Category Archives: Spot

The Nu-Trons and Spot Records Discography

Nu-Trons Spot 45 I Told You SoI can’t find any specific info on the Nu-Trons. Spot Records came from Johnson City, Tennessee, but recorded groups from locations as far as Knoxville and western Virginia.

“I Told You So” (written by B. Frye) is a moody shuffle with a great r&b feel and fine lead vocal.

“From Now On” (written D. Bradford, G. Shell) has a slower tempo, with more prominent piano and a descending guitar line.

Released on Spot SP7-1123, the RCA custom press matrix S4KM-2012/3 dates this to early 1965.

June 2 show at Funway with a big lineup: Bobby Wood, Dale Ward, Judy Eggers (“Summer Boys” on Metromaster out of Knoxville), Billy Swan, the Malibus (She’s Gone” on Spot), The Loved Ones (“Surprise, Surprise”), Sweet William and the Stereos (“Bring It On Home” on Jed), plus Jami & Jay with the Soul Survivors, the Euterpeans, the Martiniques, the Perfect Strangers, the Escape Device, the Confederation “AND MANY, MANY MORE!”
Spot was in operation for about ten years, from 1959 until about 1968, releasing a couple dozen singles in that span. The Nu-Trons may be the only ‘garage’ style single on the label. The Malibus “She’s Gone” is a good soulful James Brown type original by Boyle, Melton and Fielden. I haven’t been able to find the full names of the band yet, but the group was from Knoxville. They played a WKGN School’s Out Party at Funway with a dozen other groups, included Jami & Jay with the Soul Survivors. The Kingsport News also reported that the Malibus played Rogersville High School: “Jami, Jay, and the Malibus from Knoxville provided music for the dance.”

There’s a lot of sharp r&b on the label from Little Benny and Richie Weems & the Continental Five, and ’50s style vocal rock from the Rock-Alongs and the True Tones. Infinity’s “Ride on the Milky Way” is a western-tinged instrumental. Lonnie Salyer, who helped me with the discography below, has compiled a youtube playlist with 11 songs from the label, a good start for those interested.

The True Tones were Lanny Green, Neil Walker, Gerald Barber, Jay Henderson, Joby Wheat and Richard Way, out of Central High School in Knoxville.

Spot Records discography (compiled with help from Lonnie Salyer)

I’ve included prefixes because at least two numbers, 1123 and 1124, were reused with different prefixes.

SP-101 – Don Bradford – “Someone’s Gotta Go” (Stan Ratliff) / “That Ain’t Much” (Don Shannon), K8OW-0544/5, 1959

SP-103 – Eddie McKinney And Belvederes ‎- “Teen Town Hop” / “I’m Hooked“ (both by Bradford, Campbell, KO8W-0977/8, with picture sleeve)

SP-106 – Little Benny & the Stereos – “Drinking Wine, Spodie Odie” / “Mine All Mine” (M80W-8134/5, prod. Don Bradford, 1961)

1107 – Bobby Joe – “My Life I’ll Spend With You” (B. Tipton) / “Hellbound” (N80W-8467/8)

SP1108 – Reece Shipley – “I Counted The Raindrops” / “Too Big To Cry” (R. Shipley, Ronald Talley) (ZTSB 83092
SP-1109 – Paul Sutton – “Lucy” / ? (P4KM-3604)
SP-1110 – The Rock-A-Longs – “Don’t ‘cha Know I Love You” / “Theme from the Beachcomber”
SP 7-1111 – Wayne Boling – “Please Cry” / “What Kind of Friend Was He” (with picture sleeve, SO 1467/8)
SP 7-1112 – Wayne Boling – “She’s Coming Home” / “Little Hit and Run Darling” (SO 1611)
SP 7-1113 – Eugenia Anderson – “Soul of a Child” / “Send Down the Fire”

SP 7-1115 – The True Tones – “Lovin’ From My Baby” (Joby Wheat) / “Never Had a Chance” (J. Wheat, L. Green, R4KM-8431/2
SP 7-1116 – Jackie Bair & the Cubs, featuring Skip Lane – “Bare Hug” (Lane, Bair, Miller, Parker) / “You’re In Love” (Prod. by Don Bradford, RK4M-7113)
SP 7-1117 – Richie Weems & the Continental Five – “That 8:30 Special” / “Making Believe” (RK4M-7262/3)
SP-7-1118 – The True Tones – “Please Be True” (J. Henderson) / “Kiss Me Now” (J. Wheat), RK4M-7260, prod. by Don Bradford

SP7-1121 – The Tru Tones – “Little Hit and Run Darling” (Don Schroeder, Wayne P. Walker) / “La La La La La” (Clarence Paul), S4KM-1633/4

SP-1122 – Richie Weems & the Continental Five – “Tricks of the Trade” / “Natural Born Man” (S4KM-1706/7)
SP-1123 – Richie Weems & the Continental Five – “Wild In the Night” (B. Bradford) / “Mine All Mine”
SP-1124 – Little Ceaser & the Euterpeans – “It Ain’t What You Do It’s The Way How You Do It” / “Good Good Lovin’”

SP7-1123 – The Nu-Trons – “From Now On” (D. Bradford, G. Shell) / “I Told You So” (B. Frye), S4KM-2012/3
SP7-1124 – Lon Nave – “I’ll Think of You” / “Just Lookin’ Around” (Lon Nave, Harold Nave), TK4M-4056/7, 1966

SP-7-1128 – Kenny Springs & the Scat Cats – “Nobody Else But You” (K. Springs) / “Let Nobody Love You”, prod. by Don Bradford, TK4M-4722
SP7-1129 – Glenn Shell with Jackie Bair & the Cubs – “It’s Too Late” (G. Shell) / “Ain’t No One Woman Man” (U4KM-2575)
SP7-1130 – The Malibus – “She’s Gone” (J. Boyle, E. Fielden, J. Melton for East Tenn. Music) / “Oop Poo Pa Do” (U4KM-4837, 1967)

SP-7-1132 – The Kool Kuzzins – “Love Can Be True” (D. Rose, B. Rose, M. Powell) / “Hey Little Girl” (1968)
SP-7-1133 – The Infinity – “Ride on the Milky Way” / “Moon Gazer” (both by Charles Stafford & Gene Wheelon) W4KM-6546/7, 1968
SP 7-1134 – Little Caesar & the Euterpians – “Love Is A Beautiful Thing” / “I Can’t Stand It Together” (W4KM-)

Most originals on the label published by East Tenn. Music Pub, BMI.

The Kool Kuzzins came from Castlewood and Oakwood, Virginia and featured Danny Rose on lead vocals and drums, his brother Bill Rose on guitar and Mike Powell on bass & organ. The Kuzzins lived in the Tidewater during the summer of 1967, recording some unreleased sides for Frank Guida. After the band made their single at Spot, Danny Rose left to join Sound on Sound, based in nearby Grundy, VA, as lead vocalist. (Info from the CD Aliens, Psychos & Wild Things Vol. 2 on Arcania International.)

This was not the same label that released the Shytones or the Los Angeles label with the Poets and Effie Smith.
Nu-Trons Spot 45 From Now On

Thank you to Simon S. for finding clips of the Malibus 45.