Ray Ruff (Ray Ruffin) of Amarillo owned the Ruff label, and was also a partner in the Sully label, eventually taking it over from Gene Sullivan, who had started Sully Records in Oklahoma City in 1959.

Ruff also had the Storme label, with one release I know of “I’m Gonna Love You Too” / “Ummm Oh Yeah” as Storme #101 in 1964.

Ruff was also part of the Checkmates.

Any help with these discographies would be appreciated.

Ruff Records

The Ruff discography is fairly straightforward, though there are some weird jumps in the numbering after #1020, maybe because of distribution deals with Tower Records. Interestingly, Mop Top Mike pointed out that numbers 1010-1020 were all released between March and April, 1966.

1000 – Blue Things – Mary Lou / Your Turn To Cry (Feb. 1965)
1001 – Buddy Knox – Jo Ann / Don’t Make a Ripple (December 1964)
1002 – Blue Things – Pretty Thing, Oh / Just Two Days Ago (May 1965)
1003 – Checkmates – Hey Girl / All the Time Now
1004 – Henson Cargill – Joe, Jesse and I / Pickin’ White Gold
1005 – ?
1006 – Charming Checkmates – Just to Make Me Cry / So Hard To Find
1007 – Bob Finn – Existing In City Stone / Why
1008 – ?
1009 – Arcades – She’s My Girl / Stay Away (Kent Tooms) arr. by Ruff and Paul Mathis
1010 – Trolls – That’s The Way My Love Is (Fred Brescher) / Into My Arms
1011 – Finnicum – Come On Over / On the Road Again
1012 – ?
1013 – ?
1014 – Robin Hoods – My Love Has Gone Away / Love a Game (both by Robin Harris)
1015 – BC’s – Oh Yeow! / Comin’ On Home
1016 – Y’Alls – Please Come Back / Run For Your Life
1017 – Burch Ray – Love Question
1018 – Troy Watson & the Del Troys – Sherry / Girl I Love And Adore (both by Troy Watson & M. Boyking, April ’66)
1019 – Tiaras – Sticks And Stones / Southern Love
1020 – Page Boys – All I Want / Sweet Love
—
1088 – Them – I Happen to Love You / Walking in the Queens Garden (1967) (with picture sleeve)
1098 – Rubber Maze – Mrs. Griffith / Won’t See Me Down (with picture sleeve)

Sully Records

Begun by Gene Sullivan in Oklahoma City, Sully also operated out of Amarillo, Texas under Ray Ruff’s supervision. The 100 and 200 series are Oklahoma City productions, while the 900 and 1000 series are Amarillo, TX productions.

Generally the 100 series have “Oklahoma City, Okla” under the logo, while all the ones in the 900s (along with #100), have “Checkmate Productions” under the logo, indicating Ruff’s production company.

Also, some records (#929, #931 and #933 for example) have the label name spelled “Sölly” instead of “Sully”, why I’m not sure.

