Russ Thompson on Blue Bird

Russ Thompson and the Arkansas Blue Birds - My Arkansas Baby (Blue Bird BBS 601), unknown year

I was introduced to Russ Thompson's unique records years ago through the blogs of a record collector who called himself "Red Neckerson" or "Howdy" (see 45blog and Frances' Favorite 45s). Since then, Russ Thompson has caught my attention but I was never able to unearth any information on him. When I was given the possibility to purchase both of his 45s recently, I jumped at the chance.

From what I remember Red told me that Russ Thompson and his wife Paula were local Little Rock country music singers. His Blue Bird disc, probably Thompson's own label, was pressed by Wayne Raney's Rimrock plant in Concord, Arkansas, in the 1960s or 1970s. This release became a little underground favorite among collectors since it was posted by Red as "My Arkansas Baby" features a hot band. The other one, on Thompson's Russ, Paula imprint, was self-released by him and pressed by Monarch in 1969. It featured both songs from the Blue Bird release plus his version of the country classic "Wreck of the Old '97".

Catalog of Copyright Entries, 1970

The address on both records, 3901 East Broadway in North Little Rock, seems to have been Thompson's home at that time. The address houses a hardware store today.

If anyone has more information on Russ Thompson, feel free to leave a comment.

Discography

Blue Bird BBS 601: Russ Thompson and his Arkansas Blue Birds - Beautiful Arkansas Waltz / My Arkansas Baby
Russ, Paula RPR 101: Russ Thompson and his Harmonica: Wreck of Old 97 / My Arkansas Baby / Beautiful Arkansas Waltz (August 1969)

See also
• Blue Bird and Russ, Paula on Arkansas 45rpm Records

Sources
• Russ Thompson on Discogs

Lance Roberts on Sun

Lance Roberts with the Gene Lowery Singers - The Good Guy Always Wins (Sun 348), 1960
For the last decades, Lance Roberts has been an unknown and mysterious name in rock'n'roll history. As Bear Family researchers put it, "nearly all the men and women to record for Sun have been documented exhaustively, but Lance Roberts remains murky" - until now. I don't want to claim to have unearthed his whole story but I managed to bring a little light into the shadowy career of Roberts.

He was born Kenny Arlyn Roberts on November 12, 1939, in Norman Park, Colquitt County, Georgia. At least his father's family had been living in the same South Georgia area since the early 19th century. Roberts' parents' first child died as an infant in 1935 but the couple were blessed with two more children, Kenny in 1939 and his sister Jane in 1941. Other details about Roberts' early life still have to be discovered.

Roberts' way into music business and his stroke of luck to record his debut for a major label are more riddles to solve. In 1959, Roberts, who had changed his name for performing purposes to "Lance Roberts" by then (possibly to avoid confusion with popular east coast country musician Kenny Roberts), recorded a total of four songs for Decca Records, all from the pen of the songwriting husband-and-wife duo Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. Roberts' first session took place on February 1, 1959, at the Bradley Film & Recording Studio in Nashville, probably with a line-up consisting of top Nashville studio musicians but details escape us on this issue, unfortunately. The results of this session, "You've Got Everything" and "Why Can't It Be So", were released in spring that same year on Decca #9-30891. Billboard was pleased with the "good, spirited style" of the songs and the disc saw also release in Italy on the Fonit label the following year. Noteworthy success eluded it, however.

Lance Roberts promo picture, 1950s

A second session was arranged for Roberts on June 11, 1959, at the same location, which produced "What Would I Do" and the song he is maybe best remembered for, "Gonna Have Myself a Ball" (Decca #9-30955). While his first disc was on the soft teen sound side of rock'n'roll with Roberts' vocal similar to Elvis Presley's, he turned to strong rock'n'roll on his second effort, especially for "Gonna Have Myself a Ball". The pair was released around August 1959 but again, sales were likely disappointing.

Since May that year, Roberts was under contract of Acuff-Rose's new management and promotion firm ARAC (Acuff-Rose Artists Corporation), headed by Dee Kilpatrick. He was in good company there, as the firm also managed several Grand Ole Opry stars like Roy Acuff, Don Gibson, Billy Grammer, as well as newcomer Roy Orbison and Boudleaux Bryant, with whom Roberts had already made acquaintance.

Billboard April 27, 1959, pop review

Billboard August 10, 1959, pop review

After Decca had dropped Roberts from its roster, he found his way to Memphis, where he managed to convince the studio executives of Sun Records of his talent. As Sun's owner Sam Phillips had resiled from recording work, it is likely that one of his producers saw enough potential in the young singer from Georgia to invite him to a session in the fall of 1960. In Phillips' new studio on Madison Avenue, two songs were produced on Roberts, "The Good Guy Always Wins" and "The Time Is Right", with vocal support by the Gene Lowery Singers. The latter song was co-written by now legendary Memphis figures Charlie Feathers, Quinton Claunch, and Jerry Huffman, who had performed in a band togther, and the top side was from the pen of Arkansas songwriter Bill Husky, who later operated Jakebill Records.

The songs were released on Sun #348 around October 1960. At the time of release, Roberts was still based in Norman Parks as Sun documents reveal that his contract was sent to an address there. The songs were promising productions in commercial terms, being on the edge of rock'n'roll and pop, but Sun Records' heyday had already passed and the disc sunk without much notice.

Billboard October 24, 1960, pop review

We lose track of Roberts for the 1961-1962 period but on January 19, 1963, Billboard reported that Lance Roberts had been signed to recording and management contracts by United Southern Artists, Inc., a record company based in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Likely spotted by the firm's A&R manager Carl Friend, Roberts cut his fourth single for the label that year, although details remain sketchy. Issued on United Southern #5-131, the disc comprised "It Was Fun While It Lasted" plus an unknown B side. An original copy of this release has yet to be found.

