Johnny Horton on Columbia

  Johnny Horton - Sal's Got a Sugarlip (1959), Columbia 4-41437
Early this month on November 5, Johnny Horton died 52 years ago. I thought it would be an opportunity to post one of my favorite Horton songs along with some information on this fascinating artist. I have a lot of Johnny Horton favorites, including "Coal Smoke and Valve Oil Steam," "I'm Coming Home," "Mr. Moonlight," and others but "Sal's Got a Sugarlip" is definitely one of them. When I saw it on ebay I bought it right away.

"The Singing Fisherman" was born April 30, 1925, in Los Angeles, California. His family moved around a lot always in search of work and later, Horton would call East Texas his home, although he spent his first years in LA. His mother taught him to play the guitar but he first wanted to become a preacher. Horton later changed his mind and decided to try his luck as a musician. Friends and relatives were surprised when Horton told them he wanted to become a singer since he had no stage experiences and sang seldom. He bought himself some western costumes and started entering talent contests.

By 1949, he was working in Alaska in the oil industry but returned to Texas the following year. His popularity grew and Horace Logan, emcee of KWKH's Louisiana Hayride, soon heard about the young Horton and hired him to appear on the Hayride. He also signed Horton to Fabor Robison's Cormack Records. In a joint session with Sammy Masters and accompanied by Johnny Reeves and his Homesteaders, Horton cut his first songs in a small studio in Santa Anna, California. The first singles appeared in 1951 but Cormack folded soon after, so Horton was transferred to Robison's new label Abbott. More singles appeared until 1953 but none of them was able to reach the C&W charts.

Billboard March 2, 1957

During his Hayride performances, he got to know Country superstar Hank Williams, who died early in 1953. In September that same year, Horton married Williams' widow Billie Jean. 1952 saw Horton's first releases on Mercury but again, success eluded these nice produced and well played sides. Surprinsingly, he was a popular entertainer during these years on the Hayride. His friend and manager Tillman Franks moved Horton to Columbia in 1956 and arranged a recording session in Nashville. He had selected a song written by Texas singer/songwriter Howard Hausey entitled "Honky Tonk Man." He brought in Grady Martin on lead guitar and Bill Black on bass (who had just finished a session with Elvis Presley that day) for the session. The song was an instant smash with the public and eventually reached #9 on the C&W charts.

The honky-tonkin' rockabilly sound with Horton's vocals and Martin's deep bass guitar playing produced another three hits in the following time: "I'm a One Woman Man" (#7, 1956), "I'm Coming Home" (#11, 1956), and "She Knows Why" (#9, 1957). But as soon as the hits came, they disappeared again. The next singles went nowhere. A last hit with the rockabilly sound was achieved with "All Grown Up" in 1958.

Franks and Horton were looking for another sound, one that was unique and fitting. "When It's Spring Time in Alaska" proved to be the hit they were looking for. Horton had found "his" new sound: historic songs and ballads mixing Country and Folk music. "The Battle of New Orleans," written by Arkansas born Jimmy Driftwood, wasn't a favorite with both but they recorded it nevertheless, which proved to be the right decision. It became a #1 hit and Horton's best selling single as well as his theme song. During the next years, more hits followed, including "Johnny Reb" (#10), "Sink the Bismarck" (#6), "North to Alaska" (#1) and also today's selection "Sal's Got a Sugarlip" (#19).

"Sal's Got a Sugarlip" was also written by Jimmy Driftwood, who had proven to be a gifted songwriter and talented with historic themes. The song was recorded on July 6, 1959, in the Bradley Film and Recording Studio in Nashville with Horton on vocals, Grady Martin on lead guitar, Hank Garland on guitar, Tommy Tomlinson on guitar, Joseph Zinkan on bass, an unknown banjo picker, and Buddy Harman on drums. Horton had previously laid down a first version on July 1 but it remained unreleased. On that July 1 session, also the flip "Johnny Reb" was recorded (penned by Merle Kilgore).

Released as Columbia 4-41437 on July 20, 1959, Billboard reviewed the single in its July 27 issue as one of their "spotlight winners of the week:"

Horton can follow his big "Battle of New Orleans" with either of these potent entries. Top tune is similar in sound to his current smash. The lyrics are clever. "Johnny Reb" is a bright, march type, Civil War ditty. Both can score.

