Alvis Wayne on Westport

Alvis Wayne - Don't Mean Maybe, Baby (Westport 138), 1956

Alvis Wayne is a familiar name to many of the hardcore rockabilly collectors. Ironically, Westport's most commercial recording artists never visited Kansas City nor did he had even contact to the label's owners.

Alvis Wayne Samford was born on December 31, 1937, in Paduka, Texas, being one of four children. Because of the depression, the Samfords were very poor and moved around a lot in constant search of work. Wayne spent most of his early years in rural Texas until the family found a home in Corpus Christi in 1953. Music was a part of the young boy's life early on and his main musical influences became country music singers such as Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Snow, Bob Wills, and others. But as it was for many who later became rockabilly singers, he also heard some rhythm and blues on the radio.

At at the age of ten, Wayne received his first guitar from an aunt and first learned to play "Goodnight Irene". Around the same time, he saw Bob Wills performing in a town near San Antonio. By the time he was 13, Wayne was playing night clubs on Friday nights and got to know a musician called Anthony Wayne Guion, who had a band he called "Tony Wayne and the Rhythm Wranglers". The group was on tour playing honky tonks and clubs at night and Alvis Wayne soon was asked to be part of the band. His family wasn't happy with it at all but his parents finally agreed and so Wayne went on tour with the Rhythm Wranglers in 1956.

Alvis Wayne, 1950s promo picture

Tony Wayne booked gigs in South Texas that were not paid very good and they went home to Corpus Christi after they learned it was too hard being on the road without money and even without food. Alvis Wayne then joined Al Hardy's western swing band and played regularly in Hardy's club. By the summer of 1956, Tony Wayne had contacted the Ruf brothers in Kansas City, Missouri, who ran the Westport record label. They gave Tony Wayne and the band a recording contract and asked for some rock'n'roll songs. Both Tony and Alvis Wayne, at that time, mainly sang country music but that didn't matter. Tony Wayne had already written a couple of songs for a recording session which he intended to be sung by his young protégé Alvis.

Billboard January 20, 1958

Wayne went into a small studio in Corpus Christi in July 1956 to record "Swing Bop Boogie" b/w "Sleep Rock-a-Roll Rock-a-Baby" as well as the unissued cut "Heartbreak". Although Tony Wayne's band was credited on the record label as the background group, it was in fact Al Hardy's combo that provided the music that day. Released ca. September 1956, the record only sold locally but secured some airplay on small stations.

Wayne was back in the studio around September 1957 (other sources state the session was already cut in late 1956), recording the raw and classic "Don't Mean Maybe, Baby" as well as the ballad "I'd Rather Be with You", which became probably his best selling record. The same session also produced "I Gottum", which saw release not until the 1970s. Both "Don't Mean Maybe, Baby" and "I'd Rather Be with You" were written by Tony Wayne and were coupled on Westport #138, released in early November 1957 and the record sold very well in South Texas. It even secured a release in Australia on Bell and was also issued in the early 1960s on Starlite in the UK.

Both records made Wayne a local celebrity and he went on the road through Texas and also played the Louisiana Hayride. 1958 saw his final release on Westport with "Lay Your Head on My Shoulder," a song written by James Bacon, who had a doo-wop group. Tony Wayne arranged a session in a Houston studio with Alvis being backed by studio musicians and Bacon's singers.

By 1960, Wayne decided to quit his music career and joined the Air Force. He never gave up performing but reduced it. He cut two records in the 1960s and also recorded for Ronnie Weiser's Rollin' Rock label in the 1970s. The rockabilly revival secured Wayne new fans in Europe and he began to appear on shows there. He also returned to the studio several times, releasing two albums in the new century. In later years, his health caused him to cease his performing activities and he spent his last years in Corpus Christi. Alvis Wayne died on July 31, 2013.

Sources
• Corpus Gold: Alvis Wayne
• Alvis Wayne at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
• Rockin' Country Style entry
• Discography at Praguefrank's Country Discographies

See also
• Tony Wayne on Westport

J. Allen Gann on Philwood

J. Allen Gann - I Want You (Philwood P-238), 1973/74

I bought this disc several years ago and always intended to post it here but never really followed through with it. Until now, when I found time to sit down and do a little research on J. Allen Gann and his career in music. What I found is not the ultimate biography of Gann but at least I found some hints and snippets that I can puzzle together for this post.

Who was J. Allen Gann? I cannot answer this question satisfactorily. There was a J. Allen Gann (born August 26, 1930 - deceased December 9, 1994), who is buried at Holly Springs Cemetery in Harrisburg, Arkansas, which could be the person we are looking for. However, I haven't found a final proof for this theory.

For his career in country music, Gann was obviously drawn to the city of Memphis. The first known release by Gann appeared in the late 1960s on one of Style Wooten's custom labels, Hazel Records (although listing the Memphis suburb Southaven, Mississippi, as location). It comprised "Walking Tall in Heaven" and "A Whole Lot of Whys" on Hazel #1226. Gann stayed in Memphis and followed up with a single on Tom Phillips' Philwood label. Tom Phillips, one of Sam Phillips' brothers, also operated the Select-O-Hits record store on Chelsea Avenue in Memphis. Philwood released numerous discs by such Memphis acts as Charlie Feathers or the Bogard Brothers. Gann recorded two up-tempo country numbers, "I Want You" and "Takin' a Lot" (Philwood #238), which saw release in either late 1973 or early 1974.

Catalog of Copyright Entries, 1973

At one point, Gann made the move to Nashville, where he cut at least one more record ("Road to Nashville" b/w "Talk to Me Mama", World Productions #501). BMI has listed 18 songs by Gann (also as "Junior Allen Gann"), some of them were co-written with female songwriters (one being Shirley A. Gann, either a sister, daughter or his wife).

There is a video on YouTube that has some conversion of Gann family members but my attempt to contact them has failed so far. If anyone out there has more information on J. Allen Gann, feel free to pass it along.

Sources
- 45cat entry
- BMI search
- Find a Grave entry

Cowtown Jamboree - Panther Hall

Panther Hall was probably the most popular venue for live country music in Fort Worth, Texas, during the 1960s and 1970s. It was not only a hotbed for popular local and regional acts but also featured national known stars regularly. Moreover, it was home to Fort Worth's "Cowtown Jamboree", a live stage show that also aired on TV.

The list of talent and stars that performed on stage in front of sold-out crowds is long and prestigous. Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Little Jimmy Dickens, and countless other top names of the day stopped by to play Panther Hall.

The story of Fort Worth's heart of country music entertainment began in 1961, when brothers Bill and Corky Kuykendall built Panther Hall, originally as a bowling arena, envisioned by the Kuykendalls' investor as the new home of Fort Worth's professional bowling league. However, audiences were not ready for a major league bowling team and soon, the Kuykendalls were left with a building nobody wanted.

A night club owner suggested they should convert Panther Hall into a dance hall and so they did. This was in 1963. In July, the grand opening featured local Billy Gray and the legendary Bob Wills to appear on stage of Panther Hall. Within a few years after its opening, the building's reputation as a live music venue grew. The Kuykendalls soon also hosted acts out of the country music field on Friday nights, the first being Bobby Vinton.

Panther Hall developed into a popular live music place and put Fort Worth on the map for music fans. This was mostly due to the presence of the Cowtown Jamboree, a live stage show that was televised on KTVT as part of the station's Saturday night programming, which also included syndicated shows from different country music stars. Emceed by Bo Powell or Bill Mack, soon, many of the stars of the 1960s appeared on Cowtown Jamboree and played concerts right after the TV show had ended. Such names included Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys, Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens, Johnny Bush, George Jones, Ray Price, Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Lefty Frizzell, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and many others. Both Jerry Lee Lewis and Willie Nelson cut live albums at Panther Hall in 1966 as did Charley Pride in 1969.

Waylon Jennings at Panther Hall during Cowtown Jamboree, 1971

Apart from the national known stars, also many local acts appeared on Saturday nights at Panther Hall. Popular Texas country music bandleader Jimmy Heap and his band were regular visitors to the venue and also Curley Jim Morrison, who enjoyed some local popularity in Fort Worth with songs like "Little John" and "Ace in the Hole", appeared there. In addition to country music acts, there were also many pop and rock bands over the years to appear at Panther Hall. ZZ Top, Savoy Brown, Canned Heat, the Grateful Dead, the Ramones, and other chart busting popular bands entertained the crows there.

Advertisement for UK blues rock band Savoy Brown at Panther Hall
March 20, 1970

Although being popular well into the 1970s, the live music fun came to an end in 1978. The Kuykendalls had sold Panther Hall in 1973 and the new owners remodeled it in 1975. However, the concerts' popularity ceased and in 1978, Panther Hall closed as a live music venue. Among the last country music singers to perform there was Tony Douglas, a local who had been a regular at Panther Hall. A year later, the hall housed a disco but soon, it came all to an end.

In 1979, Texas Wesleyan University bought the hall. During the years, the building fell apart and was finally demolished in early 1997, destroying a piece of American music history.

Above: front and back cover of a Cowtown Jamboree LP featuring many of the show's house musicians

Sources
• Elvia Limon: "What Happened to Fort Worth's Panther Hall, home of TV's Cowtown Jamboree?" (Dallas Morning News)
• Panther Hall at Texas State Historical Association
• Panther Hall Collection
• Panther Hall historical concert dates
• Bo Powell obituary
• Story of Panther Hall on "Hometown by Handlebar"
• Shirley Jinkins: "Fort Worth's country music roots run deep" (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

Alabama Hayloft Jamboree

The Alabama Hayloft Jamboree was another barn dance type show that entertained rural audiences across the United States. It was aired over WAPI out of Birmingham, Alabama, and featured Ralph Rogers as its emcee and local country music acts for the entertainment. One of these acts were Happy Wilson and the Golden River Boys, a group that was quite popular in the 1940s and 1950s in the Alabama areas. One of the members was Hardrock Gunter, who later found historical acclaim with his significant recordings in the country and rockabilly music genres.

The Alabama Hayloft Jamboree was on air as early as 1941 with such names as the Delmore Brothers and Fiddlin' Arthur Smith appearing regularly on the show and it was still on the air in late 1953, judging from an advertisement in the Birmingham News. It is not known when the show ended its run. In the 1950s, WAPI turned to a popular music programming, probably ending the show at that time. The station features a talk radio format today.

If someone out there knows more about the Alabama Hayloft Jamboree, fee

Sources
• Hillbilly-Music.com
• Andre Millard: "Magic City Nights: Birmingham's Rock'n'Roll Years" (2017), Wesleyan University Press, page 36
• The Decatur Daily, December 15, 1952
• The Birmingham News, November 14, 1953

Atomic Records

Hayloft Frolic and Rural Rockabilly on Atomic

Main Street in Jackson, Tennessee, ca. 1910

After some ventures into other fields of Southern music, we return to our little series about small Tennessee based labels and continue with a record company from one of the true birthplaces of rockabilly music: Jackson, Tennessee. The city is best remembered in music history as the birthplace of Carl Perkins but moreover, had a lively country and rockabilly music scene during the late 1940s and 1950s.

One of the record labels that turned out local recordings was Atomic Records, which was operated by singer Curley Griffin's father, about whom nothing is known, unfortunately. The company came into existence in 1955 and mainly served as an outlet to release Curley Griffin's own recordings.

Advertisement for a show
at the Jackson Armory
featuring lots of local talent.
The Jackson Sun, June 30, 1954

Early Life of Curley Griffin
Malcolm Howard "Curley" Griffin was born on June 6, 1918, likely in the growing town of Jackson, Tennessee, in Madison County. For long, only snippets of information were available on Griffin, which changed not until 1994, when an article by Claes-Håkan Olofsson appeared in American Music Magazine. With the help of Griffin's son Ron and Carl Perkins, Olofsson had reconstructed Griffin's career. Griffin was born with only limited eye-sight, son Ron later claimed his father had only ten percent vision. Griffin attended a school for the blind and soon became interested in music. His heroes were Bob Wills, Slim Whitman, and of course Hank Williams. In school, Griffin had some fiddle playing lessons but eventually took up the guitar, which became "his" instrument.

Due to his bad vision, it was hard for Griffin to earn a living with a usual day job, although he helped his father Watt Lee Griffin (who worked as a traveling salesman but also obviously had other occupations), building houses in the eastern part of Jackson. However, music became a major income for Griffin and by the 1940s, he fronted a country music band and had adopted the nickname "Curley" for performing purposes (most likely due to his curly hair). Likely by that time, he had already married Jimmie Helen Frasier Dunbar, who also appeared with his various bands and with whom he eventually had eight children. By 1940, Griffin lived on 778 East Chester Street in the south of Jackson, judging from a Jackson Sun newspaper clipping from October 30 that year.

By the late 1940s or early 1950s, Griffin and his band had a 15 minutes radio spot over local WDXI, where he was in good company, as artists like Carl Perkins and his brothers or Ramsey Kearney were also performing on the same station. It was there that Griffin first met Perkins, with whom he became friends and would write two hit songs. Perkins remembered Griffin singing in a Hank Williams style, being only limited in singing but very enthusiastic. 

The Founding of Atomic Records
In 1955, Griffin's father Watt, who seems to have been a kind of an entrepreneur, became interested in the recording business and therefore, set up Atomic Records. The label would mainly serve as an outlet to release Watt Griffin's son Curley's recordings and was possibly set up due to the lack of independent record labels in the city. In fact, Atomic was the first of several labels that emerged out of Jackson, releasing records by local bands. Other Jackson based labels would not come into business until the founding of Jimmie Martin's Jaxon label and Lamarr Davis'/Lonnie Blackwell's Lu imprint two years later.

According to Dave Travis' liner notes to his Stomper Time CD "Hot Rockin' Music from Tennessee, Volume 2", the first two recordings for the label were made by Curley Griffin in Nashville, Tennessee. "Gotta Whip This Bear" and "Just for Me" came from this session and featured Griffin's son Ron on lead guitar. They were released around fall 1955 on Atomic #300, pressed only on 78rpm format. After the record's release, Carl Perkins later recalled, Griffin came visiting him with his record, obviously enthusiastic about his debut release, and Perkins approved it.

Griffin followed up his debut with "I've Seen It All" b/w "Magic Moon" (Atomic #302), which were again two straight country music performances. There are no sales figures reported but it is likely Griffin's disc did not sell much as Atomic was strictly a local label.

Sheet music for Carl Perkins' "Boppin' the Blues".
From the collection of Steve Palfrey.

Boppin' the Blues and Dixie Fried
In the meantime, Griffin's friend Carl Perkins had made his way to Memphis, Tennessee, and had secured a recording contract with Sam Phillips' Sun record label. In late 1955, Perkins recorded "Blue Suede Shoes", a song that became a smash rockabilly hit in early 1956. Griffin was captured by the new sound that Perkins performed, wrote "Boppin' the Blues" and showed Perkins the results. Perkins in turn liked what he saw and "picked out a line or two that he had", arranging the song around Griffin's lines that Perkins thought were good. Though songwriting credits went to Perkins and Griffin, it is doubtful if Griffin was ever paid appropriately, although Perkins paid him a few hundred dollars in advance. The song eventually reached #9 on Billboard's C&W charts and #70 on Billboard's Hot 100.

