Category Archives: Huntsville

Categories: Alabama, Gold Master, Huntsville, Woodrich

The Rocks from Huntsville on Gold Master and Woodrich

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Rocks Gold Master 45 Love CityThe Rocks came from Huntsville, in northern Alabama.

Randy Duck is quoted on a Lee High School alumni site (a couple spellings of names are corrected):

The original Rocks included Johnny Harbin, Butch Rolfe, Bulldog Hillis, Joe Skipworth, Skip Atkins, Donnie Cartelli and me. Later, Johnny and Butch went into the service and Bulldog dropped out. Jackie Tiller started playing lead guitar, Richard Hahn came on board with keyboards …

We had several different drummers after Donnie, but Doug Cheffer was the last one. Donnie and Doug are both passed away.

My copy of “Terri” is signed by Butch Rolfe.

I’ve seen a later photo of the band with this lineup:

Randy Duck – lead vocalist
Joe “Little Joe” Skipworth – sax
Jack Tiller – lead guitar
Skip Atkins – bass guitar
Doug Cheffer – drums

Rocks Gold Master 45 TerriRandy Dee Duck wrote both songs of their first single, “Love City” / “Terri”, released on Gold Master Records GM-1001 in November 1964. Both sides are great, crude rock ‘n roll.

Their second single came in 1965, “Love or Money” by Don Cortelli and Randy Duck with “Rock Pretty Baby”, on Gold Master GM-1003. I haven’t heard this one yet.

The Rocks get a slower, bluesy sound on the top side of their last single “Because We’re Young” written by Walter Sims, I’m not sure his connection to the band. The flip is a ballad, “My Only Love” by Johnny Harbin and Randy Duck, released in November 1965 on Woodrich Records WR-1249.

A single by the Rocks on White Cliffs 239, “Who Do You Love” (by Edgar Starns) / “Keep My Woman Home” may be a different group.

Sonny Limbo produced for L & C Productions. Sonny was a Huntsville DJ whose real name was Sonny Limbaugh – thus Limbaugh Music publishing, and also seems to have partly owned Gold Master Records.

Besides the two Rocks 45s, Sonny also produced the Hi-Boys Combo ‎”Why (Must I Love You)” / “Some Man (Other than Me)” both written by C. Bolden, released on Gold Master GM-1004.

Gold Master GM-1002 is Hollis Champion’s “Stand There” / “Sugarfoot Rag”, and doesn’t have Sonny’s name or publishing anywhere on the labels.

Sonny Limbo produced the In and the Bobbies, which I’ve covered before. He used Sonic Recording Service in Memphis for those records, I’m not sure where the Rocks recorded.

Sonny also produced at least two singles on the Exclusive Records label out of Chattanooga:

The Champells – “Don’t You Know” / “Won’t You Love Me” on Exclusive 2297, both written by Ralph Flynn (the second copyrighted as “Won’t You Love Me Too”? by Ralph Thomas Flynn in October 1965).

The Vondels ‎- “Stagger Lee” / “Turn on Your Love Light” on Exclusive 2295.

Categories: Alabama, Florence, Huntsville, Sonic Recording Service (Memphis), Sonny

The Bobbies “(She) Put Me Down” and the In on Sonny Records

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Bobbies Sonny 45 She Put Me Down Part 1The Bobbies came from Florence, Alabama, cutting this one fine single, “(She) Put Me Down” parts 1 and 2 in June, 1966. Members included:

Bobby Heathcoat – lead vocals (Bobby Heathcote ?)
Richard Hahn – organ
Glenn Hall – bass

– but I don’t know the other names of the group. Scans of an autographed 45 include these names:

Duck Hempil or Henpil?
Randy Wills
“Angel”

Sonny Limbo (real name Robert Limbaugh, I believe) was a DJ at WAAY in Huntsville, Alabama, about 72 miles east of Florence. I am not sure how he found the Bobbies, but Sonny had been hipped to local Huntsville group the In. The In recorded a demo of “Just Give Me Time” at Bobby Land’s studio in Huntsville and asked Sonny to produce a finished version. Sonny brought both groups, the In and the Bobbies to Sonic Recording in Memphis to share a four hour session.

Autographed copy of the Bobbies 45, courtesy of Brandi Garrison.

The bands, who did not know each other before, became friendly and helped out on each other’s session. The Bobbies and their friends contributed to the crowd noise on the In’s version of “Midnight Hour”, plus Bobby Heathcoat contributed backing howls and Richard Hahn played organ on the song. Eddie Burton of the In added some lead guitar to the Bobbies recording.

The In’s session would lead to a national release on Hickory of “Just Give Me Time” / “In the Midnight Hour”. In an interesting twist on the usual sequence of local-to-national release, Hickory dropped the group (supposedly because their session was non-union), and Limbo released the songs locally on his own label, pairing “‘Live’ in the Midnight Hour” with “You’re So Fine” for Sonny 45-1002, and “Just Give Me Time” with Eddie Burton’s original “You’re Not Gonna Live Forever” for Sonny 45-1004.

Limbo released the Bobbies single on Sonny Records 45-1001. I’m not sure what songs the Bobbies planned on recording when they went into the session, but Sonic Recording owner Roland Janes gets writing credit for “(She) Put Me Down”.

Bobbies She Put Me Down Cash Box July 30, 1966I expect there is a Sonny 45-1003 out there but if so, I haven’t seen it.

The A-side of the Bobbies received a B+ in the July 30, 1966 issue of Cash Box.

Richard Hahn would go on to join the In.

In Wessex Combo Decatur Daily April 28, 1965
The Wessex Combo (before the “In”), from the Decatur Daily April 28, 1965

I couldn’t find any news clippings for the Bobbies, but did turn up this interesting mention of an early version of the In, calling themselves the Wessex Combo for the 14th birthday party of Miss Jeannie Sharpe, the band featuring Bill Peck, George Vail, Chet Nolette, Eddie Burton and Fred Sanders. It was published in the Decatur Daily (Decatur Alabama that is), on April 28, 1965.

By the time of their Memphis recordings, Chet Nolette was out of the group and the In consisted of Bobbie Land – lead and backing vocals and organ, Eddie Burton – lead and backing vocals and lead guitar, Bill Peck – lead and backing vocals and rhythm guitar, Fred Sanders – lead and backing vocals and bass, and George Vail – drums. Later on Jackie Tiller of the Rocks would play bass for the group.

Anyone have a good photo of either group?

Info for this article comes from Jeff Jarema’s interviews with Eddie Burton of the In on the Sundazed and 60sgaragebands.com sites, both now defunct.

Bobbies Sonny 45 She Put Me DownPart2