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

Verna May on Twin Town Productions

Verna May - Mama Call Me Home (Twin Record Productions No.#), ca. 1972
This caught my eye as the label was located in North Miami, Florida. I couldn't come up with any substantial information on Verna May, therefore we focus on the label.

Twin Record Productions was a label active in the 1960s and 1970s. A division of Bill Stith's Trip Universal from North Miami, it was also associated with Stith's "Great World of Sound" (GWS) imprint. Stith was a musician, songwriter, and producer originally from Cincinnati, who was operating several labels and companies during the 1960s and 1970s. He also released a few singles under his own name.

Arranger of this disc was William George "Bud" Reneau, who was a songwriter, producer, and record label owner. Reneau was involved with Stith's business as well as operating his own Saxony label with Paul Trefzger in Cincinnati. He wrote several hit songs and produced/arranged records for Musicor, Nugget, Jamie, among others. Doyle Marsh, who is the co-writer of Verna May's "Mama Call Me Home", often wrote songs with Reneau.

The Twin Record Productions label first came onto the scene in 1968 and had more than 100 releases. It lasted at least until 1973.

Sources
• Discogs
• Bill Stith 45cat entry
• Bud Reneau Discogs entry
• Bud Reneau SecondHandSongs

B. Bumble & the Stingers on Rendezvous

B. Bumble & the Stingers - Apple Knocker (Rendezvous R-179), 1962
I recently acquired a couple of records by B. Bumble & the Stingers. I mainly bought them because of the band's catchy name. I wasn't familiar with neither their story nor their music and for years, I had assumed them to be some kind of a mid-west rock'n'roll band. Little did I know! I was surprised when I found out B. Bumble & the Stingers was the name of an ever-changing line-up of California studio musicians.

B. Bumble & the Stingers was the brainchild of black studio musicians Rene Hall, Earl Palmer, and Plas Johnson. All of them hailed from Louisiana but had relocated to California by then and were busy studio musicians of the early 1960s. Due to their hectic studio schedule, they weren't able to tour but nevertheless opted to release recordings to earn make some money along the way. Their first studio project was a rocked up version of the Glenn Miller classic "In the Mood", which was released as by the Ernie Fields Orchestra on Rendezvous Records in 1959, hitting the #4 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 and it also charted in the R&B field. 

Billboard May 1, 1961

Encouraged by this success, Rene hall came up with the idea of B. Bumble & the Stingers, recording a rock'n'roll version of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's classical piece "The Flight of the Bumble Bee" with probably Hall and Tommy Tedesco on guitar, Ernie Freeman on piano, Plas Johnson on saxophone, Red Callender on bass, and Earl Palmer on drums with Kim Fowley producing the session. The piece was based loosely on Jack Fina's arrangement "Bumble Boogie" from 1947 (which had become a #7 hit credited to Freddy Martin & Orch.). Released early in 1961 as "Bumble Boogie" with "School Day Blues" on the flip (Rendezvous #140), the song made the #21 spot on Billboard's Hot 100. The successful principle to rock up classical pieces was set.

As it became obvious, a touring band was needed to handle gigs and promotional appearances. As none of the studio musicians were available, a teenage band from Ada, Oklahoma was engaged to go on tour. This group comprised Fred Richards, Don Orr on drums and R.C. Gamble, who acted as B. "Billy" Bumble on piano. Later incarnations also included Terry Anderson and Jimmy King on guitars.

Their follow-ups to "Bumble Boogie", again recorded with the same group of session musicians, failed to repeat the success. "Boogie Woogie" b/w "Near You" (Rendezvous #151, June 1961), barely made it to the Hot 100, reaching #89 for just one week. Subsequent releases failed to chart altogether and Rendezvous Records started to lose interest in the project.

