The Legends of the Rocking Dutchman - episode 160

Obscure labels

This transcript of the radio show is an approximation of what I said in the show. The real spoken parts may differ slightly.

And for today for some of the smallest and most obscure record labels of the late forties and early fifties from all over the country. I didn't make it very easy on myself as this stuff is really ultra-rare and very hard to find. And I wanna start with a few of the Theron label from Chicago. I'm gonna tell you more about this tiny label after the music as it is well-documented like a lot of the postwar Chicago Rhythm & Blues scene, thanks to the efforts of the Red Saunders Research Foundation, a group of very knowledgeable people.

The next instrumental is saxophonist Leon Washington, and he was part of the line-up of the band of Red Saunders who frequently played the famous Club DeLisa in the Windy City and he'd been in the business for some twenty years when this was recorded. Here he leads his own outfit that had Mac Easton on the baritone sax, Earl Washington - not related - he's on the piano, James Richardson on bass and then drummer Al Williams. On Theron 105, Leon Washington with the Forward Blow.

01 - Leon Washington - Forward Blow (Theron 105)
02 - Ebony Moods - I've Got News For You (Theron 108)

The female led vocal group Ebony Moods, with a somewhat old-fashioned style for the mid-fifties when this was released. I've Got News For You and the alto lead is likely to be some Louise Baker but her name doesn't make a stir in the history of Chicago's Rhythm & Blues. Further personnel unknown but the instrumental backing, that has pianist Earl Washington in it. Billboard Magazine was pretty positive about it and the review says "mixed group does a relaxed appealing performance. Gal Singer, who carries the lead, has quality." I guess they're right, this is a nice gem - but it didn't sell.

Theron records was started in 1952 by Connie Toole and he used to work for railroad companies. He named his label after his son Theron. The Red Saunders Research Foundation has traced 13 issues of the label with considerable gaps in the numbering and several unissued titles. Toole closed the struggling business in '56 but he remained active in music until the early sixties.

The Theron label rode well on the waves of the mid-fifties Mambo craze. The flip of this one was a mambo song, and in the background you hear the other side of the first record I played, Leon Washington with the Blue Mambo. Next is another mambo-styled vocal, the Sheppards, backed up by Leon and Earl Washington - the Sheppards with the Cool Mambo. And I end my little series on the Theron label with another vocal group, the Marvellos with You're The Dream. But first the Sheppards.

03 - Sheppards - Cool Mambo (Theron 112)
04 - Marvellos - You're The Dream (Theron 117)

(jingle)

05 - Four Flames - Strange Land Blues (Spin 101)
06 - Preston Love - Kissin' Boogie (Spin 102)

The two only releases of the Spin label, you heard the Strange Land Blues of the Four Flames and that rock 'n roll like song was the Kissing Boogie of Preston Love's orchestra with that female lead - well I couldn't find out who that was. Both were from 1952 - in the fall of that year saxophonist, songwriter and band leader Preston Love teamed up with Otis Rene, the brother of Leon Rene who'd owned the succesful Exclusive label in the mid-forties - the label that had issued the million-selling Honeydripper of Joe Liggins.

Why Spin never made it to more than two releases will probably lost to history. But more than these two never saw daylight.

Next another very obscure label named Asa. It was started in New York by Arthur Seger and the seven releases on it all have the band of pianist Freddy Washington, with various vocalists and on this one, issue number 1002, that is a singer named Cousin Ida. Of the seven issues that are known for this label, I managed to track down only this one, someone who posted his rare 78 on Youtube, and that tells for how rare this stuff is. Here is Cousin Ida backed by Freddy Washington and his band with A Rough And Ready Man.

07 - Cousin Ida - A Rough And Ready Man (Asa 1002)
08 - Bob Kent - Korea (Par 1303)

On the Par label Bob Kent with Korea. The Par label was someway affiliated with the Prestige label of New York and it's got some six releases numbered 1301 to 1306. Greatest names on the label are Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry but the four sides that they did for this tiny label don't appear on the many compilation albums that are done for these two bluesmen.

