Showing posts with label The Byrds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Byrds. Show all posts

February 3, 2026

20,000 vinyl LPs 407: Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd

 ~  
Del Serino & William Sanford  ~ Pretty "Boy" Floyd 
vinyl LP front cover 
 cover photo by 
photo of album cover by Styrous®


Today is the birthday of Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd. Born on February 3, 1904, in Adairsville, Georgia, he was one of the most notorious bank robbers in history and one of the nation's most celebrated criminals.         
 
His career took place during the Dust Bowl at the height of the Great Depression, one of the worst periods in the history of America. People could not find work, were starving and losing their homes to Corporate Banks; vicarious liability would not be established until decades later. Although Floyd was considered an outlaw by the US government, he was a folk hero to many because while robbing a bank he would burn the mortgages of poor people held by the bank and often leave money for those in dire need in their homes or places of work.     
 
He was immortalized in a song by Woody Guthrie, which was covered in a faster version by The Byrds (links below), and by the fictional Joad family in the John Steinbeck 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath for which Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize and is considered his masterpiece and part of the American literary canon. By the 75th anniversary of its publishing date, Grapes had sold 14 million copies.         
 
 
Del Serino & William Sanford  ~ Pretty "Boy" Floyd 
vinyl LP back cover 
 cover photo by 
photo of album cover by Styrous®
 
 
The character of Pretty "Boy" Floyd portrayed by actor Michael Badalucco, makes a brief appearance in the 2000 satirical comedy-drama musical film written, produced, co-edited, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, O Brother, Where Art Thou?.       
 
In 1973, a biographical gangster film Dillanger (link below) enacts the killing of Floyd. It was written and directed by John Milius in his directorial debut, and starred Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, and Michelle Phillips, with supporting performances from Cloris Leachman, Harry Dean Stanton, and Richard Dreyfuss. The film is a dramatization of the life and criminal exploits of notorious bank robber John Dillinger (Oates).  
     
 

 
 
Floyd's body was placed on public display in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. His funeral was attended by between 20,000 and 40,000 people and remains the largest funeral in Oklahoma history. He was buried in Akins, Oklahoma.              

   



 
 
The Audio Fidelity label was a record company based in New York City, most active during the 1950s and 1960s. They are best known for having produced the first mass-produced American stereophonic long-playing record in November 1957 (although this was not available to the general public until March of the following year). The label was renown for the quality of its pressings.                     
 
 
 
 
 
Each recording was encased in a thick plastic casing to avoid scratches.       
   

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

   
Tracklist:
       
Side 1:
        
A1 - Pretty Boy Floyd Theme - 1:58
A2 - Speakeasy - 7:28
A3 - Kansas City Caper - 2:17
A4 - Between Two Loves - 2:54
A5 - Pretty Boy Blues - 2:19
       
Side 2:
       
B1 - Pyromania - 1:52
B2 - Easy Beat - 4:26
B3 - He Moves Me - 2:42
B4 - Requiem - 1:52
B5 - Affair At The Local Bank - 2:31
B6 - Dust - 1:40
        
Companies, etc.
       
    Copyright © – Audio Fidelity, Inc.
    Published By – Vernon Music Corp.
    Lacquer Cut At – Olmsted Sound Studios
    Pressed By – Abbey Record Manufacturing Co., Inc.
        
Credits:
       
    Composed By, Arranged By – William Sanford*, Del Serino
    Conductor – William Sanford*
    Producer, A&R – Sidney Frey
    Vocals – David Boots* (tracks: A5)
        
Notes:
       
Abbey Record Manufacturing Co., Inc. pressing denoted by "ABM" in runouts, this release list credits without spaces on bottom of labels.
       
