4:44; Yammerer; Salem Trials; Metal Postcard Records; Legless Trials; The Legless Crabs; The Bordellos; Alien Nosejob; Ausmuteants; Thalmus

4:44 is a singer-songwriter one man recording project based out of New Jersey. I feature new 4:44 from time to time, always good stuff. The last post with a 4:44 track was in September (where I erroneously said he was from Philidelphia), but the track I featured has been taken down by the artist on his Bandcamp page. So here's another track from his most recent 21 track Bandcamp digital release, Orchid, released back in September:

Thalmus is also a singer-songwriter solo project, based out of Atlanta, who makes "weird country music," and I love that description. Midnight Country is a digital Bandcamp release "featuring a few originals mixed in with country covers of Sonic Youth, Thundercat, Anita Baker, and Rae Sremmurd." Check out their cover of SY's "Schizophrenia," it's super-cool:

This was submitted back in June and I missed it. Just stumbled on it tonight while ironically trying to figure out how best not to miss stuff like this. Yammerer is from Liverpool. I was 3 seconds in and hooked on this track, "Tell Me What The Ancient Astronauts Believe," and stayed hooked for the full 3 minutes of the song. Killer, urgent post-punk, and what a great song title:

New Salem Trials is bitchin' as always. Post-punk rock duo from Leeds about as prolific as Bob Pollard or Zappa:

I was honored to get to work with Andy from Salem Trials under the moniker Legless Trials, and we're very lucky to have Metal Postcards to promote them for us. Our most recent Metal Postcard release is an EP called Hotwire an Ambulance. The lead track, "Hotwire an Ambulance," has been played on no less than three terrestrial radio stations, and as far as I know, maybe more. Maybe ALL THE STATIONS. That's me on vox, Andy on everything else:

I just looked over at the Metal Postcard Records Bandcamp page and betcha by golly, Salem Trials has another release on it. I told you they were prolific. Synthetic Animals and Other Plastics is an 8 song concept album, here's "Halo of Flies:"

And speaking of prolific Metal Postcard artists, both the Bordellos and the Legless Crabs (who may or may not be my noisy, off key solo project) both have new releases. The Bordellos have a new 2 song double A-side, "Dancing To The Hits/Slow Motion Fade Out," and the Crabs have a new 11 song, 20 minute long album called Tender Karaoke, and I gotta say, it's not the worst thing, if you're into noisy, off key solo projects. The Bordellos release is genius as all fuck tho:

The Bordellos also have a 4 song digital release on their own Bandcamp page, Rock N Roll Is Dead EP. The Bordellos are that band where you tell people how rad they are, and they don't listen, and then some time later they say to you, "hey, have you ever heard of the Bordellos?" And you want to strangle them, despite their well-meaning attempt to turn you on to cool new music. I do that to my wife all the time and it's a wonder she hasn't strangled me to death yet:

Alien Nosejob has new vinyl out, I'll pay for that without having to hear it first because you know it's gonna be rad. But luckily I do get to hear it first on Bandcamp before I inevitably order it. Alien Nosejob is the bedroom project of Jake Robertson from Ausmuteants. Ausmuteants has not put out anything since 2019, but these Alien Nosejob albums have been super cool. I've got the first two on vinyl, will be ordering this as well:

...Present The World In Handcuffs was the last Ausmuteants album, released in the Before Times of 2019. The Bandcamp page still has vinyl available:

All that got us up to is mid-November with new releases and submissions. More later and soon maybe, ya know. I dunno. Go forth and listen to the above! And drink lots of water. I want to play some Skyrim, or maybe Tropico, or some Sims. If I could play all three at once, I still wouldn't be satisfied.

