Hy-tones

[Dazz]

Shameless plug I know as I have this for sale in the Sales section

but has anyone else got or know to a copy of this.

I've seen a few Southern Artists copies but never seen this or seen

it for sale before. I'm trying to establish whether it is rarer than a SA copy

and what a fair price would be

Thanks

[Gasher]

made you an offer mate

had any more ?

gasher

[Chalky]

Have seen the Bell copies before. Used to see more of these than Southern Arts now its other way round with Bell rarely coming up for sale........not that Southern Arts comes up for sale that often

[Guest Dan]

i tracked the hytones (or the known surviving hytone) down in nashville in 2005. i did something for one of the fanzines about them, can't remember which. soul up north maybe?

southern artists is the original label. memory isn't what it was but i think only 100 were pressed on SA (by the band) and bell picked it up and pressed a decent(ish) run. so technically far more bells out there but as we all know that means very little sometimes.

eddie frierson is (was) still alive and working as a barber. he had one copy of YDEKMN on SA (which i sold on here for him to a well-known DJ). (i also have a copy if we're totting up.)

robert lee holmes jr, the writer of both YDEKMN and bigger and better (among a number of other tunes), died about seven years ago. i spoke to his widow - she was a nice lady but not at all helpful and didn't want to talk about robert's time in the band. apparently she was a schoolteacher and there was tension between the two of them about his life on the road.

freddie waters died in chicago (from memory) in the 70s and no-one knows where skeet alsup is, apparently.

ted jarrett, the maestro behind labels such as poncello, spar and xxcello, was still alive (ace/kent have done a lot of his stuff, of course) and very friendly and approachable.

he had a book coming out called You Can Make It If You Try: The Ted Jarrett Story of R&B in Nashville, authored by Ted Jarrett with Ruth White, though i never chased it up.

he put me onto mrs holmes (who in turn out me on to eddie) and said the band recorded lots of other stuff which mrs holmes probably has on tape. if anyone wants to get over there and knock on her door, there's a nice tip. i didn't and don't have time

(all of the above is from memory - check the fanzine for a more accurate version!)

[Guest Dan]

by the way, i think pat's original lee otis valentine cover up was a bell copy?

[Guest Dan]

and while i'm on the subject, what a bloody tragedy that the internet etc wasn't around 25 years ago. because robert holmes, who to me was a minor genius, died not knowing that people were prepared to pay thousands of pounds for his records.

if only he could have googled himself in 1985 and found out that YDEKMN was a big sound at the 100 Club and had been at Stafford etc

of course, it may be that someone did tell him that - i only found eddie f!

[Anoraks Corner]

I had a Hytones Bell demo from the Bowl. Flogged it to Tim Brown in the late 90's along with some other nice Amy/Mala/Bell pieces (Timmie Williams, Jeffrey Allen, Don & Juan, Morris Chestnut etc). I've only ever had one copy of Bobbie Smith on Bell, mind. (Label scans on my website of all of 'em.)

[boba]

HI Dan. I saw your writeup in Shades of Soul. I would guess there were more than 100 pressed of the you don't even know my name just because I've seen it for sale at least 6 times over the last 6 years maybe. Obviously it is still extremely rare, but in general most people I talk to don't remember exactly how many were pressed of records they did.

One interesting thing that I would have liked to know about is the connection to the Avons. Robert Holmes name is writer (and producer?) on a bunch of avons records. Thanks.

[Quinvy]

I don't wish to be rude here, but were they in fact a black group? just asking because Y.D.E.K.M.N always sounds like a white pop record to me......

[Chalky]

I don't wish to be rude here, but were they in fact a black group? just asking because Y.D.E.K.M.N always sounds like a white pop record to me......

yes do a site search, should be plenty of info on here via Dan. Same group as Abet one if remember rightly.

[Dazz]

Thanks for all the information guys, very interesting Dan

[Garethx]

I don't wish to be rude here, but were they in fact a black group? just asking because Y.D.E.K.M.N always sounds like a white pop record to me......

Definitely all black guys, some of whom appeared on many good soul records: Freddie Waters' soul career is pretty well documented and he had several pretty big R&B hits, such as his Curtom and October singles. I wonder if Eddie Frierson is the brother of James Frierson (James Fry on Hi) and Wendy Rene on Stax.

It does seem as though YDEKMN was made with at least one ear on the pop chart as opposed to the R&B one.

