Linco Records

Good Times in Fayetteville
Ernest Tucker and the Preservation of Rock'n'Roll

Our journey through the green lands of Tennessee takes us a little west, about 130 miles to be more precise. We stop in Fayetteville, a city that has not much to brag about. With 7,000 habitants, the city is the largest in Lincoln County and also its county seat. The highlight of the year is the Lincoln County Fair in Fayetteville. Back in the late 1950s, the city had a population around 6,800.

Fayetteville was the home base of local DJ Ernest Jackson "Ernie" Tucker, who was a radio personality on WEKR for many decades. He was born on May 31, 1923, in Lincoln County to Elmer A. and Ina R. Tucker. Ernie Tucker was musically inclined as he learned to play the fiddle and mastered the instrument on a high level. He married Grovene Dyer from Fayetteville in 1946 and eventually began working as an engineer and disc jockey for the local radio station WEKR.

Billboard January 18, 1960

Tucker decided to form his own record company, which came into existence in the spring of 1959 in form of Linco Records. He also set up Linco Music to handle the publishing of original song material. But before Tucker was able to release recordings on his own label, he formed a short affiliation with blues and R&B guitarist Jimmy Liggins. Liggins formed his Duplex label in 1958, releasing the first record by Mattie Jackson and Ervin "Big Daddy" Rucker that were produced by Tucker in January 1957 in Fayetteville. In extend to that, Tucker continued his association with Liggins as he was involved in more of the early Duplex releases. The first discs of the imprint even had a Fayetteville address on the record labels.

By May 1959, Tucker had gone back to running his own label. The debut release on Linco was the raunching "Swing It Little Katy" b/w the country tune "The Last Bouquet" by an act called Clyde Owens and the Moonlight Ramblers. Owens recorded for a plethora of labels from the late 1950s until the 1980s, including for the Great and Chart imprints in Nashville.

Billboard June 16, 1962
Was this a mistake by Billboard or was Ernest Tucker
really distributing DJ copies for Sun Records?

Billboard June 29, 1963

Tucker recorded a slew of local rock'n'roll talent for Linco, including Curtis Long, Hollis Champion and Clayton Hillis. Their recordings became minor cult favorites among rock'n'roll collectors nowadays. Copies of particular releases can be worth 200-400 $ (or more, depending on what you are willing to pay).

After Tucker released the Johnson Boys & the Jay Dees' record record in late 1960, Linco fell dormant until 1962. Then, suddenly, Tucker revived his operations to record Charlie Waggoner, a Fayetteville native, who was a member of the Rocky Mountain Jamboree from Denver, Colorado, at the time of his Linco recordings. The most notable of his four cuts for the label was a 1963 country rocking version of the old song "One Eyed Sam", that was also recorded by such artists as Eldon Baker & his Brown County Revelers (Vocalion, 1938), Tommy Spurlin & the Southern Boys (Perfect, 1956), Tex Williams (Capitol, 1960) and more recently, by Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan on their album "Happy Hour" (2005).

Neither of Tucker's productions became a hit nor were even near to be a hit. But they were preservations of authentic, unique music. Tucker closed down Linco, at least the label but possibly not the publishing arm, in 1963 after Charlie Waggoner's last single. There was another, later, Linco label from Greensboro, North Carolina, which is not connected to Tucker's label, however. Ernie Tucker continued to work for WEKR during the next decades and, being an accomplished fiddler, won the 1973 Athens Fiddler's Contest.

Ernie Tucker passed away April 19, 2010. There has not been a proper reissue of the Linco recordings, although Cees Klop devoted a LP to selected Linco recordings (White Label 8808 - Rock-a-Billy from Tennessee, Vol. 2, 1979). A compilation featuring Tucker's complete recordings is still missing, however.

Discography

45-1313: Clyde Owens and his Moonlight Ramblers - Swing It, Little Katy / The Last Bouquet (1959)
45-1314: Curtis Long and the Rhythm Rockers - Hootchey Cootchey / After All (1959)
45-1315: Alton Delmore - Good Times in Memphis / Thunder Across the Border (1959)
45-1316: The Four Sons (The Johnson Boys) - Little Rock / Midnight Sun (1959)
45-1317: Hollis Champion and the Secrets - Old Red Devil / Conscience Be Our Guide (1960)
45-1318: Danny Carmichael - Duck Wobble / Fast Train (1960)
45-1319: Clayton Hillis and the Rocket City Rockettes - Rocket City Rock / Don't You Know I Love You (1960)
45-1320: The Johnson Boys / Vocal by the Jay Dee's - With a Vanessa / Mystic Madonna (1960)

45-502: Charlie Waggoner - Dying Love / Just Like Before (1962)
45-503: Charlie Waggoner - One Eyed Sam / An Old Memory (1963)

Sources
• Ernest Tucker obituary
• Linco Records discography at 45cat
• Linco entry at Rockin' Country Style
• Blue Eye: Ervin "Big Daddy" Rucker

Recommended reading
• That's All Rite Mama: Roger Wilcoe on Unicom

Good News

Good News
3109 Park Avenue

This was another label associated with Style Wooten, though it seems not to be fully controlled by him. The only known release has "Olive Branch Gospel Productions" printed on the label., which was one of Wooten's companies. Olive Branch is a city south of Memphis across the Mississippi state border.

45/7277: Jessie Clerk - Our Pastor / I Said Ode to Willie Joe (1977)

Gene Woods' Friddell Records

Gospel, Country and Rock'n'Roll from the Wild River
The Story of Gene Woods' Friddell Records

View on Ocoee Street in Cleveland, Tennessee, ca. 1960s

We continue our little journey through the backwoods lands of rural Tennessee and stop by in Cleveland, Tennessee. Cleveland is located in the southeast of Tennessee near Chattanooga, not far away from the Tennessee-Georgia state border. The city has a population of around 47.000 today but was much smaller some 60 years earlier, when Cleveland gave home to only 16.000 habitants in 1960.

Cleveland was once home to a small record label, Friddell Records, which was operated by local singer, songwriter and entrepreneur Eugene “Gene” Woods. Born in 1930, Woods took up at the guitar at some point and likely started out as a local performer. He could be heard over Cleveland’s own WBCA radio and already at age 28, in 1958, he tried out as a businessperson and founded Gene Woods Enterprises. Part of this company became his record label Friddell Records.

