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Last Night I Heard Somebody Cry

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Sue Thompson


Mercury Records

1952


Song penned by W.C. "Red" Wortham.  The other side has been posted HERE

 A former jazz guitar player from the 1930s, bandleader and songwriter in the late 40s, Red Wortham married country singer Tabby West and migrated into production and music publishing.  Mr. Wortham is perhaps best known for his association with label Bullet Records and with Johnnie Bragg and the Prisonaires, who had a hit in the 1950s called "Just Walkin' in the Rain."

Bullet Records and Sur-Speed Records imprints were just two of the independent "custom labels" that Wortham established in Nashville (others included the Avenue, Silver City, Slam, Viking, and Gold Mine labels).

 He passed away December 31. 2002 in Bon Aqua. TN..



Shot Gun Boogie

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 Rosemary Clooney

Shot Gun Boogie

Columbia Records
 1951

Tennessee Ernie Ford cover recorded in New York, January 27,1951 :   Rosemary Clooney: Vocal; Mitch Miller: Leader; Mundell Lowe: Guitar; Robert Haggart: Bass; Terry Snyder: Drums; Buddy Weed: Piano; Budd Johnson: Trumpet



Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002).   Born in Maysville, Kentucky. Along with her sister Betty and brother Nick, Clooney was shuttled between her alcoholic father and her mother who traveled constantly.   Eventually, the two daughters moved to Cincinnati when Rosemary was 13.  After collecting soda bottles for money to survive, the two sisters successfully auditioned for a spot on Cincinnati's WLW Radio in 1945.   Clooney's record, "Come On-a-My House," became a big hit in 1951. It also started her career as a star and headliner.



Mighty Ernie holding the Capitol Tower in Hollywood


Dry Bones

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La Cille Watkins' All City Chorus


(Watkins & Bell Arrangement)

Cecil Records
314 Norfolk Street, Newark, N.J.

1954


 Also issued on Jaguar #202
Billboard ad, April 24, 1954


Born in Newark (New Jersey) in 1923, La Cille Christine Watkins started her musical career as a gospel and opera singer.  In 1954, according to Jet Magazine, she became a night club entertainer. She was singing the blues in five different languages.  (Jet April 1, 1954).

 Her long time partner in songwriting and music was Wilbur Bell (her husband?) who also recorded as Johnny Bell (Cecil and Fleetwood Records).

Toegether, they recorded spirituals as by the Watkins-Bell Singers for Bandwagon Records (and Arlington, its folk and race subisidary) in the late forties.   LaCille Watkins had also at least two releases under her own name.  The first on Jaguar Records backed by the Volumes. The second on Kapp, backed by the Belltones.

 Songs they penned together have been recorded, among others, by Marie Knight ("  Up In My Heavenly Home", Decca, 1949),  Earl Connelly King  : "Nothin'  ", King 5038 (57),  Annie Laurie : Please, Honey, Don't Go (Deluxe 6135),  Kenny And Moe (The Blues Boys) :  Yes I Will (Deluxe 6139) and John Lester And Mellow-Queens : "Getting Nearer  " (C&M, 1959)

   



La Cille Watkins & the Belltones




That's What I Want You To Do

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Strawn-Davidson
Shelter Music BMI

Choice 850
1957

 Leroy Davidson, his wife Millie and Harold Hassler, 1971
 

Choice Records, offshoot of One Stop Phono Records, a record distributing chain located in Kansas City owned by Leroy Davidson, was active between 1956 and 1958.

In 1960, Davidson launched a new label, R label.  The initial disking by Zig Dillon and Frank (Shake Aplenty) Frazier were recorded with the aid of Sam Phillips and Scotty Moore, of the Sun Records organization, and "both men will continue to aid in the recording of R label artists".  (Billboard July 18, 1960)



Leave My Sideburns Be

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Steve Schickel
with Carmen Dello's Orchestra

Moore-Brinks-Bruno 
Discovery Music Pub. BMI 

Mercury

Rel. Nov. 5, 1956



Steve Schickel was record editor for The Chicago Tribune, deejay for three years on WGN, free-lance promotion man, music and Billboard coin reporter ,  Mercury public-relations director (1960-1962) and WGN newsman from 1962

Band leader Carmen DelGiudice, known professionally as Carmen Dello, was a clarinet player, arranger, composer, band leader and teacher in Chicago for more than 50 years. He died in 1991.


