BILL CASON & HIS ARKANSAS TROUPERS

This recording, an extract from one of Bill Cason's radio shows, was originally broadcast over Radio Station WWL sometime in 1956. It obviously caught the imagination of someone who thought it would make a nice memento for the staff and management at the aluminium plant in question. The song was issued on a single sided RCA custom pressed record. The label was actually silver print on a green background, but that just wouldn't scan, so what is displayed below is the only way that I could get a readable scan.

MAC McGUIRE "Mother In Law Blues"

The Library Of Congress (Copyright Office) catalog of copyright entries: Musical compositions, (Volume 41) notes that the composer of "Mother In Law Blues" was one James D Ammons, with words by James Gardener (although Gardner was not credited on the label). The song was registered (EU40388) by The Quaker Music Company of Philadelphia on 15th August 1946. 

JESS HUNTER RECORDS

Jess Hunter ran a car dealership in Pueblo, Colorado. His brief venture into the recording field was essentially a self promotional affair. The sole offering was by Ted West, presumably the artist who had previously recorded for REPUBLIC, and MGM Records. The backing band, Buddy Watkins and his Buddies Of The West, also had a release on the local CANYON label. This is an update on the original posting in April 2010.

CHUCK MURPHY - "DALLAS BOOGIE"

Chuck Murphy is a difficult artist to pigeon-hole, that in itself is not such a bad thing, but sometimes you need to be able to place an artist in a particular musical category in order to manage research. Murphy had a go at a number of different musical styles, Hillbilly, Dixieland Jazz, and (for want of a better term) Pop. Here he turns in a passable blues offering, there is nothing else in his recorded repertorie that comes remotely close to this ditty by Murphy.

RHYTHM HARMONEERS

I thought we'd stay with the FLAIR label for a little longer and take a look at The Rhythm Harmoneers who, like Jimmy Walton, had just one solitary offering on the label. It would seem that the Harmoneers had previously recorded for the West Monroe, Louisiana JAMBOREE label before cutting at least two sides for FLAIR. My initial thoughts were that the Harmoneers were regulars on The Louisiana Hayride, however, having picked my way through Robert Gentry's "The Louisiana Hayride" (Volume 1 - 1948 thru 1955), I could only find one reference to the Harmoneers, and that was on The Hayride's bill for 14th February 1953. Their FLAIR recordings sound as though they could have been recorded in Shreveport with the Hayride's house band, that is especially evident on their cover of "Mexican Joe". The Harmoneer's may have comprised of Thomas E. Bearden (who was perhaps the Tom Bearden who recorded for FABOR?), Brian Douglas Ritter, and Messrs  Tiner and McGee, I wonder if the latter was Billy McGee who recorded for IMPERIAL and RCA?

Anonymous10 December 2013 04:11

The members on Flair (1952-53) were Tom Bearden on acoustic guitar, Bryan Ritter on Fender double-neck 8 string lap steel, and Harry Liner on standup bass. That's all 3 of them singing on "Good Old Chlorophyll".

They joined the Hayride just after Hank left the Opry.

Bryan is a retired mechanical engineer and still living in West Monroe. He still plays pedal steel.

Thank you anonymous for that superb information, I wonder if the Tiner credited as co-writer of "Good Old Chlorophyll" is a misprint and that it is infact Harry Liner?

Anonymous update
Look here: http://www.cheniere.org/correspondence/111502.htm Additionally, I think the correct name is Liner because you can find a promo photo of the group online in which the name "Harry Liner" is printed on the photo. I have no idea why Tiner is shown on the label, although of course it may be that Tiner and Liner are two different people on RHYTHM HARMONEERS

JIMMY WALTON - FLAIR RECORDS

The Bihari Brothers FLAIR label, a subsidiary company of their much larger MODERN set up, is probably best known for its Rhythm & Blues recordings, many of which enjoyed chart success in the mid fifties. However, the label initially started out as a vehicle for Hillbilly material, representing a second stab at that market by the Bihari's, perhaps spurred on by growing popularity of the genre nationally. The first ten releases on FLAIR were all Hillbilly, featured here is Jimmy Walton's sole offering on the label. Walton, who appears to have been based on the West Coast, also had two releases on STARDAY.

