Uploaded July 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
50s Rock And Roll / Rockabilly - Written by: Ira Louvin & Charles Louvin - Capitol Records 4305 (1959) Recording session: October 1959 at Capitol Recording Studio,1750 North Vine St., Hollywood, CA - Kenny Loran (vocal) Roy Lanham (lead guitar) Graham Morrison Turnbull aka Scott "Scotty" Turner (guitar) Leon Bagwell or Morty Corb (bass) Hal Blaine (drums) Dudley Brooks (piano) Producer: Ken Nelson.
Although known primarily as guitarist for the Sons of the Pioneers from 1961 through 1986, Roy Lanham also led the Whippoorwills for many years and performed as a solo artist, recording albums of country-jazz guitar instrumentals under his own name in the late '50s and early '60s.
Despite his relative obscurity, Lanham is often esteemed on the level of such well-known guitar greats as Chet Atkins and Merle Travis.
Lanham was born in Corbin, KY, on January 16, 1923, and picked up the guitar at an early age.
Beginning as a teenager he found radio work as a rhythm guitarist in a number of instrumental combos, one of which was eventually hired by pop vocalist Gene Austin and renamed the Whippoorwills.
In this group Lanham functioned as lead guitarist, performing in a jazzy style influenced by Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt but distinguished by his development of a four-part harmony chord technique he would alternate with single-string figures.
In 1943 Lanham joined Cincinnati's WLW, a 50,000-watt station that allowed him the opportunity to work with King Records, for which he soon performed regularly as a session guitarist, appearing on recordings by Hank Penny and the Delmore Brothers, among others.
After participating in one Chet Atkins session in 1946 for the Bullet label, Lanham moved to Dayton and re-formed the Whippoorwills.
For the next few years the combo toured, recorded transcriptions for Smiley Burnette's radio show in Hollywood and collaborated with Merle Travis on six sides for Capitol in the early '50s.
It was during his tenure with Smiley Burnette's show that Lanham first met the Sons of the Pioneers, who invited the Whippoorwills to fill in for them on their radio show while the Sons were on tour.
Lanham found additional session work recording separately with Johnny and Dorsey Burnette as well as Johnny Horton, Jim Reeves, Bonnie Guitar, the Browns, and the Fleetwoods, in addition to recording singles under his own name and with the Whippoorwills.
The success of the Fleetwoods singles on which he appeared led to his recording of a solo LP in 1959 and the sole Whippoorwills album, Sizzling Strings, later that year.
Harold Simon Belsky aka Hal Blaine studio drummer and percussionist, born February 5, 1929, Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA; died 11 March 2019 in Palm Desert, California.
Blaine began his career drumming for various bands that toured back and forth across the States in the 1950s, playing theaters, supper clubs and casinos.
He finally hooked up with the Tommy Sands show and learned much of his craft working closely with producers at Capitol Records.
Blaine's drumming skills became highly utilized as a session member of the ‘Wrecking Crew’ Collective.
He was one of many ‘first call’ players who would sit in for recordings around the Los Angeles area, in studios such as Gold Star Recording Studios, Western Recorders, Radio Recorders, CBS Studios and RCA Victor Studios.
Dudley Brooks (1913 - 1989) worked with: Charlie Christian, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, Stuff Smith, Count Basie (as arranger), Patti Page (as arranger), Elvis Presley and many others.
Scott "Scotty" Turner was a Canadian composer, producer, musician and publisher, who had an illustrious career in the music industry spanning over 50 years composing songs with Buddy Holly and many others.
Turner taught himself to play guitar — a skill that would soon change the course of his life. In 1956, Turner befriended Buddy Holly with whom he wrote 13 songs.
From 1957 to 1959, Turner was lead guitarist for Tommy Sands and his band The Raiders. From 1960 to 1961, Turner was lead guitarist and musical director for Guy Mitchell, and served in the same capacities for Eddie Fisher from 1961 to 1963.
In 1963, Turner joined A&M Records as a writer & producer.
From there, he went on to be general manager of Central Songs publishing company in Hollywood, and eventually became executive producer of the country division of Liberty / Imperial Records in Hollywood.
In 1968 Turner was transferred to Nashville to take over the country division of the newly merged Liberty / Imperial / United Artists.
After leaving the label, he served as an independent producer on several albums for Slim Whitman, but also produced artists as Bobby Bare, Larry Butler, Jimmy Bryant, Vicki Carr, Johnny Carver, Jimmy Clanton, Roy Clark, Rosemary Clooney, Penny DeHaven, Glen Garrison, Waylon Jennings, Bobby Lewis, Willie Nelson, Harry Nilsson, Bill Phillips, Del Reeves, Ray Sanders, Mel Tillis, Cliffie Stone, and Jerry Wallace among others.
50s Rock And Roll / Rockabilly - Written by: Ira Louvin & Charles Louvin - Capitol Records 4305 (1959) Recording session: October 1959 at Capitol Recording Studio,1750 North Vine St., Hollywood, CA - Kenny Loran (vocal) Roy Lanham (lead guitar) Graham Morrison Turnbull aka Scott "Scotty" Turner (guitar) Leon Bagwell or Morty Corb (bass) Hal Blaine (drums) Dudley Brooks (piano) Producer: Ken Nelson.
Although known primarily as guitarist for the Sons of the Pioneers from 1961 through 1986, Roy Lanham also led the Whippoorwills for many years and performed as a solo artist, recording albums of country-jazz guitar instrumentals under his own name in the late '50s and early '60s.
Despite his relative obscurity, Lanham is often esteemed on the level of such well-known guitar greats as Chet Atkins and Merle Travis.
Lanham was born in Corbin, KY, on January 16, 1923, and picked up the guitar at an early age.
Beginning as a teenager he found radio work as a rhythm guitarist in a number of instrumental combos, one of which was eventually hired by pop vocalist Gene Austin and renamed the Whippoorwills.
In this group Lanham functioned as lead guitarist, performing in a jazzy style influenced by Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt but distinguished by his development of a four-part harmony chord technique he would alternate with single-string figures.
In 1943 Lanham joined Cincinnati's WLW, a 50,000-watt station that allowed him the opportunity to work with King Records, for which he soon performed regularly as a session guitarist, appearing on recordings by Hank Penny and the Delmore Brothers, among others.
After participating in one Chet Atkins session in 1946 for the Bullet label, Lanham moved to Dayton and re-formed the Whippoorwills.
For the next few years the combo toured, recorded transcriptions for Smiley Burnette's radio show in Hollywood and collaborated with Merle Travis on six sides for Capitol in the early '50s.
It was during his tenure with Smiley Burnette's show that Lanham first met the Sons of the Pioneers, who invited the Whippoorwills to fill in for them on their radio show while the Sons were on tour.
Lanham found additional session work recording separately with Johnny and Dorsey Burnette as well as Johnny Horton, Jim Reeves, Bonnie Guitar, the Browns, and the Fleetwoods, in addition to recording singles under his own name and with the Whippoorwills.
The success of the Fleetwoods singles on which he appeared led to his recording of a solo LP in 1959 and the sole Whippoorwills album, Sizzling Strings, later that year.
Harold Simon Belsky aka Hal Blaine studio drummer and percussionist, born February 5, 1929, Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA; died 11 March 2019 in Palm Desert, California.
Blaine began his career drumming for various bands that toured back and forth across the States in the 1950s, playing theaters, supper clubs and casinos.
He finally hooked up with the Tommy Sands show and learned much of his craft working closely with producers at Capitol Records.
Blaine's drumming skills became highly utilized as a session member of the ‘Wrecking Crew’ Collective.
He was one of many ‘first call’ players who would sit in for recordings around the Los Angeles area, in studios such as Gold Star Recording Studios, Western Recorders, Radio Recorders, CBS Studios and RCA Victor Studios.
Dudley Brooks (1913 - 1989) worked with: Charlie Christian, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, Stuff Smith, Count Basie (as arranger), Patti Page (as arranger), Elvis Presley and many others.
Scott "Scotty" Turner was a Canadian composer, producer, musician and publisher, who had an illustrious career in the music industry spanning over 50 years composing songs with Buddy Holly and many others.
Turner taught himself to play guitar — a skill that would soon change the course of his life. In 1956, Turner befriended Buddy Holly with whom he wrote 13 songs.
From 1957 to 1959, Turner was lead guitarist for Tommy Sands and his band The Raiders. From 1960 to 1961, Turner was lead guitarist and musical director for Guy Mitchell, and served in the same capacities for Eddie Fisher from 1961 to 1963.
In 1963, Turner joined A&M Records as a writer & producer.
From there, he went on to be general manager of Central Songs publishing company in Hollywood, and eventually became executive producer of the country division of Liberty / Imperial Records in Hollywood.
In 1968 Turner was transferred to Nashville to take over the country division of the newly merged Liberty / Imperial / United Artists.
After leaving the label, he served as an independent producer on several albums for Slim Whitman, but also produced artists as Bobby Bare, Larry Butler, Jimmy Bryant, Vicki Carr, Johnny Carver, Jimmy Clanton, Roy Clark, Rosemary Clooney, Penny DeHaven, Glen Garrison, Waylon Jennings, Bobby Lewis, Willie Nelson, Harry Nilsson, Bill Phillips, Del Reeves, Ray Sanders, Mel Tillis, Cliffie Stone, and Jerry Wallace among others.
