Texas

Buddy Henderson would come to be known as Bugs Henderson when he joined Mouse and the Traps. He started the Sensors in his hometown of Tyler, Texas when he was just 16. He's still playing and has his own website.

On these two Freddy King songs, Buddy articulates every note, making these two of the better r&b instrumentals I've heard. "Side Tracked" has a good jazzy organ solo to boot, maybe the same guy playing sax on "Sen-Sa-Shun".

The Sensors featuring Buddy Henderson - Sen-Sa-Shun
The Sensors - Side Tracked

Their version of "Rumble" is also cool, even if it doesn't have the menace of Link Wray's original. The organ provides an eerie background. Buddy's gets a shimmering tone out of his guitar chords with a ferocious slicing sound towards the end of the song.

The Sensors - Rumble

I assume these were recorded at Robin Hood Brians' studio in Tyler, but I could be mistaken.

If anyone has transfers or scans of their other three 45s, please get in touch. At this point I don't even know the other tracks on them:

TT-115 - Sensors - Rumble
TT-117 - Sensors - Bat Man
TT-120 - Sensors - Honest I Do

Thanks to Rich for the transfer of "Rumble".

Their first 45 is probably the best, with finely-picked guitar on the pop "Like Me" on the A-side, and "When You Were Mine", a moody original based on "House of the Rising Sun" on the flip. Both were originals by Stan Gorman and Mike Goodrich.

The Revolvers - Like Me
The Revolvers - When You Were Mine

Their second is quite different, featuring two uptempo soul numbers with horns, another Gorman-Goodrich original "Good Lovin' Woman" backed with a version of "Land of 1,000 Dances." This release had a notice in Billboard from June of 1967.

On their third, they back singer Dana Black on an unnecessary version of "As Tears Go By". I haven't heard the flip, "Your Love's For Me", done by just the Revolvers without Dana Black. The label notes "A product of Eula Anton, arranged by Mike Goodrich".

Their last is credited to their vocalist Stan Gorman and the Revolvers. I have to agree with the note written on the sleeve of my copy: "I Love Lovin' You" is a good blue-eyed soul number and I could see it being a northern soul hit with a different vocalist. Stan does a good job of the song but doesn't have the right voice to put it over. Both songs written by Hammond and Gorman. "Green Unicycle" is a wretched pastiche of psychedelia and vaudeville.

Stan Gorman and the Revolvers - I Love Lovin' You
Stan Gorman and the Revolvers - Green Unicycle

TT-100 - Ron Williams and the Customs - Sue Sue Baby / Empty Feeling (both by Ron Williams)
TT-102 - Ron Williams - I'll Miss You So / I Guarantee You Baby (October 1961)
TT-106 - Ron Williams - Wine, Wine, Wine / So Long, My Love (Ron Williams)
TT-7599 - Ron Williams - If I Could Stay Away From You (Ron Williams) / On Top of Old Smokey (also released on Imperial 5729)

The above four feature an early label design with outline of state of Texas and roses. See Rockin' Country Style for more info.

Releases below have a simpler design with Ty Tex at the top:

TT-110 - Donnie Carl - Love and Learn / Do the Wiggle Wobble
TT-111
TT-112 - The Sensors featuring Buddy Henderson - Sen-Sa-Shun / The Sensors - Side Tracked
TT-113 - Donnie Carl with the Donnells - It Happened to Me Parts 1 & 2
TT-114 - Donnie Carl with the Donnells - I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town / Little Sally Walker
TT-115 - The Sensors - Rumble
TT-116
TT-117 - The Sensors - Bat Man - supposed to be scarce.
TT-118 - Donnie Carl - You've Got It (December 1964)
TT-119 - Donnie Carl - Heart Attack / If You Want It That Way
TT-120 - The Sensors - Honest I Do
TT-121 - Linda Burns - And That Reminds Me / The Reason Why (October 1965)
TT-122 - The Derbys - A Different Woman Every Day / The Crow
TT-123 - Ron Williams and the Trebles - So Fine / Let's Stop Wasting Time (Ron Williams)
TT-124
TT-125 - One Eyed Jacks - Hang It Up (Robert Leslie Allen) / Down On My Knees
TT-126 - Larry Mack - Last Day of the Dragon (Larry Stanley) / Can't You See Me Crying
TT-127 - The Revolvers - Like Me / When You Were Mine
TT-128 - The Revolvers - Good Lovin' Woman / Land of 1,000 Dances (June 1967)
TT-129 - Dana Black and the Revolvers - As Tears Go By b/w The Revolvers - Your Love's for Me
TT-130
TT-131 - Stan Gorman and the Revolvers - I Love Lovin' You / Green Unicycle

Many of the later releases show "A product of Eula Anton" on the label. At least some of these records were cut at Robin Hood Brians studio in Tyler.

For more information on the Sensors, the One Eyed Jacks, and the Revolvers see their individual entries.

Donnie Carl is Donnie Carlton Kight, a soul singer. He wrote most of his songs, sometimes with Mike Goodrich.
The Derbys are supposed to be a soul or r&b act, I haven't heard the promisingly-titled "A Different Woman Every Day".

Ron Williams wrote most of the songs he recorded, here are some other 45s he cut:

Pastel 404, "Poor Little Lamb" / "Hey! Little Pearl" - the A-side is excellent garage. I don't have the record, but have short clips of both sides here. Arvel Stricklin played lead guitar and Hammond organ on both tracks (source). Pastel Records owned by Maj. Bill Smith.