The honor of the first release on Friddell went to David Beatty, who was a Lee College student at that time. Beatty hailed from Ferriday, Louisiana, and comes from the family that presented many talented musicians to the world: Mickey Gilley, Jimmy Swaggart, Carl McVoy, and, last but not least, Jerry Lee Lewis. According to Beatty’s own recollection, he, Lewis, Gilley and Swaggart were playing in a loose teenager band, performing religious material at church events and political rallies. Accordingly, they had their first and only “secular” performance in 1949 at a talent contest of the Ferriday High School, bringing the audience to ecstatic reactions with their rendition of the Sticks McGhee R&B hit “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-o-Dee”. In Jerry Lee Lewis’ memory, he performed this song with a country & western band at a car dealership in 1949. May it as it be, Beatty left Ferriday in 1955 to join the ministry and moved to Cleveland, Tennessee, where he enrolled at Lee College.

The first release on Friddell comprised “It’s Different Now” and “I Praised the Lord” by Beatty on Friddell #100. A follow up was released that same year on Friddell #104 with “There’ll Be a Crown for Me” (partially written by Gene Woods) and “Welcome Home” (a Beatty original). While at Lee College, Beatty recorded another disc, “I Just Got Off the Devil’s Train” b/w “It’s Alright” (Noel #100), which may or may not have been associated with Woods.

The second release was recorded by a rock’n’roll combo named the Orbits. For Friddel, they cut “Hyena” and “My Rosa-Lee”, which became Friddel #102. During the 1950s, there were several bands that used the name “Orbits” and it is said that the Orbits that recorded for Friddel also recorded a slew of unissued tapes for the Missouri based Jan record label. These were compiled on the 1991 White Label LP “Missouri Rockers, Volume 2”. However, I could not find any hint to underline this statement.

Billboard February 15, 1960

Next up was Gene Woods in his own right, recording two originals “I’m Having a Hard Time to Forget” and “Tho I’ll Pretend”, accompanied by a band called the Tune Twisters and released in late 1958. Two more records by other artists followed before Wood would release another of his own recordings. By 1958, Woods had become acquainted with Chattanooga based singer-songwriter Houston “Buck” Turner, who was also a member of the Tune Twisters. Turner and Woods had written a song, “How Big a Fool Can You Be”, which was recorded by Woods and the band along with “Why Should I” for release on Friddell #108 in October 1959. The record became a good regional seller. Houston Turner would later be part of a regional bluegrass band, the Dixieland Drifters, and used this band to demo his songs as well as recording professionally with them. Their recordings included a version of “How Big a Fool”.

Probably the last two releases of Friddell were issued in 1961 by Woods. Possibly through the connection of David Beatty, Woods released two discs by Beatty’s cousin Jimmy Swaggart, who had become a newborn Christian by then, too. Swaggart recorded four songs for Friddell, including Beatty’s composition “It’s Different Now”.

Billboard August 1, 1960
(note that Billboard reports Woods is recording for Dub
although it was actually Hap)

Already in September 1960, Woods had a release on Happy Herbert Schleif’s Hap record label, “The Ballad of Wild River,” a song written by local DJ Marshall Pack to go hand in hand with the filming of the movie “Wild River”. The film starred Montgomery Clift and was mainly shot in Cleveland. The release on the Chattanooga based Hap label again bears possibly the involvement of Houston Turner, whose band, the Dixieland Drifters, also recorded for the same imprint. The record soon became a good seller and eventually entered Billboard's "Hot C&W Sides" charts on October 10, 1960, on #25. By November 7, the song had risen to the #7 spot. For both Woods and the small Hap label, it was an immense success.

However, "The Ballad of Wild River" remained Woods' only chart entry. He continued to perform regionally and spent most of the 1960s recording for Chart Records out of Nashville. He also had releases on Choice and Mallard. In the 1970s, he could be also seen on local television.

Gene Woods died in 1996 and is buried at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Cleveland. His wife Imogene followed in 2015.

Friddell Records Discography
See also 45cat for an (incomplete) discography of Friddell Records and a likely complete discography of Gene Woods. Also visit Small Independent Rockin' 45rpm Labels.

100: David Beatty and the Harmonettes - It's Different Now / I Praise the Lord (1958)
101: Voice of Salvation Quartet - Since I Believed / Give Me Time (1958)
102: The Orbits - Hyena / My Rosa-Lee (1958)
103: Gene Woods and the Tune Twisters - I'm Having a Hard Time to Forget / Tho I'll Pretend (1958)
104: David Beatty and the Continental Quartet -There's Be a Crown for Me / Welcome Home (1958)
105:
106: The Crowe Brothers - Jane / I Need You Baby (1959)
107:
108: Gene Woods and the Tune Twisters - Why Should I / How Big a Fool Can You Be (1959)
200: Jimmy Swaggart and the Harmonettes - At the End of the Trail / I'll Never Be Lonely Again (1961)
201: Jimmy Swaggart and the Harmonettes - It's Different Now / Jimmy Swaggart - Meeting in the Air (1961)

Sources
• David Beatty biography
• Gene Woods entry on Find a Grave
• Friddell Records entry on Rockin' Country Style
• Friddell Records entry on Gloryland Jubilee
• Dead Wax post on Gene Woods and Friddell

Sur-Speed Records

The Guru of Nashville Indenpent Record Production
The Story of Red Wortham's Sur-Speed label

We have discussed the San record label out of Bon Aqua, Tennessee, in one of our previous posts. But the tiny community of Bon Aqua was home to more than just one small record imprint. While San was an amateur label by part-time musician and part-time electronics buff Harold Tidwell, Sur-Speed Records was a far  more professional approach. Although it was headquartered in Bon Aqua, it also had offices in Nashville as well as in Atlanta and Manchester, Georgia.

Location of Bon Aqua in the Nashville area. Click to enlarge.
Source: Google Maps

Early years of Red Wortham
The label was operated by Red Wortham, a musician, record producer, and promoter, who had partnered with Jim Bulleit in the latter's Bullet label in Nashville earlier in his career. Wilbur Clarence "Red" Wortham was born September 6, 1920, in Stewart County, Tennessee, located in the north-western corner of middle Tennessee, north-east of Nashville. Wortham was born to James William Calvin Wortham (1884-1962) and his wife Sarah Elizabeth (1892-1987). The Worthams had four children: Thomas Jefferson, Forest Lee, Rubye A. and the youngest, Wilbur Clarence. The family lived in a mixed neighbourhood, meaning that young Red Wortham grew up with both black and white people, a fact that later made him treat musicians equally, no matter which colour their skin had.