I'll Be There

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Johnny and Barb


Lene-Zeigler, Lud Music Corp. BMI

Radio-1

1958


This is Johnny Arvin Zeigler and Barbara Butsch.  Johnny and Barbara had been both members of the Ohio Epsilon Chapter at the University of Cincinnati in the early fifties. In 1957, as members of a vocal quartet named Invitations they recorded "Love Song To My Girl, / Next Date" (Bobby Records, 1957). 

As Johnny Arvin, Johnny A. Zeigler recorded  "Statues And Baby Shoes" / "Just Looking At You" for Podge Records  in 1958. 

As Johnnie Arvin, he also recorded some covers of hits of the day (such as "White Sport Coat")  for Big 4 Hits, one offshoot budget label of Rite Records and wrote most of the songs issued on a Design Records LP by a Calypso night club act named King Streak and the Four Princes (Design Records #33, also issued on Gateway Records in a 3-EP series)

Co-writer of "I'll Be There" is Will Lene (or Lenay), one of Cincinnati’s top platter spinners (and also owner of 70% of the Lud Music Corporation.  

Hey copyright holder(s)!  There is some money due to you [ $182.89 exactly ], according to the National Unclaimed Money Database.

Caldonia

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John Bufano

Caldonia
Fleecie Moore
Campbell Music Inc. BMI
Arranged and conducted by Danny Hurd

Darlan Records

1958

"Caldonia (What Makes Your Big Head So Hard?)" was first recorded in 1945 by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five.



The writing of the song is credited to Jordan's wife of the time, Fleecie Moore.  However, in all probability it was actually written by Jordan, who used his wife's name to enable him to work with an additional music publisher.  Jordan later said :-"Fleecie Moore's name is on it, but she didn't have anything to do with it. That was my wife at the time, and we put it in her name. She didn't know nothin' about no music at all. Her name is on this song and that song, and she's still getting money."  However, by the time of that quote, Jordan and Moore had divorced after a number of arguments in which she had stabbed him with a knife.    Wikipedia


Pianist, arranger and musical director, Danny Hurd was born in Fitchburg, Mass., he began piano lessons at the age of eight, soon took up the violin, trumpet and banjo, and later learned to play the saxophone and trombone on his own. After landing a fulltime job with a local band, the Dick Langley Quintet, he began studying with Sam Saxe and gradually had the opportunity to write arrangements for Ella Fitzgerald, John Kirby and Vaughan Monroe. He later worked with Red Nichols, joining him in performance, and with such musicians as Hal McIntyre, Claude Thornhill, Jimmy Dorsey, Peggy Lee, Patti Paige, Connie Stevens and Maxine Sullivan.

Mr. Hurd was the musical director and arranger for Liza Minnelli’s and Chita Rivera’s first nightclub acts in the 1960s. He was a musical director for the productions of Hair, Golden Boy, How to Succeed in Business, among other shows. He was dance arranger for such television shows as The Perry Como Show, Dick van Dyke and the Other Woman, the Jerry Lewis Comedy Hour and The Jimmy Dean Show. In the mid-’80s he formed the Danny Hurd Jazzplus Quartet.

He died on January 2, 2001. He was 82.

Let’s Get Acquainted

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The Coronados
(Ruben-Anita-Steve)

  Ray Stanley, Simon House Inc. BMI

Vik Records

1956




Anita, Rubin and Steven Ortiz (The Coronados), a sister and brothers group from New Mexico, had a TV show circa 1950 called "The Ortiz Trio Show".   They recorded quite extensively for Decca (as The Ortiz Trio) and, as The Coronados, for Vik, United Artists, Columbia, Peerless, Columbus, RCA Victor, 4 Corners, Jubilee and probably more.

