Al Hendrix R.I.P.

Another original rockabilly artist has passed away. Al Hendrix, who recorded a couple of rock'n'roll and rockabilly singles during the 1950s and 1960s that founded his fame in the rockabilly scene, was active until recent years. He died peacefully on July 24, 2021, at his home in California.

Hendrix was born in 1934 in Miami, Florida, but later moved to Bakersfield, California, where he met the young and aspiring country musician Buck Owens. With another country band leader, Jolly Jody and his band, the Go-Daddies, Hendrix recorded his first single for the local Tally label, "Rhonda Lee" b/w "Go Daddy, Rock" that was picked up by ABC-Paramount for national release. The 1960s saw Hendrix recording more singles that became minor favorites among rockabilly enthusiasts, including "Young and Wild" and "Monkey Bite." Hendrix also recorded several albums in later years.

Today, we feature my favorite "Rhonda Lee" in honor of Hendrix.

Sanford Clark R.I.P.

Another legend has gone. Rockabilly and country singer Sanford Clark, best remembered for his 1956 hit "The Fool", died July 4, 2021, at the age of 85 years. He had been in hospital in Joplin, Missouri, due to cancer but died from an infection with COVID19.

Clark was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but started his musical career in Phoenix, Arizona, where he soon became part of the lively music scene. He met later famous producer, songwriter and singer Lee Hazlewood, with whom he would work together on and off for the next years. Clark's debut was "The Fool", which became his first and biggest hit. He later recorded numerous singles and albums, including a cover of the murder ballad "It's Nothing to Me," which became an underground favorite, and a remake of "The Fool" with country star Waylon Jennings on electric guitar.

Recommended reading:
• The Billboard: "Sanford Clark dead: Rockabilly Performer, Dies at 85 from COVID-19"

To remember Sanford Clark, we feature one of his later recordings today, the great "Just Bluesin'", a typical 1960s Lee Hazlewood production.

Jackie and Arlen on Southern Gospel Singers

Jackie and Arlen Vaden - The Beautiful Isle of Somewhere (Southern Gospel Singers 1000), mid to late 1950s

After finishing two articles about Red Kirk and Curley Jim Morrison recently for American Music Magazine, I'll turn my whole attention to finishing a project that has been in the making since April last year: Vaden Records. A detailed 60+ pages essay about the little Trumann based label, its owner Arlen Vaden, and recording artists is waiting to be published, furnished with high quality and rare photos, detailed discography and biographies.

Nevertheless, I am still in search of people who remember the Vaden label, Jackie and Arlen, any of the artists or everything else connected with the topic. I have guested on Marty Scarbrough's Arkansas Roots radio programm on KASU in January but unfortunately, there was next to no response to my inquiry. Therefore, if anybody is out there and is willing to contribute, feel free to leave a comment or contact me through the blog's Facebook page.

For today's post, I selected a recording by Jackie and Arlen on their Southern Gospel Singers imprint. This was Arlen's second label, sandwiched between he first branched out into the recording business with his private 78rpm label but likely before Vaden Records came into existence. "The Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" ranks among the best of their work with Jackie's crystal-clear solo vocal and Arlen's guitar accompaniment. The cut was eventually reissued on Vaden Records. These EPs were released by Vaden to sell them on his radio show, which they did indeed in great numbers.

Perk Williams on Allstar

Perk Williams - One Sweet Touch (Allstar A-7302), 1964

This is the last, belated, part of my series of Jimmy Heap/Melody Masters themed posts. Today, we will explore the life and times of the Melody Masters' main vocalist, Perk Williams. Williams was the band's fiddler and moreover, added to the groups' style with his distinctive voice.

Houston Perk Williams, to give him his full name, was born on November 19, 1926, on a farm near Chriesman, Texas, a small town in the middle of nowhere, 45 miles away from Taylor. Williams spent most of his life in Chriesman, which is today close to being a ghost town. Williams attended local school there and began playing the fiddle at the age of eight years, soon performing at local social events. A year later, he won first prize in a fiddle contest and another year later, could be heard on radio KTBC in Austin for the first time.

