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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

The Do-Ra-Me label

Murry Nash's Do-Ra-Me Records was based in Nashville, Tennessee. Nash was an influential but today mostly forgotten record producer during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. He worked for RCA-Victor and Mercury during the 1940s and almost became director of the Grand Ole Opry in the mid-1950s. However, Nash started to produce records for independent labels by 1955 and branched out on his own and established Ashna Music in the late 1950s. Ashna ("pig latin" for Nash) was the parent company to a couple of record labels operated by Nash during this time.

Billboard November 10, 1962, advertising of a Wayne Johnson record on Do-Ra-Me
Do-Ra-Me was launched in 1959. In early 1960, Nash bought Reavis Recording Studio in Nashville from Joe Reavis and established his "Sound of Nashville" studio there, which had been in the Cumberland Lodge Building from 1955 on. It can be assumed that a lot of the recordings on Do-Ra-Me were recorded at Sound of Nashville. Though, a couple of sessions were held at other facilities. Also, most of the songs were published by his Ashna Music. 

I wonder if also the Sound of Nashville, Inc. pressing plant was associated with Nash. If anyone has info on that issue, feel free to pass it along.

I was able to trace down single releases on Do-Ra-Me until ca. 1963. Around the same time, in 1964, Nash took a dayjob at the main post office in Nashville. He still ran his music operations up to 1970, then he retired from the music business.

Discography


Do-Ra-Me 1401
Jimmy Hurt and the Del Rios 
You Know, Darling (I’m In Love with You) (Collier-Richbourg) / Oh What a Feeling () 
F-790 / ? 

Do-Ra-Me 1402 
Wally Jeffery 
Oh Yeah (Miller-Jeffery) / Lonely, Lonely, Heart (Miller-Jeffery) 
F-792 / F-793 

Do-Ra-Me 1403
Chuck Howard
Out of Gas () / Let's Talk Things Over ()

Do-Ra-Me 1404 
Little Willie Brown & the Cameos 
Cut It Out (W. Brown) / Gonna Make It on Back () 
F-794 / ? 

Do-Ra-Me 1405 
Audrey Bryant 
Someone Like You (Robbins-Biggs-Biggs) / Let’s Trade a Little (Ralph Nelson) 
F-800 / F-801 

Do-Ra-Me 1406 
Herbie Smith 
Most Likely to Succeed (Smith) / Baby Moon () 
F-804 / F-805 
1959 (BB) 

Do-Ra-Me 1407 
The Marquees
Can It Be Wrong () / In the Halo of Your Love ()

Do-Ra-Me 1408 

Do-Ra-Me 1409 
Mary Lou Williams 
I’m Gettin‘ Married (H. Phillips) / Does My Heart Tell the Truth () 
F-818  / ?

Do-Ra-Me 1410 
Tom Moses 
Unruly Heart () / It’s a Lonely Road () 

Do-Ra-Me 1411 

Do-Ra-Me 1412 
The Dixielanders 
Uncle John’s Bongos (Blake-Culpepper-Evans) / Walk Easy (Blake) 
F-828 / F-829 
Note: record has “Phillips“ etched into the dead wax. 

Do-Ra-Me 1413 
Lenny Davis 
Satan’s Got You (By the Hand) (Ray Whitt) / Sing Little Bluebird (Ray Whitt) 
RN-704 / RN-705 

Do-Ra-Me 1414 
The Imps 
Uh-Oh () / That’ll Get It () 

Do-Ra-Me 1415 

Do-Ra-Me 1416 
Houston Turner and the Dixielanders 
Uncle John’s Bongos (Blake-Culpepper-Evans) / The Best Dressed Beggar (in Town) (Houston Turner) 
F-828 / F-860 
1962 (BB) 

Do-Ra-Me 1417 
Jimmie John
Frankfurter's Machine () / Fire in the House ()

Do-Ra-Me 1418 
April Clarke
Afraid to Answer () / Lonelyville ()

Do-Ra-Me 1419 
Pete Gusman
Listen (Jerry Butler) / Let's Talk Things Over (C. Howard)

Do-Ra-Me 1420 
The Dixielanders
The Trot () / I'll Watch Your Lights Grow Dimmer ()

Do-Ra-Me 1421 

Do-Ra-Me 1422 
Redd Stewart with the Pee Wee King Band 
Levi Lady (Blair-Barnes-Peppers-Stewart) / River Road Rock Twist (Pee Wee King-Redd Stewart) 
F-878 / F-879
1962 (BB) 

Do-Ra-Me 1423 

Do-Ra-Me 1424 
Al Horn 
It’s Much Too Soon (Harley Frazier) / Where Does Love Go (Jan Crutchfield) 
C-122 / C-123 

Do-Ra-Me 1425
Jimmie John 
I’m Your Toy (Jimmie John) / They Don’t Really Know Me () 
Note: This was a special record cut for and distributed by Al Payne Motor Sales (Newark, Ohio). 