By the age of 13 years, Wortham had taken up the guitar and was playing shows with his friend Charlie. A few years later, he was already performing on WLAC in Nashville and, astonishingly, was even paid for his shows. We do not have much information on his musical influences but it is noteworthy that Wortham likely performed predominantly jazz music, although he subsequently recorded mostly country music and rhythm & blues.

Joining Bullet - Always a Smash Hit
In 1940, Wortham founded a big band orchestra that frequently performed at the Andrew Jackson Hotel in Nashville, which soon became a hot spot for local musicians. At some point in the 1940s, Wortham went into the business side of music, founding his own company to produce and promote other artists. In 1948, he joined Jim Bulleit's Nashville based Bullet record label as a promoter and producer. Bulleit left the label in 1949 and the company folded in 1952 due to constant commercial failure since 1947.

In the 1940s, Wortham met a female pop singer by the name of Phyllis Spain. Spain, who originally hailed from Kingston Springs, Tennessee, had performed on WSM and with Jack Gregory's Orchestra. They became a twosome and married, shortly afterwards Spain joined Wortham's own orchestra. When Decca A&R man Paul Wells approached Wortham as he was looking for another Kitty Wells type singer, Wortham suggested his wife to be the one, and she signed a contract with Decca's subsidiary Coral and went on to record country music as Tabby West during the 1950s.

Although Bullet's only hits were orchestral pop songs, the label became better known for its country, blues, and gospel recordings, a musical path that Wortham would continue. By then, Wortham had built a little recording studio in Nashville that was located just around the corner from radio WSIX. In 1953, along with WSIX DJ Joe Calloway, he was instrumental in recording and discovering the Prisonaires, a vocal group made up of Tennessee State Prison inmates. The group's "Walking in the Rain" was released by Sam Phillips on Sun Records and became a success for the label and the group likewise. Wortham also dabbled in songwriting during the 1950s. Some of his compostions were recorded by such country music artists as Kitty Wells, Danny Dill, and his wife Tabby West.

During the mid 1950s, he ran the Delta record label in Nashville (with the involvment of Jim Bulleit), which produced a noteworthy output of gospel (The Fairfield Four), rock'n'roll (Whitey Pullen, Rhythm Rockers, Tommy Smith), and rhythm & blues (Shy Guy Douglas, with whom he would work steadily also in later years).

Billboard February 2, 1957
Billboard reports that Whitey Pullen is
in town to record for Wortham's Delta label.
Note that the magazine mentions the wrong name
(F.L. was Wortham's brother).

Sur-Speed Records
In 1962, Wortham bought an old, abandoned general store in Bon Aqua and converted it into a recording studio, Sur-Speed Studio. Three years later, he also set up a label of the same name that specialized in country music, gospel and rhythm & blues. The first known disc appeared in 1965 with Jim Low's "Prayer Will Find a Way" b/w "Gone Home" on Sur-Speed #191. At that time, the record labels had a simple brown to white design. The label's distinctive blue color would not be introduced until release #195 (Big C - "Raid on Cedar Street" b/w "Standing on the Outside") that same year.

Again, Wortham worked with Shy Guy Douglas, who had minor success with his Sur-Speed records but it was not enough to stimulate a good financial income for the company. As time went by, Sur-Speed became more of a custom label and Wortham recorded any singer who was able and willing to pay for it. The label had a good reputation as Wortham was known to treat musicians of both black and white color the same way.

The Center of Johnny Cash's Universe and Return to Wortham
Wortham operated the Sur-Speed label likely until the early 1970s and eventually sold the building to Johnny Cash. Cash's song catalog manager converted the building into an intimate live music venue and by the mid 1970s, Cash was performing small concerts there but also gave young, aspiring singer-songwriters their first stage. In the mid 1980s, Wortham bought back the building from Cash and revived his recording studio. It remained in Wortham's possesion until his death.

In the 1990s, Nashville based publishing firm Bluesland Productions acquired the rights to and master tapes of the Bullet, Delta, and Sur-Speeds catalogs. In 2007, a compilation entitled "The Bullet and Sur-Speed Records Story" was released.

Red Wortham died December 31, 2002, at the age of 82 years at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. He is buried at Memory Gardens in Centerville near Bon Aqua.

With Wortham's death, the old general store in Bon Aqua had an uncertain future - again. In 2016, the building as well as an adjacent farm, which had been also owned by Cash and was originally the estate of Civil War major Phillip Van Horn Weems, were restored and are now available to the public under the name of "Storytellers Hideaway Farm & Museum".

Discography
For discographical information on Sur-Speed, see its entry at 45cat and Bluesland Productions' website.

Sources
• The Spirit of Music Lives Here at the Farm
• Find a Grave
• The Storytellers Hideaway Farm & Museum official website
• Ennyman's Territory: Can Red Wortham Be Credited for Launching the Career of Elvis Presley?
• Discogs

San Records from Bon Aqua

Bon Aqua and Good Music from Hickman County, Tennessee
The Story of the Rockin' Postmaster Harold Tidwell

Today, we spotlight the small San record label from Bon Aqua, Hickman County, located in central Tennessee southwest of Nashville. Its creator was Harold Tidwell, a longtime Bon Aqua resident and part-time country music singer. Tidwell is better known to rockabilly fans under his pseudonym "Don Wade", under which he cut two records, which are loved by many rockabilly music enthusiasts.

He was born Harold Neatam Tidwell on November 10, 1930, in Bon Aqua, a small place in rural Tennessee. The place was named after a nearby mineral spring, which was known for its water of good quality. The Tidwell family were longtime residents of Bon Aqua and members of them can still be traced down there. Tidwell's father Henry Neatam (1904-1993) was a farmer, bus driver, and employee of a furniture manufacturing plant, who married Asaline Lampley (1909-1987) in 1925. The couple gave birth to a child in 1925, which tragically died as an infant. In 1930, their son Harold Neatam followed.

