Gaylon Christie on Capri

Gaylon Christie and the Downbeats featuring Roy Robinson - Wasted Days and Wasted Nights (Capri 504), 1964
Gaylon Christie was a band leader, musician, radio disc jockey, and business man, known for his contributions to Texas small market radio. Like many of his rock'n'roll contemporaries, Christie's first love was country music. He switched to rock'n'roll in 1958, leading a popular band called "The Downbeats" for several years, then returned to country music and began working as a DJ on Texas radio station.

Gaylon Wayne Christie was born on August 22, 1936, in Holland, Texas, in the heart of the Lone Star State, just south of Temple. He was born to Floyd Portman and Audrey Christie and had one older sister, Nelta Dean, and a younger sister, Beavelly. Holland was a farming community, so Christie's musical background was mainly imprinted by country music.

While attending high school in Holland, Christie became a member of Clyde Chesser's Texas Village Boys in late 1953 when he was just 17 years old. The group was the main act of a local TV show, the Blue Bonnet Barn Dance, and Christie joined as a steel guitarist. The next year, he went to Temple Junior College and began working for KTEM, the city's local radio station.

With Chesser and the Texas Village Boys, Christie made his first recordings as part of the band. However, by 1956, he had left and two years later, founded his own group, the Downbeats. By then, Christie had changed his musical style to more popular rock'n'roll and had switched to electric guitar. The band played on weekends and backed many stars that came through town while being on tour, including Sonny James and a young Willie Nelson.

Gaylon Christie and the Downbeats, late 1950s

The Downbeats featured different vocalists during their career, including Dale McBride, Big Jim Lawrence, and Roy Robinson. The band made its recording debut in early 1958, recording for the small Taylor, Texas, based Kobb label, which had just come into existence. Their first release is hard to come by. "Junior Jazz" b/w "If You See My Julie", of which the latter was reissued on two compilations decades after its recording, were released on Kobb #1500.

The group recorded a second release for Kobb, the instrumental "Wound Up" paired with "Because I Love You So" with vocals by Dale McBride. This disc appeared in early March 1958, shortly after their debut. Christie and the Downbeats became a popular act regionally and continued to release recordings on local Texas labels. Still in 1958, they recorded a great version of "Hootchi Cootchi Man" for Jimmy Heap's Fame label. Heap was another Texas band leader, being the front man of the Melody Boys, with whom Downbeats vocalist Dale McBride would later work. Another record came in late 1962 for the Bid label and in 1964, the Downbeats recorded for Capri what would be their final release. Capri Records, based in Conroe, Texas, was operated by Huey Meaux and Foy Lee and is best remembered for the recordings Gene Summers made for the label.

By then, the sound of the band had changed from rock'n'roll to a more pop orienteed sound. "Tell Me What's On Your Mind" was written by the band's vocalist Roy Robinson, while "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" was a song actually written and recorded by Freddie Fender in 1959 for Duncan Records. Fender of course would re-record it in the 1970s to score a major hit with it. It is probable that the song was given to the Downbeats by producer Huey Meaux.

After the Downbeats disbanded, Christie returned to country music and concentrated on his radio work. In the early 1960s, he worked with KTON in Belton, Texas, and was, among others, responsible for changing the format of the station to full-time country music programming, which was unusual at that time. He also started booking big acts like Roger Miller, Marty Robbins, and Ferlin Husky in the area. He also helped getting the careers of a new generation of country singers started, including George Strait, Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, and more. While working for KTON, Christie decided, after being a DJ for several years by then, to change roles and went into sales. When the ownership of KTON changed, he became general manager of the station in 1966.

In 1975, Christie left KTON and then worked for KXOL in Fort Worth. In 1977, he and a business partner started the M&M Corporation and launched their own radio station KOOV in Copperas Cove, Texas. Christie was not only owner of the station but also served as general manager and DJ. 

Christie sold KOOV in 2001 and retired from the active side of radio business. He was instrumental in forming the Country DJ Hall of Fame and was recognized with the induction into it eventually. Christie died January 15, 2014, at the age of 77 years in Temple. He is buried at Killeen City Cemetery in Killeen, Texas.

Discography

Kobb 1500: Gaylon Christie - If You See My Julie / Junior Jazz (1958)
Kobb 1501: Gaylon Christie and the Downbeats - Wound Up / Dale McBride - Because I Love You (1958)
Kobb 1501: Gaylon Christie and the Downbeats - Wound Up / Dale McBride featured with Gaylon Christie and the Downbeats - Because I Love You So (1958)
Fame Fa-503: Gaylon Christie and the Downbeats featuring Big Jim Lawrence - Hootchi Cootchi Man / Gaylon Christie and the Downbeats featuring Dale McBride - It Might Have Been (1958)
Bid 503: Gaylon Christie and the Downbeats with the Episodes - Someone Else, Not Me / Too Late (1962)
Capri 504: Gaylon Christie and the Downbeats featuring Roy Robinson - Wasted Days and Wasted Nights / Tell Me What's On Your Mind (1964)

Note: Both versions of Kobb #1501 have identical recordings. The difference is only present in the different artist credit.

See also
• Clyde Chesser's Texas Village Boys

Recommended reading
• Brittany Fholer: "KOOV alumni gather for 45th year reunion in Copperas Grove" (Copperas Grove Leader-Press), 2022
• Memories of Gaylon Christie by Gene Pemberton and Mildren Lancaster

Sources
• 45cat entry
• Rockin' Country Style entry
• Discogs entry
• Find a Grave entry
• Country Aircheck interview with Gaylon Christie