Kookie Cook (Danville)

Arlie Neaville aka Dean Carter is responsible for some of the wildest sounds to come out of downstate Illinois (or anywhere else for that matter) in the mid-1960's.

Neaville, originally from Champaign, gravitated east to Danville, Illinois in the early 60's where he surrounded himself with a gang of talented, like-minded musicians.  One of those people was drummer Richard "Kookie" Cook.

   

Cook, a member of Neaville's backing band - The Lucky Ones, was also part of the unofficial house band at Arlie Miller's Midnite Sound recording studio located on the outskirts of Danville.

It was there that Miller, Neaville and Cook, along with a handful of other area musicians, recorded dozens of late night sessions, experimenting and honing their unique sound.

Cook, however, was not strictly a session man.   Kookie was also a bandleader and a singer that released at least two singles under his own name.  In addition, Cook wrote and recorded several incredible songs that went unreleased at the time but eventually saw the light of day.

Other members of Kookie's band (according to the above promo photo) included Karl Reed, Mark James, Johnnie Dee and Dave Diamond.

Cook's first single, released as Kookie and Satalites, was a cover of the Duane Eddy instrumental "Rebel Walk" backed with "Boy Meets Girl," an original song penned by Neaville and Miller.   The two Arlies also produced the record which was released on the Chicago label GMA in 1964.

 

In the spring of 1964, Kookie recorded two more instrumentals in Chicago, again under the name the Satalites.  Both songs, "Space Race" and "Space Monster," were again credited to Neaville and Miller.  Both would remain unreleased for 40 years.

 

The next year, Miller and Neaville started their own record label in Danville, Milky Way Records.  While the label only released a handful of singles, one of them was by Cook.

Listed simply as Kookie on the record, the single included a cover of Roy Orbison's "Ooby Doody" with the original "You Took Her Love" on the flip side.  The song was credited to Miller, Neaville and Cook.

 

The single was reviewed in the November 13, 1965 issue of Cash Box.  Both songs received a grade of B, with "Ooby Dooby" labelled a "lite tuned reading of the Roy Orbison oldie," while "You Took Her Love" was described simply as "mournful lost love."

Nothing in Kookie's official releases however can adequately prepare the listener for the songs that Cook recorded but never released.   

In 2004, Ace subsidiary Big Beat Records released The Midnite Sound of the Milky Way.  Researched and compiled by Alec Palao, the collection gathered a number of unissued songs recorded at Arlie Miller's studio, including several tracks by Kookie.

The liner notes do not provide specific dates for Kookie's unissued songs, but it appear that many were recorded in 1966 or early 1967 - sometime after "Ooby Dooby" but before the Milky Way label folded.

Several songs clearly bare a sonic resemblance to the Dean Carter releases around that same time.  Kookie's pounding drums and tortured screams even match Carter's intensity and wild abandon.   Prime examples include Cook originals such as "Working Man," "Revenge," "Misery," and "Don't Lie." 

 

 

In the liner notes of Midnite Sound of the Milky Way, Arlie Miller said this about the songs, "On most of his stuff, Kookie had the original idea, and Neaville and I would help on it, or one of his band members.  I had 'Workin' Man' all leadered up and ready to send to [pressing plant] RCA, but Kookie said forget it, he knew that we weren't gonna get any hits."

Just like that it was over.  Soon after, for a few reasons, the Milky Way label came to a sudden demise.  There is no evidence that Cook recorded ever again.

If not for the Midnite Sound of the Milky Way compilation, the far out sounds of Kookie Cook would have been completely lost and forgotten. 

_

The last single released on the Milky Way label was Dean Carter's mind-blowing take on "Jailhouse Rock." For more about "one of the most otherworldly rockabilly singles ever made" see Plastic Crimewave's recent edition of The Secret History of Chicago Music.

In addition to Midnite Sound of the Milky Way, please be sure to check out Big Beat's other compilation, Dean Carter - Call of the Wild!

Ben Cooley, Bill McManners & The Arkansas Travelers (Champaign-Urbana)

The Arkansas Travelers were, oddly enough, not from Arkansas at all.  Instead, the popular Illinois country band originated from the Champaign-Urbana area.

Ben Cooley of Seymour, Illinois was the band's leader and guitar player.   His brother, Ken Cooley, was also in the group along with Bill McManners and Lyle Dillman.  

By 1963, Tommy Morgan had replaced Dillman.  Ron Riddle of Bloomington also joined the group on pedal steel at some point.

In the 1960's the Travelers were regulars on WHOW radio in Clinton as well as Uncle Johnny Barton's "Corn Belt Country Style" television show on WAND-TV in Decatur.   The popular program was broadcast across several stations in the Midwest and lasted for nearly six years.  As a result the group had their own fan club at the time and even released a newsletter, Travelers Trails.