Roberts retained his connection with Carl Friend as more than a year later, both became heads of Joey Sasso's new Music Makers Promotion office in Nashville. This is the last hint we find on Roberts' career. At some point in his life, he changed trades and became a farmer. He married Patricia Wells in 1976, with whom he had five children.

We can say with some certainty that Roberts remained a lifelong resident of Colquitt County, Georgia, where he died on March 14, 2011, at the age of 71 years.

Discography

Decca 9-30891: Lance Roberts - You've Got Everything / Why Can't It Be So (1959)
Decca 9-30955: Lance Roberts - Gonna Have Myself a Ball / What Would I Do (1959)
Fonit SP 50216: Lance Roberts - You've Got Everything / Why Can't It Be So (1960, Italy)
Sun 348: Lance Roberts with the Gene Lowery Singers - The Good Guy Always Wins / The Time is Right (1960)
United Southern Artists 5-131: Lance Roberts - It Was Fun While It Lasted / ? (1963)

See also
• The United Southern Artists label

Sources
• 45cat entry
• Rockin' Country Style entry
• Find a Grave Entry
• Bear Family Records
• Fonit single on Popsike
• Entry at Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies

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

The Fendermen on Soma

The Fendermen - Mule Skinner Blues (Soma 1137), 1960
The Fendermen were Phil Humprey on guitar and vocals as well as Jim Sundquist on lead guitar. Both were students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the late 1950s and, coincidentally, both were born on November 26, 1937. Reportedly, they had played both in bands before but decided to team up as a duo when they met. The name of the newborn duo was simple - "Fendermen" because both played  Fender guitars (a Telecaster and a Stratocaster).

They played the bars in their region and around late 1959, started playing their electrified, up-tempo version of the old Jimmie Rodgers song "Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues)". The inspiration for the vastly different arrangement of "Mule Skinner Blues" came from Phil Humphrey, who had heard a similar version by Jody (Joe D.) Gibson, who had recorded the song on the Tetra label in 1957. Surprisingly, as Humphrey once stated, he had neither heard Jimmie Rodgers' original version nor the Bill Monroe or Maddox Brothers & Rose versions.

After encouraging reactions from their audiences, Sundquist and Humphrey recorded their version of "Mule Skinner Blues" as well as their original "Janice". Both recordings featured only the guitar and voices of Sundquist and Humphrey, no other instruments were used. The recording was supervised by William Dreger, who owned the Middleton Music Store in Middleton, Wisconsin, and the session possibly took place at Dreger's store.

Through Ronnie Conway, a record salesman, the tapes went to Jim Kirchstein, owner of Cuca Records, who released both songs on Cuca #1003 in January 1960. Feedback from radio stations was positive but only a small amount of copies was pressed and RCA was not willing to press more immidiately. Therefore, Kirchstein worked out an agreement with Amos Heilicher of Soma Records (though not a profitable deal for Kirchstein) to release the songs with wider distribution.

Before Heilicher released the songs, he took the Fendermen to Kay Bank Studios in Minneapolis to re-cut "Mule Skinner Blues". Released on Soma #1137 in April that year, Heilicher replaced the original flip side "Janice" with an instrumental the Fendermen had cut at Kay Bank, "Torture". "Mule Skinner Blues" eventually reached #5 on Billboard's pop charts, #16 on the C&W charts and also became an international seller, reaching #32 in the UK on Top Rank.

The success of "Mule Skinner Blues" sent the Fendermen on tours across the country and to national television shows like Dick Clark's "American Bandstand". To repeat the success, the duo was rushed back into the studio, where they cut a cover of Huey Smith's "Don't You Just Know It" along with another instrumental, "Beach Party." The single (Soma #1142), released ca. August 1960, was a total failure, unfortunately, as it reached only #110 on the pop charts. A third disc was released in early 1961, "Heartbreakin' Special" b/w Can't You Wait" (Soma #1155), which failed to make the charts altogether.

Billboard March 13, 1961

An album was released in 1960 or 1961 by Soma but soon, the Fendermen went separate ways. Jim Sundquist recorded for Cuca as "Jimmy Sun and the Radiants", trying to repeat the success with covers of "Cocaine Blues" and "Molly and Ten Brooks" to no avail. Humphrey led his own version of the Fendermen, recording for the Saggy label.

Phil Humphrey's own version of the Fendermen, ca. 1961

Sundquist remained active as a musician and he reunited with Humphreys for two shows in 2005. Sundquist died in 2013. Phil Humphrey died in 2016.

See also
• Joe D. Gibson on Tetra
• The Muleskinners on Twin Town

Recommended reading
• Tim Campbell: Jim Sundquist Obituary (Star Tribune), 2013

Sources
• Wikipedia (beware of subjective reading on William Dreger)
• Tony Wilkinson: The Fendermen
• 45cat entry
• Rockin' Country Style entry

Joe D. Gibson on Tetra

Joe D. Gibson - Good Morning, Captain (Muleskinner Blues) (Tetra 4450), 1957
Joe D. Gibson, better known as Jody Gibson professionally, was a musician rather inspired by the intellectual folk music scene that emerged in the late 1950s than being a rockabilly singer. However, his Tetra release, covers of "Muleskinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8)" and "Worried Man Blues", had certainly a rockabilly feel and therefore, made it attractive to the rockabilly revival fans and even secured Gibson a place in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

He was born Joseph Paul Katzberg on August 25, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York. By the early 1950s, he had taken up guitar (favoring Martin guitars) and initially wanted to appear under the stage name of "Joe Martin" (inspired by his favorite guitar manufacturer) but found it too reminiscent of a name of a politician, so he chose instead upon "Jody Gibson" (taken from Gibson guitars, actually). He frequently performed in Greenwich Village during this time, becoming part of the folk music scene there, and played with artists like Tom Paley (later member of the New Lost City Ramblers) and Roger Sprung.

