Kenneth Trent & the Continentals, Amarillo

KENNETH TRENT AND THE CONTINENTALS- The Way I Feel About You (Veeda 4008)

According to John Ingman's West Texas discography Amarillo's Veeda label was owned by Erwin Short and started with a country release by Jimmie Short and His Silver Saddle Ranchers. Though the label focused mainly on rock n' roll, one or two pop releases showed up on Veeda as well. Of the rockin' releases people are today most familiar with the primitive Bob Baker singles, including "Kitty Kat Korner" and "Turned On the Ice", as well as rave-ups by Rick Tucker, Royce Clark, and Kenneth Trent.

Kenneth Trent's "The Way I Feel About You" was the label's next to last release, hittin' the streets of Amarillo in early 1962. And it's the long-lasting influence of Lubbock's favorite rocker that amazes me. Like Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly is one of just a small handful of artists whose influence was so big that some people simply could not move on. Even after Holly was gone and the rest of the music world had seemingly moved on there were guys like Bobby Fuller, Ray Ruff, Bobby Osborn (stomped HERE), and Kenneth who still held fast to that unmistakable sound. They just couldn't move on.

Veeda 4008 was not even the first time that "The Way I Feel About You" had been issued. The song had been released the summer previous on a now rare ep that was split with Jackie Allen (Jackie would later cut a pretty neato version of Bobby Darin's "Bullmoose" for the Alliance label).

"The Way I Feel About You" was co-written by a Larry Spraggins whose name pops up on a number of other Veeda releases, including the aforementioned "Turned On the Ice" which he shares a writing credit with Kenneth Trent.