Updates

• Added info on Jimmy Ford, thanks to Volker Houghton. • Extended and corrected the post on Happy Harold Thaxton (long overdue), thanks to everyone who sent in memories and information! • Added information to the Jim Murray post, provided by Mike Doyle, Dennis Rogers, and Marty Scarbrough. • Expanded the information on Charlie Dial found in the Little Shoe post.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Big Bill Lister died

"Big" Bill Lister, the "tallest cowboy in radio", died on December 1, 2009, in San Antonio, Texas. Lister was one of the more popular country music entertainers during the early 1950s.

He started his career in 1938 with appereances on local Texas radio and worked around San Antonio during the 1940s. In the early 1950s, Lister moved to Nashville, where he got a recording contract with Capitol, toured the country with Hank Williams (Lister was also a member of the Drifting Cowboys for some time), was a regular on the Grand Ole Opry and also played with other major country stars of that era. In the 1960s, Lister went out of the music business, but resumed his career in the 1980s.

Lister is often associated with the song "There's a Tear In My Beer", which he recorded for Capitol in the 1950s. The song was written by Hank Williams and ol' Hank gave Lister a demo of this song, before Lister recorded it. In the 1980s, Lister discovered the demo in his attic and was inspired by this to resume his career. It is the only known copy of this demo. The song was also recorded by Hank Williams, Jr, winning a Grammy with his version.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Carl Perkins set

June Carter, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins


Here are four songs by Carl Perkins. I have no accurate info on the recording date, but they surely come from the 1970s or 1980s. Apart from "Rock Island Line", all songs are covers of great Rock & Roll songs. I have some other recordings from that same session, including "Jailhouse Rock", "All Shook Up", "Matchbox" (covering himself!) and others. Have fun with 'em.

Download

track list:
1. I'm Walking
2. Maybellene
3. Rock Island Line
4. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Down Yonder


Searching for something to post today, I found this one on youtube. At first, I was hunting for some fine Old-timey on youtube, but I think this is even better. It's Allen Dale performing "Down Yonder", which was made popular by Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers in 1934. In 1951, Del Wood also had a hit with this and it was covered various times and became a standard in ragtime piano playing as well as in Old-Time and Bluegrass.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Gene McKown story

Another of the KC rockers:

Gene McKown was a local Kansas City artist, who had at least four releases on two different labels, but there are more singles by him, for sure. McKown first appeared as a recording artist in the spring of 1958 with his release "Rock-a-Billy Rhythm" b/w "My Dream Girl" on the California based label Aggie. A second record followed on Aggie, but then, McKown disappeared for a while. He returned in 1964 on the radar cutting "Ghost Memories" b/w "Incidentally" for the KC label Brass. Both songs were re-issued that same year on Brass again (Brass 238) for unknown reasons. I have no other info on McKown after 1964.


Discography:

Aggie A-1001: Rock-a-Billy Rhythm / My Dream Gril (1958)
Aggie A-1003: Little Mary / You and I (1958-1960)
Brass 209: Ghost Memories / Incidentally (1964)
Brass 238: Ghost Memories / Incidentally (1964)

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Riley Shepard RIP

Riley Shepard, long-time country musician and recording artist for various labels, died on November 6, 2009, in Portersville, California, at the age of 90. Shepard was married six times and had several children.

Shepard was born in 1918 in North Carolina and is maybe best remembered as a member of the Dixie Reelers, an old-time group that recorded for Bluebird in the mid-1930s. Other members included guitarist Daddy John Love, Ollie Bunn and Clarence Todd. Shepard also worked on several radio stations in NC during the decade. The 1940s saw him starting his solo career - during the next years, he recorded on many labels such as King, Majestics, Signature and others.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Miami Rockabilly, Volume 3

The last LP of this series. This one was dedicated to Jimmy Voytek (pictured), who died, one year before the release of this LP, in 1980. Also great songs on in, check it out. A great thanks again to Uncle Gil and Willie, without them I wouldn't be able to post this great record.

Download


1. Jimmy Voytek - Close Your Eyes
2. Buck Trail - Honky Tonk on Second Street
3. Bobby Gay - Let's Dance
4. Jimmy Voytek - Sweetest Gal in Town
5. Rhythm Rockets - Everybody's Gonna Do the Rock'n'Roll
6. Jimmy Gale's Imperials - Dandy Sandy
7. Wally Dean - Rockin' with Rosie
8. Jimmy Voytek - Don't Be a Square
9. Curley Jim Morrison - Rock'n'Roll Itch
10. Bobby Gay - You're Nice
11. Jimmy Voytek - Kitten
12. Roxsters - She's Mine
13. Jimmy Gale's Imperials - We're Gonna Rock All Night
14. Wally Dean - I'm Tellin' Ya Baby

Monday, November 9, 2009

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

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

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.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

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.

Monday, November 2, 2009

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!

Download

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.