Merry X-Mas From CNQ: New Christmas tunes from Adam Holtz; an obscure early 70s holiday blues 45 from Lowell Fulson; and two 1982 country classics from Dolly Parton and Alabama

These three new, original Christmas songs courtesy CNQ fave Adam Holtz are from Volume 18 of his copyrighted material. Click the title to listen and download:

Christmas With You
Christmas Without You
Christmas Is

Lowell Fulson, per Wikipedia, was, "after T-Bone Walker, the most important figure in West Coast blues in the 1940s and 1950s." I'm always humbled by the amount of music history I do not know. I bought it because I pick up any 45 I find that's from a Shreveport label. Lonesome Christmas Parts 1 and 2 were originally recorded by Fulson for Swing Time Records back in 1950. It charted at #7 on the R&B charts. Both songs were written by fellow West Coast Blues pioneer Lloyd Glenn. These updated, funkier/bluesier/cooler versions below are from 1970, on Shreveport's Jewel Records (Jewel 813). Fulson recorded these as Lowell Fulsom. Fulson died in 1999, age 77, the father of four and grandfather of thirteen. Glenn died in 1985, age 76. As far as I can tell, neither of these versions of Lonesome Christmas Parts 1 and 2 are otherwise available on the Internerts:

Lonesome Christmas Pt. 1 (Jewel-813, 1970):

If the embedded player above doesn't work for you, try this: Lonesome Christmas Pt. 1 (Jewel-813, 1970)

Lonesome Christmas Pt. 2 (Jewel-813, 1970):

If the embedded player above doesn't work for you, try this: Lonesome Christmas Pt. 2 (Jewel-813, 1970)

I was digging through our 45s for Christmasy singles and/or b-sides. Here's a couple I found in Mrs. CNQ's stack that were already on Youtube...the Dolly song is from 1982's The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas soundtrack:

Also from 1982:

Merry Christmas from CNQ!

Princess Ramona: "Lover For A Night" b/w "I Need All The Help I Can Get" (Buddy K Records, #K-5001, 1960s)

Princess Ramona, AKA The Cherokee Princess, is Ramona Kemp, and she was born February 9, 1925. Her Facebook page was last updated March 7, 2014. I've tried to contact her and a few of her contacts via Facebook, but I've come up short on replies.

This 45 is, as the label sez, "A Little Bit of Royalty." Both of these songs are great. "Lover For A Night" is a sultry, seductive slow jam, and "I Need All The Help I Can Get" is a fun B-side with some interesting guitar flourishes. I don't know if that's Princess Ramona on guitar also or a studio musician.

Before we hear the songs, here's all the information I could find on Princess Ramona:

Per her Internet bio I found on a couple of different sites, Princess Ramona has traveled the globe singing, yodeling, and spreading the gospel for more than 50 years. She is the daughter of Chief Frank Buckshot Standing Horse. Princess Ramona was the wife of producer and fellow musician Buddy Kemp. I couldn't find much else about Buddy Kemp other than the work he did with his wife.

As far as the Internet is concerned, she has one full-length secular LP, "On the Wings of a Dove," and two seven inches, one from 1963, "Yesterday's Memories" b/w "I Wouldn't Let Myself Believe," and the one I'm presenting here tonight. I'm not sure of the year on this, and can only safely assume it was put out by Kemp (on Buddy K Records) sometime in the 1960s.

As a Christian singer/yodeler, Ramona has put out at least three LPs, all, I believe, released during the '70s - "Talk About Jesus," "Wait A Little Longer Please, Jesus," and "Yodeling Praises Unto the Lord."

Back in September of this year I did a post featuring Sammy Masters' "Say Yes Or No" b/w "When Fools Get Together" from 1966. Sammy Masters' song, "Say Yes Or No," was written by B. Kemp-R. Dale-S. Masters. I picked up both the Sammy Masters 45 and this Princess Ramona from the same place - The Record Parlour in Los Angeles. I'm not a hundred percent sure but I'm going to venture to guess that this B. Kemp was Buddy Kemp, Princess Ramona's husband, producer, and co-performer, and that the Ramona Dale who helped write "Say Yes Or No" and sang back up on both of the Sammy Masters tracks was, in fact, Princess Ramona.