Another song of Griffin's that was recorded by Perkins was "Dixie Fried", a tune with its lyrics based on the raw honk-tonk culture of the south that both Griffin and Perkins were experiencing in and around Jackson. Perkins turned it into a slice of hard-egded honky-tonk rockabilly and while the song became a disappointment in contrast to "Blue Suede Shoes" (peaking at #10 C&W and no entry into the Hot 100), it became some kind of a rockabilly anthem for later generations of rockabilly music fans.

Griffin's Got Rockin' On His Mind
While Perkins became famous nation-wide, appeared on TV but also had to struggle with the dark side of fame, Griffin remained in Jackson. Inspired by Perkins' cat music, Griffin recorded "You Gotta Play Fair", a fast rockabilly with an unmistakably rural charm, which was released on Atomic #303 with "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" on the flip side at some point during the year of 1956.

As Griffin's career in music was closely associated with Carl Perkins, rumors circulated ever since the rediscovering of Griffin's recordings that Perkins played lead guitar on some of the Atomic recordings. Griffin's most popular song to date became "Got Rockin' on My Mind", another backwoods rockabilly song, that was released in early 1957 with the bluesy and equally primitive "Rock Bottom Blues" on Atomic #305. Again, there are people insisting that Perkins played guitar on both tracks but there are no evidences Perkins played on any of Griffin's tracks. Ron Griffin claimed he was the lead guitarist on his father's last two releases (Atomic #303 and #305) and W.S. Holland, drummer with Perkins at that time, never knew Griffin made any recordings. Perkins, however, mentioned in an interview that "Rockin' on My Mind" was recorded at WDXI with himself and his two brothers, a statement that was not confirmed by any other close associate of either Perkins or Griffin.

Rex Hale and the End of Atomic
The definitive answer to this question will probably never turn up and we rather continue the story of Atomic Records, which is near its end, however. The last known release on the label was recorded by a country band known as Rex Hale and his Tennessee Valley Boys, who cut "A Hobo Life" (a rather pre-rockabilly style country traveling song) as well as "Traded My Freedom", a Curley Griffin composition. Rex G. Hale (1927-1968) had another record out on the misspelled Rythm record label from Nashville, Tennessee, recorded with the equally misspelled Rythm Masters. "Down at Big Mama's House", likely inspired by the minor R&B standard "Down at Big Mary's House", and "Darn Dem Bones" had the same rural charm that Curley Griffin's and Hale's Atomic recordings had, although his Rythm disc finds Hale in up-tempo form. Hale originated likely from a small place outside of Jackson and is buried in Mifflin, Chester County, not far away from the city.

Later years of Curley Griffin
Hale's charming country performance was the last (known) release on Atomic and it is likely that Griffin's father shut down the label soon after. His son Curley had limited success in the late 1950s as a songwriter, composing a few songs that were recorded by other artists. Jerry Jeter recorded Griffin's "Blue River" and "I'm Writing the End" for the Fort Worth, Texas, based Bluebonnet label and Tony Snyder cut another two of his tunes for the local, Jackson based, Westwood label, "They Call It Puppy Love" and "Fool for Jealousy". Although Griffin was described by Carl Perkins as a busy songwriter, his skills in this field were limited. He will always be remembered as being the co-writer of "Boppin' the Blues" and "Dixie Fried", although his contribution to both songs can be regarded as rather marginal

Griffin had to fight health problems during his later years and eventually lost a battle with cancer on October 1, 1970, at the age of 52 years.

Discography

300: Curley Griffin - Gotta Whip This Bear / Just for Me (1955)
301: 
302: Curley Griffin - I've Seen It All / Magic of the Moon (1955)
303: Curley Griffin - You Gotta Play Fair / Love Is a Wonderful Thing (1956)
304: 
305: Curley Griffin - Got Rockin' On My Mind / Rock Bottom Blues (1957)
306:
307: Rex Hale and his Tennessee Valley Boys - A Hobo Life / Traded My Freedom (ca. 1957)

Note: The matrix numbers of #302 and #307 suggest that they were recorded/mastered around the same time.

Sources

• Claes-Håkan Olofsson: "Curly Was a Good Friend of Mine" (American Music Magazine #62, 1994), reproduction of the AMM article on bopping.org

• Find a Grave entry for Curley Griffin

• Find a Grave entry for Tommy Griffin

• 45cat and 45worlds entry for Atomic Records

• Rockin' Country Style entry for Atomic Records
• The Jackson Sun, October 30, 1940, page 6

Jimmy Ford

Good Songs Have Come and Gone
The Story of Jimmy Ford

Jimmy Ford is not exactly a well-known name in the rockabilly and rock'n'roll community but his name appears on several reissues and original copies of his records sell for good money nowadays. Relatively less has been known about Ford himself, a fact that motivated researcher Volker Houghton and myself enough to unearth the story of this Arkansas rock'n'roller.

Although Ford's musical career took place primarily in Arkansas, he originally hailed from the state of Alabama, where he was born James F. Ford on February 15, 1937. His parents, Henry and Frances Herring Ford, were residing in Russell County, Alabama, where he grew up on a farm. An obituary mentions that Ford joined the US Air Force and served during the Korean War, which meant he was still a teenager while enlisting, as the Korean War took place from 1950 until 1953. Apparently, he did not join until around 1954 or 1955 and was station in the Portuguese Azores.

