"Cornfed" Fred Crawford, Kermit

Every region of the country had their local star- that person that teetered on the brink of stardom. Radio deejay. Recording artist. Performer. Promoter. Talent scout. Music Publisher. Maybe they ran their own label. Sometimes a studio.

They ALWAYS seemed to be one step away from finally making it.... just one step away.

Our local guy was Fred Crawford.

Like many I was first hep'd to Fred through the 1956 Starday release "Rock Candy Rock", a steady little piano/guitar jiver that has unfortunately overshadowed his stronger country/hillbilly efforts.

I'm not sure when Fred first began his professional career. His obituary mentioned that as an 11 year old he had "You Are My Shine"'d his way to a talent show victory on Shreveport's KWKH. Also mentioned in the same obituary is that by age 25 his recording career was underway. Would assume this would have included his incredibly rare 4-Star custom press.

Not mentioned is that Fred had a decent string of excellent releases on the infamous Starday label, all of which are WELL worth tracking down. The rockabilly of "Rock Candy Rock" stands in contrast to his other releases for the label. As does the pop effort "By The Mission Wall", notable for being recorded in Clovis with Norman Petty producing, Buddy Holly playing guitar, and the Bowman Brothers providing back-up vocals. All other efforts were hardcore country with a foot in the blues.

FRED CRAWFORD- You Gotta Wait (Starday 170)
"You Gotta Wait" is just an outstanding uptempo hillbilly call to action.

FRED CRAWFORD- Can't Live With 'Em (Starday 199)

I feel that Fred's crowning achievement is "Can't Live With 'Em"... never has a white boy had such a bad case of the blues. Note that the songwriter is Mineoloa 'local guy' Jack Rhodes.

(Funny story... or not. At the same sale where a local acquired the Knights Bridge disc blogged previously I found a warped copy of Starday 199 on 78.)

Fred recorded a total of 9 discs for Starday. There was also at least one waxing for the D label. After that Fred was strictly local, recording for Tommy Allsup/Max Gorman's Westex/AOK stable, Spiral(which was housed in the former AOK studios), Tic-Toc, Lobo, and a label or two more. Among those efforts are a couple of records supporting his beloved Monahans High School football team and an odd little tribute to coin collecting. Obviously he had great hopes in "By the Mission Walls" as it was recorded again for AOK in the mid-60s and again for a cassette tape release on Texas Soul.

All throughout his career Cornfed Fred maintain a presence on local radio stations. And he seemed to always have an ear out for talent as well.

Fred passed away in 1998 in Colorado City.

Anyone got a scan of the 4-Star OP custom release?

West Texas Gnarl n' Fzzzz

Been some time since a post... I had hoped to eventually polish off a roundup of summer finds, but it's now December. I'm figurin' that at this point it may be best just to move on.

In the span of two weeks last month I was able to add a trio of great West Texas punkers to the collection...
I can't even say I'm happy to own these... I'm blown away. I've been after a playable copy of the Knights Bridge for some time. I feel lucky to have procured the Derby Hatville in an eBay auction at a price far below it's actual value. And though I already owned the Continentals I was able to upgrade at no cost.

On with the fzzzz...

KNIGHTS BRIDGE- Make Me Some Love (Sea Ell 105)

I don't know the story. And I don't think anyone really does except for the Knights Bridge themselves and they don't seem to want to be found. Even Sea Ell head honcho- and former Westie- C.L. Milburn who was in the same studio was/is short on details. But as I've heard it... a pack of horny sophomores from a local high school waxed this in 1968. There you go.

Photographic evidence is scant as well. The photo here came from a local yearbook and while it doesn’t actually credit the Knights photos on pages previous were captioned as having been taken at a dance with the Bridge providing the soundtrack. We’ll just say it is.

Interesting on so many levels... the lust just throbs and pulses throughout... or as a Swede garage fanatic put it: "gnarl gnarl fzzzz". Pretty tuff arrangements here for 15-16 year olds. And the lyrics/subject are light years ahead their age.

I found my only other copy of this a year or two after moving here, but it was a well trashed copy that didn't play. Won't go into the history of this particular copy... weird journey that started when it was unearthed at an estate sale in the neighborhood over the summer... but will say I'm thrilled that it's finally part of the Westex collection.

God Bless you C.L. for capturing the fuzzed out trip that is "Make Me Some Love."

Though interesting, the flip, "C.J. Smith", just doesn't compare.


DERBY HATVILLE- You'll Forget Me(Sea Ell 102)

Though Lubbock's Derby-Hatville recorded twice as many records for Sea Ell, they don't carry nearly the same clout as Odessa's Knights Bridge. Had they chosen two originals for this debut instead of an original and a Yardbirds choon mayhaps history would view them differently. Maybe if their second release didn't feature a hot valve man. I myself think over the course of two singles they recorded 4 above average sides. That ain't bad. "Turn Into Earth" is shown in the scan above, but I prefer the janglin' Brit pop of "You'll Forget Me".

Nice little combo that did more with two 45s than other groups did with more.

CONTINENTALS- I'm Gone (Gaylo 124)

5 years ago I hit a local antique shop that was being liquidated. It had been years since the place had actually been open. In the opening moments of the sale I nabbed this 45. I did not realize that Gaylo was a label local to the area- the only Gaylo release I had at the time was the Classics 4 waxing of “Susie Q”- but Gaylo 124 has since become the cornerstone of a small and ever-growing collection of West Texas/Far Eastern New Mex records.

I had never even heard the record until I put it on the turntable. Surprise! While it ain’t got no geet break, the tambourine is absolutely devastating and don’t let up for a second. It just goes, man. Without a doubt this is the loudest that Ben Hall's Fidelity House over in Big Spring ever did get.

The Continentals had one additional release on Odessa's AOK label. And there is also a release by Dan Dunagan which features the Continentals as the backing combo.

Them Continentals... one of Abilene's finest exports ever.

On a semi-sorta related note... I'm looking for a copy of Sea Ell 106 by the Coachmen. This would round up all of the Sea Ell releases from the Trans-Pecos region.

Also looking for Sea Ell 107, a country/western recording by Paul Hunt.