For audio recordings click on the available > buttons <
> Back 1960-1969 Sun Schedule <
For Biographies of Artists see: > The Sun Biographies <
Playlists of the Artists can
be found on 706 Union Avenue Sessions of > YouTube <
© - 706 UNION AVENUE SESSIONS - ©
JULY 1961
The singles, PI 3569 ''If I Could Change You'' b/w ''I Ain't Got No Home'' by Carl Mann and PI 3570 ''My Greatest Hurt'' b/w ''Nothing Down (99 Years To Pay)'' by Jean Dee issued.
Jerry Lee Lewis plays in Florida and Tennessee.
JULY 1, 1961 SATURDAY
''Buffalo Gun'' debuts in movie theaters. The picture stars Marty Robbins, Webb Pierce and Carl Smith.
Michelle Wright is born in Chatham, Ontario. She nets a Top 10 single in 1992 with ''Take It Like A Man''.
Elvis Presley's friend Red West marries Pat Boyd in Memphis, Tennessee. Presley is to late to the wedding, and Joe Esposito has to fill in as best man.
JULY 2, 1961 SUNDAY
Ernest Hemingway commits suicide.
Acclaimed author Ernest Hemingway dies of a self-inflicted gun shot at his home in Ketchum, Idaho. He's namechecked 44 years later in the Brad Paisley hit ''Alcohol'' and again in Keith Urban's 2015 single, ''John Gougar, John Deere, John 3:16''.
JULY 4, 1961 TUESDAY
''Don't Fence Me In'' songwriter Cole Porter ends an eight-month stay at New York's Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
A semi-private feud becomes public when Carter Stanley tells a crowd in Luray, Virginia, that Flatt and Scruggs refused to play the All Day Bluegrass Festival because The Stanley Brothers and Bill Monroe were there.
Seven-year-old Larry Franklin plays his first fiddle concert. He goes on to become a Nashville studio musician appearing on hits by Shania Twain, Deana Carter, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride and Gretchen Wilson, among others.
JULY 7, 1961 FRIDAY
Kitty Wells recorded ''Day Into Night'' and ''Unloved Unwanted''.
JULY 8, 1961 SATURDAY
Toby Keith is born in Clinton, Oklahoma. The former semi=pro football player emerges in 1993 with ''Should've Been A Cowboy'', becoming a brash hitmaker, label owner and entrepreneur. He also joins the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015.
Ray Charles is arrested in Chicago during a heroin bust. The following year, he connects country and rhythm and blues through the landmark album ''Modern Sounds In Country And Western''.
JULY 9, 1961 SUNDAY
Bluegrass vocalist and bass player Ronnie Bowman is born in North Carolina. After a stint in The Lonesome River Band, he co-writes Brooks and Dunn's country hit ''It's Getting Better All The Time'' and Kenny Chesney's ''Never Wanted Nothing More''.
JULY 10, 1961 MONDAY
Spade Cooley's murder trial, in which he's accused of killing his wife, begins in Kern County, California. He's sentenced to prison the following month.
JULY 11, 1961 TUESDAY
While watching baseball's annual All-Star Game on television, Bill Anderson gets a phone call asking him to join the Grand Ole Opry. Anderson, of course, whispers yes. The National League, meanwhile, beats the American League, 5-4.
Elvis Presley begins filming ''Follow That Dream'' in Crystal River, Florida. During the next month of shooting, he meets an 11-year-old named Tom Petty.
Chet Atkins plays a concert in the rain in Nashville's Centennial Park without telling the audience of 10,000 that very time he touches the guitar, he gets shocked. The closest he comes to letting on is telling the audience ''I'm real brave tonight''.
JULY 12, 1961 WEDNESDAY
Ferlin Husky recorded pop star Wayne King's ''The Waltz You Saved For Me''.
JULY 13, 1961 THURSDAY
Ray Price recorded ''Soft Rain''.
JULY 15, 1961 SATURDAY
Bill Anderson joins the Grand Ole Opry at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.
JULY 17, 1961 MONDAY
More than a month after she was injured in a car accident, Patsy Cline is released from the hospital.
Capitol released Buck Owens' ''Under The Influence Of Love''.
JULY 18, 1961 TUESDAY
Bill Anderson recorded the Fred Rose song ''Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain'' some 14 years before Willie Nelson turns it into a hit.
JULY 19, 1961 WEDNESDAY
Johnny Cash recorded ''Tennessee Flat-Top Box'' in Hollywood at the Columbia Studios.