Also from the Big Apple is the Melford label that was in operation between late '49 and the end of 1950. From their catalog of, again, ultra-rare stuff, here is the only small local hit of the label - Johnny Sparrow with the Sparrow's Flight.

09 - Johnny Sparrow - Sparrow's Flight (Melford 253)
10 - Al Hibbler - After The Lights Go Down Low (Original 1006)

After The Lights Go Down Low of Al Hibbler and with that we got by far the greatest asset of the Original label. Hibbler had made fame as the vocalist in Duke Ellington's orchestra but in 1951 he quit the Duke after a dispute on his salary. His career got a new high when he joined the roster of Decca with a remake of this song and his famous Unchained Melody. Hibbler rather fit pop songs than Rhythm & Blues or jazz.

Now this version on the Original label never made any noise and that shows off the difference between a struggling indie and an established major record label. The Original label also featured Pauline Rogers, who had a moderate hit in 1955 with I'm Just A Woman.

Next on the Ballad label, vocal group the Swans with It's A Must.

11 - Swans - It's A Must (Ballad 1003)
12 - Fred Green & The Mellards - You Can't Keep Love (Ballad 1012)

Fred Green and the Mellards with this uptempo doowop song and what's pretty special in it is that the bass player took the bow out of the case of his instrument and fiddled it. You don't hear that too often - most bassmen left it unused.

The label - Ballad - was a St. Louis operation of Oscar Washington and that is the fourth time I have a man with that last name in this show - earlier I had the unrelated musicians Leon and Earl Washington and my one record of the Asa label featured pianist Freddy Washington. Must be conincidence.

The label started in 1953 and ceased operation two years later but it got a brief comeback in '58.

Here's another one of the Mellards on the same label. Listen to Love Me Crazy Baby.

13 - Fred Green & The Mellards - Love Me Crazy Baby (Ballad 1016)
14 - Zuzu Bollin - Why Don't You Eat Where You Slept Last Night (Torch 6910)

On the obscure Torch label from 1952 bluesman Zuzu Bollin - Why Don't You Eat Where You Slept Last Night. There are only two known issues of this label from Dallas, TX and both are by this bluesman. Pretty special is the print of the label - it's a three-color print and you don't see that often in the early fifties.

Again, there's hardly anything that's documented about this label that was owned by Bob Sutton. Bollin had his only four releases on this label, but he was rediscovered in 1987 and he recorded an album in '89 - one year before he died.

The instrumental backing on both Bollin's records are of famed musicians. On the one I just played we have saxophonists David "Fathead" Newman and Leroy Cooper, both would later be part of the band of Ray Charles. And on the next one it's Jimmy McCracklin's band backing him. Here is Zuzu Bollin with Stavin' Chain.

15 - Zuzu Bollin - Stavin' Chain (Torch 6912)
16 - Danny 'Run Joe' Taylor - Coffee Daddy Blues (Wheeler 105)
17 - Mercy Dee - Evil and Hanky (Spire 102)

Recorded in 1949 in Fresno, CA that was Mercy Dee with Evil and Hanky on the Spire label, an absolutely obscure label owned by Chester Lew. There's just three records known of this attempt to get into the recording business.

Before that you got the Coffee Daddy Blues of Danny "Run Joe" Taylor on number 105 of the New York based Wheeler label owned by Harriet Wheeler. The web page that I got this info from, lists four records but there may have been six. Basis of today's episode of the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman, where I showcased some very obscure record labels, is the website of J.C. Marion, some forgotten pages on Earthlink.net, yes listeners that still exisits.

I'm always on the lookout for rare and unknown stuff to bring to you and if you like that, or if you have anything to comment on my show, please let me know and drop me a line at rockingdutchman@rocketmail.com. Of course all the info that I got you today is on my web site, just search the web for the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman and it will show up first. For today's story look up show number 160 in that long list of shows that I done already.

For now time's up so have a rocking day. See you next time for another shot of Rhythm & Blues here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman!