5 Feb 2010, Comments (2)

The Huggins Bros. (Knight) 1964

Author: michael selman

The Huggins Bothers were a Texas group that had the garage sound pretty early in the game. With this 45 recorded in 1964 with there cover of Dale Hawkins “Susie Q” and there cover of The Venture’s “Mr. Moto.” One can really hear the groups blues influence on “Susie Q” especially from Texas born Freddie King, the original slow hand. I had a phone conversation with Gary Huggins about the group:

We recorded this single in 1964 for Knight Records in Dallas. The members were: myself, Gary Huggins on lead guitar, my brother Lanny Huggins on vocals and rhythm guitar, my other brother Mickey Huggins on drums and Bobby Floyd on bass, we later picked up a keyboard player after this recording session his name is Mike Haynes. We started playing music together in Paris, Texas as children as young as 9 to 10 years old. We all grew up together with guitars and musical instruments, from our parents playing music and listening to country and blues. Our main influences at the time we recorded this single were from the blues genre, acts like Jimmy Reed and Freddie King, but also many country acts as well. Being from Paris we played in Dallas a lot, however being to young to play in the bars and clubs we played mainly parties and jamborees. We didn’t really play with to many other rock groups of the day in Dallas because we were younger than many groups, but had more experience since we had been playing together since we were kids. We were getting paid to play, we had ten years of experience playing, so we were playing paying gigs, while the other up and coming rock groups were just trying to play (bedroom groups). We were lucky in this aspect because we were able to play bigger venues. Don McKnight who owned Knight Records happened to be from Paris and knew us all well and was actually a rockabilly artist and approached us to record. So we recorded “Suzie Q” and “Mr. Moto.” On the cover of “Suzie Q” I used, for the opening chord, E7#9 (common jazz chord) as far as I know it was not used in a rock context until Jimi Hendrix and others started commonly using it in the late 60’s. I borrowed it from a jazz tune that I played by Howard Roberts. After recording that track my brother Lanny moved to Tyler to pursue a communications degree, and was replaced by Paul Hutchins. Paul Hutchins recorded a track for the Sea Ell label “People Gonna Walk on You,” at Robin Hood Brians Studio. Paul was also from Paris, Texas and was a best friend of my brother Mickey growing up.

Gary actually played electric sitar on the Paul Hutchins track for Sea Ell. If I can ever track down a copy of that single I will post it here. Gary, his brothers and Paul Hutchins still play in Dallas and Paris to this day. I would like to dedicate this post to Gary who provided all of the information and photos to boot, but also to the group’s original bassist. Bobby Floyd who is battling cancer, I wish the best to him and his family.

The Photo below shows the entire group in 1964 playing at the Cabana Hotel in Dallas for a fraternity party. Enjoy this early Texas rock.


LISTEN: The Huggins Bros. – Suzie Q

LISTEN: The Huggins Bros. – Mr. Moto

5 Feb 2010, Comments (4)

Rafael Duran y Omega-Pow Pow (Mr. G 1973)

Author: alex larotta
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Greetings fellow shakers, thought I should spice it up a bit with some Texas-flavored latin soul for this week’s post. To be more precise, this record seems to fall more in line with the guajira boogaloo category, though retaining a uniquely soulful property. Hailing from San Antonio, TX, Rafael Duran Y Omega cut this groove-laden slinky single for the local Mr. G Records. Pow-Pow features a distinctly haunting overtone with a moody B3 organ adding that delightful polyrhythmic quality commonplace in afro cuban rhythms. Though limited information, I did find that Rafael Duran Y Omega cut a full length LP with Mr. G in the late 70s, but it seems to be more of the Ranchera/Tejano persuasion, likely within their latter career days. The duo also released a handful of 45s for Mr. G, but with little radio love they seemed to have disappeared into obscurity due to limited commercial success. Eddie Aleman is credited as singer for this particular recording, and most likely recorded at Mr. Guerra’s Amen Studios in San Antonio, still in operation to this day.

Mr. G Records seem to have also slipped into ambiguity with little information to trail, and although they were an independent/private record label, Mr. G is responsible for some of the biggest, meanest (and rarest) funk and soul to come from our beloved Lone Star State. Recording and releasing records from the now-legendary Mickey and The Soul Generation, quoted to be Josh Davis’s aka DJ Shadow’s “favorite funk band” (check out his own reissue of that band’s recordings, Iron Leg, here) to Dimas and a wealthy grip of Chicano artists, Mr. G kept San Antonio in independent music business.