Eventually, Gibson joined the U.S. Air Force and became an air traffic controller and was sent overseas to Korea. During the years 1956 and 1957, he took a break from working with the Air Force as his enlistment was over and instead worked as a musician. He toured Canada with Elton Britt, a Jimmie Rodgers-influenced country star, and also worked with him on WWVA in Wheeling, West Virginia.

In late 1956 or early 1956, Gibson met Monte Bruce, whom he had known since his childhood days as Bruce lived in the same neighborhood in Brooklyn. By then, Bruce was the son-in-law of Alan Freed and had set up his own record label Tetra Records in Brooklyn. For this label, Gibson record his debut release, covers of Jimmie Rodgers' "Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No.8)" entitled "Good Morning, Captain", and of the traditional "Worried Man Blues", renamed "21 Years (It Takes a Worried Man)". The songs were released on Tetra #4450 around March 1957. Although the disc was only available on the east coast (though it was distributed by Chess Records), it eventually sold impressively 475.000 copies. On the actual label, he was credited as "Joe D. Gibson" as Monte Bruce had changed the name.

Jody Gibson, 1950s

Aside from being a Tetra recording artist, Gibson apparently also worked as a session musician for Tetra quite a bit. It is reported that he worked with another Tetra recording artist at that time, Bill Flagg, playing banjo on some of Flagg's recordings. However, none of Flagg's Tetra releases featured a banjo, so these recordings can only be one of the unreleased tapes by Flagg. However, Gibson later recalled that he played guitar on Flagg's "Go Cat Go". In fact, it was Gibson who put Flagg and label owner Monte Bruce in touch, as Gibson had heard Flagg perform in Hartford, Conneticut, in 1954. Gibson is also said to have performed banjo on the Neons' "Angel Face", another Tetra recording. In turn, Neons member Jeff Pearl performed on "Good Morning, Captain".

The single is mostly forgotten today, although it was very influential. Gibson's "Good Morning, Captain" was the first version of the song to feature a rockabilly/rock'n'roll type arrangement, which was later used by the Fendermen for their rock'n'roll version, which became a massive hit. In fact, the band's guitarist Phil Humphrey credited Gibson's version as the main influence for their arrangement. Gibson's own influences are foggy, however. Although he toured with Elton Britt, who likely had several Rodgers numbers in his repertoire, and was probably familiar with Bill Monroe's 1940 version, too, it was none of them who inspired Gibson for his fast-paced arrangement. Gibson later claimed that he adapted it from a performer he saw in 1955 at the Eastern States Exposition but forgot his name. Author Barry Mazor tried to solve this riddle, as documented in his book "Meeting Jimmie Rodgers", but despite all his efforts, couldn't identify the mysterious musician who made the link between old-time music and rock'n'roll and was responsible for one of rock'n'roll's most unique hits.

However, Gibson was transferred in 1957 from Suffolk County Air Force Base to England, where he soon founded a band, "Jody Gibson and the Muleskinners", and performed mostly electrified versions of country songs like "San Antonio Rose" or "Hillbilly Fever". His style fitted to the skiffle trend in Great Britain at that time and Gibson became acquainted with now legendary producer George Martin, who brought the band to Parlophone Records. Martin later went on to produce the Beatles, among others. Gibson and the Muleskinners recorded two singles for Parlophone, including a cover of the George Hamilton IV rockabilly classic "If You Don't Know".

Gibson eventually returned to the United States, where he continued to work for the Air Force and took part in the Vietnam War. He passed away June 8, 2005, in Newport, Rhode Island, at the age of 75 years.

See also
• The Fendermen on Soma

Sources
• 45cat entry
• Rockin' Country Style entry
• Find a Grave entry
• Rock'n'Roll Schallplatten Forum (German)
• The Vocal Group Harmony Website: Spotlight on the Tetra label
• Barry Mazor: "Meeting Jimmie Rodgers" (Oxford University Press), 2009

Boots Collins on Upland

Boots Collins - Sad Street to Lonely Road (Upland E-653), 1964
The name Boots Collins rang a bell in my head when I bought this record. However, I confused her with another singer it seems. I own two of her 45s, one on Fort Worth's Manco label and the other one on the Upland label, so I became interested in Collins' story. There's another one on the Upland imprint, which is still missing in my collection. Missing as well is assured information about her career, unfortunately.

Apparently, Collins was a Bluefield, West Virginia, artist, according to Terry Gordon. There is a road named "Boots Collins Lane" not far away from Bluefield - I wonder if this road was named in honor of her? Collins' first known record was made in 1961 for Ed Manney's Manco record label out of Fort Worth, Texas, featuring her own compositions "Tennessee" and "Evening Shadows" (Manco #ML 1017). She was accompanied by Joe Zecca and the Western-airs with the leader of the band, Zecca, providing background vocals and the drumming. How Collins ended up on a Texas label can be clarified soon, hopefully.

In 1964, Collins recorded for the Bluefield, West Virginia, based Upland label, which released country music from 1964 until 1974. Her first record for this label featured "Sad Street to Lonely Road" b/w "Does It Bother You" (Upland #E653), beautiful country music performances that could have been recorded in Nashville. Both tracks were written by Tom T. Hall (credited as Tom Hall on the label) for Newkeys Music (Jimmy Keys' publishing company).