Tidwell served his country from 1951 to 1953 in the armed troops, spending time in Korea. By 1958, he had become the local postmaster of Bon Aqua, which had a post office since 1842. He had also taken up music, playing the guitar and sing, and likely performed locally. Tidwell, who was a bachelor all his life, was equally adept at electronics and built himself a recording studio in his small home in Bon Aqua.

Catalog of Copyright Entries, 1953

We first find mention of Tidwell's music activities in 1953. Back then, he was problably trying his hand at songwriting for the first time. The catalog of copyright entries of that year lists a song called "You Said Goodby" in its section of unpublished music by Harold Neatom Tidwell and a certain Judith Evelyn Tidwell, whoever that may be. No hint can be found to her identity.

Harold Tidwell
(from the collection of Volker Houghton)

By early 1958, Tidwell had decided to try his hand at recording and created San Records, which found first mention in Billboard on March 24, 1958. However, the first known release of San came not into existence until late 1958 or early 1959. Tidwell had assembled a bunch of musicians and cut two magnificient pieces of local rock'n'roll, "Gone, Gone, Gone" and "Bust Head Gin." It is not known where they recorded them but Tidwell's studio could be a good bet. The songs appeared under the name of "Don Wade" on San #206, so judging from the release number, there is a chance that there existed even earlier releases. Underground favorites today, the songs nothing back then. However, it can be assumed they saw next to no exposure as San was a local vanity imprint.

Tidwell had two more recordings in the can, "Oh Love" and a cover of Carl Perkins' 1957 Sun recording "Forever Yours", which Tidwell put out on San #207 in the spring of 1959. Billboard amd Cash Box both took notice of the disc in April that year and appreciated it in its reviews. Though, the record only saw little attention like its precursor. Tidwell continued to record some local talent, including Ronnie Allen, who cut an equally good and cherished rock'n'roller entitled "Juvenile Deliquent" (among other songs).

Billboard C&W review April 13, 1959

Billboard May 4, 1959

Cash Box C&W review April 11, 1959

Tragedy struck on January 14, 1963, when Tidwell was robbed and shot three times at his home by a stranger, who pretended to need help with his car. He lay seven hours in his bathroom, when his father found him. Tidwell was rushed into Thomas Hospital in Nashville. Although his condition was critical, he survived.

Being physically disabled, he ran a small electronics shop to earn a living and even did some recording on a singer named David Barnes. He released the results on San Records around 1967. Harold Tidwell died August 27, 1977, at age 46 years and was buried at Five Points Church of Christ Cemetery in Bon Aqua.

For decades, virtually nothing was known about the name Don Wade. In 1980, they saw release again on Dutchman Cees Klop's White Label LP "Tennessee Rockin'", which also contained various other San recordings by Ronnie Allen and David Barnes. Klop must have discovered the little San label shortly before during one of his many trips to the United States but failed to unearth substantial info on Tidwell, although he found Tidwell's parents.

That same year, Big H Records' "Vintage Rock'n'Roll Collector's Items, Volume 8" compilation included "Gone, Gone, Gone" and "Bust Head Gin". It was not until 2020 when record collector and researcher Volker Houghton unearthed parts of Tidwell's story and made it public though his YouTube column "Stranger Than Fiction". However, other researchers have previously tried their luck to finding Tidwell to no avail, like Barbara Botwinick: "A few years ago I tracked down someome from his [e.g. Tidwell's] home town. She couldn't believe anyone from Bon Aqua would have any talent at all! I can't remember her name - she even sent me a picture of the Tidwell family house, which had been in disrepair by then. She was going to look into finding out some info for me but I never heard back from her. [...]"

Volker Houghton is still in the progress of finding more material on Tidwell, so we stay tuned.

San Records Discography

San 206: Don Wade - Gone, Gone, Gone / Bust Head Gin (1958-1959)
San 207: Don Wade - Oh Love / Forever Yours (1959)
San 208: Ronnie Allen - Juvenile Delinquent / River of Love (1959)
San 209: Ronnie Allen - High School Love / This Love of Ours (1960)
San 300: Ronnie Allen - Gonna Get My Baby / The Best of Me (1961)
San 301:
San 302: David Barnes and the Hearts - Loving On My Mind / I Can't Stand It Anymore (1967)

Sources
• Volker Houghton: Stanger Than Fiction No. 1 - The Don Wade Story
• Find a Grave
• Rockin' Country Style

 

Recommended reading
• Small Independent Rockin' 45rpm Labels

Reka Records discography

Jimmy Ace - Kentucky Twist (Reka 299)

Reka Records was the small outlet that saxophone player Jimmy Lamberth operated out of his hometown Jonesboro, Arkansas. Active between 1959 and 1964, the label issued a bit more than a handful of releases, all of them from local talent and commercially unsuccessful.

Lamberth was born in 1927 in Jonesboro and came - contrary to most of his fellow musicians - from a trained and more sophisticated musical background. He played jazz in different bands but eventually would also perform with country combos in the Memphis and Arkansas regions. He was not eager to record or score a hit but nevertheless cut a session for Lester Bihari's Meteor label in 1957, which produced the single "Latch on to Your Baby" b/w "I'll Pretend" (Meteor #5044). In the late 1950s, he also worked with piano rock'n'roller Teddy Redell and backed him up on a couple of sessions for Vaden Records.

In 1959, Lamberth set up his own label, Reka Records, and made Jonesboro its headquarter. However, he would record most of the singles in Memphis, as he would often print on the labels ("A Memphis Recording"). The debut was a release of the owner himself with "Reelin' and Rockin'" b/w "Harbor Lights" in 1959. He would cut two more releases for the label (also as "Hank Hankins").

This particular release was issued twice. The first edition was Reka #298 by Jimmy Lamberth, hiding under his pseudonym "Hank Hankins". He turned the old Stephen Foster tune "My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night!" into a wailing rock'n'roll instrumental and reworked the Delmore Brothers hit "Blues Stay Away from Me" in the same way (with vocal support, however). He subsequently used the same masters for #299 and re-released them under the name of fellow sax man Johnny "Ace" Cannon. Cannon likely did not perform on these cuts, as Lamberth was the sax man himself, but he probably thought, it would be a good idea to release the songs under Cannon's name, as Cannon was riding high on the charts with his own version of "Blues Stay Away from Me" in 1962. Interestingly, some copies of #299 have a sticker over the artist name with Jimmy Ace on it. This was done possibly due to contractal restrictions as Cannon was tied to Hi Records.