As Billboard foretold, both songs scored and reached the C&W as well as the Pop charts. "Johnny Reb" hit #10 on the C&W charts and #54 on the Hot 100, while "Sal's Got a Sugarlip" reached #19 on the C&W charts and also went on to the moderate #81 spot in the Pop field.

It seemed Horton finally succeeded in the national music scene, but being always interested in esoteric and mystic topics, he was getting premonitions of his early death. He shared this interest in spiritualism with his friend Johnny Cash. Wether these were serious or not, he was right. On November 6, 1960, Horton, Tillman Franks, and Tommy Tomlinson came from a concert in Austin, Texas, when a drunk driver sliced apart their car. While Franks and Tomlinson survived, Horton died on the way to the hospital near Milano, Texas.

Billboard November 14, 1960

Malcolm Yelvington discography I

Malcolm Yelvington Discography, Part I: Original Released Recordings

The following discography intends to list all of Memphis musician Malcolm Yelvington's original released recordings. Numerous alternate takes, demos and other originally unreleased songs will be the subject of the second part. Additions and corrections are appreciated.

Malcolm Yelvington and the Star Rhythm Boys, ca. 1954: From left to right: Miles "Red" Winn, Gordon Joe Mashburn, Malcolm Yelvington, Reece Fleming, Jake Riles

Sun 211

Malcolm Yelvington and Star Rhythm Boys

Drinkin' Wine Spodee-O-Dee (Sticks McGhee) / Just Rolling Along (Reece Fleming)

U-134 / U-135 (Plastic Products)

November 10, 1954

Billboard C&W review on January 8, 1955

Recorded October 10, 1954, at Sun Studio (706 Union Avenue - Memphis, Tennessee)

Malcolm Yelvington (vcl/gtr), Reece Fleming (vcl), Gordon Mashburn (ld gtr), Miles "Red" Winn (st gtr), Jake Ryles (bs), Lavern Fleming (pno)
Note: Some sources state that Fleming's wife Lavern played piano on the session, while other credit Reece Fleming with being the piano player.

Meteor 5022

Mac Sales with the Esquire Trio

A Gal Named Joe (Reece Fleming; Leslo)

MR5034

Mac & Jake with the Esquire Trio

Yakety Yak (Reece Fleming; Gordon Mashburn)

MR5045

1955

Billboard C&W review on October 29, 1955

Recorded 1955 at Meteor Studio (1794 Chelsea Avenue - Memphis, Tennessee)

Malcolm Yelvington (vcl/gtr), Miles "Red" Winn (st gtr), Jake Ryles (bs/vcl), Frank Tolley (pno)

Sun 246

Malcolm Yelvington

Rockin' with My Baby (Malcolm Yelvington) / It's Me, Baby (Reece Fleming)

U-206 / U-207 (Plastic Products)

August 3, 1956

Billboard C&W review on September 1, 1956

Recorded February 2, 1956 at Sun Studio (706 Union Avenue - Memphis, Tennessee)

Malcolm Yelvington (vcl/gtr), Gordon Mashburn (ld gtr), Miles "Red" Winn (st gtr), Frank Tolley (pno), Billy Weir (dms)

Shelby County EP 001
Marcus Van Story
Get with It (Charlie Feathers; Jody Chastain; Jerry Huffman) / [unknown title]
Malcolm Yelvington
Goodbye Marie (Reece Fleming) / Way Down Blues (Reece Fleming)

Recorded 1974 at Glo-Lite Studios (Memphis, Tennessee)
Malcolm Yelvington (vcl/gtr), Bubba Feathers (ld gtr), Red Hadley (pno), Marcus Van Story (bs/h), Charlie Feathers (bs), Leslie Van Story (dms)
Note: Charlie Feathers plays bass on "Way Down Blues" while Marcus Van Story plays harmonica.

Barrelhouse LP BH011 "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-Oh-Dee!"
Marcus Van Story LP featuring Malcolm Yelvington on "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-Oh-Dee," "Shim Sham Shimmy," and "Shot Gun Boogie."

Recorded 1974 at Quinton Claunch Studios (Memphis, Tennessee)
Malcolm Yelvington (gtr), Bubba Feathers (ld gtr), Charlie Feathers (gtr), Marcus Van Story (bs)
Note: It's not clear who takes over the vocals on these three tracks.