Do-Ra-Me 1426 

Do-Ra-Me 1427 
Wayne Johnson 
Just You () / Just Thought You Ought to Know () 

Do-Ra-Me 1428 

Do-Ra-Me 1429
April Clarke 
Afraid to Answer (Biggs-Biggs-Robbins) / Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus (Swan-Hager) 
F-872 / C-144 

Do-Ra-Me 1430

Do-Ra-Me 1431

Do-Ra-Me 1432
Bob Taylor
Samson and Delilah () / Let's Talk Things Over ()

Do-Ra-Me 1433

Do-Ra-Me 1434

Do-Ra-Me 1435
Al Horn
Crazy Moon () / Slowly Dying ()

Do-Ra-Me 1436

Do-Ra-Me 1437 
Houston Turner 
Buenos Noches (Biggs-Biggs-Robbins) / Candy Apple Red (H. Turner) 
BN-162-v / BN-163-v 

Do-Ra-Me 1438 
Ronnie Dale 
Bald Headed Lover (Jimmie John) / Don’t Wake Me Up () 
N-164 / ? 

Do-Ra-Me 1439
Webster Brothers
My Heart Won't Let Me Forget () / The Memory Waltz ()

Do-Ra-Me 1440 
Houston “Buck“ Turner 
If I’d Died Before I Met You () / I Was Loving You More ()

Do-Ra-Me 5026 
Dewell Everette and the Dual-Tones 
One More Kiss (D. Everette) / I Left Her Crying () 
F-855 / F-856 

Do-Ra-Me 5027 
Cliffie Nash 
I’ll Never Know (C. Nash) / No Time for Sisters (John Meredith) 
F-55 / F-57 

Do-Ra-Me 5028 
Cliffie Nash 
Jennie Lou (C. Nash) / I Love You Darling (C. Nash) 
F-56 / F-58 

Do-Ra-Me 5037
Johnny Stills
Here's a Toast to You () / My Home Away from Home ()

Do-Ra-Me 5040 
Jimmie John 
I Like It That Way (Jimmie John) / You Just Don’t Care () 
C-109 / ? 

Do-Ra-Me 5043 
Gene Boden 
This Kind of Hurt (Dan Carter) / But Maybe Tomorrow () 
GB-94-1 / ? 

Do-Ra-Me 5050
Bob Flower and the Star Dusters
Three Months Ago Today (Wm. Howard Baker) / It's Over Now ()
FN-248-1 / 
"Recorded in Nashville"

Information concerning Murray Nash mostly taken from: "ROCK 'N' ROLL PIONEER" by Bo Berglind 
Other sources: RCS, Billboard, own collection
Thanks to Rocky Lane, Anonymous, Derik, jimbomacaroni

14 comments:

Steve Hathaway said...

Murray started with Post Office after losing his music business. I believe Murray said that he was swindled by a partner.
He transfered to Cupertino, California where he retired from Post Ofice and moved to Florida, where he died.

Rocky Lane said...

I have in my database:

Do-Ra-Me 1403 was by Chuck Howard.
A-Side: Out Of Gas - B-Side: Let's Talk Things Over

Do-Ra-Me 1407 was by the Marquees. A-Side: Can It Be Wrong - B-Side: Unknown.

Do-Ra-Me 1417 was by Jimmy John.
A-Side: Frankfurter's Machine - B-Side: Fire In The House.

Do-Ra-Me 1420 was by the Dixielanders.
A-Side: The Trot - B-Side: I'll Watch Your Lights Grow Dimmer

Do-Ra-Me 1432 was by Bob Taylor.
A-Side: Samson And Delihah - B-Side: Let's Talk Things Over.

Do-Ra-Me 1439 was by the Webster Brothers.
A-Side: My Heart Won't Let Me Forget - B-Side: The Memory Waltz.

Do-Ra-Me 5037 was by Johnny Stills.
A-Side: Here's A Toast To You - B-Side: My Home Away From Home.

Bob The Scared Data Miner said...

A good Murray Nash bio can be found here :

http://www.geocities.ws/shakin_stacks/murraynash.txt

Mellow said...

Thanks Rocky! Have added them.

@Steve: I think you're right, but Bo mentions indeed 1964 in his article.

Sara Umair said...

YOUR BLOG IS AMAZING....

Saeed Zia said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
bopping said...

Thanks for the info. As usual, super job! I have the label scan of side to Webster Brosthers (# 1439). Are you interested?

Mellow said...

Yes of course, thanks! You can send it to me email adress!

Derik said...

DO-RA-ME 1407
The Marquees
Aside:Can It Be Wrong
Bside:In the Halo Of Your Love

devika rathore said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Rehan Ahmed said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Hi there,

DO RA MI 1418
April Clarke

A: Afraid to answer
B: Lonelyville

Greetings from Holland

Mellow said...

Thanks!

jimbomacaroni said...

I have Do-Ra-Me 1419. The recording artist is Pete Gusman. The A side is "Listen" written by Jerry Butler and B side is "Let's Talk Things Over" credited to C. Howard. Thanks for the blog, otherwise I wouldn't have a clue about this good sounding record.