Their father, also known as Tamborin the Great Clown, operated a family circus named La Compania Hermanos Ortiz :

La Compania Hermanos Ortiz presented trapeze, wire walking, fire eating, juggling, singing, dramatic excerpts, and comic skits.  José's wife, Florinda sang rhythm and blues, and served as straight man to her husband's comedy.  The children, Reuben, Steve, Gloria, Anita and Juanita, were also performers.  In Taos, the tent was set up in an empty lot near the Plaza.  On night as they performed, charges were brought against Tamborin because he apparently had made a woman laugh so hard she had a heart attack and died.





 
Ray Stanley version



Lonely Week Ends

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Durwood Currie

Lonely Week Ends
C.A. Rich
Hi-Lo BMI

TNT Productions
205 South Wilmington St. , Raleigh, N.C.

Late Sixties


Obscure obscure Charlie Rich cover pressed in Cincinnati by King Records.  No info on Durwood Currie or on TNT Productions whatsoever ...
 

Ramshakle Daddy

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Bill HAYES
With Don COSTA'S ORCHESTRA And Chorus

Ramshakle Daddy
Hayes, Ampco Music Inc. ASCAP

ABC-PARAMOUNT 45-9809
04/1957

A direct descendent of America's nineteenth president, Rutherford B. Hayes, William "Bill" Foster Hayes III (born on June 5, 1925 in Harvey, Illinois)  has had a long and successful career as a recording artist, beginning in 1950.   A complete, chronological discography, arranged by record label, including Bill's gold record for The Ballad of Davy Crockett in 1955, can be found at his own website HERE
 
 




Too Much For Granted

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Adrienne Lawner

Too Much For Granted
Towns and Craft, Craft Music

Rapid Records
1956


In May 1956, it was announced that Adrienne Lawner, whose basic job was "taking dictation from Larry Uttal of Monument Music" is trying her hand with a couple of R'n'R for Rapid Records. Larry Uttal, not yet owner of Madison Records or head of the Amy/Bell/Mala family of labels, had just bought out Bill Buchanan's interest in Monument Music and Dover Music (both BMI) dissolving a partnership of several years.  Chris Towns and Morty Craft had certainly their part in the production of this record.

Another of her record was later also cut by Larry Uttal.  "Please Buy My Record" was recorded on Friday, March 7, Larry Uttal edited it over the weekend, and made his deal on Monday, March 10. On Wednesday, March 12, (George)  Goldner (of End Records)  had strike-offs in the hands of local deejays.


Adrienne Lawner/Addie Lee discography

As Adrienne Lawner
56 Rapid 1001: Too Much For Granted  / Quarter Past Nine
As Addie Lee
57 Roulette 4004: One Little Kiss / Cumba Tumba Nika (Orch. conducted By Marty Gold)
57 Glory 267:   Buzzin' Around / Burnin' With Love  (Abie Baker Orchestra)
58 End 1018: C'mon Home / Please Buy My Record
59 Kapp 269 : Love Guaranteed  / Seek And Ye Shall Find 

 

It's my understanding, based on an article published by The Sun Sentinel (Hollywood, Florida) in 2001, that Addie Lee also starred as Adrienne Barrett in 1953 in Dementia, a  film directed by John Parker (the movie was retitled Daughter of Horror in 1955),  perhaps one of the strangest films ever offered for theatrical release. 
Floating somewhere in the netherworld of B-movie exploitation and art house psychodrama, John Parker's ambitious dream film of a schizophrenic's nightmarish existence is nothing if not unique. For years only available in the altered version Daughter of Horror, this unique bit of Freudian horror has been something of a holy grail for cult film buffs. Kino has uncovered the original cut and restored it to near-pristine condition. Shot entirely without dialogue or narration and filled with suggestive violence and psychosexual imagery, it's like a skid row expressionist thriller following the nocturnal prowling of a young woman haunted by homicidal guilt. Parker can't quite match his lofty ambitions with gripping drama, but he makes up for it with sheer audacity, from home-life flashbacks staged among the gravestones of a misty cemetery to the creepy faceless crowds that follow our tortured heroine through the city. Imaginative sets and vivid effects belie its starvation budget and create a strikingly austere urban mindscape and the eerie score by composer George Antheil (with wordless vocals provided by Marni Nixon) sets an unnerving mood. Handsomely shot by William C. Thompson (Ed Wood's regular cinematographer--say what you will, Wood's pictures look good), it's like nothing else from the 1950s. (Amazon)

Adrienne Barrett
 = Adrienne Lawner = Addie Lee ?



I'm Your Daddy-O

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Dick D'Agostin

 Dick D'Agostin, Sound Music BMI

Ac'cent AC-1046

September 1956

His first, also issued on Moonglow Records (see below).  Not listed in his Rockin' Country Style discography HERE



Richard Earl "Dick" D'Agostin, is best known for touring with Eddie Cochran.  Dick was a dance champion and editor of dance columns for two of the first teen magazines, Dig and Modern Teen.  He was with Judi Stein the 1955 winner of Al Jarvis' TV show contest "Make Believe Ballroom"
The show worked this way: every day 25 teen-age couples from Southern California schools are invited to compete in a jazz dance contest at the American Broadcasting Company's Television Center, Prospect Wk. and Talmadge Ave., Hollywood. Winners selected from each day's competition are invited back to compete for monthly dance championship honors and prizes of television sets, phonographs and radios. All monthly winners return for the annual runoff.
D'Agostin sang and played piano and guitar as the front man for The Swingers, composed of drummer Gene Riggio, saxophonist Paul Kaufman, and D'Agostin's brother Larry D'Agostin on guitar.


The history of Moonglow Records goes back to the 1950s in Belgium, although most know Moonglow as a 1960s Los Angeles-based label. Albert van Hoogten was owner of Ronnex Records in Belgium, and sent his brother, Rene Jan van Hoogten, to the United States in the mid-1950s to set up a label here. The first version of Moonglow Records was run out of Woodside, New York.
Source : http://www.bsnpubs.com/atlantic/moonglow.html


That's The Way It's Gonna Be

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 Billy Lee


Carrie 1515
Box 7763, Detroit 7, Mich.

September 1962


This is William Levise Jr. later known as Mitch Ryder, front man for one of the most raucuous "blue-eyed soul" bands of the 1960s, the Detroit Wheels.  Writer is the Reverend James Hendrix, owner of Carrie Records. This is the very first Mitch Ryder recording.

Ryder's father looked for ways to encourage the son's talent.   One of his coworker belonged to a church presided over by Rev. James Hendrix, a part-time music producer who owned Carrie Records, a small independant label which distributed a handful of modest gospel recordings.   "That's The Way" was an attempt by the reverend to expand his gospel label into more popular directions. "James looked around and saw Elvis and Bobby Rydell, all these white boys", Ryder said. "He thought there was a fortune to be made."



On left, William Levise (Billy Lee)
 Rev. James Hendrix (center bottom )
The Arabians
Edward Hamilton
Cornell Blakely (right bottom )



Cold Hearted Lover

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Billy Valentine

 
Williams-Tompson
Armo-Big Star BMI

Federal Records
1959
 
His last?
 



Read Billy Valentine story HERE


NEW YORK, July 1949—This is one of those show business success stories. It's about a young Fort Worth pianist-singer, Billy Valentine.
Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, a hot group in the blues-and-rhythm market for several years, received a tough blow at the box office when singer-pianist Charles Brown decided to go out on his own some months ago. A replacement, Lee Barnes, proved totally inadequate.
Two weeks ago the Blazers were due for a series of recording dates with the Victor company. Desperate for a singer-pianist replacement, the remainder of the group, Johnny Moore, Oscar Moore and Johnny Miller, headed out on the road in different directions in search of a "new Charles Brown."
In Washington, leader Johnny Moore was told of a pianist-singer in Fort Worth who, the informer claimed, "would make them cats forget Charlie Brown." So Johnny placed a person-to-person call to Fort Worth and had the prospect sing for him over the phone. The youngster was told to hop a plane for New York.
The Fort Worth product was in New York the next evening and auditioned an hour later. Milton Ebbins, group's manager, hired him on the spot and two days later sliced wax with the group.

The idea of progress

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Interesting design for this California label founded early 1963 by L.A. saxophonist and band leader Zeke Strong. 

The idea of progress, that relentless technical progress improving the human condition, is here illustrated by four means of transportation.

However, uncertainty come out because of the opposite directions that the vehicules are taking. Where is the future?
  • Towards the right, like the old wagon and old car seems to be moving?.  
  • Towards the left, like the modern car and the airplane seems to go?
No matter what, as, paraphrasing the great french philosopher Pierre Dac : "On a l'avenir devant soi, mais quand on fait demi-tour, on l'a dans le dos" which can be translated like that :" The future is in front of us, but each time we make a U-turn, it's on our  back ".



 Pioneer  Days


 Roaring 20's


 Gay 50's


Featuristic 60's



Sugar Daddy

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Lynette
with Kai-Ray and Crew

Richard A. Caire, Lingua-Musica BMI

Lodestar 74-62
1962

This is the flipside of "Limbo, Limbo" by Kai-Ray and Crew which was a minor hit on KUTT, Fargo, North Dakota and KXLW, St. Louis, Missouri in 1962.

Minneapolis-based Trashmen, of “Surfin’ Bird” fame, took their name from Kai-Ray’s first release on Lodestar ("Trashman's Blues).  

Richard A. Caine, or Kai-Ray or Shane Kai-Ray or Tony Caire came from Wichita, Kansas. He and his band played for some time at the Five Spot bar in Fargo, North Dakota before moving to Minneapolis.  He played lead guitar for several other Minnesota groups, most notably The Bandits and King Krusher & The Turkeynecks.  He was the first in the Twin Cities to have a fuzztone on his guitar (1964). He was also a songwriter, producer and small-time label owner (Kairay label).

A Kai-Ray discography can be found here.  The earliest Kai-Ray known record is on Lodestar in 1961, but I've found a song penned by Richard A. Caire and copyrighted in November 1958, titled "It's Called The Blues".

 Lodestar trademark
The label name was taken from the Lockheed Lodestar 
twin engine aircraft that was produced in the late 1930s.


Clarence B. Brown had started his first label, Pleasant Peasant (old time "oompah" music), in 1958. He was living in Seattle at the time.  In January 1959 he moved to Minnesota. The center of his activity was New Ulm, Minnesota. with a close connection to Brown's Music Store, owned by an uncle of C.B.Brown.   

The Lodestar label was started in as an outlet for pop music, with one brief Country/Western album. Even though address of Pleasant Peasant and Lodestar was listed as Minneapolis, it was actually Bloomington, Mn, a southern suburb of Minneapolis and about a 90 mile drive from New Ulm.

Most of the recordings were performed at Kay Bank Studios in Minneapolis.



Yellow Pages

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Don Reno, Bill Harrell and the Tennessee Cutups

Yellow Pages

Jim Goodman-Jerry Fender
Brownboro Pub. Co. SESAC

 Derby Town SR 34/35

Produced by Ray Allen

1966




Bluegrass banjo player Don Reno began a new partnership with singer/multi-instrumentalist Bill Harrell in late 1966 and it continued for a decade, a period which coincided with resurgence in public interest in bluegrass as a result of a growing festival circuit.

They have bought into Derby Town Records and Cuzz Publishing Co. and added Don Reno-Bill Harrell Enteprises to the corporation for booking purposes and handling personal management of artists. Derby Town Records and Cuzz Publishing were operated by Kenny Sowder, whose main claim to fame is to have co-written "Lonely Street", a classic country song, first recorded by Carl Belew, an artist whom he managed.