As far as I can tell, the two songs on this 45 have not been shared with the Internet before. "Lover For A Night" was written by Oklahoma-born country songwriter Eddie Miller, who also wrote "Release Me," and, per his Wikipedia entry, "was the founder of the Country and Western Music Academy in Hollywood, as well as a co-founder of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (of which he served as the first president and also another term in the presidency)."

"I Need All The Help I Can Get" was written by Glen Garrison, a country singer-songwriter born in Arkansas.

On a final note, Princess Ramona's father, Chief Frank Buckshot Standing Horse, became a preacher late in his life and apparently had a keen interest in UFOs. He had his own contactee experience in 1959, in which he claimed to have been taken on a space ride across the solar system. He also founded the First Indian Spacecraft Convention in Sulpee, Oklahoma. Click here for the details on that.

Listen and download:

Lover For A Night:

I Need All The Help I Can Get:

If the embedded players above don't work for you, try clicking these links for listening and downloading:

Lover For A Night

I Need All The Help I Can Get

Here's Princess Ramona playing to a church congregation up in Oregon, back in 2011:

I wish Princess Ramona and her family the best this holiday season.

John Stuckey & the Magic Cowboy Band: "Seeds and Stems" b/w "Scares The Hell Out of Me" (Good Ole Uncle Bob, 1974)

Some rad-ass Texas outlaw country/novelty jawnz tonight.

John Stuckey, who wrote both these tracks, had a radio show on KPFT in Houston in the 70s, and also was into demolition derbys. Awesome. The B-side to this 45, "Scares the Hell Out of Me," has been featured on the Dr. Demento Show a couple of times, once in 1975 and once in 2009. As near as I can tell, neither of these tracks are previously available on the Internet, so this is the type of real deal cool stuff CNQ breathes for. Stuckey's son got in contact with me tonight and said his dad was 6'8", and went on to become a renowned tattoo artist, and both Stuckey and Uncle Bob (the label is called Good Ole Uncle Bob) were tattooed dudes. That's pretty cool. Sadly, John Stuckey is no longer with us, having passed away in 2003.

Good Ole Uncle Bob also put out Stuckey and the Magic Cowboy's Grandma's Love/Moonlight Mailman 45, and sponsored Stuckey's 6,000 lb. '65 Lincoln in a demolition derby in January of 1975.

So this is UB-2020, copyright Crazy Cajun Music BMI. It was recorded at the famous Sugar Hill Studios in Houston. Stuckey's son thinks both were produced by the Crazy Cajun himself, Huey P. Meaux. Seems reasonable to me that they would be.

These songs are great. Topical, timeless. The A side, Seeds & Stems:

Download Seeds & Stems

If the embedded player above doesn't work for you, try this: Seeds & Stems

Scares the Hell Out of Me:

Download Seeds & Stems

If the embedded player above doesn't work for you, try this: Scares the Hell Out of Me

Sammy Masters: "Say Yes Or No" b/w "When Fools Get Together" (Galahad 540, 1966)

I've had a couple of reports of my mp3 embeds not playing, so I'm trying out some new code tonight. If it won't play on your device, it should say so, and provide you with a link to download the song instead. If you've got a moment, leave me a note and let me know how this new code treats you. Thanks!

Also, I know it's janky to just take a picture of my record with my cell phone. You can see my shadow over the vinyl - embarrassing. I need a new scanner. It's on my list.

Sammy Masters was a rockabilly cat who recorded in the 50s and 60s. He wrote Turn the Cards Slowly, a minor hit for Patsy Cline. He was on The Jack Benny Show and Town Hall Party in the 50s. His song Rockin' Red Wing was a regional hit in L.A., and made it to #64 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. Another of his songs, Who Can I Count On, was recorded by Willie Nelson, Bobby Darin, and Wayne Newton.