Producer Kim Fowley had worked out a rock'n'roll arrangement on Tchaikovsky's "March of the Wooden Soldiers" from the Nutcracker Suite, which he copyrighted. Due to Rendezvous' owner Rod Pierce's lack of interest, Fowley took the piece to H.B. Barnum, a pianist who recorded it with his band on Del Rio Records as "Nut Rocker", credited to "Jack B. Nimble and the Quicks". Rod Pierce got word of that release, thought the "original" B. Bumble & the Stingers could do better, and sensed a hit. The group was called back into the studio (with Ernie Freeman being unavailable due to a hangover and spontaneously replaced by Al Hazan).

Released with "Nautilus" on the flip side in early 1962 (Rendezvous #166), the song became a #23 hit for B. Bumble & the Stingers. It became even more popular in the UK, reaching the top of the charts there on the Stateside label. In the wake of this success, Del Rio re-released the original version through Dot as "The Original Nut Rocker". The touring version of the band flew over to the UK for a tour to promote "Nut Rocker" as well as one of its follow-ups, "Apple Knocker", which went nowhere, however.

Billboard July 14, 1962, spotlight review

Of course, the difference between the studio take and live performances were recognizable due to the different line-ups. The studio musicians were professionals, playing on hundreds of recordings a year, while the live members were not (though they probably weren't bad either). It was, in most cases, Rene Hall, who taught them the arrangements of the songs. Though, a difference was there. B. Bumble & the Stingers played the Cavern Club in Liverpool on October 19, 1962, during their UK tour. Spencer Leigh cited David Boyce, an eyewitness to the group's appearance there, in his book "The Cavern Club": "I remember standing in Frank Hessy's the night B. Bumble & the Stingers were on at the Cavern as they wanted to borrow a double-bass. They were travelling around on trains and they had no equipment with them. The drummer had a snare drum and the pianist played the Cavern piano." Leigh further cited Billy Hatton, another witness: "The most disappointing band I ever saw at the Cavern was B. Bumble & the Stingers, but it wasn't all their fault. They featured a piano on 'Nut Rocker'. There was an old upright piano against the wall at the Cavern and no one had tuned it. It wasn't even miked up. The sound wasn't right and you could tell that they weren't into it. I said to the guitarist: 'Do you want someone to stand by the piano with a microphone?' and he said 'No, he's got such a strong left hand, he'll be all right.' They didn't even have a bass player. [...]" 

Billboard May 22, 1961
This was a fake bio of the band, likely made up by Rendezvous Records for better promotion

A few more recordings were made and released on Rendezvous but none of them reached the charts. The band's last disc was released in November 1962, comprising "Baby Mash" b/w "Night Time Madness" (Rendezvous #192). R.C. Gamble, the "live" B. Bumble, to continued to tour under this name for some time and a few more records appeared, produced by Rod Pierce and Kim Fowley, on such labels as Dymo, Wax, and Triad. It is likely that these recordings were made by studio musicians, although the line-up might have differed from the original studio band. Gamble stopped touring as B. Bumble at some point and eventually worked with bands like Spiro and Cornbread in the eastern Oklahoma area.

"Nut Rocker" unexpectedly had a second career in 1972, when Stateside re-released it and the song went straight to the Top 20 again. UK Ace Records released a CD with the complete output plus unreleased recordings of the band in 1995, entitled "Nut Rockers, Bumble Boogie, Apple Knocker, and all the classics". Some of the original touring equipment, donated by Gamble's family, is now in the possession of the Fort Smith Museum of History in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Recommended reading:

• Ace Records' B. Bumble & the Stingers CD on Bear Family Records
• Facebook Fanpage

Sources

• Blackcat Rockabilly

• Nostalgia Central

• 45cat entry

• Spencer Leigh: The Cavern Club: "The Rise of the Beatles and Merseybeat" (McNidder and Grace), 2015

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

Jimmy Wakely on Decca

Jimmy Wakely - Mississippi Dreamboat (Decca 9-29756), 1955
Jimmy Wakely was a second generation singing cowboy, following the success of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and the Sons of the Pioneers. He made his way to Hollywood in the early 1940s and recorded steadily through that and the following decade. Although he became known as one of the silver screen cowboys and a country music star, his biggest charts successes became pop crossovers like "Slipping Around" (with Margaret Whitting) and the Christmas classic "Silver Bells".