Barcode and Other Identifiers
        
    Rights Society: ASCAP
    Matrix / Runout (Side A etched): AFSD # 5936A OSS Stereo # 021560 3 ABM
    Matrix / Runout (Side B etched): AFSD # 5936-B-R 4-7-60 ABM (OSS-3-2-60) A
 
Del Serino And William Sanford* – Pretty Boy Floyd
Label: Audio Fidelity – AFLP 1936
Format: Vinyl, LP, Mono, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1960
Genre: Stage & Screen
Style: Soundtrack

         
Viewfinder links:        
         
The Byrds            
Richard Dreyfuss                 
Bob Dylan     
Woody Guthrie         
Ben Johnson      
Cloris Leachman        
Warren Oates       
Michelle Phillips        
Del Serino        
        
Net links:        
 Oklahoma History & Culture ~ Floyd, Charles Arthur (1904–1934)          
Tattoo Archive ~ "Pretty Boy" Floyd        
        
YouTube links:        
         
American Robin Hood (1 hr., 3 mins., 30 secs.)            
Arizona's Dust Bowl: Lessons Lost (documentary) (56 mins., 45 secs.)     
The Byrds ~ "Pretty Boy" Floyd             
Dillanger ~  the death of "Pretty Boy" Floyd               
Dust Bowl documentary (22mins., 21 secs.)       
Bob Dylan ~ "Pretty Boy" Floyd       
Woody Guthrie ~ "Pretty Boy" Floyd                             
"Pretty Boy" Floyd (complete) (1 hr., 39 mins.)         
"Pretty Boy Floyd: Public Enemy or Hero?" (15 mins.)            
The Ruthless Robin Hood of the 1930s (1hr., 46 mins., 40 secs.)        
         
        
        
        
Styrous® ~ Tuesday, February 3, 2026        
       
 
 
















September 11, 2023

20,000 vinyl LPs 334: The Byrds ~ Turn! Turn! Turn, Oh, Susana

 ~  
vinyl LP front cover 
cover photo by Guy Webster 
cover design by Bob Cato 
photo of album cover by Styrous®


September 11 is a day with many historical references, the most infamous being the disastrous incident in New York City, in 2001. But another event happened over a hundred and fifty years earlier in 1847. The  Stephen Foster song, Oh! Susannah, was performed in public for the first time by a local quintet in PittsburghPennsylvania.          

I have always been intrigued by this song as a lot of the lyrics make no sense whatsoever! Samples: "It rain'd all night the day I left, The weather it was dry, The sun so hot I froze to death..." and so on. I remember as a kid thinking this was, "The cat's pajamas!" a phrase still in use at the time.   
 
And the name, Susana, has always been a fascination for me. The rhythmic syllables, the bouncy feeling of the consonants and vowels dancing around each other and, of course, when pronouncing it in the Castilian/Catalan tounge, the sensuous pursing of the lips to produce the sound "Su" (link below). VERY erotic! From my childhood, the name has always had a middle-eastern sound to my ears; then in 2000 when I was on Cyprus, the distant call of the Iman electrified me to the core when I heard it clearly ringing out above the raucous cacophony of the busy city streets. This totally cemented it in my mind as a mysterious, sensual, powerful and wonderful name!     

Anyway, I digress, back to the song itself! Foster was only 21 years old when he composed it in 1848. He later wrote, “the two fifty-dollar bills I received (for "Oh! Susanna") had the effect of starting me on my present vocation as a songwriter.” He wrote over two hundred songs, a lot of them dealing with the South although he only visited it once (link below). Oh! Susannah was a favorite of the ‘49ers during the California Gold Rush and others heading west during the mid-nineteenth century.    
 
The first version of it I knew was featured in the film, The Jazz Singer, with Al Jolson singing in black face. In 1942, Looney Tunes had Elmer Fudd singing a totally wacked-out version of it for the war effortConnie Francis covered it in 1961 on her Connie Sings Folksong Favorites album. The version The Byrds did in 1965 on their album, Turn! Turn! Turn!, is one of my all-time favorites. James Taylor did a really wonderful duet for guitar & vocal on his Sweet Baby James 1970 album (links below).           
 
The cover design was by Bob Cato who also did a cover for Blood, Sweat & Tears, Simon & Garfunkel and the graphics for the sound track recording of the 1933 film, King Kong which starred Fay Wray.          
 
 
vinyl LP back cover 
photo of album cover by Styrous® 
 
 
In 1940 the United States Postal Service issued a 1¢ commemorative stamp in Foster's honor for the Famous American Composers series.   
 
 
Stephen Foster 1¢ stamp - 1940
photo: Gwillhickers
 
 
There has been opposition to honors for him because of the racist aspect of the lyrics of his songs; but it was another era with different values.

 
Lyrics
 
 I came from Alabama,
⁠ Wid my banjo on my knee,
 
I'm gwyne to Louisiana, 
⁠My true love for to see; 

It rain'd all night the day I left, 
⁠The weather it was dry, 

The sun so hot I froze to death, 
⁠Susanna, don't you cry.