Masters' music career seems to have stalled, and he worked in TV production in the 60s and 70s. I dunno what he did in the 80s and early 90s, but in 1997 he got to tour Europe and Japan when a rockabilly revival was going on there. That's cool. After that, I guess he went back to doing his normal thing. He died at age 82 in March, 2013.

Top Shelf Oldies has a more in depth bio of Masters and a discography. It lists the A side as When Fools Get Together and the year as 1967, but my brand new copy of Rockin' Records (thanks Ahbob!) says '66, and the record itself is printed as Say Yes Or No = A side, When Fools Get Together = the flip.

Praguefrank's country discography also has a good discography for Masters, and rocky52.net has a nice bio, discography, and some pics of Masters' 45s.

Rockabilly Hall of Fame has a good article about the man, as does BigVJamboree.

Neither discogs nor 45cat have a listing for this 45, and I didn't find either song available for listening on a Google search. These two tracks were released on Galahad Record Co., which was Masters' own label independent label. The address on the 45 is Box 656, Norwalk, California.

Say Yes Or No was written by B. Kemp-R. Dale-S. Masters. I'm not sure who B. Kemp was, but R. Dale must be Ramona Dale, who is also listed as singing backup on both of these tracks. I dunno who Ramona Dale is otherwise, though. When Fools Get Together was written by Sammy Masters only. Rockin' Records lists this 45 as being $8-12 in near mint condition. Mine's a little scratched on one side but it plays fine - I picked it up for $2.98 at The Record Parlour in L.A.

Those links talking about Masters are interesting and each is worth reading. These two songs are fair enough 60s country - both are a little downbeat. I prefer the B-side but don't I always? As always, these songs are featured on CNQ strictly for educational and historical purposes. I'm not making any money doing this, and I hope I'm not pulling any bread out of mouths when I share these. If anything, a little exposure never hurt any artist. But the mp3s are gonna come down in a month or so, when I have to make room in my online cabinet for new stuff. So listen while you can.

Say Yes Or No:

Download Say Yes Or No

When Fools Get Together:

Download When Fools Get Together

Jan Howard: "Bring It On Back To Me" (Challenge, 1961)

Jan Howard was born Lula Grace Johnson to a poor farming couple on March 13, 1932, in West Plains, Missouri. She was one of eight kids and was married at the age of 15, with three sons before she was twenty. She divorced twice before moving to L.A. in 1955. There she met her future husband, songwriter Harlan Howard, and after that her career took off. Despite her success, she's had a rough go at life - the bio on her website has this to say about Mrs. Howard's hard road to becoming one of the "Grand Ole Ladies" of the Grand Ole Opry:

"Jan is the survivor of a difficult life, but has always made it clear that she doesn't want pity. Her saga - which includes miscarriages, marital abuse, bigamy, poverty, war, suicide, cheating, divorce, thievery, depression, and mental collapse - has only made her stronger."

Dang! Bring It On Back To Me was the flip to the non-charting My Baby's In Berlin, both written by Harlan Howard. Released in 1961, on Los Angeles-based label Challenge Records. Challenge Records was co-founded by Gene Autry! Their biggest hit was in '58, the Champs' Tequila.

Bring It On Home isn't on Youtube, and the 7" isn't listed on Discogs or 45cat. I found it listed on Howard's own website's discography page, and from there I got the date. Youtube poster Jruus1 says My Baby's In Berlin is only available as a 45 single, and hasn't been on any of Jan's albums. I like this song. For educational purposes only, here's:

Jan Howard - Bring It On Home:

Tommy Zang with Frank Metis and Orchestra: White Silence b/w With The Good Lord Willing (Mark Records, 1959)

Some googling didn't uncover anything about Tommy Zang, except he recorded for a label called Mark in the late 50s and for Hickory in the 60s. I think he may have been Canadian. He may have a daughter and a grandson who post in Youtube comments, which is pretty cool. I'd love to know more about Tommy Zang.

Discogs has three Tommy Zang 7"'s listed, and 45cat has five. Gemm and MusicStack have more for sale. Youtube has a few of his songs posted. But none of them have this particular record.

