Buffalo Johnson

Rich-R-Tone's Forgotten Star
The Story of Buffalo Johnson

Although Buffalo Johnson was probably Rich-R-Tone Records' most enduring recording artist, being associated with the label on and off for more than 20 years, little information has surfaced on this artist, unfortunately. Rich-R-Tone, best remembered today for releasing bluegrass music by such artists as the Stanley Brothers, Carl Sauceman, Wilma Lee & Stoney Coiper, and others during the 1940s, recorded a variety of roots music styles - especially in its early years. Johnson was not tied to one style; he recorded honky tonk just as good as bluegrass tinged material and country boogie numbers.

Wayne "Buffalo" Johnson was born on April 1, 1926, to Chester W. and Elizabeth (Shelton) Johnson in Madison County, North Carolina, which is located on North Carolina's border to Tennessee, not far away from both Knoxville and Johnson City. He had three sisters and one brother. Although Johnson was depended on crouches all his life, this never distracted him from pursuing a career in music.

Tennessee's east was rich of Appalachian music traditions and Johnson became a part of it, when he moved to adjacent Washington County, Tennessee, where he would live most of his life. Though Knoxville was the center of country music in East Tennessee during the 1940s, Johnson decided upon Johnson City. He started his career in country music following World War II, when he began recording for James Hobart "Jim" Stanton's Rich-R-Tone record label in Johnson City. Stanton had founded the label earlier that year and Johnson's "I'll Always Find a Way" b/w "Come Back Again" (Rich-R-Tone #401) from December 1946 became one of the label's earliest releases. He was also soon heard on local radio WETB and had added a disc jockey show on the station to his portfolio by late 1948.

Billboard October 18, 1947

Johnson continued to record for Rich-R-Tone through the 1940s and until the early 1950s, mostly solo with a band variously called the "Melody Boys" or "Buffalo Johnson and his Herd". He recorded in a variety of different styles like honky tonk ("Where Are You Now", "You Sure Look Lonesome (In That Corner)" on which one might hear shades of Ernest Tubb), bluegrass, and renditions of traditionals like "Frankie and Johnny", "John Henry" or "Nine Pound Hammer" (complete with Merle Travis styled lead guitar). In 1948, Stanton struck a deal with Mercury Records and sold a total of 72 of his master tapes to the label, including some by Johnson. This resulted in two Mercury releases in 1948 and 1949: "My Angel Sweetheart" b/w "Between the Lines" and "That's Why I'm Nobody's Darling" b/w "Come Back to Me". Though, the discs did not sell well enough to earn him a contract with Mercury and Johnson returned to recording for Rich-R-Tone.

In October 1951, Stanton paired him with another Rich-R-Tone act, the Church Brothers and their Blue Ridge Ramblers. The results from that session, including the classic "Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms", were pure bluegrass and, like many of the Church Brothers' recordings, noteworthy recordings in bluegrass history.

By October 1949, Johnson had moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked the night clubs and bars, including such spots as the Swing Bar and the Casa Grande. His band at that time included Dusty Rose, Guy Pealer, and Sterling Simpson. In April 1951, Billboard reported that Johnson "got a new five-year contract with Rich-R-Tone" but this did not turn out as fruitful as it seemed. In 1952, Jim Stanton sold the Rich-R-Tone label (following a move to and brief phase in Campbellsville, Kentucky) and Johnson's contract lapsed.

However, Johnson soon became acquainted with Cincinnati independent record producer Carl Burckhardt, who owned Rite Record Productions and several budget labels that were specialized in releasing cover versions of the hits of the day - for cheaper money than the original version. Johnson recorded bluegrass for Rite's Kentucky label and mainstream country hits for Big 4 Hits.

Obviously, Johnson split his time between Cincinnati and Johnson City during the early 1950s, as Billboard reported in August 1951 that he headed a new show on WJHL in Johnson City, which was also broadcast via ABC. The show also included such local acts as the Burleston Sisters, Smokey White, Jack Lane, and Toby "Guy" Pealer. At some point, Johnson moved back to Tennessee. In the meantime, the Rich-R-Tone label had undergone some changes and it seems by the 1960s, Jim Stanton had gained control over the label again. He produced occasional releases by Johnson out of his Champ recording studio in Johnson City in the 1960s and 1970s, including "Time Don't Mean Much Anymore" (Rich-R-Tone #8002) and "Another Mile to Nashville" (Rich-R-Tone #8040).

Buffalo Johnson died on June 17, 2002, at the age of 76 years in Johnson City Medical Center. He had spent his last years in Sulphur Springs, a small place east of Johnson City, where he is also buried. There never has been a proper reissue of Johnson's recordings, although he gathered enough material for a whole CD throughout the years.