At age 16, Williams started playing in a band called the Texas Glee Boys. He would continue to perform with other local Texas bands for the next years. After moving to Brenham, he joined another group that was heard regularly on KWHI but eventually founded his own band that could be heard on KORA in Bryan and WTAW in College Station. In 1948, Williams married Jane Kornegay and the couple had one daughter. Tragically, his wife would be killed in a car accident in 1955.

By the late 1940s, Williams likely had gained some popularity in the area as a talented musician and in 1949, joined Jimmy Heap's Melody Masters, a band from Taylor that had been active for the past few years. They already had made some recordings for a local label and signed a recording deal with Imperial that year. Williams, who had limited himself to playing the fiddle in all previous bands, tried out as a vocalist on the Melody Masters' first session for the label and the debut record, "Today, Tonight and Tomorrow" sold well enough to earn Williams a spot as the main vocalist among the many talented singers in the band.

Williams would be part of the band until 1957, recording numerous sessions with the Melody Masters for Imperial and later for Capitol. It was Williams who sang on the band's most memorable recordings, "Release Me" (a chart hit for the group) and their original version of "Wild Side of Life," two songs that later turned out to be country music classics. Williams' voice and his style of singing became an integral part of the Melody Masters sound and helped the band getting popularity all over Texas.

By 1956, Capitol had dropped the Melody Masters from their roster but Heap and the band decided to continue, recording and releasing their songs independently. However, Williams recorded his last session with the band in the fall of 1957, subsequently leaving the Melody Masters. Heap went with the times and had begun transforming the Masters into a rock'n'roll dance band, which likely did not suit Williams' style and taste.

After leaving the Melody Masters, with whom he had performed for about eight years, he founded his own band, the Gold Star Playboys, performing around Bryan and College Station. Williams also recorded first time solo in 1956, a rare and often overlooked split-single with Cowboy Blair for the Echo label. He then would not record until 1960, when he cut two singles for Pappy Daily's D label, for which Jimmy Heap and the Melody Masters also recorded one disc.

In 1963, Williams recorded a solo version of "Release Me" for the local Paradise label and a year later, had a single out on Houston's Allstar label that recorded a lot of Texas music. Both "One Sweet Touch" and "I'm That Fool" were uptempo numbers with an updated sound but clearly rooted in Williams' western swing background. Interestingly, "I'm That Fool" was co-written by Doug Dickerson, who was most likely dubious Dallas based songwriter/singer Dub Dickerson.

Shiner Gazette, September 5, 1975

Williams continued to record into the 1970s and performed in the area. He had a stroke in 1983, leaiving him unable to work and also limiting his skills on the fiddle. Nevertheless, he didn't give up and in the early 1990s, befriended with a young Taylor musician, Paul Schlesinger, whom he taught his first tunes on the fiddle.

Williams was diagnosed with cancer and died on January 3, 1994 at the age of 67 years. He had married a second time in the mid 1950s, Betty Jane Sherwood, with whom he had four children. Since 2000, an annual music festival is held in Chriesman as a tribute to the town's only popular son, the "Perk Festival." One of the mainstays is Williams' protégé Paul Schlesinger.

Recommended reading
• Perk Williams on Twirl (Some Local Loser blog)
• Jimmy Heap & the Melody Masters on Imperial (Wired for Sound blog)

See also
• A Heap of Texas Music: The Story of Jimmie Heap and the Melody Masters
• Jimmy Heap and the Melody Masters on Fame
• Jimmy Heap and the Melody Masters on Capitol, Part I
 • Jimmy Heap and the Melody Masters on Capitol, Part II

Sources
• Perk Williams biography
• Perk Williams 45cat entry

Tony Wayne on Westport

Tony Wayne - Together Forever (Westport 134), 1956

Tony Wayne's name is mostly associated with rockabilly singer Alvis Wayne, who coincidentally shared half of the same stage name. From today's point of view, Tony Wayne stands in the shadow of Alvis Wayne, who in turn is often overlooked due to other bigger names in Texas rockabilly music. Tony Wayne was a local Texas based country music band leader, who mentored the young, aspiring Alvis Wayne for some time in the 1950s. In contrast to his protégé, Tony Wayne sunk into oblivion after the 1950s.