Zang was backed on these two songs by Frank Metis & His Orchestra. A little googling didn't uncover much about them either.

Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies is a cool site and it has this listed as Zang's first single, from '59. "White Silence" was written by one Frank Cavall, who is another mystery to me. The flip, "With the Good Lord Willing," was written by Zang himself.

Both are unusual and enjoyable. It's pop, it's orchestral, it's a little country, maybe? White Silence sounds like the theme song to Blazing Saddles, to me, anyway. This is some unique stuff. So enjoy it, Quieteers:

White Silence:

With the Good Lord Willing:

Another mystery is the label, Mark Records, outta Utica, New York. This rockabilly song was also released on Mark:

Jerry Abbott: "I Want A Little Cowboy" (1978)

I bought this at the Half-Price Books flagship this past weekend, because I thought the title was kitschy. This was put out on Churchill Records Ltd., 2600 River Road, Des Plaines , Illinois. Copyright 1978, written by Abbott/Jackson - BMI. I'm not sure who Jackson is, but Jerry Abbott, assuming the guy on this record is the same Jerry Abbott, is the father of Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul, from Pantera. They're from Pantego, and their name is Pantera. Weird.

I can't find this 45 on the Internet, after, you know, a little bit of research. So, for historical preservation and educational purposes, here's both tracks, which are awesome, btw:

I Want A Little Cowboy"

When It Comes To Cowgirls (I Just Can't Say No)

Here's another Jerry Abbott tune from '81, courtesy Youtube:

When I was 16, Vulgar Display of Power changed my life:

Carl Smith: "Hey Joe!" b/w "Loose Talk!" 7" (Columbia, 1963)

According to 45cat, Columbia released this Carl Smith 45 in 1963 as part of their Hall of Fame series. The A-side is a single from 1953, "Hey Joe!" (not the Hendrix song), and the flip is a single from 1954, "Loose Talk."

Per Wikipedia, Carl Smith was from Tennessee, known as "Mister Country" in his heyday, was June Carter's first husband, and was one of country music's most successful artists during the '50s. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003 and passed away of natural causes in 2010, at age 82.

"Loose Talk" was written by Freddie Hart and was number one on the Billboard C&W charts for seven weeks.

"Hey Joe!" was written by Boudleaux Bryant, who co-wrote with his wife the Everly Brothers songs "All I Have To Do Is Dream," "Bye Bye Love," "Wake Up Little Susie," and that Nazareth song you love. And a lot of other songs, including Bob Moore's "Mexico," which is a cool song.

"Hey Joe!" spent eight weeks at number one.

I borrowed this 45 from my in-laws, but Youtubers have already posted both songs. So here they are, and here's another 45 off my checklist! Sweet.

Jimmy Pruett: My Gal Sal/A Shanty In Old Shanty Town (1962?)

I was over at vintage store B4 in Deep Ellum again tonight, and, among a few other righteous treasures, found this 7". According to Jimmy Pruett's German-language Wikipedia entry (he doesn't have one in English), Pruett was a blind pianist and guitarist, born in 1925 in Los Angeles. Here's another bio from Hillbilly.com.

Pruett was a member of this radio and television country music program called Town Hall Party. I'd never heard of it -- Town Hall Party looks pretty cool.

Here's a brief bio of Pruett from musician Lee Bloom's list of important jazz pianists.

Here's a copy of this record (a Capitol Records release) on gemm.com for $12.00, and here's a copy on Ebay for $4.79. That's what my copy looks like.

The Discogs page for Jimmy Pruett is sparse and doesn't list this recording. Over on 45cat, Pruett's name is even more rare, with only one listing, as piano on a Jackie Lee Cochran bootleg reproduction from 1973.

The Worldcat entry for this 45 is the only site I found that hazards to guess what year this was released.

The two songs on this 45 are more like swing jazz, like Reinhardt/Tatum kinda stuff, and I really dig it. But as you can see from the Youtube videos below the two mp3s, Pruett also had more rockin' fare. Jimmy Pruett is 89 or so years old now, and, as far as I could tell using the Internet, may still be alive somewhere. I hope he's doing well. This guy wailed on axe and the keys. I've very glad I found this!

Here's "My Gal Sal," a traditional written by Paul Dresser:

And here's "A Shanty In Old Shanty Town," which says it was written by Siras-Little-Young:

Here's Pruett wailin' on guitar, both vidjas from Town Hall Party:

Finally, here's those two Jackie Lee Cochran songs with Pruett on piano. Cool stuff.

Johnny Wright: "They're All Going Home But One" (1964)

Johnny Wright was the husband of country music star Kitty Wells.

Wright's big hit was "Hello Vietnam," a pro-Vietnam War song that topped the Billboard country charts in 1965, a time when anti-war sentiment across America was like, freaking out all the squares. This is the B-Side to "Walkin', Talkin', Cryin', Barely Beatin' Broken Heart," a tune Roger Miller and Justin Tubb co-wrote, which was on the "Hello Vietnam" album, but was released as a single in '64 by Decca and charted on the Billboard country charts at 22. It's Record No. 31593 and was written by Karl Davis, Hary Taylor, and Pat McAdory. It says on the 45 label that Wright is backed up by the Tennessee Mountain Boys, but it looks like the Tennessee Mountain Boys were just Wright and his singing partner, Jack Anglin, who, according to his Wikipedia entry, died in a car crash on the way to Patsy Cline's funeral in 1963. The entry also says Anglin was married to Kitty Wells' sister, Louise. I wonder if that's Kitty or Louise doing backing vocals on this track.

The song was also covered by Porter Wagoner, and I can't find any mention of this 45 on Discogs or 45cat, and it's not on Youtube or the first page of a Google search. I found one copy for sale on ebay, where somebody has a promotional copy for sale for $10 and change. The only other reference to the 45 that I found is on Worldcat, and they list their copy as a "promotional copy" as well.

So while what I have probably isn't really rare or super special (or even, in my opinion, all that good of a song), I do love finding and sharing something for educational and historical purposes that isn't readily available on the first page of a Google search yet.

The song is about a guy who goes to the city with his brothers, and then when it's time to go visit mama back home in Georgie he's in jail for some unspecified reason. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time, buddy.

Found this and a few other 45s yesterday at a store called B4 in Deep Ellum, in Dallas. Cool store, I hope to be back soon!

And here's the Tubbs/Miller A-side, it's a cool song:

Lou Gaines: "Lash LaRue" (1981)

I'd featured the flip to this, "You're The Oil Slick of My Heart," back in June of '12, and would've posted "Lash LaRue" as well but my copy of it had scratches that made the A side skip pretty bad. Luckily, Lou Gaines (who changed his stage name from Lou Gainer once being accepted into the American Guild of Variety Artists), who wrote and performed the song, saw the post, contacted me, and was nice enough to send me a clean copy to feature on the CNQ blog!

On top of being a songwriter, Lou is also a professional bull whip artist, and you get to hear some cool whip cracks on this track. The horns and backing vocals on this track are also great - this is good stuff, made all the better by the awesome whip crack effects!

As for the flip, "You're The Oil Slick of My Heart," it's seeing some fresh action itself. George Jones' former backup band, The Jones Boys Band, has covered "You're The Oil Slick of My Heart" on their recent album, "The Legend Continues." You can check out their airplaydirect.com page and listen to the song, which is the second song from the bottom of the track list. If you're into country and steel guitars, I really recommend giving the whole album a listen on that page, I really enjoyed it.

So, here's "Lash LaRue!"

Up next: more of my Record Holder Series, some early 80s new wave from a compilation I got on the cheap, and, as always, all that other stuff I talk about, to which I never get around!