James Clarence "Jimmy" Wakeley was born on February 16, 1914, in the small community of Mineola, western Arkansas. The family moved to Oklahoma at some point and as a teenager, Wakely started playing piano and singing in gospel groups. Following his move to Oklahoma City, he, Johnny Bond, and Scotty Harrell formed the Bell Boys in 1937 (named after their sponsor Bell Clothing) and appeared locally and on radio stations WKY (Oklahoma City) and KVOO (Tulsa).

Jimmy Waley, ca. 1940s

It was Gene Autry who discovered Wakely and the Bell Boys during a tour through Oklahoma and invited the group to join his new radio show, "Melody Ranch". They moved to California and besides his engagement with Autry's show, also signed a recording contract with Decca and started releasing discs in 1940. He and the band, which had changed its name to "Jimmy Wakely Trio" in the meantime, also began playing supporting roles in B western movies in the early 1940s.

In 1944, Wakely signed with Monogram Pictures and starred in a total of 28 westerns between 1944 and 1949. His contract with Decca lasted until 1947, followed by a short stint with Sterling and he then signed with Capitol, where he enjoyed his biggest commercial successes. His hits included "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)", "Slipping Around", and "Silver Bells". He got more national exposure through the CBS radio feature "Hollywood Barn Dance", which soon developed into the "Jimmy Wakely Show" and lasted from 1952 until 1958.

Today's selection "Mississippi Dreamboat" was recorded on November 9, 1955, at Decca's recording studio in Hollywood. It was a popcorn rock'n'roll exotica piece and, coupled with the Glorida Wood duet "Are You Satisfied?" from the same session, was rushed out on Decca #9-29756 in early December. Though Wakely adapted his sound to modern trends, this single failed to hit the charts.

Like many of his fellow cowboy actors, Wakely's popularity began to wane in the 1950s. He returned to recording for Coral/Decca in 1954 and founded his own label, Shasta Records, for which he recorded numerous singles, beginning in 1958. He also had his own recording studio on his ranch. He kept on performing as well as recording throughout the decades and in later years, appeared at western film conventions. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971 and the Western Music Association Hall of Fame in 1991.

Jimmy Wakely died on September 23, 1981, in Mission Hills, California. He was 68 years old.

Sources

• 45cat entry, 45worlds/78rpm entry

• Encyclopedia of Arkansas

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

• Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies entry

Charlie Rich on Phillips Int.

Charlie Rich - Everything I Do Is Wrong (Phillips Int. 3552), 1960
Charlie Rich ranks among the most famous and influential musicians that ever came out of Arkansas. Rich, unlike many of his contemporaries at Sun, had a jazz background, then switched to rock'n'roll and finally found his home in country music. Though, he was adept at many styles and could switch easily from one to another.

Charles Allan Rich was born in 1932 in Colt, East Arkansas, near Forrest City and not too far away from Memphis, too. His parents, who were very religious people, influenced him through the gospel music they played and sang. Blues came to Rich through a black sharecropper named C.J. Allen, who taught him blues piano, and he found further joy in playing jazz, performing saxophone in the high school band.

A young Charlie Rich, ca. 1950s

He formed the Velvetones while doing service in Enid, Oklahoma, but he and his wife returned to the West Memphis area and became farmers in 1955. He kept on performing locally around Memphis, playing jazz and R&B covers as well as writing his own material. He auditioned at Sun Records but was rejected for being "too jazzy" but became a studio musician for the label in 1958. His piano playing can be heard on numerous recordings, including those by Johnny Cash, Bill Justis, Warren Smith, Billy Lee Riley, and others.