The band performed regularly at festivals, fairs and hillbilly jamborees around the state alongside Barton and other local country and bluegrass groups.  They were often on the bill when stars of the Grand Ole Opry and other country performers came through central Illinois.  

In 1960, the Arkansas Travelers opened up for a 15-year-old Brenda Lee at the Champaign County Fair.  Also performing that weekend was Webb Pierce, Carl Smith, Red Sovine and Stonewall Jackson.

In 1964, the Travelers shared the stage with a young John Hartford at the Le Roy Fall Festival.  Hartford, who had been a DJ at WHOW, would have been well known to the group and country fans in the area, long before "Gentle On My Mind."

In a 1996 article, Ben Cooley mentions that the band in its heyday performed on shows with Loretta Lynn, Tex Ritter, Ray Price, Smiley Burnett, Porter Wagoner and Billy Walker.

In addition to playng live, the Travelers produced more records than nearly any other country act from downstate Illinois in that era.  Between 1958 and 1964 the group recorded and released at least 10 singles on three different labels.  

Their first record, "My Blue Eyed Baby" b/w "The Sun Shines Brighter," was released in 1958 under the name Bill & Ben and the Arkansas Travelers.   It was a Starday Custom pressing (#715) released on their own Traveler Records.  The address on the label was 601 E. University, Champaign, Illinois.

The second 45, released in 1960, was also a Starday Custom pressing (#878) on Traveler Records.  This time they were credited simply as the Arkansas Travelers.  The address given was P.O. Box 61, Seymour, ILL.

 

"You Ask Me" was written by Ben Cooley, while "Just One More" was written by Bill McManners.

Next the Arkansas Travelers recorded at least four singles for Ben Baldwin Jr. and his Benz Record Company in Champaign.   The label produced primarily records for square dancing.

1207  Arkansas Travelers - "Arkansas Mountain Rag" / "Travelers Boogie" 1961

1208  Arkansas Travelers - "Whadausay" (caller: Ben Baldwin Jr.) / "Whadausay (Instr.)" 1961

1211  Arkansas Travelers - "Wooden Heart" (caller: Ben Baldwin Jr.) / "Wooden Heart" (Instr.) 1961

1215  Arkansas Travelers Orchestra - "Loose Goose" / "Randy Lynn Rag" 1962

Between 1961 and 1963, the group also released three 45s on the Nashville label, which essentially consolidated the Starday Custom pressings under a single label name.   The recordings were done at the Starday Studios in Nashville, TN.   It was very likely during one of these trips to Tennessee that the Travelers performed at the Grand Ole Opry as well as Ernest Tubbs Record Shop.

5013  Ben & Bill and the Arkansas Travelers - "My One Mistake" / "Monkey See Monkey Do"  1961

(Some later pressings list the artist as Ben Cooley and the Arkansas Travelers. )  

 

"My One Mistake" was written by Ben Cooley.   "Monkey See Monkey Do" was written by McManners.

For the next few releases, the group dropped "Arkansas" from their name and were simply known as the Travelers, at least on record.

5110  The Travelers - "Make Believe World" / "Lips That Do The Talking"  1963

"Make Believe World" was written by Ben Cooley and Tom Morgan, with vocals by Cooley.   "Lips That Do The Talking" was written and sung by Bill McManners.

5154  The Travelers - "Most Of The Time" / "Passions Over Conscience"  1963

 

Ben Cooley handled the vocals for both sides and wrote "Passion."  McManners penned "Most Of The Time.

The group's last known release was in 1964 on the Midwest Record Company out of Champaign.  Other central Illinois artists on the label included Marvin Lee (Flessner) from St. Joseph, Junior Garner from Decatur and Jack Reno who was a radio personality that worked at WHOW at the time.

4004 The Travelers -  "I Even Fooled Myself " / "Keep Your Money (And Save Your Breath)"  1964

 

Both songs were were written by Tom Morgan.   Vocals for "I Even Fooled Myself" by Ben Cooley while Morgan sang "Keep Your Money."

Ben Cooley and the Arkansas Travelers continued to perform live until at least 1975.  However, there is no evidence that the band recorded anything after 1964.

The Arkansas Travelers at WHOW circa 1963:  Bill McManners, Ben Cooley, Ken Cooley, Tom Morgan

The Bushes (Galesburg)

The Bushes were once billed as the "All Galesburg Group with the Big Detroit Sound."   Their combination of blue-eyed soul, psychedelia and rock made them a popular live act in western Illinois in the late 1960's.  

The group also recorded and self-released an album in 1969, Assorted Shrubbery, before calling it quits after just two years together.

