Red Mansel & His Hillbilly Boys, Amarillo

RED MANSEL AND HIS HILLBILLY BOYS - I've Crossed You Off My List (Starday 45-523)

Red Mansel worked the country circuit in and around the Panhandle town of Amarillo, Texas in the 1950s where local dates fronting his own Hillbilly Boys were promoted twice-weekly on a 15 minute spot on local tv station KFDA. Red also played guitar for local honky tonker Virgil Humes.

1955 saw Red Mansel released his first record using Starday's custom series. The disc paired two originals including the mid-tempo honky tonk shuffler "I've Crossed You Off My List" on the A-side. As was the case with pretty much every other pressing in the series there was no hit for Red and his Hillbilly Boys.

In April of 1956 Billboard Magazine announced that Red Mansel had inked a two-year deal with Dan Mechura's Houston based Allstar label where he would go on to release three records. Despite steady Billboard mentions through the spring and early summer of 1956 Red's first for Mechura's imprint was panned by the trade rag as was another later release.

Red doesn't seem to have recorded again after the close of the 1950s. According to Kevin Coffey Mansel lived his last years in Hurst, Texas.
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Thanks to Kevin Coffey for the use of the Virgil Humes photo.

Amarillo postcard from the Vintage Chrome postcard blog.