RB1001 LP "Johnny Burnette's Rock'n'Roll Trio and their Rockin' Friends from Memphis"
Various artists LP featuring "Goin' Downtown" by Malcolm Yelvington.
1980

Note: The track was mistitled and actually is a re-recording of "A Gal Named Joe."

Collector CD CLCD 4403 "A Tennessee Saturday Night with Malcolm Yelvington"
Malcolm Yelvington
"Move It On Over" (Hank Williams)
"(Gonna) Have Myself a Ball" (Malcolm Yelvington; Reece Fleming)
"Goodbye Marie" (Reece Fleming)
"Disapointed" (Malcolm Yelvington)
"Trumpet" (Louie Moore)
"Hey, Good Lookin'" (Hank Williams)
"Tennessee Saturday Night" (Billy Hughes)
"Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" (Stick McGhee; J. Williams)
"Mr. Blues" (Malcolm Yelvington)
"A Gal Named Joe" (Reece Fleming)
"Yakety Yak" (Gordon Mashburn; Reece Fleming)
"It's Me, Baby" (Reece Fleming)
"With Me Baby" (Malcolm Yelvington)
"Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" (Sticks McGhee; J. Williams)
"Yakety Yak" (Gordon Mashburn; Reece Fleming)
"I'll Fly Away" (Trad.; arr. Malcolm Yelvington; Tedy Redell)

Recorded 1988 live in Rotterdam, Netherlands
Malcolm Yelvington (vcl/gtr), Eddie Jones (ld gtr), Dave Travis (gtr), Terry Keating (st gtr), Alan Wilson (bs), Howard Tible (dms), Teddy Redell (pno/vcl) on "I'll Fly Away"

Freedonia EP-102 "Rockin' in Memphis '95"
Malcolm Yelvington and Mack Stevens
Gal Named Joe (Reece Fleming) / There's a Little Life Left in This Old Boy Yet (Mack Stevens)
Cruisin' with Susan (Mack Stevens) / Goodbye Marie (Reece Fleming)

Recorded July 30, 1995, in Memphis, Tennessee
Malcolm Yelvington (vcl/gtr), Mack Stevens (vcl/gtr/bs), Fuzzy Whitener (gtr)
"Cruisin with Susan" was recorded July 9, 1995, in Mack Stevens' bedroom (Corsicana, Texas) with Stevens playing all instruments

706 CD 70397 "There's a Little Life Left in This Old Boy Yet"
Malcolm Yelvington
"Yakety Yak" (Gordon Mashburn; Reece Fleming)
"It's Me Baby" (Reece Fleming)
"You're the One Rose (That's Left In My Heart)" ()
"Fast Living" ()
"Disappointed" (Malcolm Yelvington)
"Rocking With My Baby" (Malcolm Yelvington)
"Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy" (Harry Stone; Jack Stapp)
"Make Yourself At Home In My Heart" ()
"Love Me Tender" ()
"Hillbilly Rocking Man" ()
"There's a Little Life Left in This Old Boy Yet" ()
"My Happitiness" ()
"Smoke Smoke Smoke (That Cigarette)" (Merle Travis; Tex Williams)
"Little Girl of Four" ()
"Walk Talk Sing" ()
"I'm Thankful" ()
"Interview with Malcolm Yelvington"
1998

Recorded 1991-1997 at Sun Studio (706 Union Avenue - Memphis, Tennessee)
Malcolm Yelvington (vcl), unknown musicians

Leon Starr on Stomper Time

  Leon Starr - Brown Eyed Handsome Man, Stomper Time unissued
Leon Starr was a Memphis, Tennessee, based singer and musician. At least active until the late 1960s, he was with Eddie Bond's Stompers in the 1950s, playing piano with the band. Starr also cut a couple of unreleased Rock'n'Roll sides for Bond's Stomper Time label in Memphis. One of these selections, Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," is featured today. It is probably Starr who plays piano on them. Starr later departed from the group and kept on recording for a variety of labels, mostly small Memphis imprints. You can listen to one of his records on Some Local Loser.

