Blankenship Brothers on Bluegrass

Blankenship Brothers with the Sundown Playboys - Lonesome Old Jail (Bluegrass 45-816), 1959

In the past years, I have been digging deep into Arkansas' country and rock'n'roll music history. Though, before the Natural State came to my attention and became my specialty, the state of Indiana was near the mark. Numerous live stage shows were broadcast from the state during the 1940s and 1950s, countless small independent labels existed during the 1950s and 1960s and Indianapolis alone was home to so many bands, artists, labels, and clubs. It was a thriving scene but a topic that is rather unexplored with so many interesting singers and bands. One of those artists were Dennis and Floyd, the Blankenship Brothers, whose legacy was kept alive by collectors and lovers of "hickabilly" or rockabilly hick music.

Before we dig deeper into their story, it is better to mention that there were several acts by the name of the Blankenship Brothers or Family. An old-time family band known as the Blankenship Family recorded for Victor in the early 1930s. There was another brother act, Jess and "Gonie" Blankenship were another old-time duo, performing around Beckley, West Virginia, and appearing on the city's WJLS radio in the late 1930s. There was possibly even a third act that went by that name - more about this issue later, though.

Brothers Dennis and Floyd Blankenship's family hailed originally from the Tennessee-Kentucky border region but both made their home in Indiana by the late 1950s. Dennis was the older brother, born Garland Dennis Blankenship on November 18, 1923. His place of birth is obviously disputed, as his obituary mentions Macon County, Tennessee, as his birthplace, while official records mention Allen, Kentucky. However, six years later, brother Floyd C. was born on April 9, 1929, in Lafayette, Macon County, Tennessee. Their parents Thomas Stone "Tom" and Allie Lee (Jent) Blankenship had at least seven children and looking at their birthplaces, it seems that the family moved back and forth between adjacent counties Allen, Kentucky, and Macon, Tennessee. Father Tom's family were longtime residents of Macon County, at least since the early 18th century, but it was Tom's grandfather Joel Blankenship who married Ellen Grey from Allen, Kentucky, bonding the family to both places.

Dennis Blankenship served his country during World War II and upon his return, married Berneze Thomas from Scottsville, Allen County. Floyd married around five years later. By the 1950s, both had made the move to Indianapolis, an industrial center and the booming state capitol of Indiana. The city was also home to many automobile manufacturers, once rivaling Detroit, and attracted many rural southerners that were seeking for easier work, escaping the hard farm labor, and better living conditions. Among them were the Blankenships, who brought along their bluegrass music from their home states Kentucky and Tennessee, and by the late 1950s, Dennis and Floyd had formed a band known as the Blankenship Brothers, which also included fiddle, mandolin, banjo, and bass, though the exact line-up remains blurry.

The success of both the 45rpm format and rock'n'roll, which caused an upswing in private owned, independent record labels, also came to Indiana and in the middle of the decade, several local companies had been set up, turning out country music as well as rock'n'roll. The Blankenship Brothers' development and music style reflected both: in 1959, they started making their own records and several of their recordings featured elements of rock'n'roll, although they always retained a rural bluegrass chop.

To break into the record business, the brothers decided to work with the Starday record company from Texas, which had started a custom pressing service in the 1950s. They sent off two of their recordings, "Tears I Cried for You" and "Mary", which were pressed in May 1959 with a label the brothers had aptly requested to call Bluegrass Records. Later obituaries state that "Mary" made the national top 10, which is hard to believe and most likely a misunderstanding on the obituary's author's side. I couldn't find any hint to "Mary" being successful at all.

The Blankenship Brothers Band (feat. far right Russell Spears)
Photo from the German Dee-Jay Jamboree issue (1988)

Their first record had been pure bluegrass with banjo, fiddle, and haunting vocals, harking back to the ancient sounds of their homes in Kentucky and Tennessee. For their next release, Floyd and Dennis adapted a slightly more modern style, though they were far away from the sweet teenage sounds that dominated the charts. "Lonesome Old Jail", with a great electric lead guitar, searing fiddle, and some nice harmony singing, became one of the songs collectors loved years later. Coupled with the sweet "Too Late", it was released on Bluegrass late in 1959. On this release, their backing band was dubbed "The Sundown Playboys", which at one time included Russell Spears (who later in turn recorded for Indy based labels Yolk and Nabor) and Miles Ray Miller on electric guitar, who was a close friend of the Blankenships.

