Obscure question alert

Stephan Franck · Post by **Stephan Franck** » 10 May 2007 9:29 am

Hey guys, here's a pretty hard one. For some time, I've been trying to get the credit list from a 1981 album called "the last detail" by somewhat legenday Sun performer Warren Smith on British label Charly Records... And afters days on the internet, I can't find it... Anybody has that record?

And yes, there is steel involved!

Thanks
S

Archie Nicol R.I.P. · Post by **Archie Nicol R.I.P.** » 10 May 2007 10:43 am

There are `selected hits` available on itunes.

Arch.

Stephan Franck · Post by **Stephan Franck** » 10 May 2007 11:10 am

Yes, I know, but the stuff that is easily available are reissue of the original 50's stuff.

For some reason, I love those 70's/early 80's albums where those old 50's cats re-cut their old stuff with nashville side men. Those albums are really interesting to listen to, because they're still rockabilly, but without that "garage band" sound that real rockabilly has. And those albums are of course historically irrelevant because the definitive versions of those songs had already been recorded 20 years earlier... but still they're really fun to listen to. And great picking on them from the nashville studio guys... They're also now huge collector's items...

I'm talking about your Warren Smith, Sonny Burgess, Billy Lee Riley, Gene Summers, sleepy Labeef, Hayden Thompson, etc... Even Johnny Cash's "Rockabilly Blues" (although it was recorded in London), I would consider part of this period...

So anyway. If anyone knows who played on those Warren Smith sessions, let me know..

Told you it was going to be obscure...

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 10 May 2007 12:39 pm

I checked at Artist Direct and found this (It sounds like all his west-coast records had the same players)...

Warren Smith left Sun Records in 1959 and, after a brief stay with Warner Bros., signed with Liberty Records, where he looked forward to doing country music rather than the hybrid rockabilly that Sun had him recording. With Joe Allison managing his recordings, he began making records with a smooth Nashville sound, even though they were done in Hollywood. With Johnny Western on guitar, Ralph Mooney on steel guitar, and Bobby Bruce and Harold Hensley on fiddles, he got a very refined commercial sound that yielded a few hits.

Stephan Franck · Post by **Stephan Franck** » 12 May 2007 8:27 am

Thanks Donny.

I think the period you're reffering to (mid 60's) was his last attempt to a full time music carreer. Then the late 70's is when the rockabilly revival movement in the UK and Europe gave all those guys another shot at it. But unfortunatelly, WS didn't live to take full adventage of it... From what I've gathered so far, the album I'm refering to compiles sessions done between 77 and 80...

Yeah, I know... Real obscure stuff...

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 19 May 2007 5:26 am

The band line-up I listed was for the '70s stuff. Warren was a minor artist, a pretty average singer, but the band behind him was about the best country band the west-coast had to offer.

The '81 album you have is a reprint of selected stuff he did many years before, he died in 1980. I believe his last session was in '77.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 19 May 2007 6:33 am

I have a different opinion than my colleague Donny on the quality of Warren Smith's singing, at least on his country material for Liberty in the early 60's... he was a FINE country singer, IMHO.

His biggest hit was of course "Odds and Ends," but other great tunes, like "Cave In" and "Why I Sing In A Honky Tonk" proved he could handle country with the best, as could many rockabillies.

The band was the usual Liberty crew, as mentioned. Mooney on steel, and I think Billy Mize did some work; I'm not certain. Definitely Johnny Western on harmony vocals.

His Liberty material is available on a Bear Family single CD. Don't know about his rockabilly material availability.

Warren sadly met his end here in Texas from poor health and substance abuse, way too young.

Does any old SoCal guys remember when Del Shannon ("Runaway") was hanging out at the Palomino in the early 70's and singing country? He was a good C&W singer as well. He was running around with another early 60's rocker whose name escapes me at the moment.

Stephan Franck · Post by **Stephan Franck** » 19 May 2007 8:21 am

Donny, Herb, thanks for the info...

The weird thing is that I haven't been able to listen to this record (or read the liner notes) in 20 years... It's locked in storage back in France with the rest of a pretty serious LP collection... So all I have to go with is recollections of what I was hearing twenty years ago... Some of it I remember note for note, mainly guitar solos... some of it, especially steel guitar, for which my ear wasn't as trained back then, is a little bit more fuzzy...