Discography

Stomper Time unissued

unknown recording date and place

"Back in the USA"

"Brown Eyed Handsome Man"

"My Baby Left Me"
"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"

Blake 2-276

Leon Starr & Little Sis

Common Law Wife () / The Lord Knows You're Drinking ()

VU 45-101

Leon Starr and the Fire Birds

Little Live Wire (Arthur Kyle) / ?

Bachelor and III 1101

Leon Starr

My Name's Trouble () / I Can't See My Way ()

Allandale 3684

Leon Starr

Just Like That (Joe B. Cartwright) / That Kind of Living (Joe B. Cartwright)

W4KM-0883 / W4KM-0884 (RCA)

1968

"Producers: Style Wooten & Sam Neil"

Larry Donn & Wildfire Willie

Here's a really great jam session recording by a couple of musicians, including the late Larry Donn and Rockabilly band leader Jan Svensson, of Wildfire Willie & the Ramblers was. This was recorded "live" at Terry Carter's home on February 16, 1995. I uploaded it as one file since I don't want to disturb the "atmosphere" of the session. You can hear Svensson start Sun classics like Kenny Parchman's "Tennessee Zip," Warren Smith's Ubangi Stomp," Billy Lee Riley's "Got the Water Boiling" among others during the session, while Donn comes up with classic Rock'n'Roll recordings and an amazing version of his old Vaden buddy Bobby Brown's "Bobby's Blues." If you listen close, you can hear Svensson doing many of the solos just like they are on record!

During the sessions, the musicians sometimes changed instruments. While Carter plays his electric guitar during the first half of the session, he later took up the harmonica. He also switched to bass and in turn the bass player to guitar. There are also some songs I couldn't really identify, they are simply marked as [unknown track] in the track list. There are also some skips in the middle. Hope you enjoy it, though!

Personnel:
Larry Donn (vcl/pno)
Jan Svensson (vcl/ld gtr)
Terry Carter (ld gtr/hrmca)
other musicians (sax/bs/perc/dms) unknown

Download

track list:
1. Instrumental
2. Good Rockin' Tonight
3. Rocky Road Blues
4. Trouble Bound
5. Boney Maroney
6. Honey-Bun
7. That's What I Call a Ball
8. Bobby's Blues
9. [unknown track]
10. [unknown track] (vocal: Terry Carter)
11. [unknown track]
12. Roll Over Beethoven
13. Ubangi Stomp
14. Blues medley: Big Boss Man / Shame, Shame, Shame / Hi-Heel Sneakers / Big Boss Man
15. Rock with Me Baby
16. Somethin' Baby
17. [unknown track]

Skeets McDonald on Capitol

  Skeets McDonald - I'm Hurtin' (1957), Capitol F3833
There has been some problems with Mediafire during the last days and this post is some kind of a compensation until I fixed the problem. Skeets McDonald is best-known for "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes," a song that was composed and originally recorded by Texan Slim Willet. McDonald turned it into a big hit and it became his signature song.

Born Enos William McDonald in 1915 in Greenway, Arkansas, he grew up in a rural and poor environment, picking cotton on the fields. In the early 1930s, he followed his older brother and headed north to Michigan, where he found work with the Lonesome Cowboys in Detroit. He later formed his own band and played clubs as well radio stations in Flint and Pontiac. By 1943, he was drafted into US Army and fought in North Africa.

Upon his discharge, he took up his musical career again. He joined Johnnie White's Rhythm Riders in 1950 for a couple of recordings on the Fortune label. This affliation produced a first respectable effort, "The Tattooed Lady," though it did not become a chart hit. A year later, he also cut records for London and Mercury as "Skeets Saunders" without success. That same year, Texas born Slim Willet (1919-1966) wrote a song called "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes." Willet's 4 Star recording of the song soon reached the Billboard C&W charts and became a national hit.

Meanwhile, Skeets McDonald had moved to Los Ageles, California, where he successful auditioned for Cliffie Stone and Ken Nelson. While Stone put him on his Hometown Jamboree live show, Nelson signed him to Capitol Records as "the label's answer to Lefty Frizzell," who was recording for Columbia. They pitched "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" to McDonald and it was his version that became a No.1 C&W hit that made him famous over night.

The next years, success eluded McDonald's singles. Nevertheless, he remained a popular entertainer on the West Coast, appearing on such shows as the Hometown Jamboree, Compton's Town Hall Party, the Big D Jamboree, the Ozark Jubilee and some others. Possibly more interesting is his move towards Rockabilly by 1956. He had experiemented with an up-tempo hillbilly boogie sound earlier with such tunes as "The Tattooed Lady" or "Birthday Cake Boogie." In 1956, he recorded the smashing douplesider "You Oughta See Grandma Rock" b/w "Heart-Breakin' Mama" with Eddie Cochran on lead guitar and added a rockin' feel to several songs he cut in the following time, including "Fingertips," "Cheek to Cheek with the Blues" or today's selection "I'm Hurtin'."

Recorded on July 23, 1957, in the Capitol Recording Studios (Hollywood), "I'm Hurtin'" is more of the ballad kind. His backup band consisted of guitar virtuoso Joe Maphis on lead guitar, Speedy West on steel guitar, Jelly Sanders on fiddle (though not audible), Billy Liebert on piano, Cliffie Stone on bass, and Muddy Berry on drums. Released on Capitol F3833 with "Love Wind" on the flip, Billboard judged in its November 11, 1957, issue:

Weeper is delivered in a very poppish manner with rhythm backing and a chorus assist. Steel and picked guitars accompany. Listenable side is a possibility in both pop and c&w marts.

Though, "I'm Hurtin'" neither became a best seller in the Pop nor in the C&W market. Though he did record an album full of Rockabilly styled songs such as "You're There" in 1958 (with Joe Maphis on guitar again), he never moved far away from the Country tear jerkers that he was known for better. His contract with Capitol expired and McDonald moved to Columbia in 1959, where he had moderate chart success during the 1960s. "This Old Heart," "Call Me Mr. Brown" and "Mable" were some of the hits fromthat era. He died March 31, 1968, in Los Angeles of a heart attack.

Skeets McDonald with Hank Ross and his band, ca. 1960s

Old-Timey live cuts

I thought it was time for some fine old-time picking and singing. These selections are live recordings from recent years by mostly unknown bands and amateur musicians. Hope y'all enjoy 'em!

Download

track list:
1. Unknown musicians - Get Along Home Cindy (Jam session by West Virginia musicians at Clifftop Festival 2008)
2. Dill Pickle Old Time Orchestra - Nancy Rowland (recorded October 9, 2010, at Greenline Cafe in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
3. Sugarloaf Mountain Boys - The Girl I Loved in Sunny Tennessee (recorded May 27, 2011, at Bill's Pickin' Parlor in Columbia, South Carolina, with Danny Creamer [vcl/gtr], Ben Wooten [dbr/vcl], Craig Armstrong [bjo], Rusty Zorns [bs], John Barkley [fdl/vcl])
4. Ronnie Bowman & Rob McCoury - Little Cabin Home on the Hill (recorded at the Station Inn with Bowman [vcl/gtr] and Rob McCoury [bjo], other musicians unknown)
5. Jim Herd - Tennessee Grey Eagle (recorded 1991 at National Oldtime Fiddler's Contest in Weiser, Idaho, with Jim Herd [fdl], Laura Smith [bjo], Vivian Williams [gtr], Phil Williams [bs])
6. Whitetop Mountain Band - Cacklin' Hen (recorded September 11, 2010, at Red, White and Bluegrass Festival)

Marvin Rainwater on MGM

  Marvin Rainwater - (There's Always) A Need for Love (1957), MGM K12701
Marvin Rainwater is probably best known for his 1957 hit "Gonna Find Me a Bluebird" but many of his recordings were rockabilly styled performances. "Whole Lotta Women" was one of those songs and became a #1 UK hit, however, in the US it only reached #60 on the charts. Today's post features another example of Rainwater's rockabilly songs, the teen rocker "(There's Alway) A Need for Love" from 1958.

Marvin Karlton Rainwater was born on July 2, 1925, in Wichita, Kansas, and grew up during the Great Depression in Oklahoma. Originally, he wanted to become a pianist but lost a part of his left thumb when he was fifteen. This accident caused him to give up his plans and instead, he eventually began to study animal health. It was during this time that he began to write his own songs.

With his brother Ray, he played venues around Virginia. Already during this time, he dressed himself as a Native American. Indeed, Rainwater had Native American ancestors and later, this would be the subject of several songs he recorded. He also worked with guitarist Roy Clark, with whom he recorded demo sessions from January 1953 up to October 1954 in Ben Adelman's studio, Washington DC. The last of these sessions produced "I Gotta Go Get My Baby," which was picked up by Teresa Brewer, who turned the song into a pop hit. Justin Tubb's version also reached the C&W charts. Adelman leased Rainwater's original recording to 4 Star among a couple of others. Some tracks also appeared on Crown and King.

Rainwater was able to land a spot on Arthur Godfrey's talent show in 1955. His performance of "I Gotta Go Get My Baby" secured him a recording contract with MGM. That same year, he also began a four year stint on Red Foley's Ozark Jubilee. Billed as "Marvin Rainwater and his Tomahawks," his first release on the label was the pre-rockabilly song "Tennessee Houn' Dog Yodel." In 1956, his first two rockabilly songs appeared with the energetic "Hot and Cold" and the slower "Mr. Blues." His growing popularity brought him his first hit in early 1957 with "Gonna Find Me a Bluebird," which reached #4 on Billboard's C&W charts. Rockabilly songs like "Why Did You Have to Go and Leave Me (Lonesome Blues)", "My Brand of Blues," "Whole Lotta Women," "I Dig You Baby" and others followed.

MGM advertising in Billboard's July 8, 1957, issue

Today's selection "(There's Always) A Need for Love" was recorded on July 16, 1958, at the Bradley Film & Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee. Rainwater was backed by veteran studio musicians Grady Martin (ld gtr), Floyd Cramer (pno), Lightnin' Chase (bs), Buddy Harman (dms), and an unknown chorus. Coupled with "Nothin' Needs Nothin' (Like I Need You)", the song was released on MGM K12701 in summer 1958. Billboard reviewed the single on  August 18 but it failed to chart.

By 1960, Rainwater's chart successes were over and MGM dropped him from its roster. He recorded a couple of songs with Link Wray and Lucky Wray on Warwick in 1961 and also recorded for Star-Dale and United Artists, before he founded his own label Brave. He also co-owned the country magazine "Trail" with his brother Ray, who was also his manager. In the 1970s, he fought against cancer and moved to Aitkin County, Minnesota. Today, he still performs at rockabilly festivals in Europe.

Billboard March 3, 1956

Dixieland Blues, Vol. I

This was one of the most popular series on the blog. I also like it very much, great tracks and great artists. There's gonna be more in the future, I promise. For now, I repost the first installment.

Download

track list:
1. Bill Case - Just a Little More Lovin'
2. Glen Thompson - Dixieland Boogie
3. Dub Adams - Pocahuntas Stomp
4. Curt Hinson - Cotton Pickin' Baby
5. Snake River Outlaws - I Won't Go Huntin' Jake
6. Uncle Ned - I'll Wait for You
7. Tex Dixson - Honky Tonk Swing
8. Doug Harden - Good for Nothing Woman
9. Lester & Darold - Drive Inn Blues
10. Earl Peterson - Take Me Back to Michigan
11. Ludy Harris - That Glory Bound Train
12. Clyde Chesser's Texas Village Boys - Lost Highway
13. Sam Nichols - I Want My Alimony
14. Jimmy Prince - Live and Let Live

Folk & Camp Fire Songs review

The three Lewis brothers from Ohio coupled with drummer Dennis Foreman recently released their second album. More a tribute to their musicial roots than containing new or original song material, the band puts old songs in a new style much of their own. Jeff Lewis previously performed with the Bluegrass group Big Scioto, Richard played with a pop band and Foreman collected his musical experiences with Jakob Freely. Only Russell Lewis wasn't a member of a band yet, the Lewis Brothers is his first act he appears with.

Although three of the four band members are real brothers, they come from very different musicial backgrounds and as varied as their personal influences are, so is the track list of their second album "Folk & Camp Fire Songs." Many recordings are traditional folk tunes and the musical style on all tracks is something between Country, Bluegrass, and Folk, but I won't label them as any of them. You can hear Bluegrass guitar picking, old Folk banjo strumming, beautiful harmony singing and the drums add a very special effect.

The album kicks of with the light-minded "It's a Lie," which immediatly spreads a happy atmosphere, presented with a sense of humor. "Old Joe Clark" is another hillbilly tune with a nice mandolin picking, "Froggy Went a-Courtin'" is the band's rendition of the well-known folk song that has so many other names and lyrical variations. "Poison Ivy" certainly takes the band into the popular music direction and they do a nice job on this Coasters' hit from 1959.