Back in the fall of 1967, the Bushes started out as a quintet.  Two of the members, Joel Wilson and Ron Stockert, were students at Knox College at the time.  The other three members, John Zefo, Al Johnson and Gary Owen, all lived in Galesburg, Illinois.

The Bushes  -Dec 1968:  Al Johnson, John Zefo, Joel Wilson, Ron Stockert.  Gary Owen had left the group by then.

Wilson, the lead singer and drummer for the group, was from Upstate New York originally.   According to an article in the Knox Student, Wilson had previously been a member of a group called the In Crowd.

Ron Stockert, the talented keyboardist, was from Havana, Illinois. While in high school, Stockert played organ in A.J. & The Savages along with Jerry "Pork" Armstrong.   The teenagers released one single on Deleware Records, a Chicago-area label.   It included a cover of "Farmer John" and the original "Long Long Time," which was credited to Stockert.

In 1968, Stockert would also sit in on a recording session with Armstrong's new group, Yellow Bird.  One of the songs they recorded was a cover of "Function At The Junction," a song that the Bushes would also record for their album.  Both recordings were done at the Golden Voice Recording Company in South Pekin, Illinois.

  

A January 1968 article in the Knox Student mentions that the Bushes were hoping to record a version of "Cold Rain and Snow," previously done by the Grateful Dead.  It is unclear if that ever happened.  Instead, their first available recording was a cover of the Foundations' "Baby, Now That I've Found You."

The song was included on a double 7" compilation that came with the Knox College literary magazine, Siwasher, in 1968.  The recording was likely done on campus during one of the group's live performances.  The records were "mastered" and pressed by the Fredlo Recording Studios in Davenport, IA.

  

Sometime in late 1968 or early 1969, the Bushes traveled to the Golden Voice studio in South Pekin to record their only album.   By this point, Gary Owen had left the group and they were performing as a quartet.

Most of the songs on the album were soul covers originally done by the Temptations, the Impressions, the Miracles and others.

The three originals on the album were "The Hopes, The Dreams, The Tears" (music by Stockert, words by Johnson & Wilson), "Most Girls" (music by Stockert, words by Wilson) and the brief instrumental, "Polphony" (credited simply to Bushes).

The album was released on Growth Records (LP S 200-08) in the spring of 1969.   Listen to the FULL ALBUM:

In April the LP was listed as a top seller in several Galesburg record stores.  Despite their local popularity, the Bushes did not last.   

 

Stockert eventually got back together with Jerry "Pork" Armstrong to form a new group, the Light Brigade, in Decatur, Illinois.

The group featured Steve Hunter on guitar as well as Bruce Horn and Randy Luckenbill (Darwin's Theory, Heavy Gun).  The group went on to be part of the thriving Champaign-Urbana music scene.  They even recorded at Golden Voice but the recordings were never released.

After the Light Brigade, Stockert joined up with some fellow Champaign musicians and eventually moved to Chicago to form the band Rufus.  Stockert would go on to write and sing about half of the band's debut album which was released on ABC Records in 1973.

  

The band's second album, Rags To Rufus, which prominently featured Chaka Kahn's vocals, went gold and earned Stockert and the group a Grammy.   Stockert left soon after.   He eventally went on to play with Three Dog Night and many others.

For more on Ron Stockert's musical journey:

The Blue Boys (Sycamore)

The Blue Boys were a popular teen combo from Sycamore, Illinois that was active from 1965 to 1966.

Band members included Steve Bassill, Steven Wynn, John Jeffries and Wendall Mattis.  Additional members of the group were Doug Breunlin and Dave Wildenradt.

The Blue Boys regularly played high school and junior high dances in northern Illinois during their brief time together.

They also headlined a series of outdoor dances held in Brown's parking lot in Sycamore on Saturday nights in the summer of 1966.   At their last show in July, there were over 500 kids in attendance.

In August of 1966, it was reported the band would split up as members left for high school, college and the service.  Before doing so however, the combo left us with one incredibly fuzzed-out garage two-sider:  "I Know" b/w "Hey Ho."

Their single was recorded sometime in 1966 for Feature Records, a label based in Janesville, Wisconsin.  Both songs were written by Wynn and Jeffries.

 

Additional Info:
Feature Records was owned by the legendary promoter and band manager Ken Adamany.  The Blue Boys were just one of several Illinois groups featured on his Wisconsin-based label.   The Inspirations from the Rock Falls / Sterling area, the Komons from Rockford, the Esquires from Belvidere, the Intrigues from Joliet and the Heard from Peoria all had releases on Feature Records.

The Meat Department (Decatur)

In April of 1967, a teenage combo from Decatur, Illinois known locally as the Mystics pooled their money for one hour of studio time at Universal Studios in Chicago.   Members of the group included Skip Huston, Nate King, John "Polar Bear" Sauter, Don Jackson and Steve Whitaker.   

John Sauter's father drove the boys and their equipment the three plus hours to Chicago where they were able to record two songs, enough for a single.  To avoid any confusion with a Chicago group (and countless others) using the same moniker, the Decaturites changed the name of their band to the Meat Department for the release.  The band joked, at least they would get free publicity on supermarket PA's.

Meat Dept., "This Weeks Children" / "Janet" Polar Bear, 41967

The single was released on the band's own Polar Bear Records.  It included an original song written by King and Huston, "Janet," along with a cover of the Electras' "This Week's Children" (written by Warren Kendrick).  The Electras also re-released the song under a different band name, 'Twas Brillig, just a few months before the Meat Dept. single.

The Mystics / Meat Department performed mainly around the Decatur area.   The group doesn't seem to have lasted more than a year.  

John Sauter eventually went on to play bass with Mitch Ryder, Ted Nugent and John Lee Hooker.

In 1995 a few members of the original Meat Department got back together and performed in Decatur for a series of shows known as Flashback.  The reunion concerts, which were organized by Huston, featured a number of 1960's groups from the area such as the Fugitives, the Dutchmen, the Castels and the Reel Blues.

In 1996, Nate King (vocals), Skip Huston (guitar) and John Sauter (bass) re-formed the Meat Department with new members Ed Hemrich (guitar), Randy Luckenbill (drums) and Terry Willis (vocals).

Thirty years after their first single, the Meat Department released their first album on CD called USDA Prime.  All eleven songs on the album were written by Huston.  

You can listen to the group's 1967 cover of "This Week's Children" below.  If anyone knows where I can find a copy of the single or their CD, please contact me at downstatesounds@gmail.com.

Red Foley's Dude Ranch (Mackinaw Dells)

In the summer of 1942, country music performer Red Foley and his wife Eva Overstake (aka Judy Martin) operated a "dude ranch" at Mackinaw Dells near Congerville, Illinois.

For one brief season, from the end of May until Labor Day weekend, the couple hosted a series of weekly concerts while also offering pony rides, roller skating and concessions.

Foley, who grew up near Berea, Kentucky, was a rising star in country music at the time and a featured performer on the WLS National Barn Dance which was broadcast on Saturday nights.  He hosted his own show, along with his "Saddle Pals," during the week on the Chicago station.

Overstake had been a regular on WLS, along with her sisters, since she was a teenager.   Eva, Evelyn and Virginia Lucille (aka Jenny Lee Carson) were originally known as the Three Little Maids.  The Overstake sisters had grown up in Decatur, Illinois.

Ramblin' Red Foley's bio in the 1943 WLS Family Album referenced the new business venture this way:  Last year he and his wife, the former Eva Overstake, bought a farm in Illinois, which they plan to make into a "dude ranch."

In truth, Foley had only leased the pre-existing facilities at the Mackinaw Dells.  Situated halfway between Peoria and Bloomington, the area was a well-established recreation spot.   The park, which included a pavilion and a roller rink, had been hosting dances, picnics and celebrations for decades.    

In fact, in the 1930's the WLS Barn Dance booked a number of shows at the Dells including a "monster celebration" on the 4th of July, 1934.    It is possible that Foley had even performed there during those years and was already familiar with the area when he decided to put his name on the place.

How involved Foley was with the day to day operations of the park is however unclear.  Foley and Overstake, who lived in the Chicago area with four children at the time, did not appear to relocate to the Mackinaw Dells even for the summer.

Instead, as reported in the Woodford County Journal, Foley was renting a room at a residence in nearby Eureka on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights for the season.

On the radio that summer, Foley was on hiatus from the Saturday night Barn Dance show on WLS but kept his Tuesday morning slot with the Saddle Pals which suggests he was returning to Chicago early every week. 

The stage shows at the Dude Ranch ran for 14 weeks, always on Sunday, rain or shine.  Admission was 30 cents including tax.  (Free for children under 10 and men in uniform).