Faron Young recorded ''Backtrack'' at the Bradley Film and Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee.
JULY 22, 1961 SATURDAY
Patsy Cline comes on stage at the Grand Ole Opry in a wheelchair to assure fans she'll return to performing soon, following her June car accident.
Webb Pierce recorded ''How Do You Talk To A Baby'' and ''Walking The Streets''.
JULY 24, 1961 MONDAY
Capitol released Rose Maddox' ''Conscience, I'm Guilty''.
JULY 27, 1961 THURSDAY
Spade Cooley suffers a heart attack in his holding cell at the Kern County Jail in Bakersfield, California, after his 14-year-old daughter, Melody, testified against him in a trial for the murder of his wife. He is transferred to Kern County General.
JULY 28, 1961 FRIDAY
Columbia released Marty Robbins' ''It's Your World''.
Patsy Cline returns to the concert trail at the Cimarron Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma, six weeks after a serious car accident. Cline uses crutches to make it on stage and sits on a stool for the entire show.
JULY 30, 1961 SUNDAY
Brenda Lee sings the national anthem at the opening of the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. Jack Smith wins the Volunteer 500.
JULY 31, 1961 MONDAY
Capitol released Hank Thompson's ''Hangover Tavern''.
AUGUST 3, 1961 THURSDAY
Mary Carlisle, the mother of Bill and Cliff Carlisle, dies.
AUGUST 4, 1961 FRIDAY
Merle Travis gives away the bride as his daughter, Pat Travis, marries Gene Eatherly.
Spade Cooley, who has already suffered two heart attacks since April, is taken to Bakersfield's Kern County General Hospital, suffering from chest pains. It causes a delay in his trial for the murder of Wife Ella Mae Cooley.
Barack Obama is born in Honolulu, Hawaii. During his presidency, he gets White House visits from Clarley Pride, Dierks Bently and Brad Paisley, whose ''Welcome To The Future'' is inspired by Obama's election.
AUGUST 5, 1961 SATURDAY
Fiddler Mark O'Connor is born in Seattle, Washington. He wins the Country Music Association's Musician of the Year award six times, appearing on more than 450 country recordings, and wins a Grammy for ''Restless''.
Jackie Phelps debuts as a guitarist with Roy Acuff's Smokey Mountain Boys during a show in Altamont, Illinois, remaining with the band for nine years.
Comedian Tim Wilson is born in Columbus, Georgia. In addition to doing stand-up, he co-writes Toby Keith's 2007 hit ''High Maintenance Woman''.
© - 706 UNION AVENUE SESSIONS - ©
STUDIO SESSION FOR BRAD SUGGS
FOR SUN RECORDS 1961
SAM PHILLIPS RECORDING STUDIO
639 MADISON AVENUE, MEMPHIS,
TENNESSEE
SUN SESSION: SUNDAY AUGUST 6, 1961
SESSION HOURS: UNKNOWN
PRODUCER AND
RECORDING ENGINEER – SAM PHILLIPS
AND/OR SCOTTY MOORE OR UNKNOWN
This is Brad Suggs' final opus on Phillips International, released in November 1961. The truth is, it's a pretty damn good record! ''Elephant Walk'' stood a real chance of success in the pop marketplace nearly 40 years ago. There was a 1950s movie by this tittle starring Elizabeth Taylor, and releases bearing this title appeared on RCA in 1959 by the Kings, and in 1963 on Cortland by Donald Jenkins and the Delighters. It will require some deeper archeology to determine whether they are the same elephants.
> ELEPHANT WALK <
Composer: - Brad Suggs-Scotty Moore-Vinnie Trauth
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Hi-Lo Music Incorporated
Matrix number: - P 406 - Master (2:09)
Recorded: - August 6, 1961
Released:
- November 1961
First appearance: - Phillips International (S) 45rpm standard single PI 3571-A mono
ELEPHANT
WALK / LIKE, CATCHIN' UP
Reissued: - 1998 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 15806-3/19 mono
THE
SUN SINGLES COLLECTION - VOLUME 6
''Scotty Moore and I put that thing together'', Brad Suggs recalls. Suggs' minimal five note guitar figure is very catchy and that lord-of-the-jungle french horn provides some real atmosphere. Larry Muhoberac contributes the organ sound and Ace Cannon comes up with a wonderful growling solo he would use again exactly a month later on Harold Dorman's ''Uncle Jonah's Place'' (Sun 370). Nothing like recycling your own best work. If you peel away a few layers here, you can hear the rudiments of the sound the Mar-Keys and Booker T. and the MGs would shortly take to the bank. Not surprisingly, Al Jackson, the stalwart drummer of that group, was the session man here on Suggs' date. He should get an award for his performance on this track and whoever miked his drums should share the award with him. In fact, this whole track sounds more like a Stax record than just about anything issued on Sun or Phillips International.
''Like, Catching Up'' is a perfect flipside. The comma that originally appeared after the word ''Like'' is quite important, because it conveys the hipster phrase associated with jazz. And make no mistake, this was a jazz tune. Sort of a one-take jazz tune at that. The unidentified shrieking chick is good at what she does, which is to scat her way thru some familiar jazz changes. ''I wish I could remember the name of that woman'', Suggs admitted recently (1998). ''I'm pretty sure her first name was Millie. What I do recall is she was very pregnant. Looks like she was due any second. I kept thinking she'd never make it through the take before we'd have to rush her off to the hospital''. If these sides had been recorded in Nashville one would have no hesitation in saying that it was Millie Kirkham (who contributed the wordless echo to on ''My Wish Came True'' and Millie was pregnant on ''Blue Christmas''. These sounds were a long way from the jungle of the flipside, but they did their job – which was to focus everyone's attention on the Elephant.
As noted, this was Brad Suggs's final single. Ten instrumental sides. Can you identify his style? After five or so singles, you knew almost everything you ever needed to know about Perkins, Cash, Presley, Jerry Lee. But, musically speaking, who was Brad Suggs?
> LIKE, CATCHIN' UP <
Composer: - Brad Suggs
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Knox Music Incorporated
Matrix
number: - P 407 - Master (2:03)
Recorded: - August 6, 1961
Released: - November 1961
First appearance: - Phillips International (S) 45rpm standard single PI 3571-B mono
LIKE, CATCHIN' UP / ELEPHANT WALK
Reissued: - 1998 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 15806-3/20 mono
THE SUN SINGLES COLLECTION - VOLUME 6
Name (Or. No. Of Instruments)
Brad Suggs – Guitar
Scotty Moore – Guitar
Larry Muhoberac – Organ & Piano
John
Ace Cannon – Tenor Saxophone
Vinnie Trauth - Saxophone
Al Jackson - Drums
Unknown - High Voices
Brad Suggs' Sun/PI recordings can be heard on his playlists from 706 Union Avenue Sessions on > YouTube <
Tony Rossini's Sun recordings can be heard on his playlists from 706 Union Avenue Sessions on > YouTube <
Memphis Willie B. Bluesville recordings can be heard on his playlists from 706 Union Avenue Sessions on > YouTube <
Memphis Willie B. Bluesville recordings can be heard on his playlists from 706 Union Avenue Sessions on > YouTube <
© - 706 UNION AVENUE SESSIONS -©
STUDIO SESSION FOR MIKKI WILCOX
FOR SUN RECORDS 1961
SAM PHILLIPS RECORDING STUDIO
639 MADISON AVENUE,
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
SUN SESSION: UNKNOWN DATE AUGUST 1961
SESSION HOURS: UNKNOWN
PRODUCER
AND RECORDING ENGINEER - CECIL SCAIFE
AND/OR STAN KESLER
It's time to correct a mistake that has hounded Sun discographers over the years (1998) Contrary to earlierimpressions it now appears certain that Mickey Milan (Phillips International 3533) and Mikki Wilcox, whoperforms these session, are not the same person. Our most obvious error was to include the photo of Wilcox(that appears here) next to the listing for Milan in Sun Single Collection Volume 5. This error, which is alsoreflected in the Escott/Hawkins Sun Records Discography, was prompted in part by the fact that tapes fromthe two singers are stored together in the Sun vaults.
At some point, someone must have stuck everythingtogether after asking, ''What are the odds of having two female singers named Mikki/Mickey record forPhillips International in a short period of time? The answer, unfortunately, was ''Quite High''.
There are two telling pieces of evidence for the ''Two Mikki/Mickey Theory''. The first is, if you look closelyat the inscription on the Wilcox photo, you will see a thank you note to arranger Vinnie Trauth for hisarrangement on her first record.
The message is dated August, 1961. Indeed, Trauth provided thearrangement for this track by Mikki Wilcox which was released on September 1, 1961. If we assume that Ms.Wilcox had her wits about her, she would have remembered whether she already had a September, 1958release on the Phillips International label. If she were the same Mickey/Mikki, she might have thankedVinnie by saying something like ''Tanks for your arrangement on my record. It's s damn sight better than thefirst''.
Forgetting the intrigue surrounding the artist, both sides of this record are actually quite good. The simplestway to describe the sound might be ''LaVerne Baker meets Floyd Cramer''. An odd pairing, to be sure, butstranger things have happened at Sun.
> I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS <
Composer: - Stan Kesler
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Katrina Music
Matrix number: None - Demo - Not Originally Issued (2:19)
Recorded: - Unknown Date August 1961
Released: -
August 2002
First appearance: - Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 16609-4/8 mono
MEMPHIS BELLES - THE WOMEN OF SUN RECORDS
> I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS <
Composer: - Stan Kesler
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Katrina Music
Matrix
number: P 410 - Master (2:25)
Recorded: - Unknown Date August 1961
Released: - September 1, 1961
First appearance: - Phillips International (S) 45rpm standard single PI 3573-A mono
I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS / WILLING AND WAITING
Reissued: - 1998 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 15806-3/23 mono
THE SUN SINGLES COLLECTION - VOLUME 6
For the first time we are also able to hear several of the previously unissued demos left by Wilcox. These reveal het to be a jazz singer who was familar with standards (she ranges from Duke Ellington to Mose Allison) and worked them in a style that would have played well in the clubs and lounges haunted by label-mate Charlie Rich. The contrast between her demo and single release styles is perhaps nowhere more dramatic than on her treatment of ''I Know What It Means''.
> AIN'T
NOTHING BUT THE BLUES <
Composer: - Don George-Duke Ellington
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Warner Chappell Music-Spirit Music Group
Matrix number: - None - Demo - Not Originally Issued (2:53)
Recorded: - Probably August 8-10, 1961
Released:
- August 2002
First appearance: - Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 16609-5/2 mono
MEMPHIS BELLES - THE WOMEN OF SUN RECORDS
Reissued: - 2020 Sun Entertainment Corporation Internet Spotify-9 mono
JAZZ ON SUN - RARE TREASURES FROM THE SUN RECORDS ARCHIVES
> ALL RIGHT, OKAY YOU WIN <
Composer: - Sid Wyche-Mayme Watts
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Peer Music Publishing
Matrix number: - None - Demo
- Not Originally Issued (2:42)
Recorded: - Probably August 8-10, 1961
Released: - August 2002
First
appearance: - Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 16609-5/16 mono
MEMPHIS BELLES - THE WOMEN OF SUN RECORDS
Reissued: - 2020 Sun Entertainment
Corporation Internet Spotify-6 mono
JAZZ ON SUN - RARE TREASURES FROM THE SUN RECORDS ARCHIVES
> DON'T WORRY 'BOUT ME <
Composer:
- Unknown
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Copyright Control
Matrix number: - None - Demo - Not Originally Issued
(2:28)
Recorded: - Probably August 8-10, 1961
Released: - 2020
First appearance: - Sun Entertainment Corporation Internet Spotify-20 mono
JAZZ ON SUN - RARE TREASURES FROM THE SUN RECORDS ARCHIVES
HE WAS GOOD TO ME
Composer: - Unknown
Publisher:
- Copyright Control
Matrix number: - None - Demo - Sun Unissued
Recorded: - Probably August 8-10, 1961
> I CAN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE <
Composer: - Unknown
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Copyright Control
Matrix number: - None - Demo - Not Originally
Issued
Recorded: - Probably August 8-10, 1961
Released: - 2020
First appearance:
- Sun Entertainment Corporation Internet Spotify-1 mono
JAZZ ON SUN - RARE TREASURES FROM THE SUN RECORDS ARCHIVES
IT
MEANS SO LITTLE TO YOU
Composer: - Unknown
Publisher: - Copyright Control
Matrix number: - None - Demo - Sun Unissued
Recorded: - Probably August 8-10, 1961
> IT'S A SIN TO TELL A LIE <
Composer:
-Billy Mayhew
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Warner Chappell Music
Matrix number: - None - Demo - Not Originally Issued (1:55)
Recorded: - Probably August 8-10, 1961
Released: - August 2002
First appearance: - Bear Family Records (CD)
500/200rpm BCD 16609-5/12 mono
MEMPHIS BELLES - THE WOMEN OF SUN RECORDS
> MY BLUE HEAVEN <
Composer: - George Whiting; Walter Donaldson
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Sony/ATV Music
Publishing LLC
Matrix number: - None - Demo - Not Originally Issued (2:16)
Recorded: - Probably August 8-10, 1961
Released: - August 2002
First appearance: - Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 16609-5/5 mono
MEMPHIS
BELLES - THE WOMEN OF SUN RECORDS
Reissued: - 2020 Sun Entertainment Corporation Internet Spotify-16 mono
JAZZ ON SUN - RARE TREASURES FROM
THE SUN RECORDS ARCHIVES
Reissued: 2021 Sun Entertainment Corporation Internet Spotify-25 mono
ANGELS AND DEVILS - SONGS OF GOOD AND EVIL
FROM THE SUN RECORDS
> SENTIMENTAL
JOURNEY <
Composer: - Bud Green-Benjamin Homer-Les Brown
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Warner Chappell Music
Matrix number: - None - Demo - Not Originally Issued (2:16)
Recorded: - Probably August 8-10, 1961
Released:
- August 2002
First appearance: - Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 16609-5/9 mono
MEMPHIS BELLES - THE WOMEN OF SUN RECORDS
> SO MANY BEAUTIFUL MEN <
Composer: - E.G. White-Kitty White
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Cherio Music
Matrix number: - None - Demo
- Not Originally Issued (2:36)
Recorded: - Probably August 8-10, 1961
Released: - August 2002
First
appearance: - Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 16609-5/18 mono
MEMPHIS BELLES - THE WOMEN OF SUN RECORDS
> THIS LOVE OF MINE <
Composer: -Unknown
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Copyright Control
Matrix number: - None - Demo - Not Originally Issued (1:56)
Recorded:
- Probably August 8-10, 1961
Released: - 2020
First appearance: - 2020 Sun Entertainment Corporation Internet Spotify-13 mono
JAZZ ON SUN - RARE TREASURES FROM THE SUN RECORDS ARCHIVES
> WHERE ARE YOU <
Composer: - Harold Adamson-Jimmy McHugh
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Clear Box Advange
Matrix number: - None - Demo - Not Originally Issued (2:34)
Recorded: - Probably August 8-10, 1961
Released:
- August 2002
First appearance: - Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 16609-5/22 mono
MEMPHIS BELLES - THE WOMEN OF SUN RECORDS
Name (Or. No. Of Instruments)
Mikki Wilcox - Vocal and Guitar
Mikki Wilcox's Sun/PI recordings can be heard on her playlistsfrom 706 Union Avenue Sessions on > YouTube <
Don Hosea's Sun recordings can be heard on his playlistsfrom 706 Union Avenue Sessions on > YouTube <
© - 706 UNION AVENUE SESSIONS - ©
STUDIO SESSION
FOR FREDDIE NORTH
UNKNOWN DATE AND STUDIO LOCATION
PROBABLY SAM PHILLIPS
RECORDING STUDIO
639 MADISON AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
SUN SESSION: UNKNOWN DATE / PROBABLY AUGUST 1961
SESSION HOURS: UNKNOWN
PRODUCER AND RECORDING ENGINEER – UNKNOWN
> SOMEDAY SHE'LL COME ALONG <
Composer:
- Rick Hall
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Fame Music – Knox Music Incorporated
Matrix number: P 413 - Master
(2:22)
Recorded: - Unknown Date August 1961
Released: - October 16, 1961
First appearance: - Phillips International (S) 45rpm standard single PI 3574-B mono
SOMEDAY SHE'LL COME ALONG / DON'T MAKE ME CRY
Reissued: - 1998 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 15806-4/1 mono
THE SUN SINGLES COLLECTION - VOLUME 6
This October 16, 1961 release is quite a stylistic departure from much of the Phillips International release schedule. ''Someday She'll Come Along'' is performed in a dramatic, quasi-bolero style popularized by Roy Orbison's records of the day (''Running Scared'', ''Crying''). There is a tremendous intimacy to North's performance, reflected in both his warm style and the manner in which it is recorded. It's likely that he did a lot of listening to Brook Benton and, going back a few years, it wouldn't be surprising to learn that Roy Hamilton was a hero. North's voice and indeed, this material recall inspirational classics like ''You'll Never Walk Alone''. Indeed it wouldn't have been surprising if the opening lines of this record had been ''Oh, my love...'' as North launched into his own version of ''Unchained Melody''.
The next side reveals that there is more to North than overwrought intensity. ''Don't Make Me Cry'' reveals a tough of Jackie Wilson and when that falsetto kicks in, it's hard not to think about Jimmy Jones. In fact, the opening notes of the falsetto section are a nearly direct quote from Maurice Williams' ''Stay'' (''Oh won't tou Sta – yay''). Perhaps it is fair to say that Freddie North was simply a composite of the most effective black music style of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He could do them all and managed to roll most of them into this record.
> DON'T MAKE ME CRY <
Composer: - Ray Stevens
Publisher: - B.M.I.
- Bill Lowery Music
Matrix number: - P 412 - Master (2:00)
Recorded: - Unknown Date August 1961
Released: - October 16, 1961
First appearance: - Phillips International (S) 45rpm standard single PI 3574-A mono
DON'T MAKE ME CRY / SOMEDAY SHE'LL COME ALONG
Reissued: - 1998 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 15806-4/1 mono
THE SUN SINGLES COLLECTION - VOLUME 6
BLUE SKIES
Composer: - Irving Berlin
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Sony ATC Music Publishers
Matrix
number: - None - Not Originally Issued (1:50)
Recorded: - Unknown Date August 1961
Released: May 29, 2012
First appearance: - Music Group (MP3) Internet Sample mono
SUN RECORDS - DOO WOP
Name (Or. No. Of Instruments)
Freddie North - Vocal
More Details Unknown
For Biography of Freddie North see: > The Sun Biographies <
Freddie North's Sun/PI recordings can be heard on his playlists
from 706 Union Avenue Sessions on > YouTube <
© - 706 UNION AVENUE SESSIONS - ©
UNTOLD SUN STORIES – FREDDIE NORTH – was a Nashville rhythm and blues singer, born as Freddie Carpenter on May 28, 1939 in Nashville, Tennessee. His father was a gospel singer, and by the time North entered Cameron High School in the mid-1950s, he had a good idea that he wanted to be a singer.
He was in a group called the Rookies, and told the 'Nashville Tennessean' in 1972 that they made a record for Federal, although the King/Federal files tell a different story.
''I got out of high school in 1957'', North reported, ''and a little while after that I made a record on my way for University Records on a deal Buddy Killen set up for me I on American Bandstand in January of 1960 but wound up not selling, so the University deal fell through''.
It was after parting company from University that North did his solitary session for Phillips (a session that could well have been purchased or leased as this was the time when Phillips was dabbling in leased Nashville productions). After Phillips, North signed with Capitol Records, all the while working as a singing waiter at Executive Club at 17th Avenue and Broadway in Nashville, and recording country and rhythm and blues demos. ''Half the recording companies in Nashville could release albums on me from the demos they've got'', North said in 1972. After Capitol deal fell through, North continued to work at local clubs, and was holding down a regular gig at the Modern Era Club in west Nashville when he joined Nashboro/Excello, first as a stockroom clerk, then as a promo man, and then as a recording artist.
''After I came to Nashboro'', North told 'The Tennessean', ''I did some more recordings. I guess I had a release out about once a year. We just never could seem to get the right combination of songs or arrangement. In 1970 I did a thing called ''Thank That Woman'' which sold a few copies''.
After the experience as a disc jockey at WLAC-Nashville and in promotion for Nashboro Records, who released gospel music. Then in 1971, he recorded ''She's All Got'', a song that had been written by Jerry Williams (''Swamp Dogg'') and Gary U.S. Bond. It reached number 10 on the Rhythm And Blues charts, and was promptly covered for the country market by Johnny Paycheck, who took it to number 2. Freddie North released an album, Friend, on Mankind Records (U.S. Number 179, U.S. Black Albums number 41). The disc yielded two hit singles, "She's All I Got" (U.S. Number 39, U.S. Black Singles number 10) and "You and Me Together Forever". Freddie North remains a one-hit wonder.
By this point, North had decided to quit the performing end of the business to concentrate on his desk job at Nashboro, but the success of ''All I Got'' persuaded him to hang in a little longer. Some of his recordings for Excello's affiliated labels have been made available on Ace, although North's current whereabouts are something of a mystery.
© - 706 UNION AVENUE SESSIONS - ©
STUDIO SESSION FOR BOBBY WOOD
FOR SUN RECORDS 1961
SAM PHILLIPS RECORDING STUDIO
639 MADISON AVENUE, MEMPHIS,
TENNESSEE
SUN SESSION: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 1961
SESSION HOURS: UNKNOWN
PRODUCER
AND RECORDING ENGINEER – STAN KESLER
> HUMAN EMOTIONS <
Composer: - Stacy Davidson
Publisher:
- B.M.I. - Katrina Music
Matrix number: - U 458 - Master - Commercially Unissued (2:37)
Recorded: - September
15, 1961
Released: - October 9, 1961
First appearance: - Sun Records (S) 45rpm standard single Sun 369-A mono
HUMAN EMOTIONS / EVERYBODY'S SEARCHING
Reissued: - 1997 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 15804-4/5 mono
THE SUN SINGLES COLLECTION - VOLUME 4
Session pianist Bobby Wood recorded these sides in September 1961. ''Everybody's Searching'' is from the tradition of white gospel songs that have been crafted for the pop marketplace. The release on this particular outing borrows heavily from Stephen Foster's ''Old Folks At Home''. Sun had its share of entries in this field, ranging from Ray Smith's ''Hay Boss Man'' to Charlie Rich's ''Gonna be Waitin'''.
Like both of those tunes, this opus features plenty of 1-4-1 chord changes and a happy pointedly shrill chorus echoing the lyrics. True to form there is no mention of a deity here. It's one thing to bring the church to the juke box; it's quite another to ask God to sit in a Wurlitzer.
Music like this is usually pretty watered down for pop sensibilities, but Bobby Wood brings even less of an edge to his approach than most of the vocalists who tackle such material. He fares even worse on the flipside. There is a theory that one can guess simply from the title of a song how likeable the music will be. It isn't a perfect system but titles like ''Honky Tonk Blues'' or ''Down The Line'' bode well. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine that a Sun record called ''Human Emotions'' would come to much. The theory has never looked better.
For reasons probably unconnected with music, this single was never commercially released. It was a Stan Kesler production, and Wood believes that Stan had him under contract to another label at the time. In 1964, Wood finally scored a hit on Joy Records, and one of the follow-ups was yet another version of ''Human Emotions''. In October 1964, Wood was on tour with Gene Simmons, Murray Kellum, Travis Wammack and J. Frank Wilson when he was involved in a car wreck that cost him an eye. Wilson was badly injured and his road manager was killed. By the late 1960s, Wood had drifted into session work and can be heard on Elvis Presley's ''From Elvis In Memphis'' and ''Raised On Rock'' sessions among many others. He than made the familiar pilgrimage to Nashville and has worked on literally thousands of sessions since.
Composer: - Stacy Davidson
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Katrina Music
Matrix number: - U 457 - Master - Commercially Unissued (2:13)
Recorded: - September 15, 1961
Released: - October 9, 1961
First appearance: - Sun Records (S) 45rpm standard single > Sun 369-B < mono
EVERYBODY'S SEARCHING / HUMAN EMOTIONS
Reissued: - 1997 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 15804-4/6 mono
THE SUN SINGLES COLLECTION - VOLUME 4
Name
(Or. No. Of Instruments)
Bobby Wood - Vocal and Piano
Scotty Moore - Guitar
Elbert Aldair - Guitar
Billy Wood - Bass
Eugene Keller
- Drums
Johnny Ace Cannon - Saxophone
Unknown Chorus
A regular Sun release of this record has yet to surface. Apparently it was withdrawn from marketing due to a contractual dispute. The side, ''Everybody's Searchin'', was released on at least two different labels. The Pen label is the most interesting, because it has been produced at the same pressing plant as Sun was using at the time, and has indeed Phillips' stamped in the vinyl trailoff. The GA Challenge promo and commercial issues are from different stampers and has slightly different playing time.
THE DAY AFTER FOREVER
Composer: - Bobby Wood-Stan Kesler
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Beckie Music
Matrix
number: - None - Demo Take 1 - Unissued (2:06)
Recorded: - Probably September 15, 1961
THE
DAY AFTER FOREVER
Composer: - Stan Kesler
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Beckie Music
Matrix number: - 45-860 - Take 2 Master Long Version (2:31)
Recorded: - Probably September 15, 1961
Released: - August 1962 - Promotional Copy
First appearance: Challenge Records (S) 45rpm standard single 9160-B mono
EVERYBODY'S SEARCHIN'/THE DAY AFTER FOREVER
WHO AM I
Composer: - Charles ''Rusty'' Goodman
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Beckie Music
Matrix
number: - None - Unissued
Recorded: - Probably September 15, 1961
For Biography
of Bobby Wood see: > The Sun Biographies <
Bobby Wood's Sun recordings can be heard on his playlists from 706 Union Avenue Sessions on > YouTube <
© - 706 UNION AVENUE SESSIONS - ©
SEPTEMBER 16, 1961 SATURDAY
Hank Locklin recorded ''happy Journey'' at Nashville's RCA Studio B.
SEPTEMBER 17, 1961 SUNDAY
Charlie Walker organizes a benefit concert in San Antonio for Jimmie Rosgers' ailing widow. Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Hawkshaw Hawkins, The Wilburn Brothers, Johnny Cash, Jimmy C. Newman and Bill Anderson help raise $6,000.
SEPTEMBER 20, 1961 WEDNESDAY
Karl Farr, of the Sons Of The Pioneers, dies of a heart attack on stage at the Eastern Exposition Coliseum in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Known for ''Tumbling Tumbleweeds'', the western harmony group later joins the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Tex Ritter stars in his first theatrical production in almost three decades. ''The Stovepipe Hat'', as it opens at the Music Box Theater in Los Angeles, California. The show closes three nights later.
SEPTEMBER 21, 1961 THURSDAY
Porter Wagoner recorded ''Misery Loves Company'' at RCA Studio B in Nashville during an afternoon session.
The landing gear fails on an airplane carrying Rose Maddox to Boston's Logan Airport. The plane spins into Boston Harbor, only one passenger dies.
Charlie Phillips recorded his only hit, ''I Guess I'll Never Learn''.
Harold Dorman's Sun recordings can be heard on his playlists from 706 Union Avenue Sessions on > YouTube <
"Money (That's What I Want)" is a song written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy Jr. and Janie Bradford that became the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise. The song was recorded in 1959 by Barrett Strong for the Tamla label, distributed nationally on Anna Records. It went on to be covered by many artists, including the Beatles in 1963 and the Flying Lizards in 1979.
The song was originally recorded by Barrett Strong and released on Tamla in August 1959. Anna Records was operated by Gwen Gordy, Anna Gordy and Roquel "Billy" Davis. Gwen and Anna's brother Berry Gordy had just established his Tamla label (soon Motown would follow) and licensed the song to the Anna label in 1960, which was distributed nationwide by Chicago-based Chess Records in order to meet demand; the Tamla record was a resounding success in the Midwest. The song has Strong curtly insisting that money is what he needs, more than anything else.
In the US, the single became Motown's first hit in June 1960, making it to number 2 on the Hot Rhythm and Blues Sides chart and number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was listed as number 288 on Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time''. Greil Marcus has pointed out that "Money" was the only song that brought Strong's name near the top of the national music charts, "but that one time has kept him on the radio all his life''. Piano and lead vocals were supplied by Barrett. Guitar on the track was played by Eugene Grew. Virtually all of the records issued were 45's, the 10" 78 format, issued by Anna, is described as "extremely rare''.
Singer Barrett Strong claims that he co-wrote the song with Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford. His name was removed from the copyright registration three years after the song was written, restored in 1987 when the copyright was renewed, and then excised again the following year. Gordy has stated that Strong's name was only included because of a clerical error.
Jerry Lee Lewis recorded in September 1961 ''Money'' for his Sun single (Sun 371), backed with ''Bonnie B'' and released on November 21, 1961, but didn't the charts. Even the Beatles recorded "Money" in seven takes on July 18, 1963, with their usual lineup. A series of piano overdubs was later added by producer George Martin. The song was released in November 1963 as the final track on their second UK album, ''With The Beatles''. According to George Harrison, the group discovered Strong's version in Brian Epstein's NEMS record store (though not a hit in the UK, it had been issued on London Records in 1960). They had previously performed it during their audition at Decca Records on January 1, 1962, with Pete Best still on drums at the time. They also recorded it six times for BBC radio. A live version, taped at a concert date in Stockholm, Sweden in October 1963, was included on ''Anthology 1''.
In July 1979 British band the Flying Lizards released a new wave version of the song. An unexpected hit, this version peaked at number 5 in the UK chart and at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also peaked at number 22 on the US dance charts.
The song has been covered by many artists, with several of the versions appearing in a variety of charts. For example, the Kingsmen reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 6 in the US Rhythm and Blues charts in 1964. Jennell Hawkins hit number 17 in the Rhythm and Blues charts with her recording in 1962. Junior Walker and The All Stars reached number 52 on the Hot 100 and number 35 on the Rhythm and Blues charts in 1966 and Bern Elliott and the Fenmen reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1963.
The song was a staple for British beat bands, including the Searchers, the Undertakers, Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes and the Rolling Stones. It was also covered by Freddie and the Dreamers and John Lee Hooker. The song was covered during live performances by the Doors and appears twice on their 2009 released album ''Live In New York'', which covers four sets from January 1970. It also appears on their live album Live in Vancouver 1970 and the bootleg album ''Boot Yer Butt: The Doors Bootlegs''.
Jerry Lee Lewis' Sun recordings can be heard on his playlists from 706 Union Avenue Sessions on > YouTube <
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