Date News Posted: February 27, 2000

The "Soundies" music group out of Chicago that we have mentioned the last three or four trips to the web site are really doing a good job with the oldies they are putting out.

We  just received this past week the new release on our old partner Eddie Dean and those that were fans of Eddie's should really like this one, It was done on transcriptions in the very early part of his career, not a lot of music on it like the big sounds of today but the clear cut voice of Eddie stands out like a moose in a heard of cattle, twenty six cuts of early Eddie and you ain't never going to get more Eddie Dean than this for $9.95.

I am sure we mentioned the one they have released on Spade Cooley, several of the songs on it, the vocals are being done by one of our favorite people in Country Music, Tex Williams. Tex not only stood alone with his voice and way of singing, he was truly a good person with a wonderful family that still lives where they did when Tex cashed in.

Mrs. Williams (Dallas) had a stroke not long ago  but is coming along o.k.( the last we heard) if you care to send her a card or note, send it on and we will make sure she gets it just the way you sent it.

We will be taking a little trip out to visit with our old friend Doye O'Dell this next week, we were watching him the other day on an old tape from Town Hall Party that was sent to us by a gentleman from New York some time ago, of course Doye had his on TV show which was number one for quite a while in Southern California called "Western Varieties" but Doye like all the west coast artist in those days would be a guest on all the shows around as others would be on his show.

Some one told us the other day that some company had released the album of western swing that Billy Mize had done and later parts of the album were over dubbed with Merle Haggard.

Billy, like Doye also had a TV show  "Melody Ranch" which of course was headed up by trail boss Gene Autry, and again, Billy Mize was one of the early bird talents on the old" Town Hall Party" and most times, make that some times, did some really nice duo singing with his good friend Cliff Crofford. Cliff plays several instruments but had to be one of the first on a show of that nature to play a horn.

We ask Billy one time a long time ago if he had any more copies of "Terrible Tangled Web" he said "no, wish I did, I could sell um all" I really don't know why the companies he recorded for never put that one on other "Best Of" or "Greatest Hits" albums, like people, songs to sometimes weave a tangled web and are never heard again.

Anyone find in their trunks in the attic any old records or promotion material or pictures or anything else on Cousin Herb Henson from Bakersfield, like we mentioned a while back, his son would sure like to have anything you could spare about his Dad, even copies of what ever it might be. After his house burnt, he has very little of his father's things left and would like to rebuild part of it with your help if you have anything.

Also, last time we did a little story on Glen Sherley, his son is also   looking for anything you could find about his Dad, he along with a friend are trying to piece together the life of his father, Glen as we mentioned before, with the help of Johnny Cash, got him out of prison and got him a recording contract with Mega Records and also a position as a staff writer for the "House Of Cash". Glen at the time he took his own life was living in Gonzales, California and had to of had neighbors and friends in the area in which he lived, so if you were either, neighbor or friend, good story or bad, it would sure help a son that never really got to know his father to piece together those early years.

Wynn Stewarts daughter (Wren) we are sure would like to have any old pictures, programs, stories, things you remember about her Dad. In the past month we have got request for some of Wynn's records which we don't have except for our own copies, but if they have not released it already then it should be due soon a Bear Family album which we would say will contain most or many of Wynn's hits and other songs.

THE VIRGINIAN co/star Randy Boone is alive and well after moving back to his home town in North Carolina. He has started to write again and is looking for work around his home town or any place else that he can pick and sing. His sister is giving him a hand with promotion work and other things to get his career back on track.

Can't help but razz Randy about a song he wrote some time ago, and he has written some pretty good ones over the years, but the one he likes to sing more than most is called, "I Love You So Much I Want To Puke"   We were doing a show at a park a few years ago with Cliffie Stone and had Randy there, it was about an all day show, starting about ten in the morning I think and about the time Randy took the stage most people had already grabbed a little of the bar-b-que lunch set up by a vendor and had settled back down on the grass for some more music, Randy sang a song about a cowboy and another one or two and ended his little part of the show with the "Puke" song, needless to say, I think some folks did puke, his timing wasn't quite right for that one.

Happy to say that good friend Ancel Cook is doing great, last trip to the doctor he was told that his cancer had fifty per cent shrunk or disappeared and that is and was great news. Just about any time of the day some place in the U.S one of his TV commercials is running, one we saw last night three times starts off with him as a farmer holding a pitch fork, something to do with the inter-net I think. Hope he is well enough in the spring to have a little party with Don Hinson and friends in Branson.

Speaking of Don Hinson, his campaign to run for President was put on hold 'till 2004, his moving to Branson would have made the time for campaigning to short, even though Hinson could have said more in an hour then the other candidates have said so far, he thought it best to wait, one of the issues that was on his agenda was, all radio stations, Country or other wise, would be required to play a George Jones' song at least four times a day, that all of the great Country music artist from the 50's would be honored for a full week all over America and biscuits and gravy would be served in ever restaurant in the U.S.

On your vacation to Branson this year, check the schedules and see where Don Hinson and his comedy will be appearing, then go see him and tell him, we sent ye'.

This has nothing to do with country music, unless of course the guy was a guitar picker.

Something like this could be expected of an ex representative of the government that turned bad, but in Washington state ?

A man was looking out his window one night and saw a man siphoning gas out of his motor home, he called the police then waited for them to arrive before he walked out side to confront the criminal, seeing the lights pull up from the police car he walked out side to meet them as they apprehended the criminal who was still there but now laying flat on his back gagging.But as the owner of the motor home caught site of what the suspect had done, he started laughing so hard he refused to press charges. Instead of putting the siphoning hose into the motor home's gas tank, he had mistakenly slipped the hose into the toilet drain.( Woooooo, what do you chase that with ??!!)   Drano ?