100 – Ray Ruff and the Checkmates – Long Long Pony Tail / Pretty Blue Eyes
101 – The Serenaders – Hymn-Time with the Serenaders (EP)- Whispering Hope / Beyond The Sunset (Should You Go First) / What Will You Say / The Twenty – Third Psalm (Oklahoma City)
102 – Gene Sullivan – Sleepin At tHe foot Of The Bed / Paul Revere O’ Malley
103 – Danny Williams – All American Girl / Fidel Castro Rock (Al Good – Danny Williams)
104 – The Plainsmen Chorale – Dream / Herb Jimmerson- Poinciana
105 – The Plainsmen Chorale – September Song / Herb Jimmerson- Goofus
106 – Bob Starr – Blue Train / Walls of Love (July 1959)
107 – Wiley Walker & Gene Sullivan – When My Blue moon Turns To Gold Again / Live And Let Live
108 – Charles Jones and the Stardusters – Whoo-oee and Oh So Fine / Natalie (1959-60)
109 – Danny Williams – Deck Of Cards / If Jesus Came To Your House
110 – Hyatt Stamper – Life You’re Living Now / Wild Side Of Life
111 – Shadows Five – Gary’s Boogie (Gary Sullivan) / Dynamic Drums (1960)
112 – Bill Snow & Sonny Woodring – Cry For Me Darling / Timber Wolf
113 – Dub Snow – Greyhound Talkin Blues / Yuma Pen
114 – Jo Kiser – True Love Is Hard / Lovey Dovey
115 – Bill Snow & Sonny Woodring – Golden River / Hands You’re Holding
116 – ?
117 – ?
118 – ?
119 – ?
120 – Jim Fitzgerald – Day On The Highway Patrol / Cryin Time (1966)
121 – Decades – I’m Lovin’ You / Thinking of You (1966) (also issued as Sully 921)
122 – ?
123 – ?
124 – Those Ellis Bros. – That Girl / Heaven
125 – George Peterson – Time Will Change Everything / I Could Have Been A Doctor (both by Peterson)
126 – Terry Canady – Hollywood Hotel / Scotch and Soda (1968)
127 – Bobby Caldwell – This House / Bronc-Buster
128 – Jerry Abbott – Big River / It’s Better Than I Got At Home
129 – Bobby Kent – When You Hear Me Call / I Fell In Love With An Angel
130 – B Bros. – Call Me Anything / Just Blue Memories
131 – ?
132 – Jay Hamilton – Somebody Anybody / Walkin & Talkin

201 – Jody Bennett – Heartland U.S.A. / Katy Is Now a Lady

—–
910 – Techniques – Short ride / Can’t Be Wrong To Be In Love (1965)
911 – Fantom – Baby Come on Home / Time Seems to Fly
912 – Rising Suns – Land of a Thousand Dances / Concentration
913 – ?
914 – Dinks – Nina-Kocka-Nina / Penny a Tear Drop
915 – Burch Ray – Love Questions / Blues Stay Away From Me (Oct 1965)
* “Note – different version of ‘Love Questions’ than the one recorded and released later on Ruff. Discog also shows it as Sully 913, but I think this is a mistake” – (MTM)
916 – Bob Baker – Short Fat Texan / Suzurak
917 – Drivin’ Dynamics – So Fine /Hurt Me
918 – ?
919 – Gaylen & Royce – I Can’t Stay / Modern Day Fools
920 – ?
921 – Lanny Madden – My Only Son / Pressure Pains
922 – ?
923 – Danny Ferguson – Revengers / Long Neck Bottle
924 – Mike – I’ll Set Her Free / You Won’t Have Nothing
925 – Dinks – Kocka-Mow-Mow / Ugly Girl
926 – Carolyn Bennett – So Bad So Bad / I Wonder
927 – J. Frank Wilson – Me and My Tear Drops / Unmarked and Uncovered with Sand
928 – Tracers – She Said Yeah / Watch Me (1966)
929 – Patti Seymour – The Silencer / This Feeling He Left (produced by Nick Yazbek)
930 – Rick West – Crackin Up / What I’m Lookin For
931 – Patti Jo – I’ll Sleep Tonight / Heading for A Heartbreak (Il Suffirait d’un Rien)
932 – Carolyn Bennett – You’ll Always Be A Part of Me / Give Me Your Love
933 – Knu Castles – Bulldog (George Tomsco) / Boy Blue (Mike Reinheart) both songs Dundee Music BMI

—–
1004 – Epic Five – Don’t Need Your Lovin’ (Richard Ramiraz) / “I’ve Got That Feeling” (John Gatica) (October 1967)

1021 – Them – Dirty Old Man / Square Room (August, 1967)

Mop Top Mike writes: “There is also a 200 Sully series starting at 201 which followed the 100 series. Looks to be mostly or all country-western sounds.”

LP: Al Good “A Good Time For Music” Sully S-SLP-100

This discography was compiled from many sources, of which Rhett Lake & Ted Blackwell’s Oklahoma Guide to 45rpm Records and Bands ~ 1955~1975., Rockin’ Country Style and members of the G45 Central forum were the most helpful. Thanks also to Rich Strauss, Patrick, Mop Top Mike, Jim, Bob Garrett, Lisa Wheeler, Pete Adams, Keith, and eleelandc for their help.