He was born Anthony Wayne Guion on January 1, 1924, in Rule, Texas, a small town located in the northern part of the state. By the age of twelve, Guion had taken up the guitar and modeled his style after the great Jimmie Rodgers, who had died just a few years earlier. He finished school in 1940 and became a National Guardsman afterwards, followed by a stint in the US Army. However, he was discharged from the service due to troubles with his ears. Upon leaving the military, he started a career in law enforcement and worked as a deputy sheriff nad as chief of police, among other occupations.

Tony Wayne (Westport promotional photo), 1956

However, music had always been on his mind. By the 1950s, Guion had made the move to Corpus Christi in South Texas. By 1955, he had taken up music on a professional base and founded a country music band, the "Rhythm Wranglers." He adopted the name "Tony Wayne" for performing purposes. In early 1956, he made connections with a 13 years younger singer named Wayne Samford, who was playing also bars around town. Guion had greater plans to go out on the road and invited Samford, who would change his name to Alvis Wayne eventually, to join the Rhythm Wranglers. Alvis Wayne, interviewed by John Kennedy in the early 2000s, remembered: "My mom and dad were not very happy about me going out on the road, but I had an opportunity to do so with a band, which was the only thing I ever wanted to do. As I said they weren't very happy about it at all and we talked about it for several days but I just had to go and they eventually went along with it all and didn't hold me back."

But life on the road wasn't as successful as they had imagined. The band played in a couple of spots that Guion had booked previously, though their commodations were far from being luxurious. In addition, payment was low and after some time, the band decided to quit touring and returned to Corpus Christi. Upon their return, Alvis Wayne left the Rhythm Wranglers and joined Al Hardy's Southernaires. Though, he stayed in contact with Guion.

By summer 1956, Guion had connected with Dave Ruf in Kansas City, Missouri, who owned a little record label called Westport Records there with his brother. The label had been originally started in 1955 as an outlet to release their children's music, known as the Westport Kids. However, the label developed into an outlet to release local talent. Alvis Wayne recollected: "Tony got, I don't know how, but he got in touch with them and he came up to me and said 'Hey I got us a recording contract with Westport Records in Kansas City, Missouri, and they want some rock'n'roll records. He said I got five songs already written for you and all you gotta do is go in there and sing. As far as I know Tony never sung or performed those songs on stage, he wrote them just for me. I had to sit down and drum them into my brain and learn them. I think it was probably Tony who suggested that I change my name from Wayne Samford to Alvis Wayne because he said Elvis has already got this thing going and your name is Alvis and all that. I said OK whatever, you know more about this than I do so let's go for it."

Alvis Wayne, ca. 1956-1958

Dave Ruf released "Swing Bop Boogie" b/w "Sleep Rock-a-Roll Rock-a-Baby," both composed by Guion, on Westport 132 around September 1956, credited to "Alvis Wayne / Accompaniment by Tony Wayne and his Rhythm Wranglers." However, Alvis Wayne had recorded the songs in July 1956 in a little local backyard studio with a totally different band, namely Al Hardy's.

The name mentioning on the label was possibly due to some contractual agreements that Guion had signed with Ruf or he simply masqueraded the band on the record as the Rhythm Wranglers when he sent the tapes off to Kansas City. Guion also had a release on his own on Westport, "Many Ways" b/w "Together Forever" (Westport 134), released at some point between September and November 1956. It were two straight country music performances as Guion likely never performed any rock'n'roll. Substantial recording date and location info on this release has been lost over the decades, unfortunately.

Alvis Wayne had another two records on Westport and although he didn't perform with Guion's Rhythm Wranglers anymore, they remained in contact and it was Guion who organized the last Westport session in 1958 in Houston: "[...] Tony had phoned over to Houston and arranged a recording session. James Bacon had written 'Lay Your Head On My Shoulder', offered it to me and said he would back me up on the record and that's what he did," Alvis Wayne recalled. The song came out in September 1958 but was not a hit, although Wayne's previous disc, another Guion song entitled "Don't Mean Maybe Baby," had proofed to be a strong seller in South Texas a year earlier. It even sold so good that it saw release in the summer of 1958 in Australia on the Bell label, wrongly issued under the name "Tony Wayne." Desillusioned with the music business, Alvis Wayne left the music business and in 1960, entered the US Air Force. By then, he had lost contact with Guion.

