THE SAGE AND SAND ROCKABILLIES ON PAUL VIDAL's BIG V JAMBOREE

Called 'ROCK'N'ROLL COWBOY' and subtitled 'SAGE & SAND Greatest Rockabillies' (P-Vine PCD 2468), this CD is part of a series of Japanese rockabilly discs which also includes overviews of the ACE, MODERN, CROWN and OAK labels.

Like with most Japanese releases, the design and packaging is superb ; the sound is ... uneven : terrific on some tracks, terrible on others (many were dubbed from original records) ; the selection of tracks is good - though odd at times ; the liner notes are in Japanese only !! Now, it looks like a legal issue (manufactured in 1993 by Blues Interactions, Inc. out of Tokyo). It's perhaps the only non-bootleg CD on the market focusing on one of the great record labels of the '50s : Sage & Sand, based in Hollywood and founded around 1953 by W. O. Fleener (in fact, that was three labels in one since there were '45 releases on Sage and on Sand as well ; the albums were mostly put out on Sage, as far as I know). It's one of those indie record companies - like Four Star or D - which delights Hillbilly and Rockabilly collectors alike because uptempo boppers and all kinds of rockers abound. Although often cheaply pressed, the records on the Sage & Sand family of labels are uniformly superb.
[A detailed Sage & Sand discography appears by clicking on the link at the end of this review].

Here are the contents of the CD - along with my comments.

Gabbard & Holt : 'Hey Baby' (Sage 287) Fast rockabilly bopper with two biting guitar breaks and authentic hick vocals. In late '57, they had a release on Starday (# 328, coupling 'You'll Never Find Another' with an instrumental titled 'Burning The Strings') where they were billed as 'The Logan Valley Boys'. Harley Gabbard kept on recording until the '70s on labels such as REM and Vetco (where he cut an album).

Jimmy Patton : 'I'm Not Shucking' (Sage LP) * 'Yah! I'm Movin' (Sage 261) Two wild sides, especially 'Movin' which features some hammering piano and a couple of crazy guitar breaks by Roy Lanham - probably the fiercest he ever played. The hugely talented Roy Lanham was part of the house band at Sage & Sand and will appear on many other cuts on offer here. Oscar 'Jimmy' Patton had been discovered by W. O. Fleener playing Los Angeles clubs. Another song Patton cut for Sage, 'Let Me Slide', appeared on a Rollin' Rock EP in the seventies. Of course, Patton later moved to the Sims label where he waxed the ferocious 'Okie's In The Pokie' (# 117). He had an excellent LP in the '60s on Stereotone (# 1002), titled 'Take 30 Minutes With Jimmy Patton' (with Bill Woods on piano). Other LPs were issued on Moon and Sourdough.

Joanie King : 'OK Doll, It's A Deal' (Sage 258) A good jivin' rocker with some chorus. Poor sound quality. Recorded as Jo-Ann King for RCA Victor in 1958 ('False Alarm', #7302).

Wally & Don : 'Never No More' * 'Just Play The Juke Box' (Sage 308) A real rocker linked with a nice chugging country bopper. Roy Lanham shines on guitar again. Despite what's noted in the liners, these two tracks are NOT on Sage #308 ; can anybody provide me with the actual record number ?

Whitey Pullen : 'Everybody's Rockin' (Sage LP C-22) * 'Walk My Way Back Home' (Sage 274) * 'Moonshine Liquor' (Crown CLP 5332) * 'Tight Slacks' (Crown CLP 5332) * 'Tuscalusa Lucy' (Sage 313) * A great selection of cuts taken from various singles and LPs. Alabama-born Dwight 'Whitey' Pullen had real talent. He wrote most of his songs, including all the above rockers. He also penned 'Everybody's Got A Date But Me' and co-wrote 'She She Little Sheila' for Gene Vincent's 'Crazy Times' LP (Capitol T 1342, recorded in '59 and released in '60) ; he even played a barely audible rhythm guitar on some tracks of this classic album (Jerry Merritt who was Gene's lead player at the time, confirmed this to me in 1993). Whitey's youthful vocals are the real thing and the guitar/piano backings and soli are of Blue Caps quality : 'nuff said. 'Walk My Way Back Home', featuring electric piano and steel, and 'Moonshine Liquor', with a piano solo which bears all the Clifton Simmons trademarks, are classics. 'Tuscaloosa Lucy' is also reminiscent of Gene Vincent while 'Tight Slacks' starts with a Buddy Holly-influenced but Eddie Cochran-sounding guitar intro. 'Everybody's Rockin' is a true frantic piece of Rockabilly. Pullen could sing Country'n'Western with equal ease ; his posthumous Crown album (CLP 5332) contained several cuts in this vein. Don't be afraid to check out his lone Carlton single, 'Sunglasses After Dark' b/w 'Teenage Bug' (Carlton 455), too. Whitey seemed destined for success ; unfortunately, he was another victim of cancer : he died on November 24, 1961. He was only 26. Click the Crown label shot above to hear Whitey sing.

Casey Clark : 'Lost John' (Sage & Sand 220) With backing by The Lazy Ranch Boys and a vocal by Barefoot Brownie, it's a much sought-after item punctuated with three soli (steel, piano and guitar). I also think that Buddy Emmons plays steel guitar on this early hillbilly bopper since he co-wrote the flip ('Pot Of Gold', sung by Herb Williams). Haven't yet heard his other offering on Sage 237 - 'Blues Stay Away From Me' b/w 'Much Too Much' -, neither side having been selected for this release.
The Lazy Ranch Boys also backed up Okie Jones on Sage & Sand 221, 'Could You, Would You' - which, incidentally, appears on the Japanese 'Crown Greatest Rockabillies' CD in the same series.

Bud Titus : 'Hocus Pocus' (Sage 244) Super Merle Travis style number and Roy Lanham does another great job on it.

The Kellyes : 'The Great Foggy Mountain' (Sage 312) Ooh, Roy Lanham again and a bluegrass-gospel like male/female vocal. The correct spelling was, probably, The Kelleys : same outfit as on Republic ?

Whitey Knight : 'Another Brew Bartender' (Sage & Sand 205) One of my favorites : a fine chugger with fiddle and steel guitar breaks. 'Big Glass Of Wine' (Sage 344) Some echo on the vocal and great Lanham guitar give this a kind of Hank Thompson influence. Knight also had one release on the rare Lomita, California-based Nielsen label as well as two singles on Dot. 'Big Glass Of Wine' and another song called 'Happy Go Lucky' (its flip side, it would seem) were compiled on a Crown LP, 'Country & Western Jamboree' (CLP 5330).

$Tennessee Hound Dog$ Tex Atchison : 'Tennessee Hound Dog' / 'Mail Man' (Sage 343) Fantastic !! A revelation !! Incredible breaks from Roy Lanham with those trademark glissandi which give me chills every time. The good vocal back up on both sides could be by The Frontiersmen (or The Sons Of The Pioneers ?). Tex was no newcomer, having recorded in the '40s and '50s on Crystal, King, Federal, Deluxe and Imperial ; he also played fiddle on a number of West Coast sessions (for instance, with Johnny Bond in 1951, for whom he wrote 'Alabama Boogie Boy' and co-wrote 'Sick, Sober & Sorry'). He had even co-written the jumping 'Some Like It Hot' for Sammy Masters in 1956 (Four Star 1695, with Jimmy Bryant on lead). Both sides of Sage 343 appeared on Crown CLP 5330.