Artificial Radio Hour with Rev. Dr. Dr. Phill: Artificial Radio Hour with Rev. Dr. Dr. Phill Part 43d

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Greetings everyone!
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AGAIN WITH THE HALLOWEEK!

Welcome to Part 43d! We're going in a slightly country direction today, what with your Red Sovines & Buck Owenses & Porter Wagoners etc.

Buck Owens was basically the Country King of Bakersfield, CA. He had a huge string of hits with his Buckaroos. Devastated by the 1974 death of his guitarist Don Rich, this song was one of the last he recorded until 1988.

Scottie Stuart was from Wisconsin. His real name was Scott Cameron, and I don't think he ever released anything besides this single on the MMC label, "Little Rocker" on the a side and "Nightmare" on the b side.

Carl Bonafede is from Chicago. He's had an extensive career as a songwriter, musician, and manager. Harry Manfredini, the sax player in the Gem-Tones, will appear in part 43j, by a stunning coincidence.

A lot of groups recorded "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend". The Ramrods' 1960 version was probably the highest charting version since Vaughn Monroe's 1949 record. Did you know The Ramrods drummer was a woman? I never knew. Claire Lane (born Claire Litke) and her brother Rich Litke (sax) formed the band in 1956.

Tommy "Mad Man" Jones was also from Chicago. I really like the logo on his label (below). It reminds me of MAD Magazine.

Patsy Montana was the first female country performer to have a million-selling single, "I Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart" in 1935. She semi-retired in the 50s to spend time with her family, but "Yodeling Ghost" was on her 1964 comeback album, which featured Waylon Jennings on lead guitar.

The Crewnecks were a white doo-wop group that formed at Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 1957. How white were they? They recorded a song called "Crewnecks and Khakis". They broke up in '61 when some of them were drafted.

LaVern Baker was also from Chicago (these patterns come up, it's spoooooky) and had a long career singing rhythm & blues. Several pop hits in the 50s & 60s, and later movie soundtrack appearances & Broadway in the 80s & 90s.

The Poets are hard to search for, because there was a popular movie that also had the words "dead" and "poets" in the title. Also there just isn't much info about them.

Red Sovine sang a lot of songs about trucks, and ghosts, and truck ghosts. He wasn't from Chicago, he was from Charleston, West Virginia.

John Zacherle was a Horror Host on WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. He played Roland, the "Cool Ghoul", and pioneered some techniques such as cutting from the movie to a comedy sketch while the movie soundtrack continued to play. He recorded a couple of albums with the encouragement and help of fellow Philly boy Dick Clark.

Porter Wagoner did a lot of sappy & sad country tunes, but "The Rubber Room" is pretty intense. I guess he was competing with "acid rock" at the time? I don't know.

Suzanne Waldron played horror host "Tarantula Ghoul" on KPTV in Portland, Oregon from 1957 to 1959. She would emerge out of a coffin at public appearances. She was fired because she had a baby out of wedlock.

Leota Toombs was a Walt Disney Company Imagineer who worked on many attractions in the park, including Pirates of the Carribean and the Haunted Mansion. Her face (but not her voice) is featured as the ghostly medium "Madame Leota" in the Seance Room of the Haunted Mansion, however she does (face & voice) portray the character, known as "Little Leota" or the "Ghost Hostess", who bids farewell to guests as they exit the Mansion.

That's it for today, see ya tomorrow!

Enjoy!

- Rev. Dr. Dr. Phill