Interesting to note that the publishing company noted on this record, “Guerra Company Production“, are also responsible for releasing some of San Antonio’s greatest brown-eyed soul and pop groups under the GC Productions label, ranging from Tortilla Factory to Joe Gallardo y Sol to The Royal Jesters and much more. GC Productions was also manned by the aforementioned Manny Guerra and his team of music producers. Lastly, thought I would point out that Jazzman Gerald’s storied Texas Funk compilation features some music from Manny’s labels, and the cover art on the record actually reads, “Mr. G’s Texas Funk“. Props to Austin print designer and record collector extraordinaire, Noel Waggener, for his contributions to the cover and compilation. Without further ado, Rafael Duran y Omega’s “Pow-Pow“, hope you dig it!

LISTEN: Rafael Duran Y Ortega-Pow Pow

29 Jan 2010, Comments (7)

The Chayns – Night Time (Alamo Audio) 1966

Author: michael selman

This week’s selection comes to us from San Antonio, with a cover of “Night Time.” This Strangelove’s cover doesn’t have the piano intro or mainstream accessibility the original had, but still brings across quite a punch. The Chayns version is slower yet summons more of a real garage feel with its damp, dingy recording. I think The Strangleloves version may bring more people to their feet, however I prefer the slower of the two. The members were Myles Wells, Charles Eddleman, Wayne Gustafson, Dale Watson and Bob Turner.

The group originally recorded on A “Chayn Reaction” Production, also called Alamo Audio. I was unable again to find a lot of information on this group, but do know they did sign with International Artists some time in early 1967. The single scanned was released in December 1966, while the IA release hit the racks February 1967.


After many dead ends while researching this group, I posted some messages on G45 looking for some info. A few people replied, that the group came up with the name The Chayns from one day at practice; Bob Turner arrived wearing black boots with one chain around his ankle. The group thought they would be different and spell it Chayns.

The flip of this disc is really interesting as well, with it’s haunting intro and almost surf feel. ENJOY, I would like to point anyone interested in early punk and garage to the G45 website, for these guys know their stuff and can bring light to any obscure find.


LISTEN: The Chayns – Night Time

LISTEN: The Chayns – Live With The Moon

28 Jan 2010, Comments (3)

Big Sambo and The House Wreckers- At The Party (Eric 1960)

Author: alex larotta
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This one takes the cake. Can’t say how excited I was when I came across this one at Friends of Sound Records some months back (thanks to my man Hobo D for pointing me in the right direction). I was familiar with James “Big Sambo” Young’s funkier cuts on Houston’s Jetstream Records, but had heard that his earlier R&B material was something to behold. Before listening to it, I gathered my purchases and headed to the household and plopped this whopper on the turntable and adjusted the volume to 11. I was floored. Seeing that I have a weakness for wild-eyed R&B stompers to begin with, and not to mention the sheer novelty of the lyrics (and band name) with mention of the fun-loving attendees of the party, including a “big fat chick” (about 400 lbs to be precise), I instantly fell in love with Big Sambo’s heavy hitting Texas-soaked rhythm and blues. It’s such a fun song, but it’s interesting to note that it’s the b-side to the radio plug side, “The Rains Came”. And when better to celebrate “At The Party” than this year, the 50th anniversary since its initial release.

Today’s record has a unique history, and as mentioned before, “The Rains Came” sold well as a radio friendly R&B ballad. It was legendary Texas music producer Huey P. Meaux’s intention to sell this ballad as Big Sambo’s big hitter, and it sold moderately well in its day, with a distribution of nearly 500,000 copies before the NAACP stepped in and asked James to renege on his controversial stage name. I had first heard The Rains Came by another of Meaux’s prodigies, San Antonians The Sir Douglas Quintet with their mid-tempo mod version of the track released on their Best Of album from 1966 (which is their first album, mind you). It is estimated that Huey and his universe of talent under his production name, The Crazy Cajun, recorded some 50 covers of this song throughout the span of a decade. Unfortunately, with limited information, I can only account for a handful, which leaves us much more to unearth. It seems Big Sambo never fully recovered from the NAACP’s meddling in his affairs, and he died at the young age of 45 in Port Arthur, TX with little recognition to the outside world. I’ll include both sides so you can get the full Sambo experience, and I’ll most likely post up his latter release on Huey Meaux’s Houston-based Jetstream Records on a later post. Before I go, check out Red Kelly’s (aka Soul Detective) phone interview with Huey on his storied production experiences and tribulations (good luck deciphering his heavy cajun drawl, it’s as thick as it gets), you can check it out here.

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LISTEN: Big Sambo and The House Wreckers-At The Party

LISTEN: Big Sambo and The House Wreckers-The Rains Came

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