By the mid 1960s, the label had become dormant and in the 1970s, Lamberth became a missionary evangelist for the Phillipines and kept this occupations well into the 2000s. He died 2016, aged 88, in Jonesboro.

If you have additional info on Jimmy Lamberth, Reka Records, or artists that recorded for the label, feel free to contact me.

Discography

294: Jimmy Lamberth - Rockin' and Reelin' / Harbor Lights (1959)

295: Jo Haynes - So Long / Scotty Mine

296: Sonny Deckelman - Born to Lose / After You're Gone

297: Billy Childs - Call Me Shorty / I  Need Your Love (1960)
298: Hank Hankins - My Old Kentucky Home Rock / Blues Stay Away from Me (1960)

299: Ace Cannon - Kentucky Twist / Blues Stay Away from Me (also released as by "Jimmy Ace") (ca. 1962)
400: Jimmy Lamberth - Do You Know / Step-Out
401: Kenny Owens - Wrong Line / Come Back Baby (1964)

Ben Jack on Bejay

Ben Jack and the Country Boys - I Loved You So Much I Let You Go (Bejay 1301), 1962

One of the small record entrepreneurs that originated out of Arkansas was Ben Jack, a part-time musician, who built his own recording studio and label. Jack allowed himself to have the debut release on his own label, Bejay (the name coming from Jack's initials B and J) that eventually served as an outlet to release the custom recordings he made at his studio. Actually, Jack became a local celebrity mainly because of his music shops in the Fayetteville region.

Jack was born Ben Hoyt Jack on December 27, 1933, to Frank and Rena Helen Jack. Jack's father Frank owned the local Jack's Motor Company in Van Buren. Ben Jack was musical inclined and learned to play pedal steel guitar at some point. It is said that he once performed with the likes of Bob Wills and Hank Thompson. By the 1950s, Jack was playing locally with a band. In 1959 and 1960, Jack and group recorded some country songs for Leon McAullife's Cimarron label.

Billboard March 7, 1960, C&W review

By the the early 1960s, Jack was also dabbling in recording and producing techniques, establishing his own recording studio in Van Buren. Out of this studio, he also operated his own Bejay label. The first release came in 1962, two country songs by Jack and his band: "I Don't Want to Go" b/w "I Loved You So Much I Let You Go." More releases followed but a fire destroyed the recording studio, causing Jack to move across the Arkansas River to the city of Fort Smith. There, he rebuilt his studio in an abandoned garage, turning it into a modern recording studio with top notch gear of the time.

Billboard January 6, 1962 C&W review

Although electric guitars were already popularized in the wake of rock'n'roll music in the mid 1950s, the mid 1960s saw a boom of electric amplified guitars due to the success of the Beatles and what followed as the "British Invasion". In 1965, Jack and his wife Shirley (1938-2017) decided to open up their first music store in Fort Smith, "Ben Jack's Guitar Center", which featured a guitar repair shop in the back and a music store selling guitars and other instruments in the front. The store became a success and a year later, the Jacks opened a second store in Fayetteville. They eventually sold their store in Fort Smith (however, it retained Jack's name) but established more branches in Rogers and Bentonville. Ben Jack's stores became an institution in Northwest Arkansas, one of the most venerable and popular spots for musicians and those who wanted to become an accomplished one. The staff included only the most versatile musicians of the region, including Earl Cate, a local guitarist who had played with Ken Owens and the Del-Rays and his own band, Bruce Grubb, who worked for the Jacks for more than 20 years, Larry Stark, or Terry Anderson, who managed one of Jack's stores and, along with Jack, was a member of Jerry Jaye's Jayhawks.

Jack continued the run his recording studio through the decades well into the 1980s. Mickey Moody was the studio's manager for years. Countless sessions took place in this studio, giving local musicians and bands the opportunity to release their own material. Some of them saw release on Bejay but many LP productions were published on small private labels.

Jack also owned one of the largest private collections of vintage guitars, was active in the charity field and other local businesses. He died unexpected on November 6, 2009, at the age of 75 years in Fayetteville. He is buried at Gill Cemetery in his hometown of Van Buren. Following his death, stores were closed except for the Fayetteville branch. It was sold by Shirley Jacks in 2014 to Don Nelms and family, who run a local car dealership. Nelms and his chief financial officer Roy Shorter are also local musicians and songwriters. Shirley Jack died in 2017.

Discography

Cimarron 4045: Ben Jack and Country Cousins - I Only Want a Buddy / Book of Memories (1959)
Cimarron 4048: Ben Jack and Country Boys - Do I Love You / I'm Entitled to Your Love (1960)
Bejay 1301: Ben Jack and the Country Boys - I Don't Want to Go / I Loved You So Much I Let You Go (1962)

See also
• Bejay discography at Arkansas 45rpm Records

Recommended reading
• Ben Jack's recording studio
• Ben Jack interview
• That's All Rite Mama: The Hightide on Bejay

Sources
• Find a Grave
• Talk, Business & Politics: Music Stores Serve Diverse Clientele
• Fayetteville Flyer: Local music store owner Ben Jack dies
• Joel Walsh: Nelms Family Buys Ben Jack's Guitar Store in Fayetteville (Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette)

Teron Records discography

Teron Records was a label and recording studio based in Hollywood, California. It was owned by partners Terry Dunavan and Ron Solovay, both singers and artists in their own rights. Teron, derived from the first names of both owners, came into existence in circa 1963 and folded likely in 1967. One of its owners, Terry Dunavan, will be the subject of an article in a future American Music Magazine article.

The following discography is the most complete of Teron Records at the moment. If you have any additions, feel free to pass them along.

