1963

UBC had possibly high hopes to build Hughes as a kiddie star. After his debut, UBC also released "After Tonight" b/w "Junior High Doll", which was recorded in Nashville with the Jordanaires, and "Doll Baby" b/w "Grounded", both in 1961. Some of Hughes recordings were written by some of the top names in the business. For example, "Johnny Blue" was penned by Jerry Crutchfield and Gerald Nelson, and "Junior High Doll" was composed by Mae Axton (co-author of "Heartbreak Hotel") and Lew Williams (rockabilly recording artist for Imperial).

Billboard May 22, 1961, pop review

UBC had possibly high hopes to build Hughes as a kiddie star. Although "Junior High Doll" became another strong seller in Oklahoma City, Hughes' records never brought him the desired breakthrough and he was dropped from the UBC roster soon after. He teamed up with another young singer, Debbie Ray, who also hailed from Midwest City, and appeared with her on several occasions in the region. Hughes' mother organized an audition at Rainbow Studios in Hollywood, California, and a contract was signed for a session in 1963, although no records are known to have been released.

Hughes remained in the music business and led a band known as the Fender Benders from 1965 up to 1968. This group played extensively across the state of Oklahoma. He later worked as a trim carpenter but unfortunately, it escapes me what Hughes did music-wise after the 1960s. Johnny Hughes passed away May 7, 2004, at the age of 55 years in Norman, Oklahoma.

If you have more information on Johnny Hughes, please feel free to leave a comment or share your memories via e-mail with us.

Discography

UBC 1017/18: (12 Year Old) Johnny Hughes - Johnny Blue / Pretty Little Girl (December 1960)
UBC 1024: Johnny Hughes - After Tonight / Junior High Doll (May 1961)
UBC 1034: Johnny Hughes - Doll Baby / Grounded (1961)

Sources

• Find a Grave entry
• 45cat entry

• Johnny Hughes - Junior High Doll YouTube video (info in comment section)

Johnny Mystery on Tagg

Johnny Mystery and the Phantoms - The Big Deal (Tagg 6402), 1964

There is neither substantial info available on Johnny Mystery and his band, the Phantoms, nor on Tagg Records from the small town of Plainview, Arkansas. The city is located roughly halfway between Little Rock and Fort Smith in the forested hills of Yell County. It was a growing city in the early 20th century thanks to the lumber industry but once the sawmill was closed, its population declined and Plainview suffered from different problems.

The Tagg label had several releases out in 1964 by different artists (and always different producers) as well as one more release in 1965. The artists seem to be local as I could not find any info on most of them either. It is noteworthy to mention that Memphis country music stalwart Eddie Bond had two releases on Tagg, including his version of the blues standard "Big Boss Man".

"The Big Deal" was written by producer Bob Scheick, while the flip side was penned by the team of Newhart and Johnson, who were possibly members of the Phantoms. The Phantoms also accompanied Tagg recording artist Skip Haston, who recorded another Newhart-Johnson song, "Ozark Waltz" (its flip, "Skip's Boogie" was reissued on Collector Records "Wild Rock & Roll Instrumentals" CD). This disc was produced by Haston. Other producers on the label included Oklahoma DJ Bob LaFitte (producing his own release), Arkansas born musician James D. Hastings and Pappy Goodman.

Fellow blogger and music collector Bob gave me a hint that the Tagg label probably featured the involvement of Arkansas DJ Vernon H. Stewart (1927-1981), who recorded for different labels between 1958-1974, including for Carl Blankenship's Razorback label. However, details sadly escape us on his involvement.

If someone has more information on Tagg Records or Johnny Mystery, please feel free to either leave a comment or contact me via the e-mail formula.

See also

• Tagg Records discography on Arkansas 45rpm Records

Sources

• Discogs

• Rockin' Country Style entry

• Tagg Records 45cat entry

• Bob LaFitte Find a Grave entry

• James D. Hastings obituary
• Thanks to Bob

Carolina Cotton & Bob Wills on MGM

Carolina Cotton with Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys - Three Miles South of Cash in Arkansas (MGM 11288), 1952

A versatile entertainer, Carolina Cotton was active in various fields of the business, being an actor, a singer and musician, a rodeo rider, and much more. She was raised in Northeast Arkansas and one of her most famous songs, though she never reached the charts, was "3 Miles South of Cash in Arkansas", covered her upbringing in this area. She was known to have various nicknames, including the "Yodeling Blonde Bombshell".

She was born Helen Hagstrom on October 20, 1925, in Cash, Arkansas, to Fred and Helen Hagstrom, who had a farm outside of Cash, raising cotton and peanuts. Cash was a small village with less than 200 habitants, located just west of Jonesboro. It was a hard life and the Great Depression made it even harder, therefore father Fred moved his family to San Francisco, California, in 1937.

Hagstrom began her career by appearing in traveling stage shows, including the O'Neille Sisters Kiddie Revue. She regularly watched shows by Dude Martin and his Roundup Gang on KYA. Martin, a local Bay Area country music performer, asked her to join his group, after the band's yodeler left and Hagstrom came in as a replacement - although she had never yodeled before. It was at that time that Hagstrom was named Carolina by Martin. The yodeling became one of her signatures.

Her next career step came when she met songwriter Johnny Marvin while picking up costumes in Hollywood. Marvin soon after offered a role in the film "Sing, Neighbor, Sing" with Roy Acuff, which Hagstrom accepted. She made the move to Hollywood in 1944 and began a career as an actor, appearing in various B western movies along such stars as Ken Curtis, Eddy Arnold, and Gene Autry throughout the 1940s and early 1950s.

1944 Billboard ad for Spade Cooley,
incl. Carolina Cotton

Musically, she placed herself in the western swing genre rather than in  western and cowboy music like fellow actors such as Autry (though both styles are very contiguous). She joined Spade Cooley's western swing orchestra in 1944 as a vocalist and a year later, married orchestra member Deuce Spriggins. They left Cooley and formed their own group, performing at the Western Palisades Saloon, making appearances in four movies and even recording for Mercury. Though, after only three months, it came apparent that the marriage won't last and they divorced in 1946.

Carolina Cotton in the studio, likely 1940s

By then, Hagstrom had received her full stage name "Carolina Cotton", either due to Cooley or west coast DJ Cottonseed Clark. She signed with King Records in 1946, having two singles released, including her self-written "3 Miles South of Cash in Arkansas". She then recorded for Crystal and Mastertone and finally, beginning in 1950, for MGM.

Through the second part of the 1940s, she regularly performed with such acts as Hank Penny in 1946 (whose band backed her up for King), and with Bob Wills' Texas Playboys in 1947. She also guested on various radio and television shows, including the Hoffman Hayride, KMPC Country Carnival Barn Dance, KLAC-TV's Ranch Time and KTLA-TV's Sunset Ranch, among others. She also hosted her own DJ show on KGER in Los Angeles.

During her two-years stint with MGM, she recorded two sessions, one in Nashville and one in Hollywood. It was on her second session on September 17, 1951, at Radio Recorders in Hollywood that she was backed up by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, recording five songs, including a remake of "Three Miles South of Cash (in Arkansas)". It saw release on MGM #11288 around July 1952 with "I'm All Alone" on the flip side but did not reach the charts. It was her second to last MGM disc, followed by "Boo Hoo Blues" b/w "Yodel, Yodel, Yodel" (#11329) a few months later. Though she had a rather sporadically recording career in commercial terms, Hagstrom left behind a wealth of recordings, consisting also of radio and TV transcriptions as well as movie soundtracks.

August 2, 1952, Billboard folk review

She made her last movie appearances in 1952 in "Blue Canadian Rockies" and "Apache Country" with Gene Autry. During the first half of the 1950s, Hagstrom did various USO tours, entertaining troops in Europe, Korea, and other countries. She was also part of various AFRS radio transcriptions for overseas troop entertainment, including her own show "Carolina Cotton Calls". While being on her last USO in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1956, she visited children hospitals and decided to work for the future of the disabled and poor, if she would ever get out of show business.

By the mid 1950s, western swing and B western movies had gotten out of fashion and Hagstrom ceased her appearances. She married musician Bill Ates in 1956, with whom she had two children but they had divorced by the early 1960s. Although she would appear at rodeos, parades, western film festivals, and other special events throughout the years, she went into education, earning a masters degree, and worked as a teacher for the next decades. She moved to Bakersfield in the 1970s.

In 1994, Hagstrom was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer and retired in March 1997 from her work as a teacher, spending her last months in hospital. Helen Hagstrom alias Carolina Cotton passed away on June 10, 1997, at the age of 71 years.

Her daughter Sharon keeps her legacy alive, running a website and Facebook fan page in memory of her mother. German Cattle Records released two albums with Hagstrom's recordings, 1993's "I Love to Yodel" and 2003's "Yodel, Yodel, Yodel". In the 2000s, Kit Fox Records released three volumes of her recordings entitled "Yodeling Blonde Bombshell", also including many of her non-commercial transcriptions and radio recordings.

Discography

King 572: Carolina Cotton - Three Miles South of Cash (In Arkansas) / Singing on the Trail (1946)
Crystal 157: Carolina Cotton - You've Got Me Wrapped Around Your Finger / Chime Bells (1948)
King 816: Carolina Cotton - Mocking Bird Yodel / I Love to Yodel (1949)
Mastertone: Carolina Cotton - Put Your Shoes on Lucy / The Hoosegow Serenade (1949)
MGM 10692: Carolina Cotton - You're Getting a Good Girl / Betcha I Getcha (1950)
MGM 10798 Carolina Cotton - Boo Hoo Blues / Lovin' Duckin' Daddy (1950)
MGM 11130: Carolina Cotton with Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys - 'Cause I'm in Love / You Always Keep Me in Hot Water (1951)
MGM 11288: Bob Wills & Carolina Cotton with the Texas Playboys - I'm All Alone / Three Miles South of Cash in Arkansas (1952)
MGM 11329: Carolina Cotton - Nola / Yodel, Yodel, Yodel (1952)

Sources

• Encyclopedia of Arkansas

• International Movie Database entry

• Official Fanpage

• 45worlds/78rpm entry

• Discogs

• Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies entry

Cecil Buffalo on Sho-Boat

Cecil Buffalo and the Prophets - The Big Red (Sho-Boat 102), 1964
Cecil Buffalo was obviously a big football fan, as the majority of his recorded output were football themed. He had a short music career while studying in Little Rock and was associated with J. Paul Scott, who wrote several Arkansas football related songs.

Cecil Miles Buffalo, Jr., was born on November 28, 1944, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Cecil Miles, Sr., and Melba Rose Buffalo. Buffalo had two sisters, Connie Jean and Shearon. In the early 1960s, he enrolled at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and eventually earned an Art degree.

While being a student at UA, Buffalo had a short-lived career in music, as he began recording for local Arkansas labels in 1964. The Arkansas Razorbacks football team was as popular and successful as ever at that time and the same year, Buffalo and a band known as "The Prophets" recorded "The Big Red" (about the Razorbacks' 1964 win over Texas) and "The Wild Hogs". Both songs were written and produced by J. Paul Scott, who was responsible for several Razorbacks themed songs and even a whole Razorbacks album. In fact, Buffalo and the Prophets were present at the actual game, performing another J. Paul Scott song "Jon Brittenum, Quarterbackin' Man".

By then, Buffalo was probably living in Hot Springs, Arkansas. "The Big Red" b/w "The Wild Hogs" were released on the Sho-Boat label (#102), which had ties to the city as well - although I'm not quite sure if the label was actually based in Hot Springs. He had another record out on Marshall E. Ellis' Zone label from Memphis, comprising "Crazy Eyes" and "Don't Hold Your Breath Till I Cry" (#Z-1075, 1964).

Probably the following year, Buffalo recorded one more of Scott's songs, "Razorback Number One", which was coupled with a garage instrumental by a local band called the "Five Sounds". Both recordings were released first by the GalARK label and then by Lakeside Records from Hot Springs. All three of his recordings were also featured on the LP "The Big Red Album" on Bobby Crafford's Razorback label.

It seems that Buffalo maintained music as a sideline and took a day job to earn a living. He later owned Buffalo Oil Company in Hot Springs. I found another mention of him in the 1970 Catalog of Copyrights with his composition "Scooter Joe".

Cecil Buffalo passed away on August 17, 2010, in Hot Springs. He is buried at Edgewood Memorial Park in North Little Rock.

Discography

Sho-Boat 102: Cecil Buffalo and the Prophets - The Big Red / The Wild Hogs (1964)
Zone Z-1075: Cecil Buffalo - Crazy Eyes / Don't Hold Your Breath Till I Cry (1964)
GalARK 2001: Cecil Buffalo and the Prophets - Razorback Number One / The Five Sounds - Clumsy Dragon (ca. 1965)
Lakeside 2001: Cecil Buffalo and the Prophets - Razorback Number One / The Five Sounds - Clumsy Dragon (ca. 1965)
Buffalo BR 809: Cecil Buffalo, Jr. - Rootin' the Razorbacks On / Razorbacks, Razorbacks

Sources

• Discogs

• Arkansas Democrat Gazette: Obituary

• Find a Grave entry

• 45cat entry

• Orville Henry, Jim Bailey: "The Razorbacks: A Story of Arkansas Football" (University of Arkansas Press), 1996, page 222

• George Schroeder: "Hogs! A History" (Fireside), 2005, page 53

Sonny Meador on Meadowbrook

Sonny Meador - Sweetheart, Can't You Hear Me Crying (Meadowbrook MS-1245), unknown year

Here we have some nice bluegrass music from the state of Arkansas. I wouldn't say bluegrass from the Natural State is exceptionally rare but you don't find such a record from that area too often.

Sonny Meador was probably Elmer Lee Meador, who was born on June 24, 1912, in Bluff City, Ouachita County, Arkansas. He married Goldie Barksdale, with whom he had four children. Meador also fought during World War II in the US Navy.

By the time he began to record, he was already in his sixties, as his three 45rpm singles for the Meadowbrook label probably all came from the early 1970s. One disc contained a song entitled "I'm Going Back to Nevada County". Bluff City is part of Nevada County and located in the southwest of Arkansas, which leads me to the conclusion that Meador was strictly a local artist. Meador died May 27, 1996, at Baptist Hospital in Arkadelphia at the age of 83 years. He is buried in his hometown at Bluff City Cemetery.

There was John Merlino's Meadowbrook label from Detroit but I doubt that the label Meador recorded for is the same company. It was rather his own private venture to release his music. I further suspect that two of his records were pressed by Rimrock.

Discography

Meadowbrook 101: Sonny Meadow - Sometimes I Smile / I'm Going Back to Nevada County (1973)
Meadowbrook 1245: Sonny Meador - Too Old to Handle It But It's On My Mind / Sweetheart, Can't You Hear Me Crying
Meadowbrook 1246: Sonny Meador - It's a Mighty Lonesome Road / You Made Me What I Am Today

Sources
• Find a Grave entry
• 45cat entry
• Obituary

Leo Castleberry

Leo Castleberry in the late 1960s
(taken from his Torche LP "Riding the Range for Jesus)

The Star of Hot Springs, Arkansas
The Story of Leo Castleberry

Leo Castleberry was Hot Spring's country music entrepreneur, like there were so many back then in the United States. Memphis had Eddie Bond, Abilene had Slim Willet, Cleveland (Tennessee) had Gene Woods, Little Rock had Tommy Trent - and Hot Springs, Arkansas, had Leo Castleberry.

Leo Alexander Castleberry was born on August 21, 1931, to George W. and Mable A. Castleberry just outside of Hot Springs in the Ouachita Mountains. Castleberry developed a passion for music at an early age but owning a guitar was a distant dream for the poor Castleberry family. A local garden seed company once announced a contest, presenting a violin to the person that sold the most seed. Castleberry took part with determination and won the violin. After some time, his parents bought him a $ 5.00 guitar as they couldn't stand his nightly violin rendition of "Home Sweet Home" anymore. At that time, Castleberry was around twelve years old.

Religion was another strong influence on Castleberry. His grandfather, J.M.S. Merriott, was a traveling preacher and preached the gospel across the hills of Arkansas and eventually, Castleberry and his brother Dale accompanied him on many of his journeys. They rounded out the sermons with singing and guitar playing. Castleberry's deep faith, which was without a doubt shaped by his grandfather, was reflected in the high number of sacred songs he eventually recorded.

He began appearing on local radio stations at the age of 15 years and already had his own show about three years later. He formed the Jessieville Hillbillies while in high school, with whom he also appeared on radio, and after graduating, he started a Sunday morning gospel program in the early 1950s on KTHS that also featured his brothers and members of his future wife's family. They developed into a touring gospel group, playing countless churches in Arkansas and adjacent states.

Castleberry married Opal Whitfield in 1952 and the couple had a total of five sons (of which Bruce unfortunately died as an infant in 1957). His sons Leo Jr., Dennis, Ronnie and Richard ("Ricky") all were musically inclined and later joined his father's music act.

During the 1950s, Castlebery's popularity in and outside of Hot Springs grew. His Sunday morning program was carried by as much as 17 radio stations across the United States. He also appeared on the Grand Ole Opry as well as the Louisiana Hayride and over the years, shared the stage with some of the big names in country music, including Jimmie Davis, George Jones, Billy Grammer, David Houston, Sonny James, Tillman Franks, Slim Whitman, Martha Carson, and several more.

In 1959, Castleberry made his recording debut, a six track sacred material EP (custom pressed by Capitol) that was released on his own Leo label. The disc was credited to the "Leo Castleberry Singers, Hot Springs, Ark." which probably included his family. He followed that release with a rock'n'roll performance, surprisingly, but he jumped on that train a bit too late, it seems. "Teenage Blues" b/w "Come Back to Me" was first released on entrepreneur John Roddie's SPA label in 1960 and then became also the initial release on Roddie's new United Southern Artists label the same year. Castleberry also went on to work as an A&R scout for Roddie and his labels.

It was around that time that Castleberry became active as a business man, establishing Castleberry Riding Stables, Inc., in 1960. He did not only work as an A&R scout but reportedly also had his own recording studio (members of the band "Beau Hannon & the Mint Juleps" remember recording there) and set up more record labels: Torche Recording Company and its subsidiary Castletone Records plus Castletone Publishing, Leo Castleberry Enterprises, and L.A.C. Productions. He released his own music as well as other artists' recordings on both labels. In 1969, he even cut a whole album entitled "Riding the Range for Jesus".

Catalog of Copyright Entries 1976

In the following decades, he continued to work in local radio and TV business (including performing on KBHS and KBLO in Hot Springs  as well as other stationss as late as the 1980s). Castleberry's son Ronnie was a cast member of Hot Springs' Music Mountain Jamboree around the 1980s and 1990s and unfortunately, his son Richard had already died in 1984. Castleberry Riding Stables closed its doors in 2011. Leo Castleberry passed away on June 9, 2016, at the age of 84 years. He is buried at Mountain Valley Cemetery in Mountain Valley near Hot Springs. His wife Opal followed him in 2017.

Discography

45rpm Singles
Leo 10-101: Leo Castleberry Singers - I've Got My One Way Ticket to the Sky / Take My Hand Precious Lord / I'll Tell It Lord Wherever I Go / Way Down Deep in My Soul / Beautiful Life / Oh! What a Friend (1959)
SPA 100-10: Leo Castleberry - Teenage Blues / Come Back to Me (1960)
United Southern Artists 5-101: Leo Castleberry - Teenage Blues / Come Back to Me (1960)
Torche 689C-8373: Leo Lion and the Eagles - I Can't Forget You / Sugar Cane Time / Under the Double Eagle / Why (1964)
Torche 689C-8452: Leo Castleberry with the Plainsmen - My Journey to the Sky / Whatever the Future Holds / ? / ? (1964)
Castletone 689C-2183: AringTones - Great God / Leo Castleberry & Opal with the AringTones - Where Will I Shelter My Sheep / My Lord's So Good to Me / AringTones - Gotta Keep on the Move (1964)
Torche 689 C-4741: Leo Castleberry - Seeing Eye Dog / Bouquet of Roses (1967)

33rpm Albums
Torche 90325: Leo Castleberry with the Plainsmen Quartet - Riding the Range for Jesus (1969)

See also
• United Southern Artists Records
• Sammy Marshall on SPA
• The SPA label
• Music Mountain Jamboree

Sources
• Find a Grave entry
• Obituary
• Opal Castleberry obituary
• Rockin' Country Style and Gospel Jubilee entries
• Discogs

The Five Sounds on Lakeside

The Five Sounds - Clumsy Dragon (Lakeside 2001), 1964
The Five Sounds were an instrumental surf and garage rock band from Hot Springs, Arkansas. Not much is known about this group and I had puzzle together this feature from various snippets available on the internet. Some of the information given came from original Five Sounds bassist John Bostic.

Songwriter, lead guitarist and probably leader of the band was Larry Gill, who was likely William Larry Gill (1947-2020). His obituary stated he was an "accomplished musician", so that is probably our man. Gill was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, but probably lived in Hot Springs by the early 1960s. Other members of the group included Dan McKinney and Mike Nowell on rhythm guitars, John Bostic on bass, and Lynn Morgan on drums. Their manager was Ron Oberlag.

The Five Sounds, not to be confused with the Canadian band of the same name, cut at least two records. They recorded in 1965 for the Majesty label, comprising Gil's compositions "Explosion" and "Emperor Holiday". Strangely, the latter was credited to the "Commandoes with the Commandettes" and not to the band's actual name.

The Five Sounds recorded another song, "Clumsy Dragon", for the GalARK label. The other side was occupied by another group, Cecil Buffalo & the Prophets with their football tribute "Razorback Number One". Both songs were also released on the Hot Springs based Lakeside record label, which released a few singles during the mid 1960s. The Five Sounds release is probably from 1964 and the actual recording session was set up by DJ Doc Holiday at KAAY in Little Rock. The band's manager Ron Oberlag played tambourine on "Clumsy Dragon".

The fact that the Lakeside release exists on two different pressings suggests that it was - at least locally or regionally - a good seller. The Five Sounds enjoyed some regional popularity in the mid 1960s, as they opened for the Beach Boys and the Kingsmen in 1965.

"Clumsy Dragon" was reissued twice in Europe. The first time on Cees Klop's White Label LP "Early Rockin' in Arkansas" in 1989 and a second time on the Buffalo Bop Records CD "Strictly Instrumental, Volume 6" in 2001.

See also

• Lakeside Records discography

• GalARK Records discography

Sources

• 45cat entries for Lakeside Records and Cecil Buffalo

• Discogs entries for the Five Sounds, 

• William Larry Gill obtiuary

• YouTube video of Clumsy Dragon with memories by John Bostic

Little Dippers on University

The Little Dippers - Two By Four (University U-210), 1959

This record is almost forgotten today, although one side, “Forever”, reached #9 on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts in 1960. It was a smash pop hit back then. A bit unusual for this blog as my selections usually come from the American roots music fields.

The Little Dippers were made up of studio musicians Floyd Cramer, Hank Garland, Buddy Harman, Kelso Herston, Bob Moore, and the Anita Kerr Singers. They recorded both “Forever” and the Duane Eddy styled instrumental “Two by Four” in the fall of 1959 in Nashville. The producer of the session and composer of “Forever” was Buddy Killen, a Nashville record producer and publisher who had some connections to an Arkansas business man.

Killen knew Chevrolet car dealer Harold Sadler from Little Rock, who had founded Unirock Music in 1959 to break into the music business. Sadler also operated the University record label and Killen even cut a single under his own name for the label that year and some of the other productions on the label were Killen productions as well. “Forever” and “Two by Four” were produced at the end of a Smilin’ Eddie Hill session for University and released in December 1959 under the name of the “Little Dippers”. The song became a hit early in 1960, reaching #9 in the US and #13 in Canada. It was also released in many other countries, including New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Germany, France, and some more European countries.

Dick Clark contacted Killen and invited the group to perform on his “American Bandstand” show but there was no real group to appear – most of the musicians had responsibilities in Nashville. A touring group was put together for these purposes. Killen and his session band tried to repeat the success with some more Little Dippers productions, two more for University and one more for Dot, but the success could not be repeated. By early 1961, the University label had folded.

A 1960s edition of the Anita Kerr Singers (Kerr on far left)

Sources

• 45cat University Records entry

• "Forever" Wikipedia entry

• Discogs

Wayne Raney on Decca

Wayne Raney - Shake Baby Shake (Decca 9-30212), 1957

We have explored the career of this performer extensively, the legendary Wayne Raney. Raney became known for his harmonica playing, for selling millions of harmonicas, and for his long-lasting association with the Delmore Brothers and King Records. Today’s selection is a lesser known song of his, in fact it’s a rockabilly tune.

Wayne Raney was born on August 17, 1921, in a log cabin on a farm near Wolf Bayou, a tiny place in Cleburne County, north-central Arkansas. By the mid 1930s, Raney had made his way onto Mexican-Texas border radio stations, followed by stints on several other stations across the country. He became acquainted with Lonnie Glosson around that time, which resulted in a lifelong friendship and business association. Both sold millions of harmonicas through their mail-order business.

By the mid 1940s, both were associated with the Delmore Brothers, who became an influential country music act on King Records, combining old-time folk with boogie and blues elements. Raney’s harmonica playing was an avid part of the sound and he recorded countless songs – solo and as a backup musician – at King with the Delmores. His biggest hit came from that era – “Why Don’t You Haul Off and Love Me”.

However, sales began to decline in the 1950s and the Delmores’ act broke up due to Rabon Delmore’s death in 1952. Raney’s contract with King ran out in 1955 and he switched to Decca Records, for which he recorded only one session on December 9, 1956, at Music City Recordings with Hank Garland and Grady Martin on guitars, Owen Bradley on piano, and Bob Moore on bass. Produced by Paul Cohen, the session produced “40th and Plum” and Raney’s rockabilly tryout “Shake Baby Shake”. He had recorded numerous songs with King that were hot country boogies, laying the foundation for rockabilly with these cuts, but „Shake Baby Shake” remained his sole rockabilly effort. It was released on February 1957 on Decca but likely did not sold well enough to keep him on the label.

Billboard February 16, 1957, C&W review

Interestingly, this was Raney’s last outing with hot, sinful secular music. His next session marked a turnaround as it was the first of many sessions that produced gospel music. Raney cut primarily sacred material during the next decades and became somewhat of an antagonist to rock'n'roll, preaching “We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (And a Lot Less Rock’n’Roll)”.

Raney went on to become a record producer, founding a studio in Oxford, Ohio, and the Poor Boy record label in Indiana, followed by his Rimrock studio, pressing plant and label in Concord, Arkansas, which became an institution for many local labels in the south. He did not bother to record garage rock as well at Rimrock, including singles on his son Zyndall, although he had proclaimed the world needed "less rock'n'roll". Raney died in 1993.

See also
• The Poor Boy label
• Wayne Raney - King of the Talking Harmonica
• Wayne Raney's Lost John Boogie

Sources
• 45cat entry
• Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies entry