New blog

Check it out, an interesting site: http://hillbilly-researcher.blogspot.com/.

Spade Records story

Bennie Hess ran several labels during the 1950s, but all of them folded after about one year. Hess’ label Spade Records was one of these labels (although it survived nearly two years). But in one point, Spade was different: it produced some very good rockabilly sides which are by now favorites among rockabilly collectors.

Hess was born in 1914 in Texas. A descend of German immigrants, he was entertained at an early age by the legendary Jimmie Rodgers, who worked together with Hess’ father on the railroad. By 1946, Hess was performing on KRLP and moved to California one year later. For the Black & White Record Company he made his first recordings. In 1948, he formed his first label Opera Records, which folded in 1951 and was followed by OK’ed Records.

In early 1956, after a short stint in Nashville, Hess set up a new label called Spade Records. Spade went on to record several classic Rockabillies just like Royce Porter and Ray Doggett. The first releases of his company are unknown to us at the moment, but he recorded Ray Doggett in August 1956 and issued his single Go Go Heart (Spade 1928) that same month. Just before he had brought Doggett into the studio, Hess had been searching talents and found a bricklayer and country singer named Vern Pullens at a radio station in Mississippi and invited him to Houston, Texas, to record him. Because of his work as a bricklayer, Pullens could only leave his home on weekends. On September 27, 1956, Pullens travelled to Houston and cut his first single at radio KTRH’s studio, Bob Crazy Baby / It’s My Life, backed by local Houston musicians. With a percussive slap bass and fine vocals by Pullens this songs are now all time greats in rockabilly music. Pullens would go on to cut one more session that year, but all tapes remained unissued. In 1957, Pullens had a second issue on Spade.

Left: A photo of Vern Pullens (around 1928-2001), possibly made in the 1950s as a Spade promo

Right: Royce Porter during a personal appereance

Another well-known artist was Royce Porter, who stimulated Hess’ interest in him by sending a demo tape. Hess was reportedly so impressed that he immediately drove from Houston to Brownsville to sign him to a contract. Porter later recorded one single for Spade which was issued in 1957. Bennie Hess himself also had one issue on the label with Wild Hog Bop b/w You Called Me Honey.

Anyway, after less then 10 releases, Spade Records was closed down in December 1957. Many of Spade's releases were recorded in the ACA Studios (and also pressed by them), one was pressed by the RCA Victor custom service and some don't show a matrix number. After Spade, Hess ran several more labels.

In the 1970s, Hess reactivated Spade Records because of the Rockabilly Revival. He produced recordings by Carl Gillion, Paul Cross and also some by himself. Besides, his old buddy Vern Pullens recorded one good rocker on Spade entitled You Don’t Mean To Make Me Cry. Hess continued Spade in the 1970s and 1980s. He died in 1984.

Discography
45-1927 - Vern Pullens: Bob Crazy Baby / It's My Life (1956)
45-1928 - Ray Doggett: Falling Tear Drops / Go Go Heart (1956)
45-1929 - Johnny McAdams: Is There No Love For Me, Love / Nine O'Clock (1956)'
45-1930 - Vern Pullens: Would You Be Happy / It Took One Moment (1957)
45-1931 - Royce Porter: I End Up Crying / A Woman Can Make You Blue (1957)
45-1932 - Ray Doggett: It Hurts the One Who Loves You / That's the Way Love Is With Me (1957)
45-1933 -
45-1934 - Jack Prince: Rockum Beat / I've Got Troubles (1957)
45-1935 - Vern Pullens & BJ Johnson: Country Boy's Dream / What Am I to Do (1957)
5693 [!] - Bennie Hess: Wild Hog Bop / You Called Me Honey
11975 - Vern Pullens: Rock On Mabel / Long Gone
unk. # - Vern Pullens: Elvis Stole My Gal / Rock On Mabel (1975)

Waylon Jennings - Kentucky Woman

Waylon Jennings on Hee Haw in 1970 performing "Kentucky Woman", a song written by Neil Diamond. I like Jennings' 60s recordings, they have a special sound.

Tennessee Rock

My new selfmade compilation. Put on a collection of more unknown rockabilly records from Tennessee, excluding Memphis and (almost completely) Nashville. Both will be the subject for following CRH discs. This time I put the liner notes into a pdf file, so they're easier to read for everyone.