Discography

Label No.#	Artist Credit	A / B side	Date
Rich-R-Tone 401	Buffalo Johnson and his Melody Rangers	I’ll Always Find a Way / Come Back Again	12-1946
Rich-R-Tone 403	Buffalo Johnson	Alone and Blue / Rangers Rag	02-1947
Rich-R-Tone 405	Buffalo Johnson	Something Within Me / Where Are You Now	08-1947
Rich-R-Tone 408	Buffalo Johnson	I Just Dropped In to Say Goodbye / Home in San Antone	unrel.
Rich-R-Tone 409	Buffalo Johnson	The Foolish One / The Sweetest Dream	12-1947
Mercury 6123	Buffalo Johnson	My Angel Sweetheart / Between the Lines	08-1948
Mercury 6178	Buffalo Johnson	That’s Why I’m Nobody’s Darling / Come Back to Me	03-1949
Rich-R-Tone 430	Buffalo Johnson	Come Back Again / Alone and Blue	unrel.
Rich-R-Tone 434	Buffalo Johnson	The Loser Pays / I Dreamed My Daddy Came Home	unrel.
Rich-R-Tone 442	Buffalo Johnson	The Fairy Tale / Untrue Love	06-1949
Rich-R-Tone 458	Buffalo Johnson	Untrue Love / Left My Gal in the Mountains	02-1950
Rich-R-Tone 702	Buffalo Johnson	Whisper Goodbye / Goodbye Boogie	1950
Rich-R-Tone 1013	Buffalo Johnson	Let’s Live a Little / You Sure Look Lonesome	02-1952
Rich-R-Tone 1016	Buffalo Johnson	Frankie and Johnny / No Love No More	1951
Rich-R-Tone 1019	Buffalo Johnson & the Church Bros. & their Blue Ridge Ramblers	Day Dreaming / I Don’t Know What to Do	11-1951
Rich-R-Tone 1023	Buffalo Johnson and his Herd	John Henry / Nine Pound Hammer	1952
Kentucky 520	Buffalo Johnson and his Herd	Tain’t Big Enough / Tappin’ Boogie	1952
Kentucky 521	Harry Adams with Buffalo Johnson	Milk Bucket Boogie / Arkansas Traveler	1952
Big 4 Hits 12	Delbert Barker Buffalo Johnson	Dont’ Stay Away / Don’t Just Stand There Lady’s Man / Gold Rush is Over	1952
Rich-R-Tone 8002	Buffalo Johnson	Time Don’t Mean Much Anymore / Come Back Again	ca. 1967
Rich-R-Tone 8036	Buffalo Johnson	Long Chain Charly / Let the Cold Winds Blow	1970
Rich-R-Tone 8040	Buffalo Johnson	Another Mile to Nashville / These Summer Days	1970

Sources
• Entries at 45worlds/78rpm and 45cat
• Find a Grave entry
• Hillbilly-Music.com
• Rich-R-Tone discography
• Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies entry

I'll Be All Smiles Tonight

June Carter and Luther Perkins - I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (different lyrics), 1967 Johnny Cash Show PBS Special
"I'll Be All Smiles Tonight" is probably one of the most beautiful songs that were ever written in music history. Originally a popular music tune, it became a standard with country musicians in the 20th century. 

Written by T.B. Ranson in 1879, the song became a favorite tune in a time when heartfelt songs were extremely popular. Families would gather around a piano and sing those tunes, among them "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight." It was first published by T.B. Harms & Company in New York City that year but soon several other companies published it, too.

By the 1920s, rural musicians had taken up the song on guitar, fiddle, and banjo. The first to record it were Luther B. Clark and the Blue Ridge Highballers on March 24, 1926, in New York City for Columbia, followed by the the duo of Lester McFarland and Robert A. Gardner. Several other old-time acts cut the song during the late 1920s and early 1930s, a testimony to its popularity among rural folk singers. The Carter Family recorded it on May 8, 1934, in Camden, New Jersey, for Bluebird with Maybelle Carter on guitar and vocals, Sara Carter on vocals and guitar, and A.P. Carter on vocals. Many later versions credited the song solely to A.P. Carter, whose usual practice was to take both old popular and folk songs and claimed copyright his own. One of the few later versions that credited Ranson (as T.B. Bransom) was Eddie Shuler's recording on Goldband Records. Many artists also took songwriting credit for themselves when releasing their versions - like Bill Clifton or Kitty Wells. 

It was probably through the Carters' version, which was released both on Bluebird and Montgomery Ward chain store's own label, that the song gained popularity especially in the country music field and in the following years, many artists recorded their own version of "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight". Those included Hylo Brown, Mac Wiseman, the Louvin Brothers, Kitty Wells, Johnny Cash, Kenny Baker, and many others. In the 1950s, it was also collected by a couple of folk music researchers in their publications.

Recordings

The following list contains historical recordings which I chose to include here. The list is incomplete - additions are highly appreciated.

• Luther B. Clarke, I'll Be All Smiles To-Night Love (Columbia 15069-D), rec. March 24, 1926, rel. May 1926
• Lester McFarland & Robert A. Gardner, I'll Be All Smiles To-Night (Brunswick 164), rel. Dec. 1927
• Bradley Kincaid, I Will Be All Smiles Tonight (Gennett 7053, Champion 15876 as "Dan Hughey", Supertone 9566), rec. Oct. 4, 1929, rel. Jan. 1930
• Allen Brothers, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Victor V-40210), rel. March 7, 1930
• Linda Parker with the Cumberland Ridge Runners, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Conqueror 8164), rec. April 11, 1933, rel. Dec. 1933
• Carter Family, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Bluebird B-5529, Montgomery Ward M-4497, RCA Victor Bluebird Series B-5529 [CAN]), rec. May 8, 1934, rel. July 5, 1934, (CAN 1946-1949)
• Bill Carlisle, I'll Be All Smiles, Love (Bluebird B-6938), rel. May 5, 1937
• Eddie Shuler's All Star Reveliers, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Goldband G-1023), rel. 1952
• Louvin Brothers, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Capitol EAP 1-769 [US/UK/NZ]), rel. 1956 (NZ July 1957)
• Randy Atcher, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight, Love (MGM K12347), rel. 1956
• Bill Clifton & the Dixie Mountain Boys, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Starday 45-548, SEP 195), rel. 1961
• Kitty Wells, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Decca 7-38219), rel. 1961
• Johnny Cash, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Columbia unreleased), rec. 1962
• Trails Blazers, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (instr.) (Nashville 5169), rel. 1964
• Lulu Belle & Scotty, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Starday 746), rel. Dec. 1965
• Maisie McDaniel & the Clubmen, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Fontana TE 17447 [UK]), rel. 1965
• Mac Wiseman, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Dot DLP 25,731 "Bluegrass"), 1966
• Jim Crabtree, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Dearborn D 557), rel. 1967
• John Kelly & the Capitols, I'll Be All Smiles (Dolphin DOS.30 [Ireland]), rel. 1969
• Ginger Broadback & Her Hot Lips, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight No.2 (Outhouse 10206), rel. 1971
• Danny Ross, I'll Be All Smiles Tonite (Stoneway 1057, GNP Crescendo GNPK-4801 [Australia]), rel. 1971
• The Mom and Dads, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (MCA 7019 "Reminiscing with the Mon and Dads" [CAN]), rel. 1972
• Roy Clark, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Dot DOS-26018 "Roy Clark's Family Album"), rel. Nov. 1973
• Troy Hess and Little Angela Perry, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Show Land SL 301973), rel. 1973
• Brother Oswald, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Rounder 0013 "Brother Oswald"), rel. 1973
• Deacon Brumfield, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Gusto SLP-340 "That Dobro Sound's Goin' Round"), rel. 1975 
• Emma Smith, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Old Homestead OHS-90157 "Hazard"), rel. 1982
• Shot Jackson, Chubby Howard, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (Wasp WR-128)
• Olabelle, Alex and Deacon & the New River Boys, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (New River 1032, New River EP 100)

Recommended reading
• Second Hand Songs
• Traditional Tune Archive

Sources
• List of releases on 45cat
• List of releases on 45worlds/78rpm
• List of releases on 45worlds/vinyl albums

Bob Pauley

Bob Pauley - The Indianapolis Plantation Playboy

Bob Pauley wrote - well, he rather played - rockabilly history when he performed lead guitar on Tommy Lam's "Speed Limit" for Indianapolis based Nabor Records. Not only the song but Pauley's guitar work is still cherished by fans around the world. "Great record, and I always loved the guitar breaks on it," says Detroit music expert Craig Maki and adds: "Bob Pauley was quite the take-off guitarist." Maki documented some rare information on Pauley in his book "Detroit Country Music". For a musician that turned out such wild licks on a late 50s rockabilly record, Pauley began his career well before rockabilly was even developing. He had spent many years on the road before finally settling in Indiana. This is the attempt to retrace Pauley's path in music.

Early Years
Harold Edward "Bob" Pauley was born on January 5, 1922, in West Virginia to Andrew and Ruth Pauley. By 1938 at age 16, Pauley had mastered the guitar and was part of  Mel Steele's Oklahoma Ramblers. This band traveled across West Virginia and adjacent states, appearing on various radio stations, including WCHS in Charleston, WJLS in Beckley, WING in Dayton, Ohio, WMMN in Fairmont, WWVA in Wheeling, and even WOPI in Bristol, Tennessee. Pauley patterned his style after Harry C. Adams, guitarist with Eldon Baker and his Brown County Revelers, a popular act on powerful station WLW. The Oklahoma Ramblers played western swing influenced country music like Clayton McMichen's Georgia Wildcats or, the idol of them all, Bob Wills.

Traveling with Casey Clark
While with the Ramblers, Pauley became acquainted with fiddler Casey Clark, who joined the group in 1938. Another young singer from West Virginia came to the group while they were working in Beckley. It was future star Little Jimmy Dickens, who joined the group at the recommendations of Clark and Pauley. "Bob Pauley was the guitar player, a big old husky guy, and Casey was a big guy, and I slept between 'em!" Dickens later remembered with a laugh.

The Oklahoma Ramblers disbanded in 1940 and both Clark and Pauley wound up in Indianapolis afterwards. Clark and Dickens performed on WIBC and its Hoosier Barn Dance by 1943. Pauley worked the same station, too, during those years, though we have no detailed documentation of Pauley's activities. By 1945, he had married Thelma E. Brooks, whose family had moved to Indiana in the 1930s. They would go on to have two sons and three daughters and made their home in Indianapolis, though Pauley worked as a musician in different places until the early 1950s.

In 1947, Pauley returned to work with Casey Clark in Saginaw, Michigan. There, Clark had assembled the first version of his Lazy Ranch Boys for the newly formed WKNX. Pauley was also working with Dickens' band, who was working on the station as well. Clark and Pauley would also work a comedy routine known as "Nat and Les". In 1948, Pauley was also part of the Lazy Ranch Boys' first recording session held at WKNX, which produced "Prisoner's Plea" b/w "Cigarettes, Whiskey, and Wild, Wild Women" for the PhonoCraft label. The latter, of course, was a cover of the Sons of the Pioneers song sung by Clark and Pauley as "Nat and Les, the Kentucky Boys".