It is likely that Guion continued to perform around Corpus Christi with his band, as he had done the previous years, although no such activies are documented for the 1960s. In 1970, he cut a single at Cutler's studio in Corpus Christie, "An Angel Next Door" b/w "Our Dog Named Charlie," which was released on the local Billdale label in 1970. This is the last hint we find on Guion.

Tony Wayne Guion died on December 12, 1997, at the age of 73 years and is buried at Palms Memorial Garden in Portland, Texas. His personal life is even more hazy than his musical career: a 1956 Westport promotional text stated, Guion was living with his 74 years old mother in Corpus Christi but a 1954 newspaper snippet found in the Corpus Christi Times suggests that he was already married and gave birth to a daughter in April that year. Guion was definitely married to Helen Georgia at the time of his passing.

Guion's fellow musician Alvis Wayne enjoyed some popularity during the Rockabilly Revival and played several gigs in Europe and the US from the late 1990s onwards as well as recorded two albums. He died in 2013.

Discography

Westport
134: Tony Wayne - Many Ways / Together Forever (1956)

Billdale
BD-1007: Tony Wayne - An Angel Next Door / Our Dog Named Charlie (1970)

Sources
• Tony Wayne 45cat entry
• Tony Wayne Find a Grave entry
• Alvis Wayne Rockin' Country Style entry
• Alvis Wayne biography/interview by John Kennedy (Rockabilly Hall of Fame)

Ted Russell Kamp - Solitair review

 

Ted Russell Kamp – Solitaire
Continental Song City CSCCD 1183
May 2021

Total playing time: 52:03

When I first learned of Ted Russell Kamp’s new album “Solitaire,” it dawned on me that I had to have this album. I was familiar with Kamp’s name through my fondness of Shooter Jennings, for whom Kamp played bass for years. However, Kamp has been active as a solo artist as well as producer and has released several albums over the years.

In May 2021, his new work “Solitaire” was released on Continental Song City. To be honest, I expected it to be something different. I have been familiar with all of Shooter Jennings’ work and thought, Kamp would deliver something in the same manner but it turned out to be quite different. “Solitaire” is calm, quite, soft and seldom the songs are pushers. This might be because Kamp recorded it mostly at his home during the pandemic months. It is an album to sit down, settle down, and listen.

To my ears, highlights of the 14 tracks strong record include the opening track “My Girl Now,” “You Can Go to Hell, I’m Going to Texas,” “As Far As the Eye Can See,” “Western Wind” and the great “Lightning Strikes Twice.” Kamp himself performed many of the instruments, although he also assembled a group of musicians that support him on different tracks. The sound is acoustic in its best sense, it’s pure and it’s grounded. In my very personal opinion, a few faster paced songs would have enhanced the track selection but the judgement is probably up to each individual.

Nevertheless, Kamp delivers an extremely well-produced and coherent album and I surely will occupy myself with more Ted Russell Kamp material. 

track listing:

1. My Girl Now (3:16)
2. Path of Least Resistance (2:52)
3. You Can Go to Hell, I’m Going To Texas (4:17)
4. Birds That Sing At Dawn (3:35)
5. As Far As the Eye Can See (3:37)
6. The Hardest Road to Find – (3:48)
7. Solitaire (3:14)
8. Western Wind – (3:51)
9. Be Your Man – (3:37)
10. A Rose or Two (4:11)
11. The Spark – (4:19)
12. Only a Broken Heart (3:04)
13. Exception to the Rule (4:43
14. Lightning Strikes Twice (3:32)

Mack Banks R.I.P.

Rockabilly pioneer Mack Banks has passed away on May 4, 2021, at the age of 86 years. Banks, who has secured his place in rockabilly history with his 1956 two-sider "Be-Boppin' Daddy" / "You're So Dumb," was active in music until recent years and was considered as a part of Mississippi's rich music scene. He was an ensemble member of the local "Sparta Opry" stage show for years. After his Fame single, Banks recorded a slew of strictly local 45s for the Vee-Eight label and other companies. 