Patti Page (With Jack Rael And His Orchestra): Little Crazy Quilt b/w Keep Me In Mind (Mercury, 1955) & Red Sovine: "Don't Drop It" b/w "Don't Be The One" (Decca, 1954) - CNQ 45 Record Holder Series Episode 3!

I get manic sometimes and will work tirelessly on a project until I burn out, and then I won't touch it for six months, or worse, I'll never come back to it. I'll try to pace myself with my 45 Record Holder Series so that won't happen (but I can't promise anything, as I'm having a lot of fun with it so far).

In case you didn't catch the first two posts of this series, and don't feel like scrolling down to take a look at them, what I'm doing is this: I've got a collection of 24 or so 45s from the '50s and '60s in this little Decca branded 45 holder I aquired from my dad the last time I was home for a visit. My goal for this series is to go through the book, in the order the 45s are inserted in the sleeves, and do a post for each one. A lot of 'em are readily available on Youtube so for that stuff I'll just post the Youtube clip, do a little write-up and move on -- if it's not on Youtube or someone else's blog then I'll post an mp3 for educational purposes.

So this is another Mercury release - I forgot to mention the Ralph Marterie and Joe Carson 45s in the holder are both on Mercury; the Twin-Tones was released on RCA Victor. Patti Page was one Clara Ann Fowler, born and raised in Oklahoma, and according to Wikipedia is "one of the best known female artists in traditional pop music." She died January 1st, 2013, at age 85. Here's her discography.

In the Discogs entry for this 45, it says "Keep Me In Mind" was one of Burt Bacharach's earliest songs to be recorded. "Keep Me In Mind" is a good song but "Little Crazy Quilt" isn't anything I want to listen to again.

Red Sovine was one Woodrow Wilson Sovine, born in West Virginia, 1918, dead come Nashville, 1980. Reading about his career and his hits on his wikipedia page, as well as Patti Page's entry, reminds me that I am woefully more ignorant of 20th century American music than I could have ever realized. Huzzah to still learnin' stuff!

Here's the Discogs entry for "Don't Drop It"/"Don't Be The One", and his discography, also courtesy Discogs.

Fellow music blogger Country. & Western shared "Don't Drop It" back in February 2012.

Here's "Don't Drop It" courtesy Youtube:

I can't find the flip, "Don't Be The One," on Youturbs or a blog, so here it is, for educational purposes only:

Ralph Marterie and His Orchestra (1955) and Joe Carson (1954): CNQ 45 Record Holder Series Episode 1!

Last Christmas I nabbed from my dad a Decca 45 RPM record holder that contained 24 45s from the '50s and '60s. I think they were his parents, but they coulda also been his older brother's, I'm not sure (Note the holder itself has the Decca label on it; the 45s it contains are from various labels). It's a lot of pop, country, some rockabilly. A while back I featured from this collection "Steer Stomper," the Pacers' sweet ode to the Arkansas Razorbacks, but that's the only one I've posted on CNQ so far (the embed and the link to download that Steer Stomper mp3 are both dead, btw -- let me know if you'd like me to re-up it).

A lot of the jams on these 45s are readily available on Youtube. As an ongoing project, I think I'll go through the twenty-four 45s, in the order that they're in the little holder, and post the youtube embed if there is one; otherwise I'll share the mp3. So, starting from the first 45 in the holder, here we go!

First up is Ralph Marterie And His Orchestra's 1955 Mercury release, "Remember Me" b/w "Blue Mirage (Don't Go)." As is typical with this type of fare, the B-side instrumental is the cooler track. Check 'em both out here tho:

Next up is some sweet country from Joe Carson, who I'd never heard of. This is a real find for me. "Little" Joe Carson began his singer/songwriter career at age 16, doesn't have a wikipedia page I can find (but here's his allmusic bio), and this particular 45 (another Mercury release), "Show Me Now" b/w "Don't Enter," isn't listed in Discogs or 45cat. Here's the links I found relevant to Little Joe:

In Memoriam LP, a best of available via Discogs

This Amazon review about a more recent Carson retrospective is informative.