The first edition of the Lazy Ranch Boys disbanded around September 1948, leaving Saginaw. After a short stint in Centralia, Illinois, Clark and Pauley resurfaced on WVLK in Lexington, Kentucky, where the Lazy Ranch Boys were reborn. This lasted until June 1950, when Clark and band mate "Brownie" Reynolds moved on to WRFD in Ohio and finally settled in Detroit, where they became local country stars. Pauley did not move with them and instead took a job with the Dixie Playboys on WDBJ in Roanoke, Virginia. He briefly rejoined Clark in 1951 at WIMA in Lima, Ohio, but returned to Indianapolis afterwards.

Indianapolis Years
There, he formed the Plantation Playboys and played the night clubs and bars of the booming city. By then, Pauley's family already included three little children and he was probably searching for a more steady lifestyle and income.

His next recordings came not until 1958, when his brother-in-law Earl Brooks recorded his debut release. Brooks was a local country singer and had teamed up with guitarist Jerry Lee Williams and Stan Cox to try their luck in the record business, founding different record labels. From the session with Brooks, which took place probably in late summer or fall 1958, two of Brooks' own compositions were released on Nabor (one of the labels Williams, Cox, and Brooks had set up), "Open Up Your Heart" and "Restrained". These recordings featured a slight western swing feel, which is no surprise considering Pauley's background, and featured some jazzy lead guitar by him.

A little later, Pauley and the Plantation Playbos were called back into the studio to back up local rock'n'roll singer Tommy Lam on his debut. The results were "Speed Limit", which became a favorite years later among young rockabilly fans, and "A Teenage Birthday", released on Nabor in January 1959. In the wake of the recording, Lam probably also appeared with the Plantation Playboys at local night clubs and other venues.

The Plantation Playboys backed up Earl Brooks on two more Nabor country singles in the mid 1960s, though it's not known if Pauley was still part of the group as there is no mention of him on the records. He was also part of the Indianapolis Barn Dance show at one time but I could not determine any details. Pauley probably continued to perform locally but retired from music at some point and settled in Plainfield, an Indianapolis suburb where his wive's family was also living.

A few country songs written by a Bob Pauley were recorded by Nashville artists in the 1970s and 1980s, including "It's So Hard" (recorded by Jerry Naill for Americountry) as well as "Christmas Time in Heaven" and "Goldenrod" (both recorded by Jimmy Kish, the Flying Cowboy, for Pyramid), though I'm not sure if this is the same Bob Pauley.

Pauley died on July 26, 1997, at Community Hospital East in Indianapolis at the age of 75 years. He is buried at Maple Hill Cemetery in Plainfield. His wive Thelma died in 2003. 

Sources
• Find a Grave entry
• Different 45cat entries
• Craig Maki, Keith Cady: "Detroit Country Music - Mountaineers, Cowboys, and Rockabillies" (University of Michigan Press), 2013, pages 79-89

Earl Brooks on Nabor

Earl Brooks and his Plantation Boys - Thirteen Minutes (Nabor 129), 1965
Indiana country and rockabilly music is what some people call a "rabbit hole". If you dig deeper, you'll find more and more interesting stuff, connections you never made before, and you'll discover music never heard of. And I'm just beginning to dive into this hole. One of Indianapolis' many musicians was Earl Brooks, who played country music at the local clubs and was involved in Jerry Lee Williams' record labels during the 1950s and 1960s.

Earl Anderson Brooks was born on March 13, 1922, to Ray Anderson and Bessie Orpha (Gladson) Brooks. Brooks had three brothers and two sisters. The family were Hawkins County, Tennessee, natives and father Ray was a carpenter by trade. By 1935, the Brooks family had moved north to Indiana. They first lived in Wayne, adjacent to Indianapolis, where Brooks also attended high school. The family later settled in Plainfield, another suburb on the outskirts of the greater Indy metropolis. 

Brooks served in the US Army during World War II and following the war, took up music. By the mid 1950s, he had made the acquaintance of local guitarist Jerry Lee Williams. Joined by Stan Cox, the trio went into the record business to found three local labels: Solid Gold in 1956, Nabor in 1958, and Yolk in 1960. To which extend Brooks and Cox were actually involved remains unclear at the moment, as Williams seems to have been the main man behind these labels.

Brooks was given the debut release on the newly formed Nabor label in 1958, which appeared around September 1958 (at this early stage of the label, the actual record had no catalog number assigned). The disc featured "Open Up Your Heart" b/w "Restrained", recorded with Brooks' brother-in-law Bob Pauley's band, the Plantation Boys. Pauley was a skilled guitarist and played country and rockabilly music in the city's clubs with different musicians (including rockabilly cult hero Tommy Lam). Brooks' western swing-tinged songs were far away from the hep cat sounds of Lam and other Indiana rockers, however.

Billboard November 11, 1958, review

Brooks wouldn't record again until the mid 1960s, when he released two more records on Nabor. Compared to his previous single, "I Wish (I Didn't Love You)" b/w "Oh, What a Price I Paid (for Loving You)" (Nabor #116) featured a more polished and better produced sound with a moaning steel guitar and female vocal chorus, coming nearer to the urban Nashville trend - though it remained stone-hard country music. His third Nabor disc was comprised of the death row lament "Thirteen Minutes" and "Tonight" (Nabor #129) and both songs were handled by Starday's in-house publishing arm. Brooks was a bit of a songwriter; BMI has a total of 10 songs registered by him. He wrote or co-wrote a few songs that were recorded by other Nabor artists, including "My Future's In the Past" by Elizabeth Johnson, "If You Belonged to Me" and "Dead End", both recorded by Jack Shaw & the Kings, as well as "A Teenage Birthday", the flip side to Tommy Lam's infamous "Speed Limit".