Vee Jay 675 "Angel Girl" / She Ran Away" (1965)

Austin A-321, "Big Boy Pete" / "Runaway" (despite its name, Austin Records was a Ft. Worth based label. I haven't heard this one)

Le Cam LC 331 - Ron Williams with Major Bill's Texans - "Lady Diana" / "Somewhere Between"

I believe a release by Ronny Williams "Move Up a Little Closer Baby" may also be his - can anyone confirm this, or have a label scan?

Larry Mack

Maybe the best vocal on the label is Larry Mack's "Last Day of the Dragon". Songwriting credit goes to Larry Stanley. This is a track I'd definitely like to know more about. I don't own it yet and haven't heard the flip.

Any of these guys look familiar?

I think it's worth listing all these groups to see how many we know anything about - I only know about five of these groups.

If anyone can help with info on any of these, please write to me at chas_kit@hotmail.com or leave a comment below.

Blue Green
Blue Moon
Brand "X"
The Caretakers
The Coachmen - likely the group from Ft. Worth who recorded the instrumental "Splash Day" for Spotlight, though it could be the Coachmen from New Mexico who recorded "Grapes of Wrath" / "Summer Should Bring Happiness" for Sea-Ell. The Coachmen from Abilene had broken up by this time.
The Colonists
Dust - see Rollie's article on this site.
The Destinations
Don and the Demons
Execution of Time
Joey Farr and the Orbitors
5th Amendment
John Foster's Group
The Gentle Rebellion
The Gents - from either Dallas/Ft. Worth or as far away as Abilene - 45 on E.V.E. label in 1966
Gingerbread Blues
The Henchmen - could it be this band?
The Herd
Hillsboro Group
HMS Blues
Hunters of Time
Images
The Jazz Informers
The Kaces
Kempy and the Guardians - Oak Cliff group named after vocalist Gary Kemp Rawlings, they recorded the legendary "Love For A Price" / "Never".
The Kicks
Killeen String Band
The Kolumn
Lunatic Fringe
Main Street Prophets
The Merchants
New World
Night Creepers
Noise Inc.
The Off Beats
Owsley
The Pagans
The Playboys Five
Prisoners of Love
The Reasons Why - possibly the Temple group who recorded the excellent "Don't Be That Way" for the Sound Track label. John Schwertner went into the Lavender Express.
The Reflections
Reining Daze
Satin and the Soul Men
The Sensations
The Shade - see the article on this site.
Sound in Motion
Don Sperry Quartet
Starlight Group
The Tyme Keepers
The Unclaimed Freight
The Untamed
U.S. Bonds
U.S. Britons - Dallas group featuring fifteen-year-old Mike Jones. They cut two original songs "Come On" and "I'll Show You a Man" that were highlights of Green Crystal Ties vol. 3.
Walter Vaughn
The Westminsters
The Young Texans

Thanks to Mike Markesich for the info on the Gents and for reminding me of the U.S. Britons.

Members were Tony Decker (vocals, lead guitar) from Salt Lake City, Utah; Darryl Cooper (guitar and keyboards) from Newport Beach, California; Terry Tezak (bass) from Grand Junction, Colorado and Salvador "Pete" Friese (drums) from Fort Collins, CO.

In 1967 they relocated to Amarillo, Texas, recording at Checkmate Studios, with Marty Cooper and Ray Ruff producing. Ray Ruff was producing and managing a number of bands at the time, including the Tracers, Them, the Orange Confederation and the Page Boys.

By the time Ruff and Cooper sold their first single to Philips in August, 1967, the group had changed their name to The Tuesday Club.

Even though Tony Decker wrote both sides of the 45, each song is incredibly different from the other; they could almost be by separate bands. The top side is "A Goddess in Many Ways", a gentle paean to a seventeen year old beauty who commits suicide. For years it's been overshadowed by the flip, the garage classic "Only Human", but will garner more fans from the recent resurgence of interest in Fargo. It did reach #24 on Grand Junction AM station KEXO on August 26, 1967.

I'm sure "Only Human" is familiar to every fan of '60s punk, with it's memorable opening bass slides and tambourine, the powerful guitar line and Tony Decker's shouting delivery of the lines "... when you turn the heads of everybody in the crowd!" and "... but all this competition's driving me insane!"

After the 45 was recorded, Terry Tezak left the group and Dean Wilden joined. Previously, Dean had been in Maudz Only with Tony Decker at their Salt Lake City high school.

The Tuesday Club changed their name to Fargo, and in 1968 relocated first to Grand Junction, where Cooper and Friese left the group, and then to Salt Lake, where Randle Potts joined on drums, later replaced by Bob Holman. By the time they became Fargo, neither song from the Tuesday Club single was part of their live sets.

Fargo traveled to Los Angeles to record a single, "Robins, Robins" / "Sunny Day Blue" for Capitol and an LP I See It Now for RCA, both produced by Marty Cooper. Dean Wilden wrote to me that contrary to the impression given by the notes on the back of the LP the band was not religiously inclined. He was also surprised to see the credits did not list him on bass or Tony Decker on guitar, and said that Dr. John also played on the LP but was uncredited.

Dean and Tony are working on reissuing Fargo's Capitol single and RCA LP, possibly with bonus tracks from their later self-produced recordings.

Thank you to Dean for information on his time with the Tuesday Club and Fargo, and to Christian for the scans of the 45.