Not pictured: Phil Sudderth.
It’s not often I hear unreleased songs that catch my attention as these two by the Other Half, a quintet from Greenville, Texas, about fifty miles NE of Dallas. “Severance Call” has excellent harmonies over a solid rhythm, fast bass runs, and a good guitar break without effects. “Lost Everything” is even better, as Phil Sudderth sings in as rough and gravely a voice as I’ve ever heard over staccato guitar chords.
Bassist and vocalist T A Tredway sent in the photos, music and story of the band:
We started The Other Half in Greenville, TX in 1965. T A Tredway (bass guitar, vocals), David Heath (lead guitar, vocals), Carroll Grant (rhythm guitar, vocals), Phil Sudderth (lead vocals, tambourine) and Alex Bauknight on drums.
I had been to a band practice and really didn’t know anyone in the band (don’t think they ever played a gig). Started talking to some people in the band and was asked to come back to listen to the next practice session so I agreed. I was not a musician, just fooled around with a six string with a little folk music. Come to find out at the next practice the band decided to break up. I started talking with David and Phil and said why don’t we just start our own band, half kidding … but we started thinking seriously about it. I was 24 at the time.
David (age 17) was the drummer and Phil (age 18) sang but there was a young kid, Alex (age 14), who wanted to play drums so David decided he would play guitar and we would look for a lead guitar player. After a short time not being able to find a lead suited to what we wanted to do, David decided to play lead and we decided on Carroll (age 21) who had been to a couple of practices would fit right in.
David is the tall lanky kid playing the Gibson hollow body and Carroll is playing the Fender to the right in the pics. I was playing a metalic blue Mossrite Ventures bass all the time in the band. David and Carroll changed to a sunburst Gibson 335 and a Gibson cherry red 330E, respectfully, with Super Beatles and I had a Vox Bassman amp with two speaker cabinets. We had four Vox line speakers run through a 50 watt Bogen amp for our speaker system.
We were really in to The Rolling Stones because Phil sounded just like Jagger. We all loved and performed almost every song on their first 3 albums, “Round and Round,” “Little Red Rooster,” “You Can’t Catch Me,” “Route 66” etc.
We started getting jobs playing sorority and fraternity parties from ETSU in Commerce, renting our own halls in Greenville, and playing any benefits when we could. Through word of mouth, sororities at SMU heard about us and we started getting offers to play for them.
I think while playing one of those parties some one recommended we check on this club at Lovers and Greenville called Louann’s. So we went there, auditioned and got to play there shortly after. Louann’s had been a big band venue and decided to change to rock and roll. Then she asked us if we would consider being the house band during the summer of ’66 and later asked if we would continue to be the house band in ’67 which we also agreed to do. It was a great experience. We played Buffalo Springfield, Yardbirds, Beatles, The Who, Mamas and Papas, The Byrds, Sam and Dave, just about anything during those years but the Stones music was our mainstay. More than one person told us that we sounded better in person than The Stones sounded in person.
In ’66 I think it was we recorded two sides at Robin Hood Brian’s in Tyler, TX. I wrote the songs along with Phil and David. They always got great response when we played them live. We had some acetates done at Seller’s studio in Dallas and I still have one of the 45s. They got a lot of play on KGVl in Greenvile and quite a bit of play by Ron Chapman at KLIF in Dallas.
In ’67 Phil joined the army under suspicious circumstances and we were left without a lead singer. We found another guy from Greenville, Matt Tapp who sang with us for a while but it never was the same. We broke up late in ’67 and I haven’t seen or heard from anyone since then until a few weeks ago I got an email from Carroll who now lives in Sandy, Utah. It sure has been great talking about the fun we had in the 60’s with The Other Half.
T A Tredway
Update, December 2010
The Other Half – My Little Red Book
The Other Half – Satisfaction
The Other Half – If I Needed Someone
Sadly, T A reports that Phil Sudderth and Alex Bauknight have passed away.