Her second Upland disc was also released in 1964 and featured two more Tom T. Hall songs, "Monday Sweetheart" and a song named "Mean" (co-written with Ralph Carter). The latter was recorded in a different version with different lyrics as "Mad" that same year by country hit maker Dave Dudley. In June 1964, he recorded the song at Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville with Jerry Kennedy, Ray Edenton, Jerry Shook, Chip Young, and Harold Bradley on guitars, Pete Drake on steel guitar, Charlie McCoy on harmonica, Hargus Robbins on piano, Bob Moore on bass, and Buddy Harman on drums. It was released on Mercury #72308 in August that year. Interestingly, Dudley's Mercury release lists only Tom T. Hall as composer. So were the different lyrics that Collins sings in her version called "Mean" added by Ralph Carter?

And that's all I know about Collins - at least for now. I found family members of her and hopefully they can shed light on her career.

If anyone knows more about Boots Collins, please feel free to leave a comment.

Sources
• 45cat entry
• Rockin' Country Style entry
• Dave Dudley entry at Praguefrank's Country Discographies

Doc & Cy Williams on Wheeling

Doc Williams and the Border Riders - My Little Ole Home in West Virginia (Wheeling DW-1022), 1954
Here we have West Virginia country music legend Doc Williams and his band, the Border Riders, with the spotlight on Doc's brother Cy Williams, who played fiddle with the group. The repertoire of the Border Riders consistent mostly of traditional old-time, bluegrass, and country music songs and this record is a prime example of their early style.

Cy Williams was born Milo Smik on July 31, 1918, being the younger brother of Andrew John Smik, Jr., who later became famous as Doc Williams. Cy Williams learned fiddle from his father, an Czechoslovakian immigrant, who had played mandolin and violin in Prague prior to relocating to the United States. When Cy was 12 years old, his father took him to Pittsburgh to present him with his first fiddle. The nickname "Cy" derived from "Fiddling Cyclone", a name he received very early on.

Brothers Doc and Cy started performing at dances in their hometown area around Kittaning, Pennsylvania, in the 1920s and the following decade, Cy joined his brother's old-time band. They performed under various names until they became the Border Riders in 1937. They joined the WWVA Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia, later that same year and became one of the mainstays of the show. Cy Williams was a member of  the Border Riders for more than 20 years and was an integral part of their sound and success as a live act.

While he never performed on any of his brother's later albums, he performed on all of the band's earlier recordings made for Doc's own Wheeling label. The two recordings that showcase his skills best are "My Little Ole Home in West Virginia" and "Under the Double Eagle", two fiddle instrumentals that were released on Wheeling #DW-1022. Cy Williams also provided harmony singing on recordings and live performances.

"My Little Home in West Virginia" is a fiddle tune composed by hobby musician Ellis Hall, a glassblower from Mortgantown, West Virginia. Hall performed at WMMN and recorded "My Little Home in West Virginia" with Bill Addis for RCA-Victor, which remained one of his few commercial release. Reportedly, the disc sold about 18.000 copies. It was also recorded by another West Virginia artist, fiddler Buddy Durham, as well as Wally Traugott (released on Sparton in Canada) and Curly Ray Cline. It is probable that the song enjoyed success especially in the rural West Virginia areas and was heard by Cy and Doc, incorporating it into their repertoire. It is also possible that they knew Hall or saw him performing on stage and thus learning the tune. Doc Williams re-recorded the song in 1970 as "My West Virginia Home".

The Border Riders recorded both "My Little Ole Home in West Virginia" as well as "Under the Double Eagle" on November November 21, 1954, at King Recording Studio in Cincinnati, with Doc Williams on guitar, Cy Williams on fiddle, Marion Martin on accordeon, and Chickie Williams on bass. It saw release in both Canada (on Quality #K1314) and Wheeling #DW-1022) probably in late 1954.

In the late 1940s, Cy Williams had married Mary Calvas, who played with the Border Riders, too, and was professionally known as "Sunflower". From 1944 until 1946, he served in the U.S. Army and his marriage fell victim to World War II. He married again in 1952 and left the Border Riders in the late 1950s, working for the U.S. Post Office henceforth. Although he later attended shows of his brother, he never stood with him on stage again.

Cy Williams died on April 17, 2006.

See also

• Decades of Country Music: Doc Williams and the Border Riders

Sources

• Hillbilly-Music.com entry

• Secondhand Songs

• Ellis Hall on Discogs

• My Little Home in West Virginia

• My Little Home in West Virginia - Internet Archive
• Praguefrank's Country Discographies

Bobby Whittaker on Bejay

Bobby Whittaker - Man and a Woman (Bejay 1355), 1971
I bought this record not because I liked the music on it - actually, I bought it without ever hearing it - but because it is one of Ben Jack's productions from Fort Smith, Arkansas. It's surprisingly good, especially "Man and a Woman", the top side for me. Ben Jack founded his own Bejay label and recording studio in 1962, eventually also opening different music stores in Northwest Arkansas. On his Bejay label, Jack produced hundreds of local artists on both 45rpm and 33 1/2rpm formats.

Bobby Whittaker, heard here with a Buffalo Spring/Gordon Lightfoot soundalike "Man and a Woman", was probably Bobby Charles Whittaker, born on August 15, 1938, in Des Arc, Arkansas. He owned the Interstate Club and the Country Exit Club in Fort Smith and performed at both venues with his band. He passed away January 30, 2019.

See also
• Ben Jack on Bejay
• Red Yeager on Bejay

Sources
• 45cat entry
• Bobby Whittaker obituary

Ken & the Goldtones on Jon-Ark

Ken and the Goldtones - Squeeky (Jon-Ark JA-591), 1964

Ken & the Goldtones were a Southeast Missouri based group but the combo performed in a much wider range as far as as Chicago in the north and Mississippi in the south. The group was made up of Ken Mungle on rhythm guitar and vocals, Harvey Washer on lead guitar, Ted Long and Larry Turner on bass, Jarit Keith on sax, and Stan Mungle on drums.

