Barroom Stories #3: fake barroom edition
Hickory
“Whiskey Woman”
Country Kitchen #2010
The cover of Hickory’s album appears to have been taken at one of those old timey carnival shooting galleries (notice the fake bottles and colored targets). Since the band is from Houston, it was probably at Astroworld. (Aaaand, confirmation:)
Barroom Encounters #1: Cowboy edition
Gentle Ben featuring Sonja
“Barroom Stories”
Jewel #81063
This cover has it all. Literally. Rainbow suspenders, fringe vests covered in feathers, light beer, cheap cowboy hats, and a giant freaking head of hair.
It does fondly remind me of one of the BizarreRecords classics, however:
The Economics of Nights Game
Clifford Fry
“For the Players Of Nights Game”
1979
Dr. Clifford fry was an Economics professor at the University of Houston. On the side he had a decent little country rock band, and apparently stayed up late playing “nights game” and getting drunk.
“Drunk Again”:
The last I can find, Dr. Fry and his band the Texas Medicine Band still play. He has a few cd’s on Amazon
I even found a pic of him, his hat, and Ventures records from 2011:
Cowboy Crusader
Ben Swett
“Riding the Range For Jesus”
Sacred Recordings, St. Paul, MN
“Riding the Range for Jesus”:
Lockup of Love
John Gunter, the Singing Sheriff
“Captive Audience”
Captive Audience #0001
This guy was sheriff of Madison County, Indiana.
John Gunter, “Prisoner of My Heart”:
Apparently, the Singing Sheriff is still available to sing and speak at your event.
Devil in Disguise
Orion
“Reborn”
Sun-1012, 1979
Jimmy Ellis aka Orion was the most successful Elvis impersonator (who claimed not to be an Elvis impersonator) of all time.
For years Ellis tried to make a career as a country singer, but his voice and manor were so similar to Elvis’ that he was dismissed as an imitator. His voice and appearance apparently caused enough confusion that fans thought he might actually be The King himself performing. One of his early singles was titled, “I’m Not Trying To Be Elvis”.
from www.orionjimmyellis.com
After Elvis’ death, he finally stopped resisting the comparisons and developed the “Orion” persona, named after the title character of a book about a rock star who fakes his own death. Orion’s ultimate coup was getting signed to Sun Records, Elvis’ original label, for his first album. As one might expect, many fans apparently believed that Orion actually was Elvis Presley.
Orion released several albums in the early 80′s and even had a few charting singles. He then quit the Orion/Elvis charade until the early 1990′s, when he released several more records. He died in 1998, when he was gunned down in a robbery of his convenience store in Selma, Alabama.
TV interview with Orion: http://youtu.be/niLmJGgtVVI
Official Web Page: http://www.orionjimmyellis.com/
A four-part vision in Aqua Net and acid wash
The Steffin Sisters
“Country Time”
Windward #103
