Warning: this post requires audience participation
Below are two tracks released on the Tops record label. Tops was a budget label that recorded sound-a-likes of hit songs. They sold their merchandise in drugstores and Woolworths to undiscerning record buyers. Here we have an artist known as Hank Smith singing Elvis' then current hit, "Heartbreak Hotel," and another artist known as "Scat" Benny doing the one thousand and oneth version of "Rock Island Line." These are not the real names of these singers and both are well known on their own. Tops attached the name Hank Smith to various releases of country and rockabilly records, all featuring different singers. (The version of "Blue Suede Shoes" on this record is by a different Hank Smith than on "Heartbreak Hotel" and not as interesting, so I'm not including an mp3 of it.
Can you guess who are the mystery guests?
Use the comments to submit your answer.
Humor me... please.
Googlers need not apply.
Download: "Rock Island Line" mp3 by "Scat" Benny
Download: "Heartbreak Hotel" mp3 by Hank Smith
Rock Island Line sounds like Scatman Cruthers (SP?)
ReplyDeleteI love contests, cool idea.
ReplyDeleteI agree with David, Rock Island Line sounds like the Scatman and Heartbreak Hotel most likely is George Jones. Here's a question back - what famous singer-songwriter's mother was the co-writer of Heartbreak Hotel?
Hoyt Axton's mom.
ReplyDeletewhat a fab idea for a competition. i don't have a scoobie but when i was a young nipper i used to by these looky soundalike records in our local woolworths. ithink it might have been on the hallmark or such like label. we were so poor..you know the rest...we could't afford the originals so we rocked out throughout the 70's to all the hits for a really cheap deal. love the blog and have learnt such a lot about music by just visiting. hi from a wet but so far not waterlogged or baking scotland!!
ReplyDeleteYep - Mae Boren Axton.
ReplyDeleteOkay, well I guess the contest is over. Not much of a contest really, considering there are no prizes, but David and Dean are both correct!
ReplyDeleteScat Benny = Scatman Crothers
Hank Smith = George Jones
Thanks for weighing in, and thanks to Countrygrrl too. Also, nice tibit about Hoyt Axton's mom. I appreciate the comments, it gets lonely out here in the blogosphere.
Since you like comments - I believe Crothers at one time joined with some big favorites of mine, Slim Galliard and Slam Stewart (Slim & Slam). That would make for a great boogie woogie flu post.
ReplyDeletedean,
ReplyDeletei'll try to get this, but i don't know when. i don't know if you've seen it , but i did a slim gaillard post back in april. I don't think scatman was on any of those sides. i love slim and slam, and the bowed bass sound on those records.
Damn Ted, you've got a fine site!
ReplyDeleteGot a Scatman Crothers LP from 56 titled
ReplyDelete"Rock and Roll with Scatman Crothers"
the only thing remotely RnR on it is "Ghostriders
in the Sky" and that's even a stretch.
Philo
When my grandfather died I got all the old records that were in his house and there were some of these Tops records. I don't have them with me right now, but I remember there being one with Scatman Crothers on it (under his own name not a pseudonym)
ReplyDeleteFound it!
ReplyDeleteSlim Gaillard with Bam Brown and Scatman Crothers at Billy Berg's in Hollywood 1946
YouTube: Slim Gaillard Trio 1946
thanks dean, that's quite amazing.
ReplyDelete