T-777: Margie Hobbie – Choo Choo Safari / Grown Up Blues (1964)
T 778: Gil Anthony – A Ring for Rosie / Green Eyes
T-779: Bill Pape – It’s Easy as A B C / Tomorrow
T-780: Michael Anders - Kid in Between / It's No Sin
T-781: The Four Queens – A Cider in My Eye / The Boy Next Door (1964)
T-782: Carol Hunt - Oh Tommy / Oh Baby Please
T-783:
T-784:
T-785:
T-786:
T-788:
T-789:
T-790: Bill Seagle - Moon Walk / No Letter Today
T 408: Steve Garza – Your Callin’ Me Now / Simple as A B C
T 409: The Samurais – Love Light / Watch Dog
T 410:
T 411: Terry & Ron – Saturday Night / My Funny Valentine
T 412: Mildred Harrison – Grown Up Blues / You’ve Got a Good Thing Goin’
T 413:
T 414: Gail Staddard - Dalil Sa Iyo / As the World Turns
T 415:
T 416:
T 417:
T 418: Connie Dupuis - I Wish I Were Wendy / My Mixed Up Heart
T 419:
T 420:
T 421:
T 422: Georgie Herk – Untrue / It’s Not Much Fun Being Lonely
T 423:
T 424: Natalie Dale – All Dressed Up / The Beginning and the End
T 425: Wes Boice - Don't Come Runnin' / ?
T 426:
T 427:
T 428: Gordon Morris – I Went Driving / You Callin Me Now
T 429:
T 430:
T 431:
T 432: Sherry and Larry - Darling the Moon Will Not Glow / Cuddle Up (has also CH-101 as cat.#)
T 433: Rod Keith - Wedding Bells are Ringing / Lenore (has also CH-103 as cat.#)
T 434: Gary Cruise - Mystery Train / ?
T 435:
T 436:
T 437:
T 438:
T 439:
T 440:
T 441:
T 442:
T 443:
T 444:
T 445:
T 446:
T 447:
T 448:
T 449: Efrem Musgrow - Waitin' All My Life / I Can't Believe
T 450: Tony Ywanciow - Sad Times / Cry Them for Me
T 451:
T-452:
T-453: Ona Marie Chaidez - He Didn't Deserve What Happened to Him (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) / I am Imagin'
T-201: Linda Lee - You Love Is Showin' / Miss Alone

Thanks to Apesville and Bob

Hazel Records Discography

Hazel
P.O. Box 11522 East Memphis Station

I discovered Hazel Records much later than Wooten's other labels. It seems that this record label was not fully owned by Style Wooten as the J. Allen Gann release superficially had no connection to the Wooten company but was certainly on the same label (it has a Southaven, Mississippi, adress). Also, the publishing company on the Hazel releases was Abide Music, which is not known to have been a Wooten imprint.

45-1218: Bobby & Hazel - Little Tavern / Hazel Holloway - The Wife of a Wino
45-1219: The Joy of Memphis Quartet - I Know the Lord Laid His Hands on Me / I Feel Like Flying Away (1968)
45-1220: Jimmy McCarter - One Dozen Blue Roses / The Heart You Stole (1968)
45-1221: The Joy of Memphis Quartet - Oh Lord You Know / Tell Me What You Going to Do (1969)
45-1222: Lillian Minor - You Been a Long Time Gone / Bar Room Daddy
45-1223: Hazel Hollowell - I'll Make Believe / There Goes My World
45-1224: Bob Liles - Try Me / Don't Try to Explain
45-1225:
45-1226: J. Allen Gann - Walking Tall in Heaven / A Whole Lot of Whys (on My Mind)

Hob Nob Records

One of the most interesting things in record collecting is (for me, at least) the many small labels in Arkansas. Often, you discover an unknown record with a familiar name - a rock'n'roller from the 1950s that made another record later on, maybe returning to his first love, country music. Or a gospel quartet that performs to this day. One of these hidden treasures is Hob Nob Records in Northern Arkansas.

Hob Nob Records was a low scale label, based in Harrison, Arkansas. It was owned by Earl Nicholson and operated by Hugh Ashley out of his store, which also included a small recording facility. Ashley had played in a band with Mike McAllister, Mike Collins, and Kirk Coffman and in fact, McAllister would record a single for Ashley's label in 1958.

Wallace Waters

Ashley recorded a couple of local country and rock'n'roll artists on Hob Nob, most notable Wallace Waters, the aforementioned Mike McAllister, and Upton Horn. Wallace Waters led a local band in Harrison that played dances all over Boone County. Apparently, Waters was the drummer and the vocalist in the band. He recorded memorable rock'n'roll tune called "Holiday Hill" in 1959. The song had been previously cut by Slim Wilson on Hob Nob. With just his guitar and his singing, it turned out to be a totally different but charming style of old down-home folk. Wallace Waters recorded another single for Trend and kept on performing locally. He is still active in the Harrison area.

Mike McAllister recorded a rollicking and echo-loaded "Twenty One" with a girl called Nancy, whose identity otherwise remains unknown. The flip side was "I Don't Dig It," written by Hugh Ashley. It very well could be that the band heard on this record was Ashley and McAllister's group. "I Don't Dig It" was also re-issued by Rockin' Ronnie Weiser on his Rollin' Rock Records in the 1970s.

Upton Horn recorded a country single for Hob Nob, also in the late 1950s. He went on to become a DJ on KHOZ in Harrison and recorded another single for Table Rock Records in Omaha, Arkansas. Horn was born September 26, 1924, but died tragically way too early on September 9, 1984, in Harrison at the age of 59 years. He was a local celebrity in the Harrison area through the 1960s and 1970s.

If anyone has more info on Hob Nob Records, feel free to pass it along.

Discography

410: Upton Horn - In and Out (Of Every Heart in Town) / A Good Way (for a Good Man to Go Wrong) (poss. 1958)
441: Mike & Nancy - Twenty One / Mike McAllister - I Don't Dig It (1958)
442: Slim Wilson - Holiday Hill / Jealousy's Made of Fear (1959)
443: Wallace Waters - Holiday Hill / Walking and a-Thinking (1959)
EP-401: Frank Watkins - Blue Mule / Saddle Old Spike / Soldier's Joy / Bay Rooster
EP-408: Frank Watkins - Girl I Left Behind Me / Kansas City Rag / Watkins Hoedown / Bad Whiskey / Missouri Fever / Frank's Breakdown (1958)

Tombigbee Records

Tombigbee Records was located in Pontotoc, Mississippi, a city a little west of Tupelo, and not too far away from Memphis, Tennessee, either. The name of the label derived from the Tombigbee River near Pontotoc. The name itself was of Native American heritage, from the people of the Choctaw to be exact.

The owner(s) of Tombigbee are unknown to me as well as other details. The exact adress of TomBigBee was at Box 390 Pontotoc. Danny Walls, a recording artist for the label in his own right, was active as a producer and songwriter for the label on several occasions and was probably involved in running this label. Stan Kesler also co-produced at least two records - so is there a Memphis connection? Obviously.

