Below is an
incomplete discography of Jean Alford’s Alear Records label from Winchester, Virginia.
Most of the disks are country, except the Don Dupree is supposed to be doo wop backed by a girl group. Only the Smacks are garage rock as far as I know.
Publishing is usually either Alear Music or Pamper Music.
incomplete – any help would be appreciated
45s:
Alear no #: Don Dupree & Palisades “Phyllis” (Petty & Greer) / “Power of Love” (R4KM-2381, 665A-2381, early 1964)
Alear A-103: Teenie Chenault “I’m So Alone” (Chenault & Tipton) / “It’s a Big Old Heartache” (Chenault & Overman) (R4KM-8016/7, early ’64)
Alear A-105: Carroll Bridgeforth “Next Fool in Line” (Jean Alford) / “The Magician” (RK4M-7356, second half of 1964)
Alear A-106: Teenie Chenault “Make Me Laugh” / “Forgetting”
Alear A-108: Jean Alford “First Man on the Moon” (Harvey Price, Jean Alford) / “The Great Society) (SoN-24015)
Alear A-109: Smacks “I’ve Been Fooling Around” / “Say You’ll Be Mine” (SK4M-0953, Oct. 1965)
Alear A-111: Dean Greer “I Can’t Throw the Ashes Away” (Curley Putnam, Don Wayne) / “I’ve Got a Hold on You” (Jean Alford, Harvey Price) (T4KM-5063/4, March 1966)
Alear A-112: Teenie Chenault “She Tried Hard To Love Me” (Lee Emerson) / “Pushed In The Corner” (Jean Alford) (T4KM-5066, April 1966)
Alear A-113: Vicki Day “Another Hurt” / “Don’t Wake Me”
Alear A-114: J. D. Dawson – “I’ve Got A Hold On You” / “I’m Number One (With My Mary)”
Alear A-116: Smacks “Reckless Ways” / “There’ll Come a Day”
Alear A-117: Tommy Lake “Out of the Dark” / “(If You Want Some Lovin’) Get It From Me” (Jean Alford) (T4KM-2355/6, 655A-7355)
Alear 665A-117: Teenie Chenault “Where Happiness Ends and Heartbreak Begins (Fred Carter) / “(You’re No Inspiration Gracie for) A Hit Song” (Jean Alford) (U5KM-4601/2, first half of 1967)
Alear A-118: Tommy Lake “The Magician” / “Don’t Wake Me”
Alear AL-121: Lone Star “Assumed Love” / “I Write This Letter” (820748) (need confirmation of this one)
Alear A-202: Al Hogan “The Key That Fits Her Door” / “He Didn’t Become Famous For His Song”
Alear A-221: Frank Darlington “You’re My Girl” / “Have a Little Patience” (July, 1969)
Alear A-222: Jim Miller “If You Can Eat The Cake” / “The Other Lover”
Alear A-350: Dave Elliott “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone” / “Other Lover”
Alear 665-??: Ned Davis “Organtar” / “Jungle Fog” (piano & pedal steel instrumentals)
Alear AL-108 – Gloria Jean Megee – “This Woman” (Megee) / “Slightly Used” (1978, Alford/McCoy production credit)
LPs:
Alear ERS-517: Teenie Chenault & the Country Rockers
Alear SLP 198: Leroy Eyler & the Carroll County Ramblers – Mr. Bluegrass Here’s to You
Alear SLP 200: Leroy Eyler & the Carroll County Ramblers – Sing Gospel
Gloria Megee wrote to me about her Alear single from 1978, “This Woman”, “Jim McCoy Studios, Buddy Charlton, steel; Roy Justis, fiddle; and John Kaparakis, guitar. It was well received on Big K [WKCW] when the old Tom Cat played it.”
Thanks to Max Waller, Graham, Dale from 45cat, Bob Perry, and Gloria Jean Megee for their help with the Alear discography.
The Smacks h
ad two primary members, Lloyd Semler from Hagerstown, Maryland, and Bill McCauley from Winchester, Virginia. Both towns are along the I-81 corridor, about 45 minutes drive apart. Other members include John Glosser on bass and David Hall on drums.
e liner notes to the excellent CD Aliens, Psychos & Wild Things, vol. 2, “Their first 45 was recorded at Accent Sound in Baltimore. The second was done in Harrisonburg at Weaver Sound in Spring ’66. The organist on ‘Nobody Else Is Gonna Do’ may be Front Royal’s soon-to-be-semi-famous, Roger Powell. The unreleased ‘There’ll Come a Day’ is the Smacks backing up two sisters from Winchester whose names are not recalled. Both Smacks discs came out on Alear, a Winchester label run by Jean Alford.” Front Royal is just south of Winchester.