I have left the sticker on both sides as it appears the company forgot to include The Publishers details! Master number (deadwax only) is F-117

Master Number (deadwax only) F 118

LEE MADRON - CANYON RECORDS

JOHNNY DAUME

Like many of his contemporaries Johnny Daume was a DJ, albeit a DJ with a difference, who travelled around the country in a converted bus with a built in studio, he also made the occasional record for labels like CRYSTAL, and his own JOHNNY DAUME label.

RUSTY McDONALD - Something Different!

This offering by Rusty McDonald, from late 1954 or early 1955, is something of an enigma. What was Virginia Richmond (the label owner) trying to archive with these recordings? Obviously McDonald, who is credited as writing both songs, crafted the material to be aimed at the R&B market,. there was no attempt at trying to fuse R&B with Hillbilly / Western Swing, Whilst Rusty McDonald's performance is exemplary, however, in the final analysis McDonald was just another vocalist fronting Maxwell Davis' band. That statement is not meant to demean either McDonald, or Maxwell Davis and his band, it's just that to be brutally honest, it could be anyone of a number of vocalists black or white fronting the band.

PAPA CARIO - B&C RECORDS

The choice of the letters B and C for the name of the label, perhaps derives from the initial letter of the surnames of songwriter A. R. Bossley and Papa Cario?

JIM FULLEN aka JIMMIE JOHN

MASON AYERS

BILL PENTZ aka BILL PENCE

Bill Pentz appears to be the Bill Pence who recorded for the ROUND-UP label, which seems to have been connected to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based FEE BEE label. Interestingly, Pence recorded "Too Late For Tears" for ROUND-UP, however, the songwriting credits are totally different to those credited on the version recorded at Orner's studio.

JIMMY GIESE & THE GIESE FAMILY - DECCA

EMMIT HAWKINS - CHAMPION

HOMETOWN JAMBOREE

An oddball Illinois release which seems to have been tied up in someway with the SCARLO label. I doubt very much if there was six or seven releases on HOMETOWN JAMBOREE as the issue number here tends to suggest. "Wabash Cannonball" is portrayed as a "Live" recording, but it is clearly a studio effort with awfully dubbed audience applause.The flip side "Your Heart's Desire" is much better and features some pleasant tinkling of the ivories.

COLUMBUS RECORDS

I hadn't considered posting the COLUMBUS label, it was Mellow's comment "that Eddie Eddings had replaced Darrell Newsome on drums in Sonny Fisher's band "The Rocking Boys." and that he also co-owned the Columbus label with Fisher". It was this snippet of information which prompted me to post this. I have never seen a copy of COLUMBUS 101, if there was one. Presumably the publishing, which was assigned to Newfish, was an amalgam of Newsome and Fisher. The ACA files log the client for COLUMBUS 102, as Newsome, whilst COLUMBUS 103 originally listed client as Newsome, but changed that to COLUMBUS.

EDDIE EDDINGS

Eddie Eddings had releases on STARDAY, and COLUMBUS, plus the odd instrumental on STARDAY Various artists LP's. To the best of my knowledge the two recordings here were not issued anywhere

ROY FISHER - NEW ENGLAND

I have no idea if this Roy Fisher is the same artist as the Roy Fisher who recorded with his band The Rhythm Riders for the INDIANA label (a Starday custom pressing) out of Michigan City, Indiana.

COTTON HENRY

Cotton Henry's RURAL RHYTHM disc dates from the early sixties, but the recordings sound much earlier."Devil On My Shoulder" was recorded by Johnny Tyler for RURAL RHYTHM three or four years earlier.

TOPEKA HARTTE

I have no idea who Topeka Hartte was, it is obviously a nom de guerre for someone, but who that some one is I do not know. The prime contender must be Smiley Burnette who owned RANCHO RECORDS, however it does not sound like him. Eddie Kirk, who composed both sides of the record is another candidate I suppose? The record was reviewed in BILLBOARD in January 1947, so was probably recorded in late 1946.

DOROTHY & JIMMY GATES