Influenced by the likes of Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams, Ford had founded a rock'n'roll group called the Sunliners by the late 1950s. Following his military service, he had moved to Arkansas and enrolled at Henderson State Teachers College in Arkadelphia, where he met fellow musician J.T. Rhodes, who started playing bass with the Sunliners. The band played gigs mainly in central Arkansas, including the Beverly Gardens Nightclub in Little Rock or places in Hot Springs.

In the spring of 1959, Ford and his band managed to record for a local label, Foster Johnson's Stylo label in Little Rock. Johnson also operated the Dub International label, which was most famous for releasing the original version of "Lama Rama Ding Dong" by the Edsels. Ford recorded "Don't Hang Around My Anymore" and "You're Gonna Be Sorry", two self-penned rock'n'roll outings that later saw re-release on various compilations. If the Sunliners were involved in these cuts or if Ford was accompanied by session musicians, is not known. Foster Johnson put out both songs on record (Stylo #ST-2102) around March or April 1959. It is reported that an agent from London Records wanted to lease the masters for wider distribution but the tapes were held back by Johnson.

Billboard Pop review April 6, 1959

Not long after Ford's debut release had hit the market, he was invited back to cut a follow up. For his next disc, Ford recorded two songs that were done in a contemporary, commercial teen sound. Ford's second record appeared in form of "We Belong (Together)" b/w "Be Mine Forever" (Stylo #2105), once again both composed by Ford. The record was released in May or June 1959 and this record seems to have sold decently as promotion copies of it can be found. Also, shortly after its release, it was also issued in Canada by Ampex Records.

During this time frame, Ford and Foster Johnson, who seems to have acted like his manager, traveled the mid-south and east coast, promoting the records and appearing at different venues as well as radio and TV stations. Ford and the Sunliners opened for Jerry Lee Lewis in Little Rock, for Johnny Cash in Birminingham, and became acquainted with James Harvey "Mouse" Hockersmith, who later worked with Charlie Rich and the Pacers. In addition, they regularly played at local clubs and shows, such as the Silver Moon club, the Club 70, and Steve's Show (probably Steve Stephens' TV show) in Little Rock.

Billboard Pop review June 1, 1959

There was a record on the Denver, Colorado, based Esther label, by a certain Jimmy Ford, which seems to be out of place location-wise.  Release date information escapes us sadly but the publishing rights on this disc also belonged to J & W Music, the same company that also published Ford's Stylo songs. In addition, a family member confirmed that Ford lived in Denver before his marriage so there's a good chance this was the same artist.

It seems that Ford remained active as a musician but we couldn't find any hint of activity. It is probable, however, that he earned his doctorate in linguistics at Ohio State University during the early to mid 1960s. He returned to Arkansas, settling in Fayetteville, where he became a professor of foreign language at the University of Arkansas.

In 1967, Ford revived his recording career and recorded two of his self-written songs with a band called the Luzers, "Deathhouse Lament" and "Good Times Have Come and Gone", that saw release on MY Records (MY #2914) early that year. By then, Bob Dylan had become a major influence on Ford. The A side was a haunting, folkish song with harmonica, percussion, and acoustic guitar accompaniment. MY was also located in Little Rock and was owned by Earl Fox. The label, along with its sister label E&M, were known during the decade for its garage and psychedelic rock records.

Jimmy Ford and the Luzers at the Red Lion Club (Little Rock, Ark.), late 1960s
From left to right: J.T. Rose, Gene Wells, Tim Benton, Jimmy Ford

The Luzers were a band formed by Ford on vocals and rhythm guitar, Gene Wells on lead guitar, Tim Benton on keyboard, J.T. Rose on bass, and Harley Thomason on drums. As the MY record had showed, rock'n'roll had become out of fashion by the late 1960s and the group played a mixture of folk, rock, and soul music. They performed at local Arkansas clubs such as the Red Lion and the Beverly Gardens Nightclub in Little Rock. 

The obituary mentions that Ford "was an accomplished songwriter and musician and had written and performed for many years throughout the country" but further knowledge on his music activities escape us, unfortunately. His brother T.Y. Ford was a drummer and performed in the Prescott, Arkansas, area for years. Be aware that there were several other artists known as Jim Ford or Jimmy Ford, none of them were associated with our Jimmy Ford or at least we do not know of any connection. Ford served as the chairman of the university's linguistics department for ten years before retiring in 1998.

Ford and his wife Mary had one son and three daughters. Jimmy Ford passed away on November 27, 2008, in Fayetteville at the age of 71 years. One of his daughters once said that "You're Gonna Be Sorry" was one of his favorite songs. Recently, Volker Houghton corresponded with relatives of Ford and it seemed that we were getting closer to unearth his complete story. However, we have not yet managed to put together the definitive biography.