The artists recording for Tombigbee were to all accounts local singers and bands. Jimmy Wages, a Tupelo native, also had recorded for Sun in Memphis earlier. Travis Bell was also a Mississippi based artist. James Mask, another Memphis based singer who was born 1932 in Pontotoc, cut a great cover of the Rocky Bill Ford song "Beer Drinking Daddy." Mask had previously recorded for different labels including Bandera from Chicago and small Memphis labels.
 
Does anyone have more information on this label?

100:
101: Houston (Bob) Mills - The Early Morning D.J. / The Turn the Lights Out Down at Joe's (1966)
102: Jimmy Wages and the Tune Mates - Biggest Man Around / Right in the Middle
103: Jerry Pitts & Rhyhtm Makers - Big Ole Highway / Come On Home
104: Bob Mills - Crazy About a Honky Tonk / I'll Come Back Crying
105: Jerry Pitts & his Rhythm Makers (with the Itawambains) - Jet Age Santa / Let the Kids Spend This Christmas with Me
106: Deborah Ayock - There's Something You're Not Bringing Home to Me / Bob Mills & Deborah Ayock - Side By Side (1967)
107: Jerry Pitts & his Rhythm Makers - I Ain't Had Time to Quit / A Pencil and a Bottle
108: Robert Mills - I'm Doin' Fine / Deborah Aycock - Looking for a Brand New Start
109: Deborah Aycock - That Don't Buy Your Baby No Candy / Danny Walls - A Woman's Kiss / Robert Mills - Trying to Find My Way Back Home / What They Said You Would Do
110: Danny Walls - I Got a Woman / ?
111: James Mask - Beer Drinking Daddy / Smokey Ole Bar Room
112:
113: Pete Doles & the Young Inspiration - Yes Indeed / I Believe / ? / ?
114: Robert Mills - The Farmers Prayer / When He Calls
115: Travis Bell - My Son at College / Married Life
116: Jerry McCoy - "Tell Them Mary" You Love Me Like I am / Asking for the Blues

Thanks to Bayou Bum and Bob

Shelby Smith's Empire of record labels

Shelby Smith's Empire of Record Labels

Shelby R. Smith's empire of small record labels is a confusing one. Dave Travis released a 34 track CD in his "Memphis Rockabillies, Hillbillies & Honky Tonkers" series on Stomper Time, which dealt with Smith's productions. Dave likely put all his knowledge into the liner notes of this CD, which I don't own, unfortunately. Hence, I decided to take an approach at exploring Shelby Smith's story on my own.

Generally, Smith is associated with five different record labels: Rebel, Rebel Ace, Silver Skip, Smitty, and Silento. The aforementioned Stomper Time CD also contained tracks released on a Rebel label from South Pittsburgh, Tennessee, which was to all accounts a different label, owned by Bill Cooley.

Shelby R. Smith was a local singer from Memphis and according to my researches, first registered in 1958 when he copyrighted the song "Crossword Puzzle." By 1960, Smith was recording for the Smitty label, which belonged to Fernwood, according to Terry Gordon's RCS site. In fact, some of Smith's productions were recorded by Ronald Wallace in his Fernwood recording studio. However, in 1962, the Rebel label appeared on the radar with two singles by Smith, including his "Rocking Mama." This label was said to be based in Batesville, Arkansas (if this is true, is another question). It seems Rebel was later replaced by Rebel Ace by the mid 1960s (based in St. Louis, Missouri, according to the label of Rebel Ace #743). Smith was likely forced to use another name because there had been a label of the same name in Maryland since 1959. Uncertain is the chronology of Smith's Silver Skip and Silento labels.

Contrary to widely held beliefs, Smitty 55784, featuring "Rosalie" and "To Your Heart for a Moment," was neither recorded by Shelby Smith nor released under the pseudonym Roy Lett. In fact, Roy Lett was a singer who was living in Memphis at the time of these recordings. He had started his musical career in the early 1950s in Knoxville.

As it became probably obvious in my explanations, there are a lot of question marks and doubts regarding Smith and his labels. Only Dave Travis' liner notes will probably bring some clarity into this story. Stay tuned.

Billboard C&W review July 28, 1962

Billboard C&W review May 4, 1963

Rebel / Rebel Ace
728: Shelby Smith - Since My Baby Said Good-By / Rocking Mama (1962)
729: Shelby Smith - Big Boss Man / Crying for a Pastime (1963)
730: Davis Brothers - How Can I Tell Her / Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow (1966)
731: Bobby Davis - Troubles Troubles / ?
732: Bob Downen - Blue Yodel No.1 T for Texas / Reaching Out
733:
734: S. R. Smith - This Old Town / ?
734: Glen A. Linder - I'll Always Care / Out Come of War (1966)
735: Alma Herndon - True Love Where Have You Gone / Oregonian Blues
736: Jean Henderson - Too Many Sunsets / Put It On My Charge Account (1966)
737: Jimmy Evans - Call Me Mr. Lonesome / Dudley Do-Rite (1967)
738/9: Eddy Beers - You're Both the Cheating Kind / The Open Road (1967)
740/1: Marilyn Strothcamp - Until Today / Plaything (1967)
742: Marilyn Strothcamp - Just a Dime Away / Second Girl
743: Eddy Beers - What's Your Excuse / Big Mack Waitin'
743: Marilyn Strothcamp - I Cried a Tear / All I Feel for You Is Sorry


• The first three releases were issued under the Rebel brand, subsequent releases under the name of Rebel Ace.
• Numbers #734 and #743 were used twice.
• #742 and #743 give location as 2404 Charlack - St. Louis, Missouri.

Silver Skip
101: S. R. Smith - North to Alaska / Foolish Love Affair
201: Eddy Beers - I'm Gonna Be a Wealthy Man / Overdrawn on Heartaches (1966)
202: Shelby R. Smith - Big Boss Man / Cryin' for a Pastime
203: Shelby R. Smith - Wake Me Up / Jim-Dandy Handy Man
203: Jackie Underwood - Her Heart Would Know / ?

• Recordings on #202 were possibly the same as on Rebel #729.
• #203 by Shelby Smith was recorded at Bill Glore's Glolite Studios.