Download

track list:
1. Don Wade - Gone Gone Gone
2. Tennessee Drifters - The Drifter
3. Charles Dean - Train Whistle Boogie
4. Clyde Owens - Swing It, Little Kitty
5. Buck Owens - Hot Dog
6. Roy Duke - Be-Have, Be-Quit or Begone
7. Curley Griffin - Got Rockin' On My Mind
8. Carl Mann - Gonna Rock and Roll Tonight
9. Kenny Parchman - Treat Me Right
10. Curtis Hobock - Tom Dooley Rock & Roll
11. Wayne Williams - Red Hot Mama
12. Lynn Pratt - Tom Cat Boogie
13. Lynn Pratt - Red Headed Woman
14. Hoyt Stevens - 55 Chevy
15. Jonnie McCullouch - Who Shot Sam

New CMHoF members

The Country Music Hall of Fame recently announced its new members. Don Williams, Jimmy Dean, Ferlin Husky and Billy Sherrill will be inducted into the Hall of Fame later this year during a ceremony. The ceremony will be held at the CMHoF & Museum building in Nashville.

Starday & Dixie Rock & Roll Soundalikes

Got very deep into custom pressings and soundalike business in the last few months, so I thought I start a series of rock'n'roll soundalike comps. Every of these versions are very interesting in my opinion and amanzingly many recordings were copied note by note. We start with covers from the Starday/Dixie labels. Starday started their soundalike activities in 1956, releasing several LPs in 1956/1957 and forming the Dixie subsidiary that served as a vehicle for custom pressings, one commercial rock'n'roll series and the soundalike EP series. Have fun!

Download

track list:
1. Leon Payne - Blue Suede Shoes
2. Thumper Jones - Heartbreak Hotel
3. Benny Barnes - I Walk the Line
4. Leon Payne - My Baby Left Me
5. George Jones - Singing the Blues
6. Sleepy LaBeef - You're So Easy to Love
7. George Jones - Eskimo Pie
8. Roger Miller - Who Shot Sam
9. Earl Aycock - I'm Comin' Home
10. Benny Barnes - There You Go

Tommy Riddle dies

Country music singer Tommy Riddle died on January 15, 2010, in his home. He was 82 years old. Riddle was a Virginia based country musician and member of the Virginia Country Music Association and received the Pioneer Award for his contributions to Virginia's country music scene. During the 1950s, he was a member of the Tidewater Jamboree that aired over WAVY and recorded for such labels as Harvest, Starday, Train, Bright Star and a bunch of others. In addition to the Pioneer Award, Riddle was also a member of America's Old-Time Country Music Hall of Fame.

Read more about Riddle at hillbilly-music.com.

CCR - Hey Tonight

Sorry for that bad album cover picture, but my scanner's too small for such lp covers. Anyway, today I want to present you a German compilation entitled "Hey Tonight" by the great swamp rock/country rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. This is material recorded between 1968 and 1973 and includes several hits like "Green River", "Lookin' Out My Back Door", "Proud Mary", "Bad Moon Rising" and more. Also featured are lesser known songs like "I Put a Spell On You", originally a Screamin' Jay Hawkins song, and their great version of "Suzie Q", made famous by Dale Hawkins, who just passed away on Febuary 13. Enjoy this! (And I apologize for the bad covers and the sound, although I tried to improve it).

Download

track listig:
1. Hey Tonight
2. Bad Moon Rising
3. Travelin' Band
4. Up Around the Bend
5. Suzie Q
6. Fortunate Son
7. Run Through the Jungle
8. Someday Never Comes
9. Proud Mary
10. Down on the Corner
11. Green River
12. Have You Ever Seen the Rain
13.Sweet Hitch-Hiker
14. Lookin' Out My Back Door
15. I Heard It Through the Grapevine
16. I Put a Spell on You

Aubrey Cagle and Glee Records

Be-Bop Blues
Glee Records is a name that would not come to one's mind, if you ask about Rockabilly music. In fact, it was at first much a vehicle for founder Aubrey Cagle to release his own records. Glee first appeared in 1959, when Cagle issued his second single "Be-Bop Blues" b/w "Just for You" (Glee 100). By that time, Cagle was living in Indianapolis and the record company was headquartered on 1739 North Lesley Avenue. While this first record was pressed by an unknown pressing plant, later releases were manufactured by the RCA Victor custom pressing service. Both songs were recorded by Cagle in Nashville with his own band.