Discography

Stylo 2102: Jimmy Ford - Don't Hang Around My Anymore / You're Gonna Be Sorry (1959)
Stylo 2105: Jimmy Ford - We Belong (Together) / Be Mine Forever (1959)
Apex (CAN) 9-76525: Jimmy Ford - We Belong (Together) / Be Mine Forever (1959)
MY 2914: Jimmy Ford and the Luzers - Deathhouse Lament / Good Times Have Come and Gone (1967)
Esther 101: Jimmy Ford - What Love Can Do / Gotta Gal

Sources
• Find a Grave entry
• Rockin' Country Style entry
• 45cat entry
• Comment on this post by an anonymous reader
• Marvin Schwartz: "We Wanna Boogie: The Rockabilly Roots of Sonny Burgess and the Pacers" (Butler Center Books), 2014, pages 129-130

Johnny Tolleson on Chance

Johnny Tolleson - You're In Love with Yourself (and Not In Love with Me) (Chance 31761), 1961

The Chance label out of Fayetteville, Arkansas, released a handful noteworthy rock'n'roll singles, among them was John Tolleson's debut on record, "Summer Love 'N Summer Kissin'" b/w "You're in Love with Yourself" (Chance 31761). Tolleson's short-lived career has remained in obscurity more or less, though being a mainstay on Fayetteville's music scene during the late 1950s and early 1960s. 

Born John H. Tolleson on July 29, 1937, in Board Camp, Arkansas, a tiny place south of Fort Smith in the western region of the state, he learned to play piano through his mother when he was five years old. This started his live-long passion for music and he eventually also learned trombone and drums. When Tolleson was eight years old, the family moved to Greenwood, Mississippi. Upon finishing high school, he joined the University of Arkansas at age 17 and moved to Fayetteville.

There, he joined the Razorback Marching Band on trombone and also performed with Bob Donathan's orchestra. In 1957, when rock'n'roll had captured America, Northwest Arkansas was no exception and Tolleson moved in with the new sound. He founded his own band, John Tolleson and his Bunch, which started likely playing local gigs in Fayetteville. Soon, they must have built up a reputation as they accompanied Conway Twitty and his band on tour through Canada during 1958-1959, serving as Twitty's opening act.

Returning to Arkansas, Tolleson graduated from University with a bachelor of science in education, main emphasis music, but followed up with a bachelor in business administration, which he earned in 1961. That same year, Tolleson got the chance to release his first record. Shortly before, Phil Eagle had formed his own label, Chance Records on East Center Street in Fayetteville, and Fayetteville being a college town, the city had many talented rock'n'roll acts to offer. And many, if not all, were eager to have their own record out. The first one of them was Tolleson.

Billboard August 21, 1961

Tolleson recorded his two self-penned songs "Summer Love 'N' Summer Kissin'" b/w "You're in Love with Yourself (And Not in Love with Me"), which were released in August 1961 on Chance #31761. Even Billboard took notice of the record but as it was obvious, it did not become a national hit. Tolleson also recorded a couple of unreleased tapes for Sun Records in Memphis, which saw the light of day for the first time in 1999 on a CD of Bear Family's "That'll Flat Git It!" series.

After 1961, Tolleson moved to Mason, Ohio, where he began to work for the Baldwin Piano & Organ Company for the next 36 years. During his time with the company, he lived in Cincinnati, Chicago, and Phoenix, eventually becoming vice president of domestic sales. After his retirement in the 1990s, Tolleson returned to Fayetteville and took a job with the University of Arkansas. He died October 6, 2020, at the age of 83 years.

Sources
• University of Arkansas obituary
• Entry at the UARK David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History (including pictures from Tolleson's rock'n'roll days)
• Echoes of the Ozarks: Taking a Chance on Fayetteville's Talent
• Discogs

Tani Allen and his Tennessee Pals

Country Boogie from Memphis
Tani Allen and his Tennessee Pals

Tani Allen and his Tennessee Pals was another Memphis based country music act that enjoyed popularity from the very late 1940s until the mid 1950s, before rock'n'roll came along and took country music's young listeners. Although not nearly as durable or famous as Buck Turner's Buckaroos or the Snearly Ranch Boys, Allen and his group played the area for a couple of years and had some influence on early rock'n'roll with recording their original "Tennessee Jive", which was picked up by Bill Haley and turned into Haley's "Real Rock Drive".

Birth of the Jive
Not much is known about the band leader, who actually performed as Tiny Allen in Memphis. Allen founded the Tennessee Pals when the decade of the 1940s faded with Allen being the steel guitarist of the band, other members remain into obscurity to this day. Pretty soon after the band came into existence, Allen contacted Jim Bulleit of Bullet Records in Nashville (there were no record labels in Memphis at that time). He received a positive answer concerning the sound of his band but their vocalist was dismissed by the label. Allen, who originally hailed from Chattanooga, Tennessee, called an old friend of his, Houston E. "Buck" Turner (no connection to Memphis' own Buck Turner), who was a talented singer. Turner came over to Memphis and joined the band as a singer.

It is likely that Allen and the Tennessee Pals recorded their sessions in Memphis, though an assured recording place cannot be given. Adam Komorowski mentions in his liner notes to the box set "From Boppin' Hillbilly to Red Hot Rockabilly" (Proper Records) the Peabody Hotel in Memphis as the most probable place, though Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service was in business by January 1950.

When Jive developed into Real Rock Drive
However, the first disc appeared around April 1950 with two of the band's original compositions, "Tennessee Jive" written by Buck Turner and "Rockin' Chair Boogie" written by Ed Crowe (either a member of the group or one of Turner's writing partners) on Bullet #702. The release was credited to "Tani Allen and his Tennessee Pals" instead of Tiny Allen, caused by a communication mistake between label and pressing plant due to the label executives' southern drawl. However, the name stuck and henceworth, the band was called "Tani Allen and his Tennessee Pals".

Billboard May 6, 1950, Country & Western review

Billboard September 30, 1950, Country & Western review

The disc must have sold decently, as two cover versions turned up, although they appeared years after the original version. Bill Haley, Pennsylvania based and once western swing singer and yodeling cowboy at the same time, heard "Tennessee Jive" and reworked it with his band as "Real Rock Drive". Haley had found a new sound on Dave Miller's Holiday and Essex labels with R&B fueled, supercharged western swing, and the first exponent of this new music that developed into rock'n'roll was Haley's cover version of "Rocket 88" from 1951. In that same style, he recorded "Real Rock Drive" in late 1952 in Chester, Pennsylvania (or New York City according to other sources). Miller released his version in November 1952 on Essex #310 and wisely, they put no composer credits on the label as the song was lyrically and melody-wise identical to its original version. However, when the Haley single hit the market, Bullet instantly recognized it was actually a song from their own catalog (published by their Volunteer firm) and sued Essex (despite Buck Turner's advice to wait and see if Haley's version show signs of success). Essex removed "Real Rock Drive" from the market and instead released "Crazy Man, Crazy".

Billboard January 24, 1953, Pop review

Johnny Horton's cover of "Tennessee Jive" must have been prompted by Haley's reworking, as Horton recorded the song shortly after the release of the Haley single, namely on January 26, 1953, at Jim Beck's studio in Dallas, Texas. Though, Horton gave credit to the song's original writers and the song was issued under its original title. Mercury, Horton's label at that time before he found success at Columbia, released "Tennessee Jive" in March 1953, coupled with "The Mansion You Stole", on Mercury #70100.

After the Jive
By the time Haley had reworked "Tennessee Jive" into "Real Rock Drive", Allen and the Tennessee Pals had already their last record released. A total of six discs had been released over an approximate stretch of two years from 1950 until late 1951. Musically, the band kept their uptempo country boogie, sometimes even pre-rockabilly, style on nearly all of their released sides. The band's music was part of a development that occurred across the whole land in country music, covering R&B hits, mixing boogie and rhythm & blues with country music - a sound later evolved into rockabilly and rock'n'roll. And Tani Allen and his Tennessee Pals were located at what became the center of this movement: Memphis. However, they were a couple of years too early to really take part in this musical revolution and disbanded likely even before Memphis became the epicenter of popular music.

Billboard January 19, 1952, Country & Western review

Concerning the Tennessee Pals popularity, it is hard to tell how popular they really were. Bullet managed to constantly send promo discs to Billboard and the band's singles found entry into the magazine's review section. The two cover versions of "Tennessee Jive" also suggests that at least their debut release was a good seller. In addition, Michael Stewart Foley mentions in his book "Citizen Cash - The Political Life and Times of Johnny Cash" that the Tennessee Pals' "Back in the Army Again" from 1951 was "in regular rotation on country station". Cash, who lived not in Memphis until 1954, must have heard this song elsewhere at the time of its release, as he had joined the US Air Force a year before.

A couple of their songs saw re-release on different compilation, including "Tennessee Jive", "Back in the Army Again" (Rockin' Hillbilly, Volume 1, Cactus Records), and "When Hillbilly Willie Met Kitty from the City" (From Boppin' Hillbilly to Red Hot Rockabilly, Proper Records). Thanks to the French Doghouse & Bone reissue label, the band's complete recordings were reissued on long-play vinyl in 2021.

About the band itself, not much is known. After their sixth and last single, released in late 1951 or early 1952, Bullet dropped Allen and his band from its roster. The label offered vocalist Buck Turner to continue recording solo for the label, which he declined. Though, Allen encouraged him to further a solo career in music, which he did and eventually sang and recorded with different bands, including the Dixieland Drifters and his own Town & Country Boys.

Eventually, Allen returned to Chattanooga, where he opened two music stores. There is a mention in the Catalog of Copyight Entries for unpublished music in 1956, documenting the copyright of a song entitled "Pauline, Pauline, Pauline", which Allen had co-written with Carole Smith.

Catalog of Copyright Entries 1956

Tani Allen is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Chattanooga. If you have more detailed information on Allen and his band, feel free to contact me.

Sources
• Tani Allen entry on 45worlds
• Bill Haley entry on 45worlds
• Johnny Horton entry on 45worlds
• BMI archive
• Michael Stewart Foley: "Citizen Cash - The Political Life and Times of Johnny Cash" (Basic Books), 2021
• Bill Haley, Jr./Peter Benjaminson: "Crazy Man, Crazy - The Bill Haley Story" (Backbeat), 2019, p. 54
• Colin Escott: "Bill Rocks" (liner notes), 2006, Bear Family Records
• Adam Komorowski: "From Boppin' Hillbilly to Red Hot Rockabilly" (liner notes), 2005, Proper Records

Frankie Miller & Dottie Sills on Starday

Frankie Miller and Dottie Sills - Out of Bounds (Starday 45-525), 1960

Frankie Miller is a well-known name in country music history compared to his duet partner on this disc, Dottie Sills. Miller had recorded for Columbia and the small Cowtown Hoedown label, before he signed with Don Pierce's Starday label and hit the charts immidiately with "Black Land Farmer". He had two more hits and in 1960, Starday paired Miller with Dottie Sills, a young country music singer who was performing with the Carlisles at that time.

