Goddard High School, Roswell

GODDARD HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS: The Stage Band (Century 29759, 1967)

Goddard High School is best known for their 1969 and 1970 releases which go a bit heavy, especially as school records go. On this 1967 release the Stage Band plays it a bit safe, though the selections are a bit beyond the normal fare of the day. Buddy Rich's "Wack Wack" doesn't stretch much, but the kids aren't horrible. Paul Mauriat's "Love Is Blue" has a sorta psychedelic folk feel to it. Sonny & Cher's "The Beat Goes On" get's a nice little schoolin' as well. Kid honkin' the sax ain't too awfully bad.

Bill Briggs & the X.I.T. Boys, Amarillo

BILLY BRIGGS and THE X.I.T. Boys - The Yodeling Song (Time 110)

There are few things finer than Billy Briggs. Damned incredible voice. Genius tunesmith. Amazing steel. One of the best backing outfits in all of the west. Always dressed to the 9's.

Bill came to Amarillo from Fort Worth in the late 30s and was one of the founding members of the great Sons of the West (Stomped HERE) . The Sons lasted, mostly, up until just after the mid-point of the 40s when Billy grabbed a local ranch name and christened his new group the X.I.T. Boys and hooking up with label man / poltico Dan Allender's TIME Records out of Dalhart, where he released a string of 78s.

"I'd Rather Be Anything Than What I Am" b/w "Yodelling Song" would be one of his last releases for time and shows Briggs hitting on his two strengths... being his own worst critic ("I'd Rather Be...") and his word twistin' humor ("Yodelling Song").

As for the X.I.T.... the X.I.T. Ranch got it's start in the 1880s when a fire left Texas government with no home. A deal was struck with two brothers named Farwell out of Chicago. The brothers would back the budget on a $3,000,000 capitol building and in exchange they'd be granted 3,000,000 acres of grazing ground on the Texas Panhandle frontier. It was a weird stretch of land that jigged and jagged in a roughly 30 mile swath from from the Texas/O.K. border, south along the Texas/N.M. border, down to a spot south of Lubbock. The X.I.T. was the largest fenced ranch of it's time and also one of the most forwarding thinking outfits of the period. It was broken up in the 1920s. More info can be had at the X.I.T. Rodeo website HERE.

Dusty Dalton, Odessa

DUSTY DALTON - Shotgun (Unique100)

As it says on the label ... "Shotgun" is by Dusty Dalton, from 1962, and from Odessa. Billboard gave it the prestigious "Moderate Sales Potential" rating in its November 3, 1962 issue. I doubt more will ever be known. Decent bopper...

This chick's got a kick like a 16-gauge shotgun

Not terribly difficult to imagine this being pitched in Bill Carlisle's direction as he was carrying on in just about the same style for Hickory records at about this time... and actually Bill did cut a song called "Shot Gun". Dusty's is better.

Ray Reed, Ruidoso / Roswell (part II)

It's just a short stretch until the traditional Memorial Day weekend start of the new racing season up at the Ruidoso Downs...


RAY REED AND HIS BAND - Hustlin' Man (Ruidoso Racing Association )

I had previously stomped Ray Reed's 1961 Capitol custom pressing "Go Ahead On" b/w "Holiday At the Downs" HERE, two sides lauding heaps of praisin' upon the fine life of horse racing, fishing, and general lazy'ing about which visitors are afforded when hanging about beautiful Ruidoso Downs in the mountains of east central New Mexico. Just one year later Ray was at it again with a tune dedicated to the 1962 All American Futurity winner "Hustling Man". Listening to the band it would seem that "Hustling Man" is cut from almost the same cloth as the '61 release. and aside from the horn and piano, little else- including some lyrics- has changed. If "Go Ahead On" was a throwback to the stripped down western swing sound of the early 50s and out of step with 1961, then I have no idea where this leaves this 1962 release.



If you do happen to hit the Downs, lay out a five spot on a long shot for ol' Westex if'n you don't mind.