Silento
100: S. R. Smith - Why Does You Cry / Social Security

• Label gives location as 297 N. Main - Memphis, Tennessee (home of Fernwood Records).

Smitty
55783: Shelby Smith - What's On Your Mind / So Long to Get to You (1960)
55784: Roy Lett - Rosalie / To Your Heart for a Moment

• Smitty was a Fernwood subsidiary intended for custom recordings.

Thanks to Apes Ville and Sandonna Lett

That Million Dollar Memphis Sound

"That Million Dollar Memphis Sound"

The Story of Eddie Bond's Millionaire and Western Lounge labels

Memphis music personality Eddie Bond had many occupations at the same time. A singer, club owner, radio DJ, TV personality, producer, promoter, and label owner are likely only a couple of functions. He set up his first label Stomper Time Records in 1959, named after his background band, the Stompers. He went on to cut countless 45s for small local labels, including the Millionaire and Western Lounge imprints.

Eddie Bond at KWEM

After Stomper Time folded in ca. 1961, he switched to small Arkansas and Memphis based labels, for which he recorded various discs. Bond filed a petition in bankruptcy in early 1965. He had led a night club in partnership with Baxter Turnage but the club proved to be unsuccessful however, and after Turnage's sudden death in 1964, Bond was left alone with the debths.

Bond however, was provided with enough engagements, recording releases and his steady job as the programm director of KWAM. He released "Cold Dark Waters" on Buford Cody's Memphis label in 1965, which turned out to be a moderate seller for Bond. Soon, things were "looking rosier" for Bond, as Billboard reported in February 1965, and around the same time, he became involved in the Millionaire Music Corporation, which included a publishing firm and two labels, Millionaire and Western Lounge (also shortened to Western at times). The company's name and its slogan "That Million Dollar Memphis Sound," which was printed on both labels variously, were of ironic nature, regarding Bond's financial problems. It is not clear to me if Bond really owned the companies but he was at least heavily involved in them.

In November 1965, Billboard reported that the Western Lounge on 1298 Madison Avenue, Memphis, had set up a label of the same name. Bond's involvement in this label was not mentioned probably due to his bankruptcy. The first two discs on the label were by Dean Cross, a local singer who regularly appeared at the Western Lounge. On February 13, 1966, Cross took part in a charity concert at the Lounge at also included Ace Cannon, Ray Scott, Jerry Fox, and Eddie Bond.

Bond released several 45s on Millionaire as well as an album "Favorite Country Hits from Down Home" (Millionaire #MLP1618) in 1967. Both Millionaire and Western Lounge became dormant after 1967. Bond recorded one disc for Stan Kesler's XL label in 1968 and that same year, his Tab recording label came into existence, for which he recorded steadily during the early 1970s.

Discography

Millionaire

Millionaire 45-101
Leftus & Rightous
Wobbling Stone () / ?
SK4M-0887 / SK4M-0888 (RCA)
1965

Millionaire MC-108

Eddie Bond and the Stompers

I Just Found Out (B. Cody-C. Leatherwood) / Back to Viet Nam (Jim & Gary Climer)

S4KM-0934 / S4KM-0935 (RCA)

1965

Millionaire MC-109/10 (698B-3587)

Chuck Comer - Jukebox Serenade (n.c.) / Doug Stone - She Moved to Kansas City (n.c.) / Buck Turner - What Will I Do (n.c.)

S4KB-3588 (RCA)

Eddie Bond - Hey Joe (n.c.) / Jim Wells - Home in Shelby County (n.c.) / Jim Morgan - What's Gonna Happen to Me (n.c.)

S4KB-3588 (RCA)

1965

Millionaire MC-111/2

Melvin Endsley

To Have My Baby Back () / Keep the Water Running (Melvin Endsley)

SK4M-3643 / SK4M-3644 (RCA)
1965

Millionaire 660S-0885

Sylvia Mobley

Hearts Have a Language (G. Williams) / In and Out of Love (Melvin Endsley)

SK4M-0885 / SK4M-0886 (RCA)

1965

Millionaire 45-120
Leon Starr
Honey Child () / ?
T4KM-5282 / ? (RCA)
1966

 

Millionaire MM-124

Joyce Davis

Actions Speak Louder (Than Words) (Jeffrey Laman) / You Lied to Me (Jeffrey Laman)

T4KM-5285 / T4KM-5286 (RCA)

1966

Millionaire MM-126
Lloyd Arnold
Wake My Heart () / That's How I Wake Up (Lloyd Arnold)
T4KM-5279 / T4KM-5280 (RCA)
1966

Millionaire MM-128

Ed Veglio

I've Got to Tell Somebody (Ed Veglio, Wm. H. Talbert) / I Just Thought I'd Ask ()

TK4M-4066 / ? (RCA)

1966

Millionaire MC 444/5 (698B-9721)

Eddie Bond

Is My Ring on Your Finger (Wayne Walker) / The Little Black Book (Webb Pierce; Wayne Walker; Polly Harrison)

T4KM-9721 / T4KM-9722 (RCA)

1966 

Millionaire MC-446
Eddie Bond
Looks Like a Monkey () / Daddy's Drinkin' Up Our Future ()
112 / 113
1967


Western Lounge

Western Lounge 1298
Dean Gross
Hello Frisco, Goodbye Viet Nam (Gene Rowe) / The Stronger of the Two (Gene Rowe)
SO 2731 / SO 2732 (Plastic Products)
1965

Western Lounge W-1300
Dean Cross
Look In My Boot (Curtis Marshall) / Six By Six By Three (Curtis Marshall)
TK4M-4030 /  TK4M-4031 (RCA)
1966 

Western Lounge W-1301/2
Tommy Tucker
Everybody's Darlin' Plus Mine (Robbins) / Sorry About That (Edna Lee)
TK4M-4547 / TK4M-4548 (RCA)
1966

Western W-111
The Fabulous Jack Fargo
Little Rosa (W. Pierce; R. Sovine) / I Just Dropped In to Say Goodybe (J. Pierce)
P-14 / P-15
Note: This disc was also released in 1962 on Pen #111. 

Western Lounge WPR-311
Frankie Bonds
Ballad of H. H. McKnight (Tommy Tompsen) / Go on Break My Heart (Frankie Bond)
A / B 

Thanks to Apes Ville