Let's Make A Little Motion

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Evelyn Freeman And The Exciting Voices

Let's Make A Little Motion
Roberts, Freeman
Morrisania Music ASCAP

Dot 15726

March 1958   


Bandleader, music composer and musician Evelyn Freeman Roberts was born on February 13, 1919,  Roberts grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and performed music at local social events with "The Freeman Family," a group that included her brother, Ernie, and father.   She also began performing locally in a classical ensemble. Roberts skipped school one day to watch Duke Ellington at Cleveland's Palace Theater and met Ellington after the performance. His music made a huge impact on Roberts, who decided at that moment that she wanted to be a bandleader. She was a bright student, and graduated ahead of her grade in 1936...  more :   http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/evelyn-freeman-roberts-41


Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby

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(Popular Artist)

Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby
Sylvia-Lopez

EP 4 Hits 351

Brooklyn, N.Y.

1957


A cover of the Tune Weavers song (a hit on Checker Records, but first issued on Casa Grande). 

EP Records was owned and operated by Frank Gould and Montgomery Delaney. The firm was located at 51 Neck Road, Brooklyn, as was Zebra Records, another of their label.

For examples of EP 4 Hits company sleeves, see http://45-sleeves.com/USA/ep/ep-us.htm



Snake In The Grass

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Jimmy Carroll and The Boy Friends 
-
Snake In The Grass

James Carroll-Gary Wright
Elysian Music Corp. BMI
Produced and directed By Ralph and Sid Glaser
Arranged And Conducted by Gary Randy

Glaser Hollywood GH-1000

November 1960


Possibly the same Jimmy Carroll who recorded "Big Green Car" on Fascination


Glaser Hollywod, divison of Elysian Music Corp New York City, was owned by Ralph and Sid Glaser.   This short-lived label had few releases in 1960-1961 (see discography below).  The label main musical talent was arranger and conductor Gary Randy, also known as Gary Harrison, Harry Nivens, Harry Nivins, Harry E. Nivens and Harry Edward Nivens.

Harry Nivens was from Detroit.  He managed The Royal Holidays, The Royaltones and Melrose Baggy  (real name: David R. Sanderson, a former member of The Royaltones). 
 
The earliest mention of Harry Nivens is found is in a book published in 1951 "A Salute to the Chaplain; a Day With a Far East Command Hospital Chaplain" :

The two pianists are Sgt. Harry Nivens, a patient, and Red Cross worker Virginia Kershaw of Fort Payne, Ala. The coffee hour group, including Chaplain Ellenberg, really loosen up and hit the rafters with some old song favorites under the spell of the two talented keyboard artists.
Sergeant Nivens, from Detroit, who has served with the 24th Infantry Division, is an up-and-coming song writer who supplied the music for one of the Occupation's hit shows, "Opportunity Knocks." Some of his songs have been recorded by Columbia Records. Harry plays the Hammond organ sometimes for the chaplain at his services. His is a very cheerful disposition, and he's good medicine for his fellow patients. The chaplain speaks highly of Harry.
Among the various Harry Nivens contributions to Detroit music (as writer, arranger and/or producer) :
  • Sandy Evans on Drummond
  • The Monitors on Circus
  • The Royal Holidays on Penthouse
  • Marco Hammon on D-Town
  • Johnny Cruise on Jaro
  • Cally Dodd on Calico
  • The Towers on Stuart
  • Don McKenzie on Ridge
  • Johnnie Mae Matthews on Reel (and Sue)


Glaser Hollywood discography

PM-1000 (Also on Rose-C 3342)
Linda Chanfer
Exactly Like You / My Own Angel Love

GH-1000
Jimmy Carroll & The Boy Friends
Snake In The Grass / Shy Boy

GH-2000
Bruce Lenox
Seventeen Years / Youthful Desire

GH-3000
Becky Baines
All Of My Life / Loved

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