Dollar Country Newsletter, May2024
The McKean Sisters, Tackett Bros Band, Beaver Family, Roy Baker, Jalyn Records, Bee Records
News From Dollar Country
At the time of this newsletter reaching you your friendly DJ and archivist will be turning 40 years old. Something I've marveled at in my mid 30s was that inside my own head I still feel as young as I was when I was graduating high school. My body has a bit more wear and tear but that hasn't made me feel old yet. I wonder if I'll feel this way if I make it to 90, I really don't know. I'm still enjoying every day I get and I'm happy I get to do what I do and be around the people I'm around. Having a baby around definitely helps keep me young and active too, despite also losing sleep and the stress, I do feel a different type of vigor for life.
On April 23rd I had the great fortune of playing records for Nick Shoulders & The OK Crawdads at the Grog Shop. I've done this before, and I cherish the friendships I've made with artists and fans through Dollar Country. The whole night was a blast, and over 300 people showed up for the show and they were really stoked to see Nick. I wouldn't be surprised if they just kept playing bigger and bigger venues, so if you have the chance to see him you oughta do it as soon as you can. Being that I spend so much time steeped in country music and rural history I especially love that Nick's music is about inclusivity, compassion, and caring for one another and the earth. The crowd at his show felt good.
The biggest news for Dollar Country is in the Collection Notes section. I got rid of a ton of stuff. Also I got a new shelving unit. Speaking of getting older, getting a nice new shelf is a source of excitement for me now. The newsletter has been going well and I hope you're enjoying reading it as much as I'm enjoying making it.
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►Labels To Know
Jalyn Records
Location: Dayton, OH
Owner: Jack Lynch
Founded: 1963
If you've spent any time digging in Ohio or any of the states bordering it then I bet you've flipped by something on Jalyn. Jack Lynch (Ja-Lyn) started it back in 1963 to record himself and people he knew. Lynch was a player and had met or played with many of the big touring bluegrass acts like the Stanley Brothers and the Osborne Brothers, and he saw there was a vibrant and upcoming bluegrass scene in Ohio and the nation as a whole. Never having an office, he sold records out of his apartment and the trunk of his car, and recorded wherever he could, which included basements, apartments, and studios around Dayton. To me, he seemed like the sort of person who would decide to do something and then make it happen, one who could sell water to a drowning man, like he was always ready to talk about the great music he was releasing. Jalyn released mainly bluegrass, country, and country gospel music from Ohio, but also released some out of state and national acts. After 15 years in Dayton, Lynch moved to Nashville in 1978 with hopes to keep releasing records but he was never as prolific as he was in Dayton. I know Jalyn mostly because of it's bluegrass releases by Frank Necessary & The Stone Mountain Boys and the great Tornado Disasters single by Roy Baker & The Gospel Tones. From 1963-1975 Jalyn released “something around 200” 45s and LPs. Jalyn fizzled after the move to Nashville and Lynch passed away in 2011.
**To hear a some great Jalyn cuts check out episode 225 of Dollar Country HERE**
Bee Records
Location: Church Point, LA
Owner: Elton “Bee” Cormier
Founded: 1968
Bee Records was a label with a mission to share traditional Cajun music played by young musicians. Elton “Bee” Cormier claims he released the first record in 1968, however the earliest release this author could find from the label (Bee-101) was from 1970. The label was an extension of what Bee had been doing with his band the Church Point Playboys since 1964 when he first added young accordion players to his band. According to a blurb written by Bee, he had seen someone express the opinion that Cajun music would be dead in 10 years because “all the known accordion musicians were aged men. A thought then came to my mind, someone should pick up young beginners, accept them into their band, and help to develop their gifted talent. This would let the people know that some young groups are still interested in this type of music."
So by opening his band to young players and recording and releasing music for them Cormier helped keep traditional Cajun music alive. To my knowledge everything on Bee is either in French or both French and English, with blurbs written on LP jackets done in both languages as well. Bee released a handful of LPs and around 50 singles. Mr Cormier passed away in 2018.
**To hear my episode featuring all Bee Records music go HERE**
►Collection Notes
Outgoing: 150lbs of 45s
During the chaotic times of having a newborn I went through nearly every box in my basement and culled a few thousand 45s to move along. Doubles, major label stuff, and non country I didn't think I'd need ended up in a pile of boxes. Last month I offered boxes up to my patrons for $10 a box to cover shipping and I mailed out over 150lbs of records. It felt mentally freeing to let go of so much stuff that quickly, and also it physically freed up a lot of space in the archives for me to fill with more things.