Here's a cool blog post from New Jersey DJ Richard Sibello about Carson, featuring the excellent song "The Last Song (I'm Ever Gonna Sing)."

Finally, here's the two really great Carson songs on my 45, courtesy Youtube user lillymoons, whose channel is worth checking out for some classic country. This 45 actually looks to be kinda rare. I will take no less than a million dollars for it (OBO). Email me if interested.

SPOTIFY: 60 MINUTES W/ MATT EPISODE #3

David Wills: God Made The Woman, Devil Made The Man (1975)

David Wills.

Matt Gurley Sampler (2010-2012)

Fellow Matt Matt Gurley is a stay-at-home dad who lives with his family and cats in Moore, Oklahoma. He's been a musician for 25 years now and writes and records bad-ass genre-jumpers in his spare time. Think Beck, Ween, and They Might Be Giants, and you get an idea of Matt's musical capabilities. He uses Garageband for Mac to record, a blue Alvarez acoustic, a Fender Stratocaster, an Apollo bass guitar (sans frets), shakers, tambourines, snares, toms, and found sounds.

He's buddies with Aaron Aldridge, another Okie rocker who was featured in my Scrambled Channels post from a few days ago; Aaron's exact words in regard to Matt were "an absolutely astonishing genius musician." See for yourself with these five tracks, as Matt jumps from metal ("In The Frozen Lands," with his buddy and another fellow Matt Matt Mason, performing as "The Knights of Mattonia" - cuz they're both Matts, see), to country ("Oklahoma Weather") to Motown ("Hurt a Guy Like Me," with himself as back-up singers) to komedy kraut-rock ("Fascist Dance Party") with equal parts style and pizzazz. His most recent album, "Love Is So Bright," is sweet'n'shoegazy dreampop that will make you wonder why Matt's not making you pay for it. The final song of Matt's posted here, "Red Orange Yellow," is off that album. Pretty frickin' impressive.

Download: In The Frozen Lands

Download: Oklahoma Weather

Download: Hurt a Guy Like Me

Download: Fascist Dance Party

Download: Red, Orange, Yellow

York Brothers: "I Want My Baby Back" (1957)

Looks like this 45" was The York Brothers' only Decca single. The A-side, "Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby," written by Webb Pierce and Johnny Mathis, is readily available on Youtube -- and yes, it's that Beatles song you're thinking it is. But this down-tempo B-side was written by the York Brothers (Leslie and George) themselves. Not that catchy but entirely listenable, and it looks like the Internet has never heard it. Borrowed from my in-laws' collection.

Download I Want My Baby Back

Lou Gainer: You're The Oil Slick Of My Heart (1981)

This is the B-side to "Lash LaRue," which is a pretty awesome story-song that features some truly bitchin' whip cracks. Unfortunetly, the A-side is scratched and skips in a couple of different places, otherwise I would certainly feature it. Still, "You're The Oil Slick of My Heart" has its country-ballad moments.

"Lou Gainer" was the pseduonym of Carl Gaines, a Dallas native who billed himself as a "writer-peformer crack-whip artist." A Google search of "Lou Gainer Carl Gaines" will bring you to a list of treatments he copyrighted back in the 70s, one of which was about the Monkees. Pretty cool, man!

This was put out on "The Whip Records," which I'm assuming was Gaines' own label, since he was a crack-whip artist and the address provided for Whip Records & Spur-Buckle Pub. Co. -- 3426 Sheldon Ave. in Dallas -- is somebody's house. This 45" was written and produced by Gaines as Gainer and recorded at Huddleston's in Dallas, in 1981. Looks like Johnny Mathis recorded at Huddleston's back in the late 70s. I really wish I could play y'all Lash LaRue, because those whip-cracks in the song are boss. I borrowed this gem from my in-laws' collection.

Download: You're The Oil Slick of My Heart