CHORUS.
⁠Oh! Susanna, 
⁠Oh don't you cry for me,
⁠ 
I've come from Alabama
⁠ Wid my banjo on my knee.

2
I jumped aboard de telegraph, 
⁠And trabbled down de riber, 

De lectric fluid magnified, 
⁠And killed five hundred nigger. 

De bullgine bust, de horse run off,
⁠ I realy thought I'd die;
 
I shut my eyes to hold my breath, 
⁠Susanna, don't you cry.
⁠ 
 
Cho: Oh! Susanna &c.

3
I had a dream de odder night
⁠ When ebery ting was still,
 
I thought I saw Susanna 
⁠A coming down de hill; 

The buck-wheat cake was in her mouth, 
⁠The tear was in her eye; 

Says I, "I'm coming from de south, 
⁠Susanna, don't you cry.
 
"
⁠Cho: Oh! Susanna &c.

4
I soon will be in New Orleans, 
⁠And den I'll look all round, 

And when I find Susanna,
⁠ I will fall upon de ground.

And if I do not find her, 
⁠Dis darkie'l surely die, 

And when I'm dead and buried, 
⁠Susanna, don't you cry.
⁠
 
Cho: Oh! Susanna &c.


 
 
 
 
 
         
   
Tracklist:
       
Side 1:
        
A1 - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season),Adapted By, Music By – Pete Seeger - 3:34
A2 - It Won't Be Wrong, written by Gerst* - 1:58
A3 - Set You Free This Time - 2:49
A4 - Lay Down Your Weary Tune - 3:30
A5 - He Was A Friend Of Mine - 2:30
       
Side 2:
       
B1 - The World Turns All Around Her - 2:12
B2 - Satisfied Mind, written by J. Rhodes*, R. Hayes* - 2:21
B3 - If You're Gone - 2:45
B4 - The Times They Are A-Changin' - 2:17
B5 - Wait And See, written by D. Crosby* - 2:19
B6 - Oh! Susannah, arranged by J. McGuinn* - 3:00
       
Companies, etc.
       
    Printed By – Modern Album, Terre Haute, Indiana
    Published By – Melody Trails, Inc.
    Published By – Tickson Music Co.
    Published By – M. Witmark & Sons
    Published By – Peer International Corp.
       
Credits:
       
    Art Direction [Uncredited] – Bob Cato, John Berg
    Bass – Chris Hillman
    Drums – Mike Clark*
    Guitar, Leader – Jim McGuinn
    Liner Notes – Derek Taylor (2)
    Photography By [Cover Photo] – Guy Webster
    Producer – Terry Melcher
    Rhythm Guitar – Dave Crosby*
    Tambourine – Gene Clark
    Written-By – B. Dylan* (tracks: A4, B4), G. Clark* (tracks: A3, B1, B3), J. McGuinn* (tracks: A2, B5)
       
Notes:
       
Columbia Two-Eye Red label, "360 Sound Stereo" in white text.
NONBREAKABLE printed on labels.
Columbia Masterworks on label rim.
       
Barcode and Other Identifiers
        
    Matrix / Runout (Label matrix, side A): XSM 112091
    Matrix / Runout (Label matrix, side B): XSM 112092
    Matrix / Runout (Runout, side A, etched): XSM 112091 1D
    Matrix / Runout (Runout, side B, etched): XSM 112092 1C
    Matrix / Runout (Runout var 1, side A, etched): XSM 112091 1A O C
    Matrix / Runout (Runout var 1, side B, etched): XSM 112091 1B D O
    Rights Society (Tracks A1 to A3, A5 to B3, B5 and B6): BMI
    Rights Society (Tracks A4 and B4): ASCAP
    Other (Rear jacket fabricator identification): 3
 
The Byrds – Turn! Turn! Turn!
Label: Columbia – CS 9254
Format:    Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: Dec 6, 1965
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock

         
Viewfinder links:        
         
Blood, Sweat & Tears               
The Byrds         
Bob Cato          
King Kong & Fay Wray           
Postal stamps        
Simon & Garfunkel          
        
Net links:        
Digital Music News ~ 
     The Original Lyrics to ‘Oh Susanna’ Are Brutally Racist       
        