There was a Earl Brooks who recorded with a band called the "Southern Playboys" on the Southaven, Mississippi, based Spite record label. This artist was likely a different singer.

Nabor continued to release country music well into the 1970s but no records by Brooks anymore. He probably kept on performing in Indianapolis and surrounding areas. In 1970, both his father and his mother died, Brooks unexpectedly passed away a few years later on March 2, 1976, shortly before his 54th birthday. He is buried at Maple Hill Cemetery in Plainfield, Indiana.

According to his obituary, Brooks was a "self-employed musician" at the time of his passing, suggesting that he had no day job but working full-time to earn a living. Furthermore, he was apparently a bachelor, as he had no children and was probably never married.

See also

• Jerry Lee Williams

Sources

• Find a Grave entry

• 45cat entry

• BMI songview

• Official records accessed through Ancestry.com

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)

The Poor Boy Connection

The Poor Boy Connection

Wayne Raney's First Adventure in Record Production

Wayne Raney had been an established artist by the mid 1950s but his heyday as a recording artist had been over by then. His influential work with the Delmore Brothers had come to an abrupt end when Rabon Delmore died in 1952. Raney's last hit and biggest hit, "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me" from 1949, was eight years old when he decided to try his luck and switch to the other side of the studio.

In 1957, Raney returned to WCKY in Cincinnati and continued to sell song books and harmonicas on air successfully. That same year, Raney decided to switch sides and established his own Wayne Raney Studio in nearby Oxford, Ohio, operating the Poor Boy, American, New American, and Down Home labels out of it. He also set up Oleta Publishing, which became his outlet for composition for the next decades. In late 1957, Raney recorded "We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (and a Lot Less Rock and Roll)" and "Don't You Think It's Time", which saw release on Poor Boy #100 the following year (although Billboard would not announce the founding of Poor Boy until February 1959) and the former became a hit in the gospel hit. "We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus" was also recorded by several other artists in the years to come and became a minor standard.

Raney's business partner was Jimmie Zack, a singer and songwriter who worked in Raney's band before the founding of the recording studio and record labels. Born James Zack Yingst in 1924 in Fair Oaks, Arkansas, Zack penned about a dozen songs, mostly with Raney or Raney's son Zyndall. Zack's "Evil Ways" b/w "I Can't Do Without You" (American #102, 1960) has been featured on a few compilations. He had another release on Starday's Nashville imprint, "Lost John's Gone" b/w "My Get Up and Go" (#5010), which was released in 1961 and probably recorded at Raney's Oxford studio or, though rather unlikely, at his Rimrock studio.

Raney and Zack operated a handful of labels out of the Oxford studio with changing adresses, however, They also began an association with Norman Walton of Richmond, Indiana, who operated Walton Records and probably served as a manager for the Raney/Zack labels.

Location of the labels' addresses:
Oxford, Ohio / Richmond, Indiana / Muncie Indiana

The Poor Boy label was started in 1958. The first release (Poor Boy #100) showed a Richmond post box address. Then, they changed it to a Muncie, Indiana, post box address. Muncie is located about 43 miles southeast of Richmond on the Indiana-Ohio state border. Poor Boy releases #105 up to #107 showed addresses in both Muncie ("Home Office") and Richmond ("General Manager Office"). The final releases on Poor Boy only had a Muncie address. The label was closed down in 1960. Its last release is probably the best known: "Sweet Marie" b/w "Servant of Love" (Poor Boy #111) by the Van Brothers, Arnold and Earl Van Winkle. Both songs were also reissued by Norman Walton on the Walton label. Other notable recordings on Poor Boy include those by Raney himself, Norman Witcher, and Connie Dycus.

American was headquartered in Muncie. It was only active in 1960 and released four discs, including Zack's "Evils Ways". They also operated a New American label out of his Raney Recording Studio in Oxford, Ohio, that same year, which issued a string of bluegrass EPs featuring the likes of Wade Mainer, Clyde Moody, the Stanley Brothers, among other well known names. The tapes possibly came into Raney's possession through his job with WCKY. The last release on New American, a six track gospel EP, was re-released on the one-off Raney label as well.

Down Home Records was another very short-lived venture and released only one disc, a gospel EP by Raney and his family. These as well as other cuts recorded by Raney were also leased to Starday Records.

The Walton label was founded by Norman Walton in 1961 and released a slew of country and gospel singles and EPs up to 1966. Even an album by Gil Richmond was recorded in 1964 on Walton. Several of the songs recorded on Walton were co-written by Norman Walton, including Winston Shelton's sides. Similar to Poor Boy, the record labels also showed different addresses. The address on Winston Shelton's EP was 2923 Boston Pike in Richmond. Possibly these addresses were printed on account of the particular artist.

Many of the releases, especially Raney's EPs on his own labels and Starday, were promoted and sold by him through his radio show over WCKY, which was a powerful station and gave Raney a wide audience (similar businesses were run by WCKY DJs Nelson King and his successor, Arlen Vaden). However, by 1961, Raney decided to pack up things and move back to Arkansas. He discontinued his mail order business, the small labels he had established previously and bought a 180 acre farm near Concord, Arkansas, not far away from his birth place. On his farm, Raney raised Black Angus cattle but his farmer life only lasted for a few months. Later that year, he built the Rimrock Recording Studio and also established a pressing plant and, in 1965, his own Rimrock record label.