These songs sound better with every play. Thanks for sharing them.
Phil Sudderth was my Daddy. Thank you for having this story about him on here. I enjoyed reading about his early days. Just wanted to make a small correction though, Dad went to the Navy, not the Army. Unfortunately, yes, he passed away on December 27, 2007. He played music up until he died. It was a regular occurrence to walk back into his room and hear him strumming his Gibson acoustic, singing away. He always told me stories of the times he played in a band but this was the first time I have heard some of the songs. Thanks so much. It was great to hear my Daddy’s voice again.
Melanie, your dad and I grew up together around Houston School. The two of us and all the other neighborhood kids played some sport in somebodies yard everyday for years and years. You could not have dreamed a better childhood. Your dad was a distant relative of a Major League Baseball player named Dave Philly. Coincidentally he played for the Philadelphia Phillies. I think he sent your dad some balls and a glove once. We all thought that was really cool. Your grandmother was one of the nicest ladies I’ve ever known. I’m sorry that Phil died so young. We were Great friends for many years. Best. Bob Shelton.
Melanie, Your dad was one of my very best friends growing up. He lived on Speedway St. and I live about two blocks away on Walnut in North Greenville. We both went to Houston School and graduated together in 1965. His mom and my mom were very good friends and went to the same church later in life. When we were little guys, we played baseball and basketball together almost every day at each others house. After high school we went our separate ways but I will always have wonderful memories of those days. Your dad was a great guy and I am glad we were friends. I was very sad to learn of his death at a far too early age.
Rollie Anderson’s memories of Dust were just so on the money. It’s hard to believe (today) that every young boy in America saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and were then inspired to pick up the guitar. I did, too, but never formed a band and never got very far.
But Rollie’s memories were so good I thought that I wrote them.
Thanks for posting them.
Melanie,
My brother T.A. was the bass player for THE OTHER HALF – as a young kid I used to sneak into Lu Ann’s in Dallas and see them as the house band and oepning band for many acts – I speciffically remember them opening for Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels and Ann, the lady who was the owner hid me in her office as a 15 year old – she liked me seeing my brother and Phil – I have been playing music ever since – I work specifically in the singer-songwriter community http://www.inthemusicroom.com
Randy Tredway
http://www.randytredway.com
Phil told me many times that he joined the Navy to keep from being drafted into the Army.
Thanks for all this! I had never seen or heard any of it, but know the names from family members talking about Greenville TX stories.
The Gibson ES 125T guitar that Dave Heath played belonged to his father, Buddy. Dave has since passed it down to me, his son, and I play it every week. My daughter sang in her talent show with me as her accompaniment playing the same guitar. Still sounds and plays great today.
Clay, so glad to hear your response,,,Can’t remember who your mom is,,,we had a lot of great stories,
Sure wish I had some pics of David through the years and early pics,,,I am doing memory project of the Other Half of our time in the band,,,my email is tat3rd@yaoo.com
WOW! This is so cool, T A! David was one of my favorite guys in Greenville, Texas and that’s sayin’ a lot. No cowboy boots just a cool guitar. He taught me how to start playing folk songs in the 60’s.
Do you remember we went to hear the Stones in Dallas? I dumped the Beatles for the Stones and still lovin’ Mick!
My wife, Helen and I live in Venice Beach. Gloria lives two doors down.
Thanks for all of these memories.
Linda XO
I had bought a new Ford Mustang from Hudson Ford in Greenville, and Gus Hudson told me that the dealership shop was used as a place for a band to practice. Gus knew I played guitar and invited me to come hear them play. One night I was going into a restaurant at ETSU and met a couple of the band guys coming out . I asked how the band was going and they said it was not good and the rhythm guitar player had quit. As we parted ways, Dave Heath said “wait a minute, you play guitar, how would you like to play in the band. We did a practice, it sounded good, and I became a member of the Other Half.