Foley, often listed as "Foreman," was naturally always on the bill along with Eva.  Here is a list of additional musical performers and novelty acts:

May 31	Hoosier Hot Shots, Jolly Joe Kelley, Texas Tommy and his Wonder Horse Baby Doll, Tex Atchison’s Lone Star Ramblers
June 7	Pat Butram, Prairie Ramblers, Bolores & Her Bulldog, Bob & Jean in Skating Thrills, Ruth Baxter
June 14	Dezurik SIsters, Rusty Gill, Al Verdi & Co., Bento Bros, Rita and Farm Dance Band
June 21	Mac & Bob, Maple City Four, Eric Filmore & Co (Acrobats on a Perch), Ted & Flo Vollet (Balancing and Juggling), Mary Joe & The Lumberjacks
June 28	Arkansas Woodchopper, Patsy Montana and Her Partners, Ted & Flo Vollet, Mary Joe & The Lumberjacks
July 4 & 5	Cousin Emmy & Her Kinfolks, Farmer Bill, Polly and Her Bunkhouse Boys, Alma Deane, Grace Wilson
July 12	WLS Rangers, Pepper Hawthorne, Hubert Dyer, Billy Woods
July 19	WJJD Supper Frolic: “Red” Belsher, Paul Grove, Don White, Millie and Marge, Frontiersmen
August 2	Poppy Cheshire, Skeets & Frankie (of Radio Station KMOX St. Louis), Beehler’s Hollywood Animals
August 9	Lulu Belle & Scotty, Texas Tommy and his Wonder Horse Baby Doll, Lumber Jacks (from WJBC)
August 16	Chuck Acree, Bill O’Connor (Irish Tenor), Screw Ball Club (from WDZ), Lumber Jacks (WJBC), The Noonans
August 23	Cumberland Ridge Runners, Karl & Harty, Doc Hopkins, The Blue Eyed Boy, Coco & Teddy, Baker’s Trained Mule
August 30	Whitey Ford (The Duke of Paducah)
Sep 6 & 7	Prairie Ramblers (WLS), Parker Bros., Carl Thorson, WDZ Screwball Club

On Saturday June 27th, Red Foley and Patsy Montana were guest performers on the WLS National Barn Dance which was broadcast from McCormick Gymnasium at Illinois State Normal University in Normal, in cooperation with the McLean County USO Committee and the McLean County War Board.  The price of admission was 50 pounds of rubber or 100 pounds of scrap metal.  

Patsy Montana detailed the show and her time at the Dude Ranch in her autobiography, The Cowboy's Sweetheart:

"Illinois can be terribly hot in the summer, and that day was no exception.  They held the show in a gymnasium and with a big crowd it was stifling.  I was to go on last, and I waited in the heat.  It was like old times having Salty, Jack and the rest of the Ramblers there.  

It just got too hot in the gym so they decided to move everything outside.  I finished the show with "I'd Love To Be A Cowboy" and "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart."  

After the show we loaded up and drove back to our hotel in Bloomington.  The next morning we gathered for breakfast and went over the previous night's show, then we loaded up and headed out to Red Foley's Dude Ranch.

We arrived, unloaded and set up for that evening's show and we drove to a nearby town and had supper.  That evening's show was good, and it was hard to leave Red and Eva Foley.  You would think, being on the road so much and running into all of our friends, we could manage more time to visit.  It seldom happens that way.  You arrive in time to set up for a show, do the show and just as quickly head to another town to repeat the process."

__ 

The Red Foley "Dude Ranch, " a wartime experiment, didn't last.   Foley would soon move on to bigger and better opportunities.

The Mackinaw Dells pavilion and roller rink changed hands many times in the decades that followed and the spot was eventually converted into horse stables.   The final remnants of the Dells pavilion was razed in the 1990's after years of disuse.

The Furniture, Uncle Billy & The Vagrants (Peoria)

The Vagrants from Garbagepool, England were in fact a popular Peoria, Illinois band that was active from 1965-1967.  The group was often billed as Uncle Billy & The Vagrants and was later known as The Furniture.

In addition to the name changes, the group went through a number of lineups over the course of a few short years.

According to WWCT Basement Tapes Who's Who (The Gilded Book), the group included Greg Williams and "Uncle Billy" Kendall on guitars, Dave Taylor and Robyn Sleeth on drums, "Snake" King and Ken Anderson on bass, Rick Henson on keyboards and Mike McCabe on sax.

A Garage Hangover post regarding another Peoria group, North Bridge Company, mentions the Furniture may have briefly included NBC's Gary Shawgo as well Ron Stockert and Jerry "Pork" Armstrong (though both were likely in A.J. & The Savages NOT The Vagrants around this time).

Starting in the summer of 1965, the Vagrants played a number of dances around the Peoria area.  They also performed regularly in Galesburg, Illinois at Wayne Dennis' Teen-A-Go-Go.  Dennis appears to have been the group's manager.

On Sunday October 9, 1966, The Vagrants opened for Paul Revere and the Raiders at Spaulding Auditorium in Peoria.  Tommy Roe also performed along with two other Peoria groups - The Coachmen and The Shags.

 

Sometime near the end of 1966 the Vagrants recorded their only single in Chicago for Stature Records.  Sam Cerami, the label owner, is said to have changed the band's name to The Furniture.  By December of 1966, the group was starting to be billed under the new name.

On December 28th, the Furniture (along with the Coachmen) opened for the Yardbirds at the Expo Gardens in Peoria for two shows.   The Yardbirds lineup for the show included Jimmy Page on guitar, Keith Relf on vocals and harmonica, Chris Dreja on bass and Jim McCarty on drums.  Jeff Beck had left the tour prior to the Peoria performance.  

The Furniture's 45 was eventually released in early 1967.   The a-side was a cover of the Spencer Davis Group's "Keep On Running."  The b-side was an original tune, though strongly-influenced by the Kinks, called "I Love It Baby."

  

"I Love It Baby" is credited to Randy Moody who doesn't appear to have been a member of the band.  Thanks to a comment that Moody left on the above YouTube video for the song, we have his version of the story:

I wrote this song in 1966 for a group from Peoria, Il. who at that time were named Uncle Billy and The Vagrants. Sam Cerami, the owner of Stature Records, re-named them "The Furniture" which I wasn't wild about...We recorded this at Sound Incorporated Studios in Chicago...The engineer was the great Stu Black, who was famous for making many hits for other artists...I was approached on a Wednesday night by the agent of the Vagrants (The Furniture) who told me he needed two brand new songs sounding similar to the Kinks for a recording session THAT Saturday!...I wrote "I Love It Baby" that night and "Maybe I'm Trying Too Hard" the next night...I intended for "Maybe" to be the "A" side, but it was never released..."I Love It Baby" was receiving great airplay by DJ's who liked it even though it was the "B" side...Then for unknown reasons, Sam pulled it out of publication and off the air, so it never became as popular as it would have been otherwise...

The rumor was that Sam was an A.R. man for London Records and they viewed his label as a conflict of interests...Footnote: I never made a penny from this song despite my contract, which is typical of the Music Industry...Please forgive me if I've bored anyone with this history of the song...David R. (Randy) Moody.

Curiously the group went back to being billed as Uncle Billy (listed here as Uncle Billie) and the Vagrants in March 1967 despite having a record out as the Furniture.   

The group does not appear to have lasted much longer under either moniker.  

Guitarist Greg Williams would go on to join the Galesburg group the Buster Browns.  The Buster Browns released one single on Golden Voice in 1968 with  both songs being written by Williams.

According to the Gilded Book, which was published in 1981, Uncle Billy Kendall "went on to become a Berkeley grad" and "is now in the recording and production business." 

One additional note:   Randy Moody mentions in his comment above that the Furniture recorded his other original "Maybe I'm Trying Too Hard" but it was never released.   The Gilded Book however refers to "Maybe I'm Trying Too Hard" as the band's first 45.   It erroneously credits the song to Williams.  It refers to the "Keep On Running" as the Vagrants' second disc.

I've never seen any proof that "Maybe I'm Trying Too Hard" was ever pressed, even as a demo, but it is certainly possible.  If you have any additional information please reach out to us at:  downstatesounds@gmail.com

Maximus, Woof, Jack & Jeris Ross (Bloomington-Normal)

Psychedelic rock group Maximus was formed in late 1968 by Bloomington, Illinois native Jack Ross.  Prior to Maximus, Ross had played in one of the last incarnations of the popular Bloomington-Normal band, The Shattertones.

According to this 1969 ad, Maximus consisted of "four guys and a girl."  Timothy P. Irvin, a founding member of The Shattertones, briefly played in Maximus.  Except for Ross and Irvin, the other members of the group have not been identified.

The short-lived group released two singles on two different labels in 1969 but broke up before the end of the year.

The first Maximus single was recorded at Golden Voice Recording Co. in South Pekin, Illinois and released on the Golden Voice label:  "A Better Mind" b/w "Somebody To Care."  Both songs were written by Jack Ross.  The address printed on the record was Ross' home address.

 

The second single was released on Galico Records out of Macon, Georgia.  It included a re-recording of "Somebody To Care," now titled "Need Somebody" (erronously credited to Jack Frost).  The a-side was a cover of Delbert McClinton's "If You Really Want Me To I'll Go," originally released by the Ron-Dels in 1965.

 

An April 12, 1969 article in the Daily Pantagaph mentions that the group was currently recording in Nashville.  It unclear if that recording session became the Galico single or remains unreleased material.

After Maximus, Ross formed another local band, Woof, in 1970.  The group, described as a six-piece combo, played regularly at the Alley Club in Bloomington.  Jeris Hughes, a young female singer living in Bloomington-Normal, soon joined the group.   Hughes, originally from East Alton, Illinois, was a student at Illinois State University at the time.