        
YouTube links:        
         
2nd South Carolina String Band ~ Oh! Susanna                   
The Byrds ~ Oh, Susana         
Connie Francis ~ Oh, Susana        
Elmer Fudd - Oh, Susana               
Al Jolson ~ Oh, Susana         
PronounceNames.com ~ Susana        
Stephen Foster ~ OH! SUSANNA - Original 1848 Lyrics         
James Taylor ~ Oh, Susana          
         
        
        
        
Styrous® ~ September, 11, 2023       
       
 
 


























Betty Bronson articles/mentions

 ~        
           
     
     
mentions:      
The Byrds ~ Turn! Turn! Turn!     
To the Last Man     
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 

Stephen Foster articles/mentions

 ~        
The Byrds ~ Turn! Turn! Turn!      
     
     
     
     
     
     
         
     
     
     
     
     
Stephen Foster  - ca 1860
photographer unknown
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 

Simon & Garfunkel articles/mentions

 ~         
Sounds of Silence      
 
 
mentions:
The Byrds ~ Turn! Turn! Turn!      
Corona Virus ~ #songsofcomfort     
USA For Africa ~ We Are The World            
     
     

     
     
     
photographer: James Kriegsmann/Michael Ochs Archives
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 

December 3, 2020

45 RPMs 52: Ferlin Husky ~ Gone

~      
 
photo by Styrous®
 
 
Today is the birthday of American country music singer, Ferlin Husky who was born on December 3, 1925, in Gumbo, Missouri. He was more than a country music singer; he sang honky-tonk, ballads, spoken recitations, and rockabilly pop tunes. He had two dozen top-20 hits in the Billboard country charts between 1953 and 1975; his versatility and good looks propelled a seven-decade entertainment career. I loved his big hit, Gone.     

 

45 RPM label
photo by Styrous®
 

In the late 1950s, Husky had a long string of hits, including the number-one Gone in 1957 (he first recorded Gone as Terry Preston in 1952, but the earlier version lacked the strings and backup singers of the newly emerging Nashville sound). Gone was a crossover success, also reaching number four on the pop music chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The song's popularity led to a stint as a summer replacement host in 1957 on CBS-TV's Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts.        




The song was recorded at the Owen Bradley Quonset Hut Studio at 804 16th Avenue South in Nashville. Future stars that recorded there were Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, Bobby Vinton, Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash, The Byrds, Elvis Costello, Gene Vincent, k.d. lang and Simon & Garfunkel.             


Tracklist:

Side 1:

A - Gone, written by Smokey Rogers - 2:21

Side 2:

B - Missing Persons, written by Reynolds*, Husky*, Rhodes* - 2:51

Companies, etc.

    Pressed By – Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Scranton
    Published By – Hill & Range Songs, Inc.
    Published By – Central Songs, Inc.
    Manufactured By – Capitol Records, Inc.

Notes:

Side A: Published by Hill & Range Songs, Inc.
Side B: Published by Central Songs, Inc.

Barcode and Other Identifiers


    Matrix / Runout (Side A label): 45-16014
    Matrix / Runout (Side B label): 45-16015
    Matrix / Runout (Runout area side A): 45 - 16014 - N 1#³
    Matrix / Runout (Runout area side B): 45 - 16014 - N 2#³
    Matrix / Runout (Stamped, both sides): [Anvil symbol]
    Rights Society: BMI

Ferlin Husky And His Hush Puppies* ‎– Gone / Missing Persons
Label: Capitol Records ‎– F3628
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Country: US
Released: 1957
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Rockabilly

        
         
        
     
      
      
      
  
Viewfinder links:       
        
Owen Bradley         
The Byrds           
Johnny Cash        
Patsy Cline         
Elvis Costello           
Art Garfunkel          
Ferlin Husky         
Brenda Lee        
Paul Simon              
Bobby Vinton         
Tammy Wynette  
      
Net links:       
          
Roots Web ~ Just a man and his guitar       
          

YouTube links:      
        
Gone         
Gone (The Grand Ole Opry)        
Missing Persons          
        
               

 
 
 Ferlin Husky, center, in white suit, 
with Mavis Thompson, singing Forty-Acre Feud
photo by Bill Forshee/Craddock, Ormond-Atlanta



      

Styrous® ~ Monday, September 7, 2020