It was Jarit Keith who contacted me some years ago (through this post) and told me the detailed story about the Goldtones. This resulted in an article about the band in UK Rock'n'Roll Magazine (March 2022) and a feature of the band's story on KASU's "Arkansas Roots" programm (Jonesboro, Arkansas). It was with sad feeling that I learned Jarit passed away November 7, 2022, at 81 years. I have thanked him many times for his support but I wish I could have thanked him just one more time. But Jarit was more than just an interview partner - he became a pen pal for many years. Rest in peace, my friend.

The Goldtones recorded for Joe Lee's Jon-Ark label in 1964. Originally intended to be a demo session, Lee took the tapes and released them on his label and "If Somebody Loves You" became a moderate success on radio in Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri. Live recordings of the band remain still unissued to this day.

The Goldtones disbanded around 1966 or 1967. The members went seperate ways and Jarit Keith remained active as a musician throughout the years. He was the last surviving member of the group.

• Obituary

Bobbie Jean on Sun

Bobbie Jean / Ernie Barton Orchestra - Cheaters Never Win (Sun 342), 1960

Here we have an oddball recording. It was neither an odd sounding record nor was the material. It was, however, odd in terms of sound for Sun Records. Although the recordings released on Sun by the time Bobbie Jean saw her star shine on the label were dominated by teen pop and dripping choruses, her record was still a notch or two above them all, as far as it went for soapy sounds.

Bobbie Jean was actually Bobbie Jean Gladden, who married Sun Records artist Ernie Barton in the  1950s. She hailed from Little Rock, Arkansas, where she was born on November 12, 1927, to James Robert and Kathryn Gladden. Her father was a Circuit Court Clerk in Missouri and Arkansas at some point, and the profession as a legal practitioner had some tradition in the Gladden family, as Bobbie Jean later worked in the same field. At least since 1951, she worked as a lawyer in Little Rock and was first married to Harry Jackson Farrabee (marrying in 1949) but divorced from him eventually.

She probably became acquainted with Ernie Barton in the second half of the 1950s, as Barton arrived in Memphis probably in 1956. He had heard Elvis Presley and was convinced Memphis was the place to be. Blessed with some musical talent, Barton began to work with Sun Records in early 1957, initially as an recording artist but later on also as a songwriter, engineer and producer. When staff members Jack Clement and Bill Justis had left by 1959, Barton convinced Sam Phillips to let him work as a producer and manager of the studio.

By that time, Bobbie Jean had stepped into his life and she was a talented singer, too. Barton brought her over to Sun and recorded her in 1960. The song material consisted of an answer song to Jack Scott's big hit "Burning Bridges" entitled "You Burned the Bridges" plus a song written by Brad Suggs entitled "Cheaters Never Win", which Suggs had intended originally for Nat King Cole, according to his own accounts. You can clearly hear the pop approach on both songs but the string section is way overproduced and kills the record effectively. Apart from the strings, the recording featured a line-up of Sun session musicians, including composer Brad Suggs on guitar.

The coupling appeared on July 7, 1960, (Sun #342) but failed to sell (sharing the fate with Bobbie Jean's husband's records). It was not something that people would expect from Sun Records and upon release, it is reported that even some faithful Sun distributors were doubtful. Bobbie Jean recorded additional material at Sun, both demos and masters, but Sam Phillips refused to release anything more. Ernie Barton also recorded enough material worth an album and indeed, Bobbie Jean Barton requested that Phillips would release an LP of her husband's material, sending him legal threats, which he ignored and never followed her requests.

On August 13, 1960, Barton appeared at the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, singing three songs: the then current Hank Locklin hit "Please Help Me I'm Falling", her own release "You Burned the Bridges" and the old favorite "Jealous Heart". On the show, she was accompanied by a local Hayride band, the Sons of Dixie. Barton must have been an odd sighting on the Hayride stage, as she was as much country as Dean Martin, and this seems to have remained her only promotion activity for the disc.

Ernie Barton left Sun in 1961 and recorded two more 45s, before moving to Midland, Texas. He died in 2002. In July 1960, there were approaches to disbar Bobbie Jean Barton, preventing her from practicing as a lawyer, which at some point actually proofed successful. However, she won her licence back in 1964. What happened to her afterwards is yet a question to answer. She passed away June 14, 1978, at the age of 50 years. She is buried at Roselawn Memorial Park in Little Rock.

See also
• Ernie Barton on Phillips Int.

Sources
• Session details on 706unionavenue
• Ernie Barton on Bear Family
• Ernie Barton biography
• Rock'n'Roll Schallplatten Forum (German)
• Entry at Find a Grave
• Paper from Arkansas Tech University Library (1964)
• Colin Escott, Martin Hawkins: "The Louisiana Hayride" (CD Box Set), liner notes, Bear Family Records

Jimmy Dallas on Westport

Jimmy Dallas - I've Got a Right to Know (Westport 45-131), 1957

Jimmy Dallas, a rather unknown name in country music history, was a long-time figure on the Kansas City country music scene. Beginning in the early 1950s, Dallas made numerous records for local labels, appeared on various radio and television stations, and performed regularly well into the 1990s. His story has not been told properly, however - possibly because Dallas always stuck to country music and therefore never came to the attention of curious rock'n'roll collectors.

Jimmy Dallas was born Keith Beverly Kissee on July 26, 1927, in Mammoth Springs, Arkansas, located directly at the Arkansas-Missouri state border. While his father Benjamin Walter Kissee also hailed from Mammoth Springs, his grandfather originally came from Missouri. He had three more siblings and one of his brothers, Elmo Lincoln Kissee, also became a country music singer in Kansas City under the name of "Elmo Linn". By 1935, the Kissee family lived in the rural area of Afton, Fulton County, south of Mammoth Springs, where Dallas attended elementary school.

Jimmy Dallas, early 1950s
Cowtown Jubilee promo picture

At some point after 1940, he moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and started his career in music probably in the early 1950s, adopting the stage name "Jimmy Dallas". By 1952, he was working with KCMO in Kansas City and was a cast member of the station's "Cowtown Jubilee", a live stage show much in the style of its competitor in Kansas City, "Brush Creek Follies". Dallas signed his first recording contract in early 1952 with the local Central label and recorded "Be Happy" b/w "(When You're) Singing a Hillbilly Song" (Central #001), backed by Al Phillips and his Frontier Four. A year later, Dallas recorded for another local record label, the Sho-Me label, and two records were released that year.

Local entrepreneur Dave Ruf had started the Westport label in Kansas City in 1955 and one of the first artists to be signed to the new imprint was Jimmy Dallas (his brother Elmo recorded for the same label subsequently). Around April that year, Dallas recorded two of his own compositions for Westport, "I'm No Good for You Anymore" b/w "Good Intentions" (Westport #127), released around May 1955. It was followed by two more discs in 1956 and 1957, including duets with Cathy Justice (a member of the Wesport Kids, another act on the label). Dave Ruf had also worked out an agreement with Bell Records executives, which lead to the release of Dallas' Westport recordings in Australia and New Zealand in 1958.

By 1955, Dallas had moved from KCMO to KIMO in Independence, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City. The Cowtown Jubilee had moved to that station as well and was still on air by then with Dallas being still a cast member.

Billboard January 14, 1956

Contrary to many of his fellow country music entertainers, Dallas never got much into rock'n'roll, he always performed down home country music. In 1959, he hosted the "Jimmy Dallas Show" on WDAF-TV, which translated to KMBC-TV later that year. The show featured appearances by Dallas as well as other artists like the Country Styleers, Cherokee Johnnie and Mary Bee. Around the same time he also worked as a DJ on KANS in Kansas City. There was a break in Dallas' recording career after his stint with Westport and it was not until 1960 that a record by him hit the market again. This time, he got the chance to record for a major label, Decca Records. His only single for the label, "Hurtin' In My Heart" b/w "My Kind of Love" (Decca #9-31133), was his most unusual record, as it featured a slight teen pop influence and an updated, much more commercial and urban Nashville sound.

The Decca single saw the light of day in late summer of 1960 but obviously sold only disappointingly as it remained Dallas' only release for the label. A third song recorded for Decca, "Can't Win", remained unreleased. Another recording hiatus came for Dallas afterwards, this time for six years. The following years saw Dallas working around Kansas City, often as a DJ but also as a live act. He was back in the studio in 1966, when he recorded for Jim Ward's Edgewater, Colorado, based CLW record label, comprising "Nobody But You" b/w "Look at Me (CLW #6607). This was recorded with a vocal group called the Valley Trio and was likely produced in Nashville again. It had a great country chugger sound but unfortunately, was not made for the charts.

Another unheard single came into existence around 1968, when Dallas and his brother Elmo Linn worked with Bud Throne, who operated his own Throne label out of Independence, Missouri. Apart from backing up singer Sandy Sans, Dallas also recorded one solo disc for the label under the name of "Jimmy Dallis", "Web of Love" b/w "Every Body Says" (Throne #505).

The 1970s saw Dallas recording steadily for Triune Records and Graceland Records, two labels based in Hendersonville and Nashville respectively. By 1973, Dallas was program director of KBIL-AM, a country music radio station in Kansas City. In 1978, Dallas recorded his first, self-titled long-play album for the Kansa label, which also resulted in another single release that same year. Dallas stopped recording at the end of the 1970s. However, Kansa Records released a CD in Dallas' later years with many of his 1970s songs.

Billboard April 28, 1973

In the 1980s, Hobie Shepp, another Kansas City country music personality, reunited the surviving members of both Brush Creek Follies and Cowtown Jubilee shows. Arkansas Red, another performer on the Jubilee, remembered: "[I] worked with Jimmy [Dallas] on the old Cowtown Jubilee show at the Ivanhoe Temple in Kansas City back in the early fifties. Back in the eighties, Hobie Shepp of the Cowtown Wranglers [house band of the Cowtown Jubilee, e.g.] found me and invited me to come perform at a 're-union' show of all the old Brush Creek and Cowtown Jubilee people still around. That was the last time I saw Jimmy Dallas, or Hobie. It was great to see them all again... for the last time. Had some great memories of the Cowtown Jubilee, Dal Stallard, Tiny Tillman, Milt Dickey, and all the crew." Dallas opened his own bar on Highway 40 in Kansas City that lasted well into the 1990s. Dallas would also perform in his venue during these years. "[...] He was the show every nite and the place was packed on weekends. Super nice guy and great entertainer [...]," recalled his bookmaker.

Jimmy Dallas spent his last years in his longtime residence of Independence and passed away on September 28, 2004, at the age of 77 years. He left behind a wealth of country music recordings that still waits to be re-released properly.

Discography

See 45cat.com for a listing of Jimmy Dallas' 45rpm records (see sources section). Note that the LPs and Dallas' first record on Central Records are not included.

Recommended reading

• Westport Records Story
• Tony Wayne on Westport
• Alvis Wayne on Westport

Sources

• Jimmy Dallas on 45cat

• Jimmy Dallas on Discogs

• Jimmy Dallas on Hillbilly-Music.com

• Find a Grave entry

• Official Census documents retrieved through Ancestry.com

Gene Mooney on Rocket

Gene Mooney with the Westernaires - Trouble with the Blues (Rocket 45-911), unknown year
Gene Mooney, a cousin to famous steel guitarist and composer Ralph Mooney, led a country and western swing band for many years, it seems. He is not quite a well-known name in historian or collector circles. He recorded around a handful of records in the 1960s and 1970s and appeared steadily around Tulsa, Oklahoma, during the same time frame.

Mooney was born Eugene H. Mooney on November 21, 1926, in Borger in the northern corner of Texas, not too far away from the state of Oklahoma. Apparently, he made the move to Oklahoma at some point in his life and began a career in music. By the late 1950s, Mooney fronted a local country and western swing outfit he called "The Westernaires" that appeared around Tulsa and other areas in Oklahoma. By Novemver 1958, Mooney and the band became regulars at Leon McAuliffe's Cimarron Ballroom. In addition to his personal appearances, Mooney also appeared on local radio and in August 1960, Mooney took over a morning DJ show over KMUS in Muskogee, Oklahoma. His band became a long-running act in the Tulsa area and over the years, featured many different musicians, including well-known steel guitarist Billy Parker.

Billboard October 20, 1958
Marvin McCullough was a local Oklahoma
DJ that regularly appeared with Mooney
during the late 1950s. McCullough later replaced
Leon McAuliffe and Johnnie Lee Wills
on local radio.

Mooney's first record release probably came in early 1962 on the short-lived Flat-Git-It label, featuring "Half a Chance" b/w "Talking to My Heart" (Flat Git It #701). The label was actually based in California and also featured releases by brothers Fred and Cal Maddox of Maddox Bros. & Rose fame.

In 1972 and 1973, Mooney had two releases on the local Tulsa based Merit Records and somewhere in between - or even before the Flat-Git-It release - his Rocket disc came into existence. Rocket Records was a custom label from Nashville, Tennessee, that issued discs in the late 1950s and probably early 1960s. Mooney's release featured "Trouble with the Blues" b/w "No One" (Rocket #911) but no release date can be given or estimated, as the Rocket releases followed no systematical pattern.

Since at least 1971, Mooney and the Westernaires sometimes appeared at Cain's Ballroom, a now legendary venue in Tulsa known for appearances by western swing stars such as Bob Wills and Tommy Duncan. At that time, the ballroom was still owned by Jim Hardcastle, who sold it to a 83-years old lady named Marie L. Myers in February 1972. Myers had shown up one night at Cain's and obviously fell in love with Mooney's singing. "She went down there one night and asked him to sing 'Hello Darlin'' to her. That was it," remembered Hardcastle how Myers and Mooney first met. Myers bought the venue and made Mooney and the Westernaires the house band of the ballroom. From Hardcastle's statements, it seems that she made the decision on her own to buy Cain's, although she later said that Mooney talked her into buying the place.

Freddie Hart played Cain's early in 1972 - he had been still booked by Hardcastle - and Mooney and the Westernaires were supposed to be Hart's background band that night. Hart had sent records to Hardcastle to learn for Mooney and the band. The night Hart performed there, the place was packed but as it turned out, Mooney and the band had only practiced Hart's big hit "Easy Lovin'", believing the rest of the set list would be easy enough to handle with improvisation, which was not the case and made Hart mad.

Catalog of Copyright Entries 1973

However, under Myers' ownership, only few people attended Cain's when the Westernaires played solo, although Myers kept it open every Saturday night with Mooney and the band performing. There may have been more than one reason for the small crowds that attended. One reason was missing promotion. Though she got better advice from Hardcastle, Myers never advertised on local newspaper. In addition, it seems that Mooney was not a favorite of the audiences. Hardcastle recalled Mooney singing "a different type of country song" and although he seemed to be not a bad singer, his style of singing appeared not to be a crowd-drawer.

Mooney left Cain's in late 1973 to unknown reasons. Several witnesses indicate that Mooney's and Myers' relationship was more than business-based (whatever that means), it seems that they perhaps had a fall-out over some issue. What Mooney did after he left Cain's is unknown. Myers sold the venue not long after Mooney's departure to Larry Shaeffer, a part-time steel guitarist who had auditioned earlier unsuccessfully for Mooney's band and managed to establish the ballroom as one of the city's top live music venues again.

Gene Mooney passed away June 14, 1982, in Tulsa at the age of 55 years. He is buried at Cookson-Proctor Cemetery in Cookson, Oklahoma.

If anyone has more information on Gene Mooney, please feel free to contact me.

Sources
• 45cat entry
• Find a Grave entry
• John Wooley, Brett Bingham: "Twentieth-Century Honky-Tonk" (Babylon Books), 2020
• Billy Parker, John Wooley, Brett Bingham: "Thanks - Thanks a Lot" (Babylon Books), 2021

Hoyle Nix on Caprock

Hoyle Nix and his West Texas Cowboys - Coming Down from Denver (Caprock 45-105), 1958

Today's selection from our little Hoyle Nix series features Nix' third and last release on the Caprock label from fall 1958. Nix and the West Texas Cowboys are in good form here and present two solid western swing performance in their usual manner.

Caprock Records had been founded nearly a year earlier by DJ and country music singer Hank Harral. Nix and his band recorded a total of three discs for the label, all of which were recorded and released during 1958. They used Ben Hall's studio in Big Spring, Texas, for the sessions, which was a welcomed possibility for the band, as it was their home base and not far away from their regular gigs at Nix' Stampede Club in Big Spring.

