The various Warrior labels

Chan Romero’s Warrior label from Montana
“Jane” by Kostas Lazarides
Pueblo, Colorado group on a small Montana label!

I’m trying to clear up some of the confusion about the various Warrior labels that existed in Texas, Montana, Louisiana and California.

Let’s start with Chan Romero’s Warrior label from Billings, Montana:

I’ve read that Chan, a one-time Pueblo, Colorado resident best known for writing and recording “Hippy Hippy Shake” owned the Warrior label that released the great single “I Don’t Recall” by the Trolls (also from Pueblo). I was uncertain of this, as a notice in Billboard announcing the formation of Romero’s Warrior label in Billings, Montana came much later – 1971. However, Lisa Wheeler of Pueblo City Limits related that Chan told her he was indeed the owner of Warrior, starting it in Billings as early as 1962.

Stan Campbell on Warrior
Chan’s Warrior label with horseman logo

Billings, Montana. Chan Romero, owner, circa 1962-1966:

likely incomplete – any help with this would be appreciated
Warrior L-128 – Kostas – “Something We Call Love” (C. Romero) / “Jane” (Kostas Lazarides) ( Crooked Rock Music, BMI, 1962 or later)
Warrior L-140-1- The Wanderers – “Don’t Pity Me” / “Give Me All You Got”
Warrior L-173 – Trolls – “I Don’t Recall” (Richard Gonzales, Warrior Tunes BMI) / “Stupid Girl” (November 1966)
Warrior L-219 – Chan Romero – “Lost In Love” / “Billie” (can anyone provide a label scan?)
Warrior OV-105 – Stan Campbell – “Any Time” (Happy Lawson) / “Just One More Dance” (Stan Campbell) (date?)
Warrior WS-106 – Faith, Hope & Charity – “That’s What the People Said” / “Hey, Hey World” (1971),
Warrior WS-114 – Lonnie Bell and the Yellowstone Dudes “The Last Mile” / “Montana Song”
Warrior NRF-542 – Chan Romero – “The Best Thing I Ever Had” / “The Fire in My Light” (“recorded in Canada”)

For more info see also:
Chan Romero discography at WangDangDula.com.
Interview with Chan Romero at Rockabilly N Blues Records.

Other Warrior discographies:
Any help with these would be appreciated:

Pleasanton, Texas label
same Texas company as the Dayton Smith 45, but moved 30 miles north to San Antonio with different label design

Pleasanton, Texas and San Antonio. E.J. Henke, owner, 1957-1959. Emil J. Henke would go on to own the Satin label also covered on this site.

Warrior WA 501 – Dayton Smith & the Roving Warriors – “What Will the Answer Be” / “Standing by a Seashore”
Warrior WA 502 – Red Hilburn – “Three Words” / “The Rambling Blues”
Warrior WA 503 – Opal Jean – “I’ll Never Forget My Kind of Boy” / “I Heard His Heart Break Last Night” (reviewed in Billboard Sept. 30, 1957)
Warrior WA 504 – Franklin Smith with Roving Warriors Band – “No Wonder I Wonder” / “A Golden Dream of You” (1957, blue ‘Chief’ label with Pleasanton address)
Warrior WA 505 – Jerry Smith – “I Don’t Care What They Say” / “I Couldn’t Win Your Love” (1958)
Warrior WA 506 – Al Dean & His All Stars – “Fragile Heart” / “Blue Sky Waltz”
Warrior WA 507 – Doug Sahm & the Pharoahs – “Crazy Daisy” / “If I Ever Need You”
Warrior WA 508 – Al Dean – “I Shot Billy” / ? (1959)

Hollywood rockabilly label from late ’50s

Hollywood, California, 1959:

Warrior W-1554 – Bobby Lee Trammell – “Open Up Your Heart” / “Woe Is Me” (May 1959)
Warrior W-1555 – Curtis Lee – “Pure Love” / “With All My Heart (I Love You)” (1959)
Warrior W-1556 – Joey Norman – “King of Fools” / “Heart of Mine”
Warrior W-1557 – ?
Warrior W-1558 – ?
Warrior W-1559 – ?
Warrior W-1560 – Frankie Knight – “Unchained Melody” / “Call Me”

Warrior label from North Hollywood
Warrior label from North Hollywood

North Hollywood, owned by Tom Sawyer, 1966

Only one release I know of:
Warrior W-166 – Our Gang – “Careless Love” (D. Duvall, Huckleberry Music, BMI) / Heartbeat (1966, prod. by Tom Sawyer)

Doesn’t seem to be connected to the earlier Warrior label from Hollywood. Tom Sawyer also had the Trident label. Our Gang were from Buena Park by Los Angeles (info from Mike Markesich). This band Our Gang is not the Colorado Springs group who cut “Rapunzel” / “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow”.

Simon T. Stokes Warrior 45 Big City BluesSimon T. Stokes Warrior 45 Pow! Zap! (I'm the Bat)

Another Warrior label from California

Warrior SM-1007/SM-1008 – Simon T. Stokes “Big City Blues” (Clifton) / “Pow! Zap! (I’m the Bat)” (Murray-Clifton) January 1966, produced by John Herring, Sawtell & Herring Music, ASCAP

Simon Stokes would record several different versions of “Big City Blues”. After the Warrior release, he would cut it for the HBR label (HBR 487) in July of ’66, with new flip “Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction” (Simon Stokes) and arrangement credited to Harold R. Battiste, Jr., and A&R by Larry Goldberg. He made a third version b/w “Cobwebs” on the In-Sound label in 1967, and also released it on MGM K14135 as by Simon Stokes and the Night Hawks, prod. by Michael Lloyd for Voodoo Prod. Stokes was also a member of the Perpetual Motion Workshop (“Infiltrate Your Mind” / “Won’t Come Down” on Rally), the Flower Children (“Mini Skirt Blues” on Castil and Allied) and recorded as Simon T. Stokes & the Nite Hawks on Elektra.

Louisiana:
1001 – Guy Spitale – “Who’s That Woman” (W-101) / “It’s Over Forever” (W-102)

1002 – Guy Spitale – “Returning Your Letters” (W-103 )/ “Scroungy” (W-104) (white label w/ red printing)

Unknown locations:
RFF 777 – Ivan X – “Edge of Night” / “Tell Tale Heart”

Special thanks to Westex of Lone Star Stomp, Drunkenhobo, Bob of Dead Wax, Collin Pruit of Inkmathematics, Dave Martens, Kurt Rokitta and Andy for their contributions to these discographies. Thank you to Dominic Welhouse for the Simon T. Stokes scans.

Check out Dave Marten’s page on Montana bands at Long Time Comin’ – Lost Sounds from the Treasure State.

Thank you also to Lisa Wheeler for scans, info and continued updates regarding Chan Romero.

13 thoughts on “The various Warrior labels”

  1. The following listing fits in with the Pleasanton/San Antonio Warrior disco:
    Franklin Smith with Roving Warriors Band
    No Wonder I Wonder b/w A Golden Dream of You
    Warrior WA-504

    It is an RCA custom pressing from 1957. The address was still listed in Pleasanton, though the label design was similar to that seen on Warrior 507, but blue.

    1. Where can we get a copy ? Franklin Smith is my
      Father and is not in good shape and would be a
      Treasure to his family and grandchildren. It would mean so much!
      Email cinspivey [at] yahoo.com. Daughter
      912 506 2508
      Also his wife Nanagigi14511 [at] yahoo.com
      912 265 5392

      1. Nanagigi is holding the original and doesn’t need a copy ! My dad has died since my 1st post and It would mean so much if HIS family could get Another copy . I played that record as a child over and over on my little record player and I feel his daughters and his grandchildren should have it to hear their grandfathers voice again.
        Thanks Cindy Spivey
        912 5063090
        cinspivey@yahoo.com
        Please

    2. Any chance anyone has access to the record for Franklin Smith. He was my grandfather and my family would love to find a copy. Thank you!

  2. Also on the Hollywood Warrior :
    W-1560 Frankie Knight : Unchained Melody / Call Me
    flip of 1554 is Open Up Your Heart

    Also on the Texas Warrior :
    WA 502 Red Hilburn: Three Words/Rambling Man Blues

    flip of 504 is No wonder I wonder
    505 full title is I Don’t Care what they say / flip is I couldn’t win your love

    on the Chan Romero label add:
    L-219 Chan Romero : Lost In Love / Billie

    Finally, another Warrior label (out of Louisiana) not listed is :
    1001 Guy Spitale : who’s that woman W-101 / its over forever W-102

  3. So where amogngst these Warrior labels would the Simon Stokes 45 “Big City Blues” Warrior 1008 (Jan’66) fit in?

  4. kostas ended up being a hit songwriter in nashville in the late-1980s and early 1990s (writing for patty loveless and dwight yoakam, among others). he still performs in the billings area.

  5. Just found Warrior L-140-1 in Butte, MT, “The Wanderers” – Don’t Pity Me / Give Me All You Got. Produced by C. Romero and writing credits given to D. Day and J. Newstrom. Any info on this would be great. I could get you rips if you’d like. Very nice lo-fi moody garage sound, maybe ’66?

  6. Briefly for now…maybe more later…
    “THE GREMLINS” was a North Dakota act, mid to late sixties…Tim Ingstad and I put the group together (encouragement from Bill MacKenzie) added Bobby Ringstrom and Mike Pallanche….Richard Dwyer later and Steve Runquist later…..forgive me for the spelling, guys…2-3 years of gigs and I head off to Montana for college in Billings…I meet Jerry Smith and we do the duet thing, with the accoustic recording of “Silent Meditation” and “Store Away These Thoughts”….Gered and Dodique was the duet act…in the spring of ’68 Tim, Jerry and I decide to put the Gremlins together for another run…..we put our accoustic recording on a 45, designed the “NATIONAL” label, then put out “Gremlin” posters for that summer tagged with “National” Recording Artists……oh, how clever! Took the band back to Billings and gigged at “Grammas”, then back to North Dakota for a few summer gigs, then it was over. So that’s the story behind the 45 and Gered and Dodique of The Gremlins…..the guys found the 45 in Missoula (I’ve got two sisters there) and contacted me for a little info. Jerry Smith and I have a long history of playing music in Montana, but the Gremlin Montana history was very short…..now the real story and history of “The Gremlins” in Norh Dakota from 65-68 or so………well, that’s for another time…..and we probably should tell it on the North Dakota site…..great idea with this web site…great job and thanks to all of you who brought it to life!

    Doug Krueger
    Billings, MT

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