Woof released one 45 in 1971 on Lelan Rogers' label House Of The Fox.  The mostly instrumental "This Is All I'll Say" written by Ross & Hughes was backed with "Gotta Get Home To You" which is credited to just Ross.  Both songs were very likely recorded at Golden Voice Recording Co. given that studio owner Jerry Milam is credited as a producer.

 

By 1971, Jack and Jeris got married and left Illinois for Nashville.  Doug Hauseman, a member of Woof, also moved to Nashville at the same time.  

An article in the Alton Evening Telegraph from 1972 mentions that Woof were originally signed to Liberty United Artists by a California promoter.  Jeris explains, "They promised us the world but nothing came of it.  The contract was dissolved after three months and the band broke up.  The organ player and Jack and I went to Nashville."

While in Nashville, Jack Ross initially went to work for Lelan Rogers Enterprises.  Ross is given songwriting credit on at least one other single released on House of the Fox.   By 1972 he began to work more as a session bass player around Music City.  

The article in the Alton Evening Telegraph mentions that Jack, in addition to guitar, could play piano, organ, trombone and saxophone.  It also mentioned that he was a former student of guitarist Johnny Smith and had played at Carnegie Hall with the NORAD Band while in the Air Force.

While Jack settled in as a session player, Jeris was developing a solo career in country music as a singer.   

She started out recording jingles and radio commercials but with Jack's studio connections was able to land a contract with Cartwheel Records.    Her first single was a cover of Melanie's "Brand New Key."  It reached #39 on the country charts.

Over the he next few years, Jeris released several singles on several different labels including one song written by Jack  - "I Wonder How The Folks Are (Back In Kansas)."  In late 1972, Cartwheel Records was absorbed by ABC-Dunhill and Jeris would eventually sign with the parent label.  

In the May 31, 1975 issue of Cash Box, Jeris was named Country Artist of the Week.   That same year she released a self-titled full length album on ABC-Dot.   

One of the singles, "Pictures On Paper," was a top 15 country hit.  The album also featured a single with one of the the all-time great country titles, "I'd Rather Be Picked Up Here (Than Put Down At Home)."

In 1978, the couple were featured in a story in Bloomington's Daily Pantagraph.  It mentions that Jack had become one of the top session bass players in Nashville.  His resume, at that time, already included recordings with the Kendalls, Freddy Fender, Jeanie C. Riley, Don Gibson, Stella Parton as well as an album by Webb Pierce & Carol Channing.

In addition to his studio work and managing his wife' career, Jack owned his owned his own production companies, Crystal Blue Music and Crystal Blue Productions.

By the early 1980's however, Jeris' country career had fizzled out.  Jack and Jeris eventually divorced.  

Less than a decade later, Jeris (now Jeris Ford) revived her singing career as a member of an oldies group from Tulsa, OK called Bop Cats.

Jack spent the rest of his career as a studio musician in Nashville and was a lifetime member of the Nashville Association of Musicians #257.   He passed away on Nov. 2, 2013.

3's A Crowd (Springfield)

Three's A Crowd from Springfield, Illinois recorded two singles between 1966 and 1968.  At the time of their first release, the trio had never performed in public together.

The group consisted of Roger Humphrey on bass and vocals, Bob Cellini on guitar and vocals and Mike Bertucci on drums.  

Humphrey, who was 37 at the time of the first single, had been a trombone player in Bill Cellini's orchestra (Bob's brother).  In the early 1960's, Bob Cellini led his own band, the HI FIs, before joining his brother's group.

Humphrey and Cellini began playing together for fun, working on original material.  By 1966 they were joined by Bertucci.

They recorded their first single, "Making Do" b/w "I Don't Mind At All" for Ro-Do Records.  Both songs were written by Humphrey.

The single was released in the spring of 1967.  Despite being virtually unknown in the Springfield area, the single did well on the local charts.

An article in the Illinois State Journal from May 29, 1967 mentions that the group had another song ready to go called "Run, Sheep, Run" and were hoping to cut an album.  

There is however no evidence that the group recorded an album or ever played live.

In 1968, they did record two of Cellini's originals at the Golden Voice Recording Co. in South Pekin, Illinois.  "Keep On Walking" b/w "No Where" was released on the Golden Voice label.   

 

Note:  Bob Cellini is the nephew of Al Cellini who was featured in our recent post about Space Records.

Dave Bell Trio on Space Records (Springfield)

Dave Bell Trio's 1952 single "I Dreamed Of A Lifetime" b/w "I'm All Wrapped Up In You" was written, recorded and released in Springfield, Illinois.  Initially, it was reported that it would also be the first record manufactured in Springfield at a brand new pressing plant.  However, that doesn't appear to have happened.