This is recommended to all of you who need a good portion of happyness and sing-a-long feeling. It is also recommended to all the people who like good ol' folk music. And it is also recommended to all others out there!

Visit the Lewis Brothers' website

The Roxsters

The Roxsters were a West Palm Beach, Florida, based rock'n'roll group which cut the incredible "So Long" for Art Records. The group is commonly not so well-known but their original record can now be sold at auctions for 200 USD or more. Don Ward, founding member of the Roxsters, gave me some rare information on the band.

Also spelled Roxters sometimes, they were founded by school buddies Don Ward and Jerry Johnson in 1957. Ward was on rhythm guitar and Johnson on accordion when they began to play and sang together. Later that year, they decided to form a band and searched for other musicians. It was Ward who came up with the spelling of the band's name and soon, the Roxsters were born. The band included Ward on vocals and rhythm guitar, Butch Watts on electric lead guitar, Keith MacKendrick on sax, Jerry Johnson who switched to piano and vocals, Bill Rinehardt on bass, and Dave Hieronymous on drums. Also, saxophone player Guy Brown and drummer Chuck Irwin played with the band at one point.

They were the first rock'n'roll band to appear in the area and since West Palm Beach was not too far away from Miami, the Roxsters got the chance to record. They were signed to Art Records, which was owned by Harold Doane. Doane recorded some of Miami's finest rock'n'roll acts and released them on his labels Art, Perfect, and AFS. Their first recordings, however, were not solo efforts but some songs they cut with singer Wesley Hardin. "Anyway" b/w "A Thing Called Love" came out in late 1957 on AFS and were two great rock'n'roll numbers with a powerful sound provided by the band. Vocalist Wesley Hardin had no own band and had recorded previously with Tommy Spurlin's Southern Boys on Doane's Perfect label.

In 1958, the Roxsters finally recorded some of their own songs. "So Long" and "Goodbye Baby" were similar in style and lyrics but nonetheless are awesome Miami rock'n'roll outings with an aggressive sax solo, an innovative rhythm guitar intro by Don Ward, and a solid drum performance. Both songs were written by Ward and Jerry Johnson. They also laid down some unreleased sides, including two versions of "I Was Doing It, Too" and "She's Mine." It is not impossible that there are more tapes by the Roxsters waiting to be discovered. Harold Doane sold his catalog and all his tapes to Miami based 2Tribes Entertainment in 1999, so they are probably still the owner of these rare cuts.

Sax player Keith MacKendrick left in 1960 to join the Apollos, recording for Mercury with them, and afterwards became a member of the Champs (of "Tequila" fame). He played in a country band during the 1980s in West Palm Beach and his son also became a musician. Don Ward retired from performing but continued to compose songs with his wife. After her death in 2011, he returned to performing and recording.

Read more:

• Miami's AFS label

Discography

AFS 45-302

Wesley Hardin with the Roxters

Anyway (Wesley Hardin) / A Thing Called Love (Wesley Hardin)

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1957 (BB)

Billboard December 23, 1957, C&W review

Recorded ca. late 1957 poss. at American Recording and Transcription Service (119th Street - Miami, Florida)

Wesley Hardin (vcl), Don Ward (gtr), Butch Watts (ld gtr), Jerry Johnson (pno), Bill Rinehardt (bs), Dave Hieronymous (dms) 

Unreleased recordings from possibly the same session include "I'll Be Leaving You."

Art 175

The Roxsters

So Long (Don Ward; Jerry Johnson) / Goodbye Baby (Don Ward; Jerry Johnson)

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Recorded ca. 1958 poss. at American Recording and Transcription Service (119th Street - Miami, Florida)

Don Ward (vcl/rhy gtr), Butch Watts (ld gtr), Keith McKendrick (sax), Jerry Johnson (pno), Bill Rinehardt (bs), Dave Hieronymous (dms)

Unreleased recordings from around the same time include:

- She's Mine

- I Was Doing It, Too (version 1)

- I Was Doing It, Too (version 2)

Since I have no other label scans of the above records, I used Terry Gordon's scans from RCS.

Special thanks to Don Ward for sharing his memories.