He began recording in his own right for the Sun subsidiary label Phillips International in 1958 but his first two releases failed to chart. It was his third single that became a hit record, one of the last that came out of the Sun/Phillips house actually. The top side was "Lonely Weekends", a rock'n'roll song written by Rich. It reached #22 on Billboard's Hot 100. The flip side, "Everything I Do Is Wrong", an equally good rock'n'roll piece from his pen, is rather forgotten today. Both songs were recorded on October 14, 1959, at Sun' studio on Union Avenue, featuring Rich on vocals and piano, Roland Janes on guitar, Billy Lee Riley on bass, Martin Willis on saxophone, and Jimmy Van Eaton on drums. They were released on Phillips Int. #3552 in January 1960.

Rich kept on recording for Phillips Int. and Sun both as a studio musician and name artist but further success eluded him. He switched to the RCA-Victor owned Groove label, where he scored some small hits and moved once again, this time to the RCA parent label. He also recorded for Smash and Hi during the 1960s but it was not until he signed with Epic that his most successful era began. He scored several #1 country hits during the 1970s, including "Behind Closed Doors", and many of his hits also crossed over to the pop charts.

Charlie Rich, 1970s

His successful days were over by the 1980s and Rich's heavy drinking caused trouble since the 1970s. He semi-retired, playing only occasionally. He died in 1995.

Sources
• Wikipedia entry
• Find a Grave entry
• 45cat entry
• Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies entry

Sammy Marshall on SPA

Sammy Marshall - Kiss Me Good-Bye Tomorrow (SPA 25-1008), 1963

I became highly desperate when looking at Sammy Marshall's 45cat entry. 71 records and many of them seem to be from different artists of the same name. He was possibly the same artist who had a joint release with Les "Carrot Top" Anderson on the Springfield, Arkansas, based Patmar label. Maybe he was also the same who recorded for Allstar, K-Ark, Pleasant Valley or Belle Meade? I did not know until fellow blogger Bob pointed me towards his research. According to Bob, Sammy Marshall's real name was 1940 in Franklin, Kentucky, as Mark Stewart Simpson. He recorded for Hi and Judd as Mark Taylor, for the Globe Studio in Nashville as Sonny Marcell or Sammy Marshall, and as Ben Tate and Marc Stewart for other labels.

Since I cannot tell you anything substantial about the artist, we continue with the record label. Between 1960 and at least 1964, the label released several discs of various musical genres. There was rockabilly, country music, instrumental rock'n'roll, and pop music. And there was Sammy Marshall with "Kiss Me Good-Bye, Tomorrow", which I would call popular music, too. Marshall shared the disc with John Greer's take on the John Roddie song "(Oh, Ho, Ho, Ho) Heartaches".

If anyone has more information on Sammy Marshall or SPA Records, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me via e-mail.

See also
• The United Southern Artists label

Sources
• 45cat entries for Sammy Marshall and SPA Records
• SPA Records Rockin' Country Style entry

Gene Barnett on Wheel

Gene Barnett - Sittin' in the Bathroom (Wheel No.#), 1971

Gene Barnett played bass in Bobby Lee Trammell's band in the early 1960s, then joined Kenny Owens' band around the mid of the decade. He also appeared on Owens' local Jonesboro TV show and recorded for his Owens' ORK record label.

Barnett was born in 1942 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, but spent his early childhood in Bay, a small town outside of Jonesboro. The family then moved to Searcy but Barnett eventually returned to Jonesboro, where he graduated from high school and then pursued a career as the city's street superintendent.

Musically inclined, Barnett had learned to play bass and was also a solid vocalist. He started out around 1962 working with Bobby Lee Trammel and became acquainted with Kenny Owens at some point in the 1960s. Owens was a popular entertainer in Jonesboro and by the late 1960s, Barnett was appearing at Owens' TV show on KAIT. When Owens set up ORK Records, Barnett was among the artists that recorded for the label.

His debut "The Right to Love" b/w "Hey, Come On Now" appeared in April 1969 on ORK. Kenny Owens moved to Nashville in the early 1970s and he might have had a hand in Barnett's next release as well, which was issued on the Nashville based Wheel label. It featured "Wrong Line", Barnett's take on an Owens standard, and the Larry Donn written "Sittin' in the Bathroom". The record appeared in 1971 and is a nice blend of country and rock/rock'n'roll with some great fuzz guitar taking the solo on "Wrong Line". "Sittin' in the Bathroom" stayed more on the country side, genre-wise.