"Coming Down from Denver" is a lively instrumental and was recorded, along with its flip side, the vocal number "My Mary", at Hall's studio at some point in 1958 with Nix on vocals and fiddle, Ben Nix on vocals and rhythm guitar, Eldon Shamblin on lead guitar, Little Red Hayes on fiddle, Dusty Stewart on steel guitar, Loran Warren on banjo, Dale Burkett on piano, and John Minnick on bass. A drummer could have been present at the session, (possibly Kenny Lane), though this is not documented. The band differed to some extend from the line-up that would record for Bo-Kay Records the next year as Red Hayes, Dale Burkett, Loran Warren, and John Minnick had left and were replaced by other musicians.

A Nix original, "Coming Down from Denver" was later also recorded by Nix' mentor and friend Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys for Wills' "For the Last Time" sessions in 1973.

See also
• Hoyle Nix
• Hoyle Nix on Bo-Kay
• Hoyle Nix on Winston

Sources
• Entry at Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies
• Entry at 45cat

Hoyle Nix on Winston

Hoyle Nix and his West Texas Cowboys - She's Really Gone (Winston 1059-45), 1961
This was Hoyle Nix' last record for some years - seven years, to be exact. Since 1949, Nix had been recording steadily for small Texas labels: Star Talent, Queen, Caprock, Bo-Kay, and at the beginning of the 1960s for Slim Willet's Winston label. Willet had established the label in 1957 as the follow-up to his shortly before defunct Edmoral imprint. The name was a reference to Willet's real first name: Winston.

Hoyle Nix had recorded a single for Winston that same year before this one came out, "My Love Song to You" b/w "Sugar in the Coffee" (Winston #1057-45). More or less instantly after this first disc hit the market, today's selection "She's Really Gone" b/w "Cornflower Waltz" was released. Both numbers were set to a slower pace and sounded definitely out of time - but it was clear that Nix wasn't looking to sound like what the teenagers back then wanted. While "Cornflowers Waltz" was the instrumental flip side, Nix and his brother Ben shared vocals on a slow but charming "She's Really Gone".

Billboard October 9, 1961

The songs were recorded in August 1961 at Ben Hall's studio in Big Spring, Texas (also Nix' home base). Hall, a country music singer and songwriter in his own right, is best remembered today for penning "Blue Days, Black Nights", which was recorded by Buddy Holly. The line-up for Nix' recordings that day included Nix on vocals and fiddle, Ben Nix on vocals and rhythm guitar, Eldon Shamblin on lead guitar, Dusty Stewart on steel guitar, "Little" Red Hayes on fiddle, Mancel Tierney on piano, Larry Nix on bass, and Kenny Lane on drums. Released the following October, Billboard rated the disc as "moderate sales potential" without any comment.

See also:

• Hoyle Nix

• Hoyle Nix on Bo-Kay

Sources

• Entry at Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies

• Entry at 45cat

Hoyle Nix on Bo-Kay

Hoyle Nix and his West Texas Cowboys - Ida Red (Bo-Kay K-108), 1959

Following my in-depth story on Texas western swing band leader and longtime Bob Wills companion Hoyle Nix, we continue to explore Nix' career and recorded works. The first installment of this litttle series features his first Bo-Kay release from 1959, which finds Nix and the band in top form with their rendition of the old fiddle favorite "Ida Red". It had been recorded more than 20 years earlier by the master Bob Wills himself (although there existed several recordings prior to Wills' take) and therefore became a standard in western swing.

"Ida Red" originally was a traditional fiddle tune played by string bands all over the south. Even early version featured lyrics, which were exchangeable however and the verses were unrelated to each other. The origins of the song are still unknown to this day. The first recording was made by Fiddlin' Powers & Family on Victor #19343 from 1924 and other early versions included those by Dykes' Magic City Trio, Riley Puckett, and Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers. These versions featured traditional string band arrangements but when Bob Wills took the tune in 1938, he partially set lyrics from an 1878 song called "Sunday Night" by Frederick W. Root to it and re-arranged it as a western swing song. Released on Vocalion #05079 in 1938, it became a hit for Wills. He recorded a new version entitled "Ida Red Likes the Boogie" in 1950 for MGM, which reached #10 on Billboard's C&W charts. The following years, cover version popped up by several artists, primarily in the country and western swing fields and "Ida Red" became a favorite especially in the latter genre. It also served as an inspiration for Chuck Berry's first hit "Maybellene" (1955), one of the first rock'n'roll hits and an influence on rock'n'roll and rock music in its own right.

It is well-known that Hoyle Nix toured and performed frequently with Wills during the 1950s and 1960s, so "Ida Red" certainly was part of his repertoire for some years by the time he recorded it. It was his second disc for the local Texas Bo-Kay label, which had been founded by Jesse Smith in 1956 in Lamesa, Texas. Nix and his West Texas Cowboys recorded "Ida Red" as well as its flip side "La Goldrina Waltz" at some point in 1959 at radio KPEP's studio in San Angelo, Texas. Present that day were Nix on vocals and fiddle, Ben Nix on rhythm guitar, Eldon Shamblin on lead guitar, Dusty Stewart on steel guitar, Millard Kelso on piano, Louis Tierney on fiddle/saxophone, Henry Boatman on bass, and Larry Nix on drums. 

Released in 1959 on Bo-Kay #K-108, the disc was likely a good seller locally and regionally but never stood a chance for wider distribution. Today, original copies of Nix' Bo-Kay singles can be found frequently at yard sales and such around Lamesa, Odessa, Big Spring, and surrounding areas.

See also
• The Bo-Kay label

Sources
• Entry at Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies
• Entry at 45cat
• 'Ida Red' entry at Wikipedia