The 78 rpm record was officially released locally on September 25, 1952 by the newly-formed Space Records, a Springfield label started by two of the songwriters:  Fred Spagnoli & Al Cellini.

The label's name was a combination of the first few letters of their last names.   Its motto: There's Always Space For A "Space" Record. 

Both Cellini and Spagnoli were Springfield residents.  At the time, Cellini, 2031 N. Nineteenth St., was in the poultry business (Cellini Bros Poultry) and Spagnoli, 2224 S. Thirteenth St., was a salesman for the Eastern Packing Company.

Cellini was also a part-time musician and bandleader.  He played saxophone and clarinet and led various combos in the Springfield-area as far back as the mid-1940's (Venetian Serenaders, 4 Sharps and Al Cellini & His Rhythm Boys).

The music of "I'm All Wrapped Up In You" was written by Cellini with lyrics by Spagnoli.   "I Dreamed Of A Lifetime" was written by the pair along with Cecil Hassinger.   According to various newspaper advertisements, Hassinger had been a band leader in central Illinois in the late 1940's.  Hassinger also played guitar in one of his Cellini's bands.

Click image to listen

While this would be the first record on their label, it was not the first record that Cellini and Spagnoli had collaborated on as songwriters.  

Two year prior, they wrote "I Spoke Too Soon," which was recorded by the Lee Kelton Orchestra and released on Dix Records out of Pittsburg, PA.   It was also issued on the Rondo label.

To record their latest compositions, the two men worked with the Dave Bell Trio.  Bell and his band were a popular Midwest combo that played the Springfield clubs frequently in the early 1950s.  

In an advertisement from 1952, it mentions the group featured Art Williams on the drums and Charlie Straub on the piano.  Dave Bell is referred to as "Frankie Lane's protégé."

Several months before its official release, it was announced that the Space record would also have the unique distinction of being the first record pressed in Springfield by a new business, Independent Artists Recording Company.   

The business was founded by E.H. Overman and Bud Hashman, both from Springfield.  According to the Illinois State Journal, "both men were formerly in show business, as vaudeville artists.  Overman was 'hoofer' and Hashman a song and dance man."

By the time the two men joined forces, Hashman owned a jukebox business in Springfield while Overman was operating a makeshift recording studio out of his home.  

According to the April 4, 1952 newspaper article, "Since about 1937 Overman has been engaged in cutting records.  Hashman became associated with the enterprise last September.   The two men make 'cuttings' in their studio at 903 N. Seventh St., for independent artist throughout the middle west."

In early 1952, Hashman and Overman decided to expand on their recording operation and go into the production of records.  With little experience or instruction, the two men set out to build a pressing plant from scratch.  

The newspaper gives a detailed account of the various steps involved with record manufacturing.  It also laid out the struggles the two men had getting their operation off the ground.

"Handicapped by an almost total absence of printed technical instructions on the procedure they managed to secure a  hard to find, several years old, manual on the production method and went to work.  They worked out many 'bugs' an the procedure by their own ingenuity." 

Despite the claim, there is no evidence that Overman and Hashman's pressing plant ever became operational.  The Dave Bell Trio record was to be their first, however when the record was released in September an article in the Illinois State Journal mentions that the master discs were cut in Rock Island and the pressing was being done in Janesville, Wisconsin.

As for Independent Artists Recording Co., the only other reference found was a 1953 advertisement for the Bobby Lane "Special."   There is no evidence that any commercially available records were ever recorded or pressed in Springfield by the company.

Sadly, Elmer Overman and his wife were seriously injured in a 1956 explosion at their home, which was the same address as the studio.

As for the Dave Bell Trio, they recorded at least one other single, "Moneyback Guarantee" b/w "Rock 'N' Roll Pins," which was released in 1958 on Window Records out of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. 

Al Cellini appears to have gotten out of the record business but he continued to perform and lead his combo / orchestra in the Springfield area for several more decades.

Fred Spagnoli became the Lake Springfield chief of police by 1958 but hadn't given up on writing a hit song.  An article in the Illinois State Journal at the time mentions that five of his songs had been recorded.

It appears that Spagnoli and Cellini collaborated on at least one more song after the Space record.  In August 1954, both men are credited for "Dora," in the Catalog of Copyright Entries.   According to the listing it was likely released on Dix Records but the actual artist and record have not been identified.

A few months earlier, Spagnoli copyrighted, "Much To My Sorrow," with Ola Budde supplying the music.   Budde appears to have been from Springfield as well.  Again, the song was likely recorded and released on Dix Records but no more details are available at this time.

As for Space Records, the label's entire output consisted of just the one single: