Miami Rockabilly, Volume 2

Volume two of this great series. I posted the Rhythm Rockets tracks featured here also on my self-made comp, see here, with some nice liner notes and so on. Here are also real gems on it, check it out.

Download

1. Rhythm Rockets - My Shadow
2. Jim Holt - Paralyzed
3. Rhythm Rockets - The Slide
4. Rhythm Rockets - Boppin', Strollin' & Messin' Around
5. Art Law - Kitty Kat Rock
6. Ross Minimi - Oh! Janet
7. Rhythm Rockets - Who Knows
8. Rhythm Rockets - Lucky Day
9. Rhythm Rockets - My Shadow
10. Rhythm Rockets - My Love Is Gone
11. Art Law - Big Train
12. Rhythm Rockets - Here, There, Everywhere
13. Ross Minimi - Baby Rock
14. Rhythm Rockets - Donny's Boogie

New stars on the Music City Walk of Fame

The Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee, will have five more stars on it. The awarded persons are Dolly Parton, Ernest Tubb, Charlie Daniels, Kid Rock and Hattie Louise Bess. On November 8, 2009, the new stars will be presented to the public in the Hall of Fame Park. Every honored person (except Tubb, who died in 1984) will be there. The Music City Walk of Fame is similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

New Bear Family releases

The new releases of Bear Family Records, coming out soon, include some very good stuff, here they are:

1. The Browns: "A Country Music Odissey" - a best of compilation including 36 tracks by the famous Country/Pop crossover trio, the Browns.

2. Charlie Rich: "Ballads of Charlie Rich" - another comp that gathers the tear jerker ballads of Charlie Rich recorded for Sun, RCA and Smash.

3. Five more releases by Bear Family's outstanding series "Country & Western Hit Parade". The discs, one disc for one year, include hit songs and some more unknown country songs from the "Golden Age of Country Music".

4. Also scheduled for release is another monster project focusing on the legendary John Wayne. Ten CDs will contain the soundtracks of his films and music inspired by them and, in addition to the music, a booklet with rare photos and posters and a biography book.

Vistit bear-family.de.

Miami Rockabilly, Volume 1

Here's a the first volume of an LP series you'll like very well I think. This put out by AFS Records in 1979 and featured Rock'n'Roll and Rockabilly recordings from the vaults of Miami labels cut in the 1950s and early 1960s. AFS was a sublabel of Art that recorded many of the songs featured here. AFS was re-activated for re-issuing these treasures - you will like it. Highlights are Wesley Hardin's "Anyway", the Roxsters with "So Long" and Buck Trail's outer space hymn "Knocked Out Joint on Mars". Many thanks to Uncle Gil for supplying the LP and Willie, the original ripper. Have fun!

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track list:
1. Wesley Hardin - Anyway
2. Buck Trail - Knocked Out Joint on Mars
3. Roxsters - I Was Doint It, Too
4. Mike Shaw - Long Gone Baby
5. Tommy Spurlin - No Time for Heartaches *
6. Kent Westberry - My Baby Don't Rock Me Now
7. Tommy Spurlin - Hang Loose
8. Roxsters - So Long
9. Wesley Hardin - Honky Tonk Man
10. Buck Trail - The Blues Keep Knockin'
11. Mike Shaw - Frankie and Johnny
12. Tommy Spurlin - One-Eyed Sam
13. Kent Westberry - No Place to Park
14. Tommy Spurlin - Heart Throb *

* Although they are marked as "unreleased" on the back cover of this release, both songs were released in 1957 on Perfect, another label associated with Art.

Something about Ruckus Tyler

Here we go with the story of Ruckus, an unknown rockabilly singer that was featured on a total of six re-issues during the last 27 years.

Ruckus Tyler was born in Louisiana, but spent - as far as I know - most of his career on the west coast in California. He first appeared as a recording artist on Fabor Robinson's label Fabor Records in the summer of 1956 with the two outstanding performances "Rollin' and a-Rockin'" / "Rock Town Rock", which have a western swing feel to it. Interesting enough, Billboard used in his review of this single (Fabor 135-45) the term "rock-a-billy" - it was one of the first times this term appeared in the press. However, the record didn't show up in the charts. After Tom Tall had some success with Ginny Wright in 1954 ("Are You Mine" reached #2), label owner Fabor Robinson searched for new duet partners to record with Tall. One of them was Ruckus Tyler; Robinson may considered him as a talented guy (which he was indeed). However, the duet "Don't You Know" / "If You Know What I Know" also went nowhere. According to Tom Tall, Tyler and Tall never met before the recording session, they just went into the studio, cut the two songs and then went out and never saw each other again. Unfortunately, Ruckus Tyler died in a car accident around 1957.

Download Ruckus Tyler's (almost) complete recorded work

Yvonne Carré on Decca

This one by Yvonne Carré was a Decca release in Germany. Carré was a German singer, but had a hit in Japan with "Sukiyaki" and toured the country many times. She started her career in the 1960s in Germany. I think her career isn't much of interest here, you can also go to her website. She is married to Frank Valdor, an orchestra leader. I like Carré's Decca single very much, that's why I posted it here. Just looked for something "strange".

Download "Sukiyaki" and the flip "Ein Sommertag"

Zig Dillon story

I don't have much info on him. Any help appreciated.

Allen "Zig" Dillon was born on January 1, 1923. During his career, he never became a major artist and only played around Kansas City, Missouri. His first record appeared in the summer of 1960 on the local R label featuring "On Down the Line" b/w "The Years Teach As Much". There's also an alternate take from "On Down the Line", which was first issued on the Collector CD "Automatic Bop, Volume 1" in 1997. Dillon recorded a follow-up, "Bird Song Boogie" backed by "Beetle Bug" sometimes in the 1960s, still on the R label. When R folded, Dillon disappeared from the scene.

New Willie Nelson album

The last weeks, I was busy with posting about other things, so this may comes a little bit late. But for all the people who don't know it: Willie Nelson released his latest album "American Classic" in August 2009. Nelson, who recorded several jazz inspired records during his career, cut 12 jazz standards with famous jazz musicians - the album was produced by Tommy LiPuma and was released on the Blue Note label (his second disc for them). This is maybe not THE disc for country music lovers - but to close this post - Nelson's classic "Always On My Mind" is also on the track list.

Rhythm Rockets

The Rhythm Rockets were a rockabilly band from Miami, Florida. They had an unique sound with hot lead guitar licks and explosive backing music. They never got popular outside Miami, which is a shame (if you hear the recordings you will know why). The Rhythm Rockets were first introduced to me last year by the Ace CD "Miami Rockabilly" that featured 32 songs from the vaults of Miami record labels. Take a listen to "Lucky Day" (I included here the remastered version), Donny Pate plays a hell of an electric guitar that will blow you away! Also highly recommended are "The Slide" (top-notch rockabilly for the late 50s with real rock guitar solos) and the more bluesy "My Love Is Gone". Enjoy!

Download

track list:
1. My Shadow
2. Lucky Day
3. Donny's Boogie
4. Boppin' Strollin' & Messin' Around
5. Everybody's Gonna Do the Rock'n'Roll
6. Here, There, Everywhere
7. The Slide
8. I've Got that Feeling
9. My Love Is Gone
10. Who Knows
11. My Shadow

Cowtown Jubilee story

There was another barn dance stage show in Kansas City:

KCMO's answer to the "Brush Creek Follies" was the "Cowtown Jubilee", starting in 1950. At that time, the Follies were still very popular. KCMO was a 50.000 watt station out of Kansas City and held its Jubilee every Saturday night at the Ivanhoe Temple, which was previously the home of the KCMO Follies. Every show was more than four hours long, but I guess not the whole show was broadcasted over the radio.

The emcee of the show was Dal Stallard along with Hoby Shepp, who also led the Cowtown Wranglers, the house band of the Jubilee. Other regulars on the show were Jimmy Dallas, Milt Dickey, the Sons of the Golden West, Balin' Wire Bob Strack and others. The show wasn't as popular as the Follies ten years before that, but seems to be successful enough to be on the air for more than five years. I found articles indicating that the show was still on the air in 1955, but I don't know when it was turned down.