In fact, Doris "Dottie" Sills was a member of Bill Carlisle's band since approximately late 1954, when she replaced Betty Amos, who went solo from that point on. Sills recorded her first sides with the group in January 1955 in Nashville as a vocalist and guitarist, along with Bill Carlisle (vocals/guitar) and Sherman "Honey Bear" Collins (lead guitar). "Rusty Old Halo", "Bargain Day, Half Off", and "It's Bedtime, Bill" were recorded that day and all three songs saw release on Mercury. By the late 1950s, the band's recording sessions waned but it is probable that Sills remained busy with the group's personal and radio appearances, among their regular performances at the Grand Ole Opry.

Dottie Sills with Bill Carlisle and the Carlisles
From "Bill Carlisle's Souvenir Songs - WSM Grand Ole Opry"

Sills' sister Bobbi also performed with the Carlisles (possibly as a replacement for Dottie) and at the end of the decade, it seems that Dottie Sills pursued a solo career in country music. Billboard mentions her a few times as part of Opry package shows, including appearances in the Caribbeans.

Billboard December 14, 1959

Billboard April 11, 1960

The Carlisles recorded their last session on September 8, 1960, with an all-star cast of Nashville studio musicians, including Hank Garland and Grady Martin on guitars, Floyd Cramer on piano, Joe Zinkan on bass, and Buddy Harman on drums. The two recordings from that session, "John Came Home" and "Skin' Im Quick" were released on Columbia.

Billboard November 21, 1960

A couple of months earlier, in June 1960, Sills had been paired with Starday's Frankie Miller to record a session of duet songs. Miller remembered the session when asked about it recently (March 2022) by Starday expert Nate Gibson but couldn't come up with any details on neither the event nor Sills: "Frankie thought that perhaps Pete Drake had arranged the session, though Dottie didn't seem to appear on any other Starday sessions. Around the same time, in the late '60s, Dottie also did a duet with singer-songwriter Don Gibson." Nate Gibson continues: "I talked with Frankie Miller today and he recalled that Dottie was a real pretty gal with a great singing voice, and that she was frequently appearing with Jumpin' Bill Carlisle, but didn't recall much more about her. Frankie thought that perhaps she was Bill's niece or cousin, though Bill frequently told audiences that his bandmates were family members when that wasn't true."

The session included musicians Jerry Shook on lead guitar, Pete Drake on steel guitar, Junior Huskey on bass, Hargus Robbins on piano, Jimmy Riddle on harmonica, and Buddy Harman on drums. Five songs were cut that day and "Out of Bounds" as well as "Two Lips Away" were paired for single release on Starday (the disc also saw release in Canada on Sparton) in November 1960. Chart success eluded both songs, however, and the remaining recordings were released various times on different Starday budget LPs.

The song "Out of Bounds (Again)" had a bit of life on its own as the song originally hailed from the cataloge of Fort Worth record entrepreneur Major Bill Smith, composed by Howard Hausey and Bob Graves. Hausey released his own version of the song, and it is a very good version to be honest, in 1962 on Smash under his performing alias "Howard Crockett". Interestingly, on this release composer credits went to Hausey and a certain Whitton instead of Bob Graves.

But back to Dottie Sills. Although she had no hit record on its own, she was obviously considered to be a capable duet partner and it is said that she recorded a session with country music star Don Gibson but details escape us, unfortunately. It seems these recordings never turned up. Just as mysterious as this session was Sills' whole career. Nobody knows where she came from or where she went to. So if anyone out there has information on Dottie Sills, please share them with us and solve one of country music's mysteries!

Recommended reading
• Wired for Sound: Unissued Frankie Miller Starday demo

Sources
• 45cat entries for Frankie Miller and the Carlisles
• Depicted Billboard articles
• Praguefrank's Country Discographies entries for Frankie Miller and the Carlisles
• Marion Brown: "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music" (University of Michigan), 2006, page 189
• Thanks to Bernd Wirth and Nate Gibson as well as Frankie Miller for their assistance

Glen Glenn R.I.P.

Orin Glen Troutman, better known to rockabilly fans around the world as "Glen Glenn", has passed away on March 18, 2022. He was one of the best known original 1950s rockabilly artists with several of the genre's classics released in the 1950s. His death was reported today by several music enthusiasts, including researcher Volker Houghton and singer/guitarist Darrel Higham.

He was born 1934 in Missouri but his family moved to California in the 1940s. He and his friend Gary Lambert began working the west coast country music circuit in the 1950s and by 1957, they had adopted the new rockabilly sound. They recorded a slew of singles for ERA and Dore, including songs like "Everybody's Movin'", "One Cup of Coffee and a Cigarette" or "Blue Jeans and a Boy's Shirt", which gained cult status among rockabilly fans in the 1970s. Apart from his studio recordings, Glenn also left behind a wealth of demo tapes and live recordings that saw release from the 1970s onwards. He kept on touring well into the 21th century.

Here's on of my favorite recordings from Glen Glenn, his 1958 ERA song "Would Ja'".