                                                                LOOKING BACK

IN 1967 THESE WERE SOME OF COUNTRY MUSIC'S GREATEST STARS MAKING HEADLINES AND HIT RECORDS. (and these are a few notes and comments about these super stars of Country)

JEAN SHEPARD her first record release "Crying Steel Guitar Waltz" a great record but the next one was a monster hit with the one and only Ferlin Husky, we are sure you remember "A Dear John Letter" (funny how something like that catches on, not the song it's self but the title and what the song was about, to this day going on forty years later, when someone gets a letter saying it is all over from a loved one, it is still called a "Dear John Letter"

BOBBY LORD a good looking young guy that left his mark with his great records and TV appearances across America, an excellent singer, one that scored well for Bobby Lord was "Losers Like Me"

  ROY DRUSKY from Georgia and a member of the Grand Ole Opry for many years has had may hits to look back on, like, "Three Hearts in a Tangle" "Second Hand Rose" "Stranger" and the list goes on for this young man that was either a member of, or appeared on, almost every National country and TV show going at the time.

RAY PILLOW from Virginia, a finalist in the National Pet Milk contest helped put his first two record releases in the top fifty charts, "Left Out" got it going and "Take Your Hands Off My Heart" kept it going. One of our favorite Ray Pillow songs is one he did with Jean Shepard called "I'll Take The Dog"

WEBB PIERCE from Louisiana made his mark big time in Country Music with hit after hit after hit. His bio read in 1967, "He has more awards than any country artist in the world, with 57". Webb was in the Country Hall of Fame by 1956 but his many great hits like "Wonderin' " and "He's in The Jail House Now" and of course the great juke box hit of "There Stands The Glass" will be remembered as long as the word "Country" is still in the English dictionary.

JAN HOWARD from West Plains moved to Los Angeles where she met and married a young guy by the name of Harlan Howard, like Jeannie C Riley* so the story goes, Jan made a demo for Harlan on one of his songs  called "Yankee Go Home" Joe Johnson who at the time headed up Challenge records heard the girl, the song and liked them both. So putting two good things or more together made a pie, well actually a record, with the talents of Wynn Stewart some great pickers and of course pretty little Jan, soon "Yankee Go Home" was a pretty good hit for the pair and from then on, the world would know who Jan Howard was.

 Jeannie C. Riley made her demo for Tom T Hall on one of his songs called "Harper Valley P.T.A" and of course, faster than a speeding bullet that too was a smash, The song would later be the title for a TV show by the same name and is still played on stations around the world where "GOOD" Country music can still be heard.

DAVE DUDLEY* I don't think any truck driver that ever drove a big rig in the 40's, 50's or 60's did not know the name Dave Dudley, his songs were worth staying awake for headed down highway 66 or highway 40, from California to Tennessee, from Texas to New York night time country radio was never with out a Dave Dudley truckin' song and "Six Days On The Road" was heard loud and clear with those great sounds coming from a Dave Dudley record.

"note" I do not know this to be true, and I hope it isn't, but we received word a couple of weeks ago that Dave was not in the best of health and if this is the case we sure do wish him well and thank him for all the great country music he gave this world we live in, when it comes to trucks, "You were the man"

JOHNNY PAYCHECK from Kentucky (I think) where ever Johnny is from he is a legend in his own time, we have used Johnny on our own shows and he knocked um out. He is an out standing song writer and some of the artist over the years that have recorded a Paycheck song include, Webb Pierce, Skeets McDonald, Sheb Wooley and the list goes on. A-11 released in October of 1964 was a smash to end all smashes for this rising star and within the first week was picked by almost ever U.S Country radio station as a "PICK HIT". Johnny Paycheck's hits would take two hours to write but just so you don't forget a couple of them, "Colorado Coolaid" was good one and "Apartment Number # 9" royalties could have bought him a horse farm in the Blue Grass state. And to Johnny, we hope your health is holding up and that your family is well.

CARL SMITH who's Mom and Dad bought him his first guitar then little old young Carl mowed lawns to pay for music lessons, I wonder if that paid off ? well, let's see >> those great radio days of the 50's were never with out a Carl Smith hit, "Mr. Moon" "Let's Live A Little" (before we say goodbye), "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" 'Don't Just Stand There" and one first recorded by our friend Freddie Hart called "Loose Talk" so yea we would say mowing lawns for Carl Smith paid off, and last we heard, Carl is still doing well down there in good old Tennessee.

We got more stories next time and even though what we have written is no earth shattering news, good or bad, it's not meant to be, what it is meant to be is just a reminder of those that we grew up listing to and loved in those great old days. Those that we knew who's record it was two seconds after the needle hit the grove unlike those of today that we don't even know who it was after the record has finished playing.

Next time we will start with Charlie Louvin and go from there and give you a little list of some of the out standing songs written by Cindy Walker (the lady who's excuse for not ever getting married is, she don't like to cook) One time I saw her name in the front of the cook book them boys down there in Nashville put out and it had her name as submitting a recipe, and I thought, "wait a minute, I thought she couldn't cook" so I turned to the page she was on. It said "How to fix an ice-cream Sundae by Cindy Walker" well if she had of married her husband would have never wondered "What's for dinner" and they sure would have never said "WHERE'S THE BEEF'

See ye next time but just in case we don't, take care of  yourself.

Don Bradley