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Specialty Hillbilly Series   


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  5th Mar 2019, 8:09 AM#1  REPORT  
KeithS SUBS

Member since Dec 2009
12492 Points
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By Big Al From ”Now Dig This” no 66 September 1988

Other independent R&B labels also had post war Hillbilly series, Modern, Aladdin, Atlantic, Imperial.
Early Specialty 700 series are thought to have been recorded in Los Angeles…but after only four releases, the series went on hold ..then began again in 1952. A guess being that Western Swing style had gone over to a new Honky Tonk Style and Rupe was allowing others to produce the masters for him instead of recording artists himself.

He went to Shreveport and Stan Lewis and Tillman Franks who recorded music at Rupe’s request. A guess again being that Johnny Vincent made the introductions as he had previously worked as Specialty’s rep in the South.

Claude King was a protégé of Tillman Franks so was one of the first to be showcased…previously released on Webb Pierce’s Pacemaker label, he recorded his first Specialty sides in May 1952 at Radio Station KWKH studio in Shreveport, becoming Specialty’s most prolific artist in this series.

The steel guitar sound on most Shreveport recordings came from Shot Jackson who also made some solo recordings on Specialty without much success.

It’s not known if all of the series came from Shreveport as Biff Collie, Smokey Stover, and Jerry Green were Texas-based, and Texas had its own excellent recording facilities. Another guess is that Texas connections could easily have come from Pappy Daily as at least two of these artists turned up later on Starday discs.

Johnny Tyler was probably the only established, well-known name to be signed by Rupe with a long recording career behind him on labels like Fargo, Stanchel, Memo and a fruitful two-year period with RCA. It's probable though not certain that Tylers sides for Specialty were recorded in Los Angeles.

Earney Vandagriff was a popular artist in the Dallas area during this time and travelled all over the US so where he made recordings for Rupe is not known…but those same sides later turned up on the Rural Rhythm label.

After four years and eighteen releases, the series came to an end possibly because the majors already had the biggest names in the Hillbilly market and Rupe was finding more success with R&B artists.

Numbering:- In the early 1960’s Specialty main series reached 700. Rather than duplicate the older Hillbilly numbers, they jumped from 700 to 719.


Edited by moderator on 5th Mar 2019, 4:40 PM

  5th Mar 2019, 8:28 AM#2  REPORT  
mickey rat

Member since Jan 2012
3050 Points
Thanks Keith. This follows on from discussion at the Specialty 701 entry.


  5th Mar 2019, 10:20 AM#3  REPORT  
fixbutte

Member since Jan 2013
1483 Points
Moderator
Btw, 45worlds 78 RPM is the only place where you can find all 18 releases of Specialty's Hillbilly Series with their labels, starting at SP 701 in Feb (or rather Jan) 1949 and ending at SP-718 in Sep 1954.


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