Barnett continued to perform locally. He retired from his job with the City of Jonesboro in 2004 and passed away in 2021.

More info on Barnett will be available in the booklet to Bear Family's double CD release of Kenny Owens, "Got the Bug!", which features Owens' complete recordings and in addition, many recordings from artists Owens worked with, including Barnett's cuts. The release is slated for this year.

Recommended reading
• Dead Wax blog: Wrong Line

See also
• ORK Records discography

Sources
• Gene Barnett obituary
• 45cat entry

Chuck Bell on Alley

Chuck Bell - I'm Gonna Get You Girl (Alley 1043), ca. 1968

Here we have a nice variation concerning the music style. Arkansas is best known for its contributions to the country and rock’n’roll music fields but this record proves that there were was other great music that came out of the state.

Chuck Bell’s 45 for Joe Lee’s Alley label out of Jonesboro is a great example. Joe Lee recorded a great variety variety of genres in his Variety Recording Studio during the decades, from rock’n’roll to folk, from soul to country. And Chuck Bell cut a great Soul record there. I’m not an expert on Soul music but I really like this one. He recorded “Summer Whispers” and “I’m Gonna Get You Girl” around 1968 at Alley and it saw release around the same time.

Unfortunately, my researchers turned up nothing substantial about Chuck Bell. There was a Charles W. Bell, Jr., that was born in 1946 and passed away in 2005. He is buried in Jonesboro, so this could be the same person. Chuck Bell had one more release a couple of years later on the Shelby Singleton version of Sun Records in 1981. This is all I could find about him.

Discography

Alley 1043: I'm Gonna Get You Girl / Summer Whispers (ca. 1968)
Sun 1161: Crazy Days / I Don't Live There Anymore (1981)

See also
• Alley Records discography

Sources
• 45cat entry
• Charles W. "Chuck" Bell, Jr., Find a Grave entry

Truman Lankford on Stockyard

Truman Lankford - Every Road Leads to Texas (Stockyard SR 102), ca. 1982

Truman Lankford was a longtime performer, from the 1960s until the 1980s and probably has traveled many highways through Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and Texas. He played every roadhouse and honky tonk among those roads but in the end, never found the recognition that this talented singer deserved.

Truman McCoy Lankford was born on November 15, 1929, in Gentry, located in the northwestern corner of Arkansas near the growing metropolis of Bentovnville/Rogers/Fayetteville. By 1948, Lankford had married Elsie Jean "Jeanne" Montgomery and the couple had at least one daughter. Lankford served in the US Army during the Korean War.

Lankford was probably active as a musician before the mid 1960s but he did not record until 1965, when he was already 36 years old. He came to the attention of Skipper Records, founded the same year by Si Siman (who also co-owned Earl Barton Music with Ralph Foster and John B. Mahaffey) in Springfield, Missouri. Produced by M.A. Box, Lankford recorded the snotty country rocker "Arkansas Man" plus "Here-Comes-Heaven-Again" and both found release on Skipper #828S-1241 in 1965.

He had another three releases on local labels during the mid to late 1960s, including "Freightliner Fever" b/w "Watch Me" on the Big Orange label (#651) in 1968, which eventually became his claim to fame.Written by Lankford and L. D. Allen, "Freightliner Fever" was covered in 1970 by Red Sovine for Starday. It entered Billboard's Hot Country Songs in July that year and peaked at #54. Thought not a major hit, it became a minor classic among trucker country artists and was further covered by artists like Dave Dudley and Boxcar Willie. It also meant some welcomed income from the royalties for Lankford.

Lankford moved into a mainstream trucker country style himself in the 1970s and was a cast member of the 70s edition of the Louisiana Hayride. He continued to release singles on small labels well into the 1980s and had one of his few album releases in the late 1970s or early 1980s, "True Man" on the Louisiana Hayride label. He also appeared in the independent movie "Cody" in 1977, which was filmed in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

Today's selection came from one of his early 1980s recordings that were released on the Stockyard label around 1982. The disc featured "Belly Up" and "Every Road Leads to Texas". While the A side was in a more 80s contemporary country style, "Every Road Leads to Texas" was a throwback to the old western swing days. Fiddle and steel guitar both take nice solos and Lankford supplies good, deep voiced vocals. Of course, it did not become a hit as country audiences had set their minds on other styles.

It seems this was Lankford's last release. He passed away November 17, 1987, at the age of 58 years. He is buried at Friendship Cemetery in Cale, Nevada County, Southwest Arkansas.

 Sources
• Find a Grave entry
• 45cat entry
• Discogs
• SecondHandSongs
• Internet Movie Database: Cody
• Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies entry
• Garage Hangover: Skipper Records history
• Locals Only
• Red Sovine - Freight Liner Fever 45cat entry

Jim Owens on Shock

Jim Owens - Two Shadows (Shock 1005), ca. 1972

Here were have a well-produced, early 1970s country performance from Memphis. Owens was already on the Memphis scene by the early 1960s. He had recorded "Davey Jones Locker" for Marshall Ellis' local Erwin record label, though I couldn't determine exact release information. This song later found its way on a 1986 Ace LP "Memphis Honky Tonk Hillbilly". Around the time Owens recorded for Erwin, he was also part of Gene Williams' Cotton Town Jubilee stage show that originated from Memphis in the early 1960s and also aired over KWAM. Unfortunately, I was not able to come up with more information about Owens.

Shock Records was owned by Jerry Lee "Smoochie" Smith, who came from Jackson, Tennessee, to Memphis in the mid 1950s as part of Kenny Parchman's band. He soon found work as a pianist with different bands, venues, and recording studios. He also recorded as a solo artist during the 1960s and 1970s without much success. He set up the Shock label in the early 1970s and apart from his own releases, recorded a few local Memphis artists, including Jim Owens.

See also
• Jerry Smith on Shock

Sources
• Discogs

Johnnie Leach on Round Up

Johnnie Leach and the Country Gentlemen - Faded Love (Round Up No.#), 1971

Here we have some fine Tulsa western swing, from a local outfit Johnnie Leach and the Country Gentlemen. "Faded Love" is of course the 1950 Bob Wills hit, a standard in western swing and one of my favorites. Naturally I had to buy this record.

The Round Up label (no connection to a label of the same name from Nashville) had at least three releases, all of them by Leach. It was based in Catoosa, a suburb of Tulsa, and it seems all of its releases were manufactured by Rite Record Productions from Cincinnati.

I could not really find out much about Leach or the label. Judging from a fitting Find a Grave entry, he was probably Johnnie A. Leach, born on July 2, 1926, and passed away on February 5, 2002. He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Claremore, also near Tulsa. I suspect him to be the leader of a local western swing act, the Country Gentlemen. Leach was not the vocalist but co-wrote at least two of their songs, "Home Maker" and "Three Empty Chairs". Vocalists in the group included Robert Hill and Bob Bintliff.

Discography

Round Up 28531/2: Johnnie Leach and the Country Gentlemen - Three Empty Chairs / Lone Star Rag
Round Up 28533/4: Johnnie Leach and the Country Gentlemen - Home Maker / Under the Double Eagle
Round Up 28535/6: Johnnie Leach and the Country Gentlemen - Faded Love / Maiden's Prayer

Sources
• Find a Grave entry
• Information on all three Round Up discs thanks to Western Red

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

• Hillbilly-Music.ccom

• SecondHandSongs

Sources

• Find a Grave entry

• Encyclopedia of Arkansas

• Entries at 45cat and 45worlds/78rpm

• Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies entry

• Arkie Shibley Facebook Tribute

• Hot-Rod Songs of the Northwest (HistoryLink.org)