So as I remember it, yes, his vocals could be a little rough -- a cut of Moving On on that album was seriously pitchy, but generally it felt really good on the country stuff. The RAB stuff was pretty generic and watered down at that point, and yes, the band was very very good -- hence my original post.

Donny, yes, I could tell listening to the album that it was sort of a collection of stuff, because almost every song on the country side has the band tuned differently. That being said, the sound is very consistant throught out, so it is the same band.

Herb, I don't know who was hanging out with Del Shannon at the Pal, but I'll ask the cats around here.

Thanks for the info, guys

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 19 May 2007 10:45 am

Stephen , since you mentioned Hayden Thompson I´d like to tell you about his latest CD , released early this year here in Finland , distributed by Proper Records in the UK. We recorded it in the finnish countryside with my mobile last August. The best of finnish roots musicians played, I engineered and produced and Hayden sang just beautifully ! It`s a 60-70`s style country album and Hayden himself thinks it`s the best album he`s done ! Here`s a link to some info on the project:

http://www.rockabillyeurope.com/reviews ... ountry.htm

Stephan Franck · Post by **Stephan Franck** » 19 May 2007 11:05 am

Thanks Olli, that's great! I had forgotten how much I like "Drive Me Out Of My Mind". My brother and I used to do that song live all the time back in the days... , although we played it a tad more on the ballad side. It's one of those simple songs that always connect with the live audience, for some reason... Congrats on the album, Hayden sounds great!

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 19 May 2007 11:22 am

Thanks Stephan !
I`d like to add that we really had a ball doing the recordings. Hayden is in fine form: we did 18 songs in 3 days with live vocals with maybe a total of 3 small fixes ! Great singer and a great guy , too. It was an honour to work with him.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 19 May 2007 2:30 pm

I just remembered the guy that used to run with Del Shannon... Brian Hyland. He of "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" fame.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 19 May 2007 3:34 pm

I have a different opinion than my colleague Donny on the quality of Warren Smith's singing...

I respect that, Herb, we all hear with different ears. He had a good voice, and did good stuff. But he was sometimes a little "pitchy", and that's the reason why I wouldn't classify his singing above "average".

"Good" singer, to me? (For that style) Someone like Johnny Bush or Tony Booth.

"Great" singer? (IMHO) Someone like Larry Gatlin, Rex Allen Jr., Gary Morris, John Berry, or John Starnes. You know, those guys who sing so perfectly "on key", it makes everyone else sound flawed.

Stephan Franck · Post by **Stephan Franck** » 12 Jun 2010 9:59 am

Resurrecting this OLD thread -- still looking for that info...

Lee Jeffriess · Post by **Lee Jeffriess** » 12 Jun 2010 2:16 pm

Herb, wasnt Sealed with a kiss, Hyland's big hit?
Dont forget Narvel Felts and Harold Jenkins.
Lee

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 12 Jun 2010 2:25 pm

Lee, I have a hard time remembering stuff from 50 minutes ago, much less 50 years ago. The gray matter is turning white.

But yes, a quickie Wiki-check reveals that BH had a #1 in 1960 with Itsy, and a #3 in 1962 with Sealed.

Haven't heard from ya in a while, my friend. You and the family still living out in the CA hinterlands? And with whom are you picking of late?

Lee Jeffriess · Post by **Lee Jeffriess** » 12 Jun 2010 2:31 pm

I guess I sit corrected, Im in the bay area trying to eek out a living.
Im working on a couple of music projects, its hard finding like minded people that aren't in 10,000 bands.
Whats up with you ?

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 12 Jun 2010 3:13 pm

I'm doing fine, fishing a lot, playing in two bands regularly; a San Antonio country band, which means uber-traditional Price/Faron/Bush/Haggard type stuff, and a swing band w/horn section that does Bob Wills to Bobby Darin, with Merle Haggard and Frank Sinatra as well. Redd Volkaert or Rick McRae (George Strait) on guitar.

And of course, whoever else calls with a gig.

Sorry for the topic hi-jack, Forum - carry on.

The Steel Guitar Forum

Obscure question alert

Obscure question alert

I must disagree with Donny