Roy Lett on Smitty

To clear up the misunderstandings that for long have surrounded the name "Roy Lett," I decided to put together this post, although I don't have much information or any of his recordings in my collection. For years, Roy Lett was believed to be a pseudonym for Memphis singer and label owner Shelby Smith, likely much due to the statement in the liner notes to the Stomper Time reissue CD "Fernwood Rockabillies" and possibly also "The Rebel - Rebel Ace Records Story."

However, I received a message from Roy Lett's daughter, stating and verifying that it was actually her father Roy Lett, who recorded "Rosalie" b/w "To Your Heart for a Moment" for Shelby Smith's Smitty Records (#55784) in 1960 - and not Smith hiding under another name. Roy Benton Lett was born on November 16, 1931, likely in Tennessee. He began his career on the Knoxville country music scene and appeared on such radio and TV programmes as WNOX's Tennessee Barn Dance and business man Cas Walker's show. Lett served in the US Marine Corps during the Korean War, eventually leaving as a corporal. By 1958, he and his family lived in Memphis, Tennessee, and Lett was part of Don Gibson's touring band, performing on the Louisiana Hayride with the Gibson troupe. Gibson was one of country music's stars that had emerged from the Knxoville scene.

In 1960, Lett recorded what was likely his only solo outing. The songs were recorded at Slim Wallace's Fernwood studio in Memphis and Wallace contributed the song "Rosalie" for the session, while label owner Shelby Smith penned "To Your Heart for a Moment." Lett's daughter assumed that Lett was performing lead guitar on the recordings.

Tragically, Roy Lett died way too early on June 30, 1963, at the age of 31 years. The circumstances of his death are unknown to me. He is buried at Knoxville National Cemetery.

See also
•  Shelby Smith's empire of record labels

Recommended reading
• 45cat entry
• Rockin' Country Style entry

Sources
• Find a Grave entry
• Special thanks to Roy Lett's daughter Sadonna Lett

Jim Morrison on Curley Q, Part II

Jim Morrison & Band - Campfire (ca. 1964), Curley Q 5705

Seven years ago (yes, SEVEN!), I have posted a disc by Curley Jim Morrison of "Rock and Roll Itch" fame (see here). It was always a goal for me to unearth his story and I am now very near to achieve it. His daughter has been generous in providing me with memories and information. The result will be published in a future American Music Magazine issue.

However, I am still looking for other people who knew Jim Morrison, saw him perform, or even played music with him. He was active in Miami, Fort Worth, Clovis, Edwards, California, and Glenwood, Illinois. Feel free to leave a comment if you can provide any details (any info is appreciated).

For today's post, I picked out a song that was recorded by Curley Jim around 1964, a follow up to his local Fort Worth hit "Ace in the Hole," entitled "Campfire." Enjoy it!

Jimmy Heap on Fame

Jimmy Heap and the Melody Masters - Alone at a Telephone (Fame FA-501), 1957

"Alone at a Telephone" was recorded during the fall of 1957 at KTAE's studio in Taylor, Texas. The line-up included Jimmy Heap on lead guitar, Horace Barnett on rhythm guitar, Butterball Harris on steel guitar, Perk Williams for the last time on vocals and fiddle, likely Bill Taylor on trumpet, Bill Glendening on bass, and George Harrison on drums. Their second independent production and their first release on the band's newly founded Fame record label, "Alone at a Telephone" and the other song recorded, "I'm One of Those," were fine mid 1950s western swing recordings by a band that soon would make the change to popular rock'n'roll. But for this release, they settled with the style they had played for over ten years by then.

Billboard C&W review December 23, 1957

The disc was released at the end of 1957 and saw review in Billboard's C&W segment on December 23 but the magazine staff was not impressed with the record. However, they were more impressed with the band's second Fame release, recorded and released around the same time, and reviewed in the very same Billboard issue. Heap and the Melody Masters continued to record their own songs as well as other artists on their Fame label until 1961. They also would use the Fame label to release their "party" LPs in the 1960s.

The Jimmy Heap Show at Cow Palace in Tyler, Texas, 1970. On vocals reportedly Bill Taylor and next to him Jimmy Heap on lead guitar.

Recommended reading
• A Heap of Texas Music: The Story of Jimmie Heap and the Melody Masters
• Jimmy Heap and the Melody Masters on Capitol, Part I
• Jimmy Heap and the Melody Masters on Capitol, Part II
• Perk Williams on Allstar