Aubrey Cagle himself was born on September 17, 1934, in Lexington, Tennessee, according to an article published in "New Kommotion" in 1978. Terry Gordon states on his site "Rockin' Country Style" that Cagle was born around 1928. Be that as it may, he grew up on the parental farm and bought his first guitar at the age of eleven from the money he had earned taking odd jobs. He set up his first band six years later at age 17 and got a spot on a radio station in Jackson, Tennessee, and later a show on WDXL in Lexington.

He moved to Indiana in 1955, hoping to find work. But it was not until 1959 that he cut his first record for Chesney Sherod's Memphis based label House of Sound. During the session, which took place in Memphis, Cagle recorded "Real Cool" and "Want to Be Wanted Blues", on which he was backed by local musicians including Chips Moman on guitar. Both songs were issued as his first single.

Later that year, Cagle founded his own record company, Glee Records, in Indianapolis, with his brother-in-law Johnnie James. The reasons for the founding are not know to me, but Cagle probably searched for an possibility to issue his records easier. Still in 1959, he held a session at Jan Eden's garage studio in Indianapolis, recording the two originally unissued songs "Bop 'n' Stroll" and "Rock-a-Billy Boy" with Don Rivers on electric guitar, Bill Williams on bass, Mike Freeman on drums and James Smith on piano. Both titles were excellent rockers with fine guitar/piano solos and a driving beat.

Rock-a-Billy Boy

When Cagle recorded his first single for Glee, "Be-Bop Blues" b/w "Just for You", he travelled to Nashville and recorded both tracks at the RCA Victor studio with the same band (and an additional steel guitarist on the flip). While "Be-Bop Blues" was a mid-tempo rockabilly song, the flip was stone hard country. The record was well promoted by the Faye Music Company (that published Cagle's songs), for a Billboard article reports that Bill Springer, president of the company, believed this would be a hit. Actually, it was not and didn't reach the national charts. Around the same time, Cagle played along with guitarrist and owner of Solid Gold Records Jerry Williams (shown on the left in the photo) in Tennessee Thompson's band. Thompson was a local Indiana based country singer who tried his hand at Rockabilly, recording "Slippin' and Slidin'" / "Saturday Ball" for the RCT label.

In 1960, Cagle issued his second single on Glee, containing "Come Along Little Girl" b/w "Blue Lonely World" (Glee 1001), which was recorded again at the RCA studio with a nearly complete different band. Freddy Vest (lead guitar), Bill Williams (bass), George Abel (piano), Buddy Crawford (steel guitar) and Morgan Shuamker (drums) were probably his band at that time.

The next year, Cagle began to perform under the stage name of "Billy Love" because he thought it was easier to remember for the DJs, so they would play his records more on the radio. Two more singles followed for Glee, one in 1961 ("Sweet Talkin'" / "Oh What a Memory") and one in 1962 ("I'll Find My Way Back to You" / "My Empty Arms"), which were also released as Billy Love.


Cagle continued to perform locally and led his record label. In 1968, his partner Johnnie James died and Cagle became the sole owner of the company. Except from one release by an Indiana based Rock'n'Roll band, Ted Newton and the Rhythm Rockers, there are no other releases known on Glee. Cagle issued "Bop 'n' Stroll" and "Rock-a-Billy Boy" in the 1970s on a 45 for the growing rockabilly collector market. He was married with his wife Sue and they had one son named Ricky. Cagle died in 2004 at the age of 70 years. In 2000, Solid Gold (maybe the same label that was owned by Jerry Williams in the 1950s and 1960s) issued a CD entitled "Real Cool" with several Cagle songs.

From Indiana45s.com
Sources: RCS, Indiana 45s, Ohio 45s, New Kommotion, various Billboard issues

Merle Haggard signes new contract

Country music super star Merle Haggard, famous for such songs as "Okie from Muskogee" and "The Fightin' Side of Me", has recently signed a new recording contract with Vanguard Records. His new album, "I Am What I Am", is scheduled for release on April 10, 2010. It is produced by Haggard and Lou Bradley.

Vanguard was founded in 1950 and became popular in the 1960s for classic blues and folk LPs. Now, such artists as the Watson Twins, whose new album "Talking to You, Talking to Me" will be released this month, are under contract by Vanguard.