Incoming: Cajun Music From Jason Chronis
Another box of great stuff from Jason arrived this month. I got it stuck in my head that I needed more cajun music and so I asked him for some and ended up getting a box. Dollar Country Episode 243 was a showcase of all of the records I got on the Bee Records label, and I've done a write up on the label in this newsletter as well.
►Records From The Archives
The McKean Sisters - I'm A Fool To Care / Between Two Trees
Year: c.1951
Label: Rodeo Records
Genre: Country
Format: 10”, 78rpm
I’m A Fool To Care:
Between Two Trees:
This single might not be obscure to Australian readers, but in the USA the McKean Sisters and Rodeo Records are practically unknown. The sisters in question are Joy and Heather and in my view they are Australian country music royalty. I normally don't like to compare people across the world as Joy McKean was legendary in her own right, but to American listeners she is akin to June Carter Cash. Joy was married to Slim Dusty, the most famous Australian country musician, and was not only his bandmate and life partner, but band leader, manager, and songwriter. It's not a stretch to say that without Joy, Slim Dusty might not be as legendary as he is. Meanwhile Heather married Reg Lindsay, another Australian country great, and both McKean sisters stayed active in country music for their whole lives.
The sisters started playing together officially in 1948 and in the early 50s had their own TV show called the Melody Trail on 2KY, which ran from 1950-1956. Their recording contract with Rodeo records happened in 1951 where they recorded 18 sides. One of them was this great disc here. Recorded and most likely released in 1951 or 1952, this single has great duo harmonies and an easy going tempo. Both sisters can yodel with the best of them, although they don't show it off here. A lot of early Australian music has this western feel to it, music you can picture a cowboy or cowgirl riding a horse to. Both sides feature a fiddle lead in addition to the dual guitars of Joy and Heather plus a bass player. In my limited experience I've found that country music in Australia had a sound that was a few years behind that of America. So even though it's from the early 50s, it sounds comparable to an American 78 from the 40s.
Rodeo Records was started by the Australian Record Company in 1949 and released Australian and New Zealand country artists in Australia and New Zealand.
If you'd like to hear more music like this you can listen to Episode 200 of Dollar Country where I play all Australian country music
Roy Baker & The Gospel Tones - The Tornado Disasters / Since I Found Jesus
Year: 1974
Label: Jalyn Records
Genre: Country / Gospel
Format: 7” 45rpm
The Tornado Disasters
Since I Found Jesus
Starting on April 3rd 1974 the midwestern United States and Canada saw 148 confirmed tornadoes in 24 hours. The deadliest of these was the F5 that tore right through the middle of Xenia Ohio with 36 deaths and over 1000 injuries. The whole storm system was huge news and was in the newspapers and on TV for weeks after, if you were alive then you heard about it quite a bit. Roy E Baker, who lived about 15 miles away in Fairborn, decided this was something worth writing about. Country music has a long history of spreading the news through song and tragic disasters are a particular favorite among collectors.
The Tornado Disasters is much more upbeat than it deserves to be. Where most disaster songs are somber ballads, Baker wrote this as an upbeat, danceable romp. I find myself bobbing my head when he says “Yes, many people suffer and a lot of people die / That day a tornado hit Xenia Ohi-a.” It's the best of both worlds: disaster and dancing. He does tie it into religion and how love of Jesus is an important part of recovering from a disaster like this. In fact Baker had just found religion himself in 1971 and by the time of the tornadoes he was incredibly passionate about it. According to an article in the Dayton Daily News in April 1975 he only plays country gospel now and left his nights playing in nightclubs behind him. The article mentions another single he released that was anti-abortion.
Continuing this theme, the flip side is a song called Since I Found Jesus. It bears a passing familiarity with Heartaches By The Number and references that song in the chorus. The music to this is similar enough to the jaunty tune of The Tornado Disasters that I did check to see if it was the same backing track, but they are different. Both songs sound fun if you don't listen to the lyrics. For collectors out there who want a copy of this, you're in luck because it seems to have been a fairly well selling Jalyn single. I run into them fairly often and you can find them online for much less than your average disaster song.
The Beaver Family - There’ll Be Shouting
Year 1977
Label: Layman Records
Genre: Country Gospel
Format: LP
He Will Set Your Fields On Fire:
One More Valley:
[Full LP Available to Subscribers HERE]
I've honed my eyes over years of digging and flipping through thousands of records. I like to think that a good obscure record has a look to it, and sometimes they certainly do. Country Gospel, though, that's a whole different beast. Take this record by the Beaver Family, it has a great cover with a big family in front of a church. That tells me that they put in the effort to actually take photos, many gospel records use stock photos. The back cover pictures five women and one man all holding instruments including an accordion, autoharp, mandolin, and fiddle. That picture tells me that it's not just 4 people singing acapella gospel harmonies, this has music. Those are great indicators, and when looking for country gospel it's important to try and not bring everything home because there's a lot of it out there. The twist to this one is that despite great instrumentation and pretty interesting tunes, the recording quality just doesn't do it justice. If the Beavers were playing at the church potluck I bet they would have been a sight to see. I'm not saying they're amazing unknown masters, but with a bit more bass and a bit of aural room between the voices this record could really sing. As it stands, though, the record isn't without charm.
The musicians sound amateurish in the best way, the vocals are more group sung than harmony, the whole record feels like a family that sings at church together and decided to pick up a few instruments to add to it. I can't fault the record for their obvious commitment to spread the gospel. In fact, the little bit of instrumentation that you can really hear sounds great. I love hearing people play who aren't trained, and that's what this sounds like. He Will Set Your Fields On Fire is my favorite track because of it, it's just a quick one minute and thirty second instrumental. Every other song sounds like everyone plays the same chords and sings roughly the same notes. Also there was a strong hum in the back of the recording which had me checking for a loose connection on my stereo, but it's just another member of the band I guess.
The Beaver Family were from Digroff Ohio, which apparently is a misspelling of DeGraff. Layman Records was a label based in Dayton that released a handful of things, mostly country gospel. They also put out a few fairly rare garage and rock recordings oddly enough. John Burke who ran the label also released stuff on the legendary Jalyn Records also in Dayton.
The Tackett Bros. Band - Long Haired Country Boy
Year: 1979
Label: Programme Audio
Genre: Bluegrass
Format: 12” LP
Long Haired Country Boy:
Heart To Heart:
[Full LP Available to Subscribers HERE]
Have you ever been at someone's house and they put on a record of a local band? They always preface it with how good they are, maybe toss in a “they're gonna go somewhere." There's an expectation that you're about to hear an undiscovered gem that only the people in this town know about. You get ready for something to really blow you away, but, well, it rarely does. The problem is that the fella showing you the record knows the band, has seen them live a bunch of times, his listening experience is personal. All of these aspects color how we hear music. When you personally know a band and experience their development you feel like you're a part of their story, and that makes you see it differently. That's what the Tackett Brothers Band sounded like to me. Well, at first anyway.
My first impression was that the record sounds odd. Like it was recorded in mono and then bounced to stereo with a very slight delay, there's something just off about the sound. On subsequent listens this faded a bit. My other first impression is that this band reminded me of something, specifically another band. Their vocal harmonies sound like a band I knew from Kansas called Split Lip Rayfield. That doesn't really matter but I had to mention it for the 12 people who will smile at that reference. The playing is spot on, these boys are well practiced and in tune with one another. Besides the stereo/mono thing this record sounds very good, you can hear each instrument and each voice in the mix. Solo's move to the front and rhythm moves to the back, this band is a living, breathing animal where each player knows the ins and outs of the other players. After my first listen I thought “well, that's pretty good but not unique.”
The next day I was hanging in the living room with my 4 month old and decided to spin it again. I came away from the second listen about the same. Maybe I'll spin it again. Something started to happen, the songs started to sound really good to me. “Oh yeah, this one is pretty good," I remarked when Long Haired Country Boy came back on. I was nodding my head, I picked my son up and we bobbed around the room together. I believe all of the songs here are covers but outside of Mama Tried they all sounded like originals to me. The Tacketts made them their own. From first listen to fourth listen they had won me over, I'm a fan now. Next time someone visits I might be the one putting this on and telling my guest about how good they are.
►Upcoming Events
June 4th: Country Night at Little Rose
June 19th: Little Rose w/ Chris Acker
►Upcoming Radio Shows
May 15th: DC Episode 244
May 29th: DC Episode 245
June 12th: DC Episode 246
Thanks for reading this, I put a lot of work into it and I hope you enjoyed it.
-Franklin
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It's not unusual in this genre, but The Tornado Disasters sounds like Jesus of Nazareth (I know versions of Bro Claude Ely, Dallas Alexander or Joe Freeman) or even JD Jarvis Spaceship Song, just with different lyrics. Cool 45! Thanks!
There is a minor footnote about the McKean Sisters Record. 2KY is a Radio Station, not a TV station. TV didn't come to Australia until 1956 in the lead up to the Olympic Games in Melbourne.