Norman Walton continued to release 45s and even some LPs on the Walton label until at least 1966 but discontinued it at some point. Wayne Raney sold the Rimrock company in 1975 to Stax Records of Memphis, Tennessee, and died in 1993.

If anyone has more information on Jimmie Zack or Norman Walton, please feel free to share your memories or information in the comments or via contact form.

Discography

American
101: Charlie Moore & Bill Napier and the Dixie Partners - Story of Love / Big Daddy of the Blues (1960)
102: Jimmie Zack and the Blues Rockers - I Can't Do Without You / Evil Ways (1960)
103: Krazy Kords - Malaguena / Return to Me / That's My Desire / Ol Man River (1960)
104: Rocky Rose - Won't You Reconsider / This Is the First Time (1960)

Down Home
100: Wayne Raney & Raney Family - I'll Be Listening / Where the Soul of Man Never Dies / I Need the Prayers / In the Shadow of the Cross / The Wrath of God / We Are Going Down the Valley

New American
101: Don Reno & Red Smiley - Springtime in Heaven / Stanley Brothers - He Said If I'd Be Lifted Up / Tommy Magness - Jesus Will Save Your Soul / Harlan County Four - John Three Sixteen / Brother Claude Ely - Little David Play on Your Harp / Clyde Moody - I Feel Like Traveling On
102: Trace Family Trio - My Mothers Dying Message / Clyde Moody - Through the Pearly Gate / Wade Mainer - God's Radio Phone / Tommy Magness - When I Safely Reach That Other Shore / Mac Odell - Be on Time / King's Sacred Quartet - The World Can't Stand Long
103: Esco Hankins - Mother Left Me Her Bible / Wade Mainer - He's Passing This Way / Bailes Brothers - Ashamed to Own the Blessed Savior / Trace Family Trio - I've Got a Longing to Go / Tommy Magness - Wings of Faith / Clyde Moody - I Need the Prayers
104: Wayne Raney & Family - A Little Pine Log Cabin / Hand in Hand with Jesus / I Found It in Mothers Bible / Where No Cabins Fall / The Uncloudy Day / An Empty Mansion (see also Raney 104)

Poor Boy
100: Wayne Raney - We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (and a Lot Less Rock and Roll) / Don't You Think It's Time (1958)
101:
102: Norman Witcher - Somebody's Been Rocking My Boat / Wake Me Up (1958)
103: Raney Family - When Heaven Comes Down / Lilac Bouquet (1959)
104: The Gays - Don't Rush Me / You're Never There (1959)
105: Les & Helen Tussey / Golden Hill Boys - They Went Around / Married to a Friend (1959)
106: Les & Helen Tussey / Golden Hill Boys - If Jesus Was in the Hearts / We've Got to Answer (1959)
107: Danny Brockman and the Golden Hill Boys - Stick Around / Don't You Know It's True (1959)
108: Connie Dycus - Same Old Thing / Hand Full of Ashes (1959)
109: Wayne Raney - Simply Wonderful / Everybody's Going Crazy (1959)
110: Originales - Bandstand Sound / Lend Me Your Ear (1959)
111: Van Brothers - Sweet Marie / Servant of Love (1959)

Raney
104: Wayne Raney & Raney Family - A Little Pine Log Cabin / Hand in Hand with Jesus / I Found It in Mothers Bible / Where No Cabins Fall / The Uncloudy Day / An Empty Mansion (see also American 104)

Walton
Singles
001: Richmond Friendly Four - Lord / I've Been a Hard Working Pilgrim / He Will Go / He Knows the Way / Someday They'll Be No Tomorrow (1961)
002:
003: Norman Walton & Van Brothers - Take That Lock from Your Heart / Too Many Women / Sweet Marie / Servant of Love (1962)
004:
005: Gentry Brothers - My Wildwood Flower / Uncle Orie - Uncle Sam (1962)
007: Gil Richmond and Earl King - Doing Things / Let Me Talk It Over with My Heart (1964)
008: Betty Browning - Do You Remember / My Larry (1964)
009: Gil Richmond and Earl King - Stop, Slow Down / Your Faithful Fool (1964)
010: Jimmy Walls - What a Little Kiss Can Do / Stop Look and Listen (1965)
011: Flora C - Walk Away, Walk Away / A Dairy of Dreams (1966)
EP-950: Winston Shelton and the Country Gospel Singers - From Bethlehem to Calvary / Stop and Think / I'm Not a Poor Man / On the Banks of Old Jordan
1500: Jimmy Walls - Hello Out There World / Look at Me Eyes (1966)
2500: Van Brothers - Uncle Jim Riggs Will / Lonesome Tonight for Tomorrow (1965)

Albums
No.#: Gil Richmond and the Golden Hill Troupe - Hootenanny Roundup (1964)

Recommended reading

• Dead Wax blog: Krazy Kords on American

See also

• Winston Shelton on Walton

• Wayne Raney - King of the Talking Harmonica

• Wayne Raney on New American

• The Van Brothers - Servants of Indiana Rockabilly

Sources

• 45cat entries: American, Down Home, New American, Poor Boy, Walton

• Jimmie Zack Rockin' Country Style entry

• Jimmie Zack Discogs entry

• Wayne Raney Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies entry

Wild Bill Graham

The Wild Drummer of Columbus
"Wild" Bill Graham & the Escalators

"Wild" Bill Graham released only a few singles during the decades and while he even had a strong regional hit on his hands in the 1960s, the world outside seems to have overlooked him. He is not to be confused with jazz musician Bill Graham, who enjoyed greater fame than his namesake.

Graham was a drummer and band leader, guiding the extremely popular black R&B band "The Escalators" in Columbus, Ohio. While neither soul nor R&B is my area of expertise, Graham caught my attention because he made a rare 45rpm record with a vocalist known as Bobby Wayne. Bobby Wayne of "Swing Train Twist"? This would be my area for sure. But even now I'm not sure of it's THE Bobby Wayne I'm looking for.

Wild Bill Graham, ca. 1950s
Taken from the book "Listen to the Jazz"

Biographical information on William Henry "Wild Bill" Graham is hard to come by. He was said to be a multi-instrumentalist but favored the drums, on which he really could turn lose, living up to his nickname to its fullest. His home base was Columbus, Ohio, were he and his bands were based during the 1950s up until the 1970s. Graham played several clubs and venues around Columbus, including the Club 7-11, the Musical Bar, and the Melody Show Bar in Springfield, Ohio. He led various combos there, the most popular became the Escalators.

However, before that, Graham made his recording debut in 1956 for Cliff Ayers Emerald record label from Indiana. His "Mama Chita" b/w "Sinbad Blues" was a strong regional seller reportedly. Especially "Mama Chita", introduced by Graham with a wild drum solo, was a savage piece of R&B. It was followed in 1958 by another moody sax driven shouter, "Good News Baby" with Paul Rey on vocals. This one was released on the Columbus based Canto label.

Billboard May 12, 1956 R&B review

Cash Box June 16, 1956, review

In 1962, Graham recorded a single which brought him to my intention. I had previously put considerable effort into researching the story of West Virginia born DJ Bobby Wayne, who is best remembered among record collectors for his "Swing Train Twist" from 1962. Shortly afterwards, Graham's single on the House of Joan label appeared. While Johnny Albert took over vocal duties on the A side of this release, Albert was joined by a certain Bobby Wayne on "Roll Clean Out of Your Life" on the B side. Wayne was working in Ohio, too, at that time. So he could be same. Proofs? Negative.

Graham took a break from recording for a few years but was back in the studio in 1966. By then, he founded a R&B ensemble known as "The Escalators". They recorded for another local, short-lived label, Nassau Records. This time credited to "Billy Graham and the Escalators", they released a loose cover of Jessie Hill's 1960 hit "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" plus an instrumental called "East 24th Ave". The latter was co-written by Graham and producer Bill Moss, a Columbus celebrity who was a DJ on local WVOK and owned the Nassau label.

Apparently, the single took off and was taken over by Atlantic Records, which re-released the single at the tail end of 1966. In early 1967, it saw also release by Atlantic in Canada and the UK. Surprisingly, I did not found any reports on success in Billboard, which is unusual for a disc that obviously went well enough for a big label to push it. In addition, there was no follow-up to "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" to built on its success.

Graham and the Escalators continued to work the Columbus area, where they remained favorites of the audiences. "As a high school senior, I was the President of St. Agatha CYO in Upper Arlington in 1967. Our Easter Sunday Dance each year was one of the teenage highlights on the spring. I begged my adult advisor to book Billy Graham and the Escalators for the dance. Upper Arlington being VERY WHITE at the time, he was very reluctant. He gave in and they 'rocked the house!' SRO, we had to turned people away at the door. Traffic jam, noise in the neighborhood it was unbelievable," recalls one witness. "We had a great time and made a lot of money that night."

Wild Bill Graham (far left) with the Escalators, ca. early 1970s.
Otis Clay (fourth from left on trumpet)

At some point, the Escalators disbanded but reformed in the early 1970s. Throughout the years, many local musicians were members of the Escalators. Phil Graham, Graham's cousin, was featured on bass, Robert Lowery was the vocalist on "Ooh Poo Pah Doo", Chips Willis played saxophone, Graham's daughter Brenda sang and Otis Clay was a trumpeter with the band. Unfortunately, it escapes me what happened to Graham and the band.

If anyone has more information out there, feel free to pass it along.

Discography

Emerald 2010: Wild Bill Graham - Mama Chita / Sinbad Blues (May 1956)
Canto 31458: Doctor Bop - Satin and Velvet / Paul Prey and Wild Bill Graham Quartet - Good News Baby (1958)
House of Joan No.#: Johnny Albert and "Wild" Bill Graham Orch. - April Fool / Johnny Albert and Bobby Wayne and "Wild" Bill Graham Orch. - Roll Clean Out of Your Life (1962)
Nassau 100: Billy Graham and the Escalators - Ooh Poo Pah Doo / East 24th Ave (1966)
Atlantic 45-2372: Billy Graham and the Escalators - Ooh Poo Pah Doo / East 24th Ave (Dec. 1966)

Sources
• 45cat entry
• Memories commented by band members and relatives
• Short Profile on Soulbot.uk
• Chips Willis obituary
• David Myers, Arnett Howard, James Loeffler, Candice Watkins: "Columbus: The Musical Crossroads" (Arcadia Publishing), 2008
• Various: "Listen for the Jazz - Key Notes in Columbus History" (Arts Foundation of Old Towne), 1990, page 80

Jerry Lee Williams

Jerry (Lee) Williams was an important figure in Indianapolis’ country and rock’n’roll music scene of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. A talented guitarist in his own right, Williams favored to stay in the background, though, and became the owner of a group of record labels that gave countless local Indy singers and bands an opportunity to release their music.

