The Deuces Wild, Amarillo

DEUCES WILD - Come Easy Go / Hey Little One (Deuce Records DW-101)

Amarillo has long served as a sort of crossroads. Surrounded by energy, farming. and ranching concerns the city is an old outpost of Panhandle culture, business, transport and transportation, and that famed cowboy mythos. On the western edge of the city is the famed Stanley Marsh 3's infamous Cadillac Ranch. Travelers headed west on I-40 are greeted by the big n' gaudy Big Texan (being more about quality than kitsch I would be hesitant to recommend this place for actual food... stop to see it, but just don't eat it). Out north of town black suburbans loaded with well-equipped employees of Pantex sneak around protecting and updating our nation's nuclear stockpiles. The "highway that is best", Route 66, still motors through the city's north side, its glory days all but completely behind it. As the largest city in the region Amarillo draws business and attention from the panhandles of both Texas and Oklahoma as well as New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas.

In the 1960s Amarillo was a go-to point for teen-oriented combos of the area, native Texan and otherwise. I-40/HWY 66 was still bringing touring combos through the city. The local Amarillo scene was shakin' away on its own with action by the Cinders, Hysterical Society, and the Tiaras along with countless other combos. Ray Ruff's Checkmate Studio was THE recording spot, splitting between local acts like the infamous Ya'lls and and outta-staters like the good ol' Blue Things and the wacky Dinks. Even a Van Morrison-less THEM hooked up with Ruff and his Sully/Ruff stable using Amarillo as a base of operations for a short time.

As far as I know the only other local studio that provided any type of recording services for for teen beat combos was a studio run by KPUR deejay Larry Cox, which was most likely opened in late 1965 or 1966. Probably the best known release to come from Larry's studio was the Undertakers single on Studio 7 which paired a fuzzy, pounding remake of "Unchain My Heart" with "It's My Time"'s dive bombing organ. The other three Larry Cox-related discs that rock a bit are the Notations on Beverly, the Renegades on Souled Out, and the Deuces Wild on Deuce. Larry evidently believed pink would grab attention and sell records as all three labels share the same pastel hue.

Larry Cox eventually motorvate'd west himself where he went on to produce chart toppers Climax as well as Jefferson Starhip's run of 70s hits before dropping out of the music business in the early 80s. Larry tooled about California for the next couple of decades, before eventually returning to Texas. He passed away just last year (Dec., 2009)

The recordings by Notations and Deuces Wild are interesting in that both go back to the early 60s for one of their sides. On the Notations take up Dick Dale's version of the quick-picking "Miserlou" on their Beverly release... amazing to think that in 1966 bands were still pulling this sound on record. I would be willing to guess that the Notations went on to become the Deuces Wild as the Deuces single is loaded with plenty of reverb as well.

The Deuces Wild 45 was likely pressed either in late 1966 or even 1967. Its got a surf feel. But its also got a lite touch of psychedelia strung through both sides. "Hey Little One", a huge hit of for Dorsey Burnette in 1962 and a garage and soul band staple ever since, is okey dokie enough and gave the local teens who showed up at the dances a chance to grope and sway in the darker corners of the gym. The band's moody original "Come Easy Go", penned by a Freddy Johnson, mixes the reverberated sun n' surf sound with acidic vocals and fuzz.


The K-PUR handbill, Larry Cox ad, and dance picture all came from the interesting Amarillo Graffiti website. Check it out HERE. Anyone with more info on the Deuces Wild, Notations, or Renegades please drop me a line.