Their third Bluegrass release came in the summer of 1960, comprising "The Story (The World Will Never Know)" and "You Went and Broke My Heart". Again, the band featured an electric lead guitarist but both songs were rather traditional material. This was the brothers' last release produced through Starday under the Bluegrass imprint.

In 1960, the Blankenship Brothers decided it was time for their own label and established Skyline Records and their publishing firm, the Blankenship Brothers Music Company. Shortly after their last Bluegrass release, their first Skyline record came out, featuring "Easy to Love-Hard to Forget" backed by "Don't Tell Me Your Sorry". Another disc appeared later that year with "I Got Just One Heart" and "That's Why I Am Blue", the latter being another prime example of the rockabilly hick sound.

While those first two Skyline releases were more on the straight country side, it was their third and last disc on the label that again became an underground favorite some twenty years later. "Waiting for a Train", surprisingly not a Jimmie Rodgers cover but a Blankenship original, featured some solid electric guitar work, a thumping walking bass, and rhythmic acoustic guitar played probably by one of the brothers. The other side was occupied by "Hard Up Blues", another favorite, delivered in a similar manner. The disc came out later in 1960 and was possibly the Blankenships' final release altogether.

There appears to have been another record by a group called the "Blankenship Brothers & the Pontiacs" from May 1964 featuring "Heap Big Blues" and "Travelin'' on the Harron label (probably also a Starday custom press). However, it is not clear if these guys were also Dennis and Floyd Blankenship or another act of the same name. It's not mentioned in any discography apart from the Starday custom pressings listing in Nathan D. Gibson's book "The Starday Story".

Apart from their record chronology, the Blankenship Brothers' career is hazy and only sketchy documented. What venues they played or if they appeared on local radio remains as much a mystery as the musicians they performed with. It is probably worthy to note that the brothers' songs were all original compositions. Floyd Blankenship abandoned secular music in 1967 and became a reverend, founding the True Word Baptist Church around 1970. He was also the founder and leader of a gospel group known as the Kings Servant Quartet. He kept a day job for 38 years, working for Stokley Van Camp and retiring in 1989. While Floyd stayed in Indianapolis, Dennis eventually returned to Kentucky and made his home in Scottsville. Reportedly, he also became a minister.

In 1988 (or 1999, depending which source you believe), a local Indianapolis label called Blue Sky Records (the name being apparently a syncrisis of the Blankenships' labels Bluegrass and Skyline) issued a long-play album entitled "Bluegrass & Rockabilly Kings from Indiana", containing the brothers' twelve sides recorded for their labels. Though some of the information used for this post came from the liner notes of it, the anonymous author obviously knew even less about the brothers' lives than I do. The label bears the old Blankenship address on Spruce Street, though I doubt Dennis or Floyd got any knowledge of this LP as the liner notes are so hazy. This has been the only time the Blankenships' recorded works have been gathered in one place for re-release. Since the 1980s, some of their songs have found their way onto European rockabilly compilations.

Dennis Blankenship died on February 20, 2003, at the age of 79 years at a Scottsville nursing home. His brother Floyd passed away November 9, 2011, at the age of 82 years at Community Hospital East in Indianapolis. He is buried there at Orchard Hill Cemetery. Though much overlooked back then, the Blankenship Brothers are part of Indiana's rockabilly legacy and have presented the world with some of the most unique recordings ever made in that field.

Discography

Bluegrass 45-773: Blankenship Brothers - Tears I Cried for You / Mary (May 1959)
Bluegrass 45-816: Blankenship Brothers with the Sundown Playboys - Too Late / Lonesome Old Jail (November 1959)
Bluegrass 45-870: Blankenship Brother's - The Story (The World Will Never Know) / You Went and Broke My Heart (July 1960)
Skyline 45-105: Blankenship Brothers - Easy to Love - Hard to Forget / Don't Tell Me Your Sorry (1960)
Skyline 45-106: Blankenship Brothers - I Got Just One Heart / That's Why I Am Blue (1960)
Skyline 45-107: Blankenship Brothers - Waiting for a Train / Hard Up Blues (1960)
Harron 1073: Blankenship Brothers and the Pontiacs - Heap Big Blues / Travelin' (May 1964)

Sources
• 45cat entry
• Rockin' Country Style entry
• Indiana MusicPedia entry
• Discogs
• Liner Notes from Blue Sky LP 100 on bopping.org (Internet Archive)
• Floyd Blankenship Find a Grave entry
• Dennis Blankenship Find a Grave entry
• Bluegrass Records entries and Blankenship Brothers entries at Malcolm Chapman's Starday Custom Series blog
• WJLS photostream on Flickr
• Nathan D. Gibson, Don Pierce: "The Starday Story - The House That Country Music Built" (University Press of Mississippi), 2011, page 237
• Thanks to Mike Martin

Slow Boogie Rockin' with Lloyd Harp

While "Slow Boogie Rock" is not a Rockabilly classic (yet), the original 45rpm record is hard to come by and worth 300$ if you can believe collectors. Though, the band behind this recording remained in obscurity since the record's release in 1960. Neither references in specialized books, magazines or booklets nor an internet search turns up a snippet of information. I am very thankful to Lloyd Harp's son Lloyd, Jr., who now shared some memories about his father with me. I am glad to present you details on Harp and the Hoosier Rhythm Boys for the first time.

From left to right: Lloyd Harp, Blackie's wife, "Blackie" (last name unknown)

Lloyd G. Harp was born in 1919 in Sidney, Ohio, but later moved to Indiana. Not much is known about his early life. Like so many other young singers back then, Harp's favorite Country music star was Hank Williams, Sr. Other influences on him included Chet Atkins, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Hank Snow.

By the late 1950s, Harp had organized a little band called "The Hoosier Rhythm Boys" with Harp on vocals and rhythm guitar, Les Sexton on lead guitar, and Bob Frame on bass. They played some taverns around Indianapolis and somehow managed to get the chance to record for a small local label called Yolk Records. Yolk was one of the labels owned by Jerry (Lee) Williams along with Stan Cox and Earl Brooks. Williams was a guitarist and played a lot with many local artists such as Aubrey Cagle, Tennessee Thompson, Lattie Moore, and others, around Indiana. He also ran the Nabor and Solid Gold labels. 

Likely recorded in a tiny studio in Indianapolis, "Slow Boogie Rock" was much more in the vein of mid-1950s rural Rockabilly than 1960s popular Rock'n'Roll. Coupled with "I'll Always Love You," it was released in the summer of 1960 (Yolk YR 102) but had no chance to enter the national charts due to lack of distribution and its out-of-fashion style. Billboard reviewed it in its August 29 issue but did not bother to write a review; the magazine rated Harp's single only as "one star."

Lloyd Harp and band: Lloyd Harp on far right, the others are unknown

Harp and the Hoosier Rhythm Boys kept on playing local venues around town up until the mid-1960s, when the band broke up. He settled down on the east side of Indianapolis, performed rarely after that but always found time to play his guitar once in a while, according to his son: 

Dad would pick up his big Gibson acoustic guitar and play every once and awhile... always would bring a smile to his face...

Lloyd Harp died in 1980 at the age of 61 years.

From left to right: Lloyd Harp, unknown, Lex Sexton, unknown

Special thanks to Lloyd Harp, Jr., for providing me with some details about his father's career in music.

Tennessee Thompson story

Tennessee Thompson with the Boomerangs
"Slippin & Slidin" b/w "Saturday Ball"
RCT 7033/4 (1959)

Loyal visitors of this blog will recognize this singer, which was presented on this blog some years ago. Tennessee Thompson is best known for recording a rocking rockabilly two-sider on the RCT label out of Indiana.

Edward R.C. "Tennessee" Thompson was the son of Jesse Frank Thompson and Elvie Thompson (Capps).  Not much is known about his private life, so we continue with his musical efforts. Thompson's nasal voice suggests that he was a country singer before rock'n'roll conquered the musical world but that's only a guess.

Tennessee Thompson and the Boomerangs in a Chicago recording studio, 1959. From left to right: unknown, Aubrey Cagle, Jerry Williams, Tennessee Thompson, "Boomer," unknown

In 1959, he and his band went into a studio in Chicago to record two songs: "Slippin & Slidin" and "Saturday Ball." Both were fine rockabilly pieces with a driving guitar work and slap bass. On this day, Thompson was accompanied by Aubrey Cagle (guitar), Jerry Williams (lead guitar), a guy called "Boomer" (guitar) and two unidentified musicians (bass/drums). Thompson played rhythm guitar and sang. Both songs were released in 1959 on the RCT record label out of Indianapolis, Indiana. The fact that Aubrey Cagle and Jerry Williams played on his record as well as the label's location indicates that Thompson was also from Indiana. RCT Records was probably owned by Thompson (R.C. Thompson). However, the record had not much impact on the record buying public in 1959.

Thompson possibly went out of the music business eventually and founded a family. He was married at least two times and had several children. He married in 1956 and lived together with this woman the rest of his life. Tennessee Thompson died in 1992.

Tennessee Thompson, ca. 1950s

Sources: Rockin' Country Style, Family geneology website, Special thanks to Thompson's granddaughter

Aubrey Cagle and Glee Records

Be-Bop Blues
Glee Records is a name that would not come to one's mind, if you ask about Rockabilly music. In fact, it was at first much a vehicle for founder Aubrey Cagle to release his own records. Glee first appeared in 1959, when Cagle issued his second single "Be-Bop Blues" b/w "Just for You" (Glee 100). By that time, Cagle was living in Indianapolis and the record company was headquartered on 1739 North Lesley Avenue. While this first record was pressed by an unknown pressing plant, later releases were manufactured by the RCA Victor custom pressing service. Both songs were recorded by Cagle in Nashville with his own band.

Aubrey Cagle himself was born on September 17, 1934, in Lexington, Tennessee, according to an article published in "New Kommotion" in 1978. Terry Gordon states on his site "Rockin' Country Style" that Cagle was born around 1928. Be that as it may, he grew up on the parental farm and bought his first guitar at the age of eleven from the money he had earned taking odd jobs. He set up his first band six years later at age 17 and got a spot on a radio station in Jackson, Tennessee, and later a show on WDXL in Lexington.

He moved to Indiana in 1955, hoping to find work. But it was not until 1959 that he cut his first record for Chesney Sherod's Memphis based label House of Sound. During the session, which took place in Memphis, Cagle recorded "Real Cool" and "Want to Be Wanted Blues", on which he was backed by local musicians including Chips Moman on guitar. Both songs were issued as his first single.

Later that year, Cagle founded his own record company, Glee Records, in Indianapolis, with his brother-in-law Johnnie James. The reasons for the founding are not know to me, but Cagle probably searched for an possibility to issue his records easier. Still in 1959, he held a session at Jan Eden's garage studio in Indianapolis, recording the two originally unissued songs "Bop 'n' Stroll" and "Rock-a-Billy Boy" with Don Rivers on electric guitar, Bill Williams on bass, Mike Freeman on drums and James Smith on piano. Both titles were excellent rockers with fine guitar/piano solos and a driving beat.

Rock-a-Billy Boy

When Cagle recorded his first single for Glee, "Be-Bop Blues" b/w "Just for You", he travelled to Nashville and recorded both tracks at the RCA Victor studio with the same band (and an additional steel guitarist on the flip). While "Be-Bop Blues" was a mid-tempo rockabilly song, the flip was stone hard country. The record was well promoted by the Faye Music Company (that published Cagle's songs), for a Billboard article reports that Bill Springer, president of the company, believed this would be a hit. Actually, it was not and didn't reach the national charts. Around the same time, Cagle played along with guitarrist and owner of Solid Gold Records Jerry Williams (shown on the left in the photo) in Tennessee Thompson's band. Thompson was a local Indiana based country singer who tried his hand at Rockabilly, recording "Slippin' and Slidin'" / "Saturday Ball" for the RCT label.

In 1960, Cagle issued his second single on Glee, containing "Come Along Little Girl" b/w "Blue Lonely World" (Glee 1001), which was recorded again at the RCA studio with a nearly complete different band. Freddy Vest (lead guitar), Bill Williams (bass), George Abel (piano), Buddy Crawford (steel guitar) and Morgan Shuamker (drums) were probably his band at that time.

The next year, Cagle began to perform under the stage name of "Billy Love" because he thought it was easier to remember for the DJs, so they would play his records more on the radio. Two more singles followed for Glee, one in 1961 ("Sweet Talkin'" / "Oh What a Memory") and one in 1962 ("I'll Find My Way Back to You" / "My Empty Arms"), which were also released as Billy Love.


Cagle continued to perform locally and led his record label. In 1968, his partner Johnnie James died and Cagle became the sole owner of the company. Except from one release by an Indiana based Rock'n'Roll band, Ted Newton and the Rhythm Rockers, there are no other releases known on Glee. Cagle issued "Bop 'n' Stroll" and "Rock-a-Billy Boy" in the 1970s on a 45 for the growing rockabilly collector market. He was married with his wife Sue and they had one son named Ricky. Cagle died in 2004 at the age of 70 years. In 2000, Solid Gold (maybe the same label that was owned by Jerry Williams in the 1950s and 1960s) issued a CD entitled "Real Cool" with several Cagle songs.

From Indiana45s.com
Sources: RCS, Indiana 45s, Ohio 45s, New Kommotion, various Billboard issues