Gerald “Jerry” Lee Williams was born on April 12, 1934, in Indianapolis and by the 1950s, had become an accomplished guitarist, probably playing the local bars in town. He was friends with Stan Cox and Earl Brooks, the latter being a country musician, too, and the trio decided to start their own record company which they named “Solid Gold”. The label was headquartered on 359 Burgess Ave on the east side of Indianapolis. They started with a girl group known as the Crysler Sisters, producing some pop recordings that saw release in 1956 on Solid Gold (“You Can’t Run Away (From Your Heart)” b/w “Little Church (By the Side of the Road)”, #713).

359 Burgess Avenue - home of Solid Gold Records

Williams followed up with another girl group, this time the Cassidy Sisters, whose release pointed towards the music that would follow, although it was still far away from hard-edged rock’n’roll. “Teen-Age Flirt” b/w “Don’t Teach Me” (Solid Gold #714, 1957). It was not until the next release at the end of 1957 that Williams set the route for the label’s future releases with Bill Peaslee’s “Hypnotized” on one side and Jay Haye’s acoustic bluesy “Tellin’ Lies” on the other side (Solid Gold #715).

Williams would record mainly rock’n’roll music on Solid Gold during the next years, including one record for his own band, the Crowns, which featured the instrumentals “The Go-Tune” and “Wibcee” (Solid Gold #778) and it was the B side that became a local favorite in 1959. The Crowns had been founded in 1957 by drummer Larry Goshen and became, with the addition of Williams, "Jerry Williams and the Crowns" in 1959. By the 1960s, the band had developed into the "Sounds of the Crowns" without Williams.

Williams, Brooks, and Cox founded another two record labels: Nabor Records came into existence in 1958 at 243 Summit South Street. Nabor was mainly used for country music, Earl Brooks’ favorite style. Yolk Records, a rather short-lived venture, followed in 1960.

In between, in 1959, Williams set up a label under his sole supervision, K-W Records, which had three releases that year three more in 1960 and 1961 (under the shortened name K Records). Probably the most prominent acts on this label were rock’n’roll group Keetie and the Kats as well as Tommy Lam, a local performer and friend of Williams’. Lam also recorded the collectors’ favorite “Speed Limit” on Williams’ Nabor label in 1959.

Williams was well-connected in the Indianapolis music scene. He was friends with Jan Eden, who had turned his garage into a recording studio and it is probable that some of Williams productions were recorded there. Another friend of Williams’ was Aubrey Cagle, another local rock’n’roll and country performer, for whom Williams also played lead guitar. Surprisingly, Cagle never recorded for any of Williams’ labels, possibly because Cagle had founded his own Glee label in the late 1950s.

Though Williams put much effort in his productions and his labels, none of them could stimulate any noteworthy success outside of Indianapolis and around 1964, Solid Gold was stopping to release 45rpms and Yolk followed around the same time. KW/K had already been laid to rest in 1961. It was only Nabor Records that was kept well alive until the early 1970s, releasing mainly country music for the local market.

Although Williams would work all this time in his day job as a bearing specialist, he never gave up music. He kept up producing, performing, and record collecting. In the 1970s and 1980s, he played guitar alongside Aubrey Cagle, Lattie Moore, and Art Adams. He set up NEW Records (he took the name from the initials of his wife, Nancy Elisabeth Williams, whom he had wed in 1959), which released a few discs in the early 1970s, including one by Lattie Moore. He was friends with Moore and bought the SAGA record label, on which Moore and a few others recorded in the late 1950s.

In 1993, a disc appeared on the Silverball label comprising Tommy Lam's "Speed Limit" and a instrumental credited to Williams and the Crowns, "Outta Gas" (although it appears that the recordings was done without the involvement of Williams when they were already known as the Sound of the Crowns). The label was based in Nashville and the circumstances how this came into existence is unknown at the moment. In 1996, Williams produced the album “Branching Out” by rockabilly singer Ronnie Haig, also playing drums on that release, and two years later, he released the “Real Cool” CD with Aubrey Cagle’s 1950s and 1960s songs (the only one so far). He also produced recordings by Art Adams. Around 2006, Williams was interviewed by local music collector Tony Biggs. It was probably the first occasion someone documented Williams' efforts for Indianapolis' local music scene.

Jerry Lee Williams passed away on May 22, 2015, at the age of 81 years in Indianapolis. He is buried at Washington Park East Cemetery. His wife Nancy Elisabeth followed him in 2018.

Jerry Lee Williams Label Overview
• Solid Gold:    1956 - ca. 1964
• Nabor:           1958 - ca. 1972
• Yolk:              1960 - ca. 1965
• K / K-W:       1959 (K-W), 1960 - 1961 (K)
• NEW:            1972 - 1973

Sources
• Obituary
• Find a Grave entry
• Discogs
• Diccionario Rockabilly blog (Spanish)
• Several 45cat entries: Solid Gold, Nabor, Yolk, K-W, K, NEW, SAGA
• Several Rockin' Country Style entries: Solid Gold, Nabor, Yolk, K-W, K
• Larry Goshen (Indiana Music Makers)
• Jancee Music (info on Silverball release)