[Guest]

Definitely all black guys, some of whom appeared on many good soul records: Freddie Waters' soul career is pretty well documented and he had several pretty big R&B hits, such as his Curtom and October singles. I wonder if Eddie Frierson is the brother of James Frierson (James Fry on Hi) and Wendy Rene on Stax.

It does seem as though YDEKMN was made with at least one ear on the pop chart as opposed to the R&B one.

There was also a white group called the Shy-tones that became the Hy-tones and then the trentones I think sure about the 1st 2 though. If you do a google search there is lots of info on the Shy/Hy tones. However I dont belive this is the same group as the other group recorded on different labels

[jocko]

freddie waters died in chicago (from memory) in the 70s and no-one knows where skeet alsup is, apparently.

Sure about this Dan, thought I had at least one 80's track by him and thought Move records were doing business with his stuff and that would be the 80's, unless different Freddie Waters.

he had a book coming out called You Can Make It If You Try: The Ted Jarrett Story of R&B in Nashville, authored by Ted Jarrett with Ruth White, though i never chased it up.

I have this book, published by Hillsboro Press from Tenessee, and sponsored by the Country Music Foundation press, haven't read it as yet but it looks fairly chunky and interesting.

[Anoraks Corner]

One interesting thing that I would have liked to know about is the connection to the Avons. Robert Holmes name is writer (and producer?) on a bunch of avons records. Thanks.

Anyone got a line up for the Avons?

I've been quietly picking up lotsa Southern based label stuff over the last few years (lots of it to be found over here), and I've a soft spot for Excello releases and indeed Ted Jarrett stuff. There's a previously unissued Avons track on a Kent CD ('Uptown Down South'), Boba.

Must get that book you mention Jocko...what's the ISBN?

[jocko]

Must get that book you mention Jocko...what's the ISBN?

It's 1-57736-367-1

Sure I got it off related website but can't find any details, Try ABE books website, can be expensive, but if you can't get it over there sure you will see it there.

[Anoraks Corner]

It's 1-57736-367-1

Thanks mate, 'preciate it.

[Dave Rimmer]

ted jarrett, the maestro behind labels such as poncello, spar and xxcello, was still alive (ace/kent have done a lot of his stuff, of course) and very friendly and approachable.

he had a book coming out called You Can Make It If You Try: The Ted Jarrett Story of R&B in Nashville, authored by Ted Jarrett with Ruth White, though i never chased it up.

The book came out last year, Amazon.co.uk have copies here

Ted Jarret's book

Well worth buying for eight and a half quid.

[Dave Pinch]

my mate sold a mint bell issue for £1900 last year. rarer than southern artists by quite a

bit in 2008

dave

[Dazz]

Just added a note in the Sales section, thanks for all the interest, prices etc and sound file ... Chalky

Dazz

[pikeys dog]

Reminds me of a theme tune to a Neil Simon film.... far too twee for these ears...

[Anoraks Corner]

There is also the unissued alternative take which is longer, but lacks the brass...and indeed the punch. Thank gawd they included the brass at the vinyl stage.

[Guest Dan]

HI Dan. I saw your writeup in Shades of Soul. I would guess there were more than 100 pressed of the you don't even know my name just because I've seen it for sale at least 6 times over the last 6 years maybe. Obviously it is still extremely rare, but in general most people I talk to don't remember exactly how many were pressed of records they did.

One interesting thing that I would have liked to know about is the connection to the Avons. Robert Holmes name is writer (and producer?) on a bunch of avons records. Thanks.

hi boba

don't know the answer to that, sorry. re the question of how many were pressed up, you could well be right - it was just what i was told (as i said, from memory!).

dan

[Guest Dan]

Sure about this Dan, thought I had at least one 80's track by him and thought Move records were doing business with his stuff and that would be the 80's, unless different Freddie Waters.

I have this book, published by Hillsboro Press from Tenessee, and sponsored by the Country Music Foundation press, haven't read it as yet but it looks fairly chunky and interesting.

to be honest jocko, no (not sure about freddie waters, that is)

trouble is, the computer i wrote the piece on is in the loft and i can't lay my hands on the soul up north (or was it shades of soul) article; whatever i wrote in there was what eddie frierson told me. as i say, from memory that was that freddie was dead (car crash i think) but to be absolutely sure i'd need to re-read the article

of course, it's possible that eddie was wrong (he's getting on, or was then) and equally i guess it could be a different freddie waters?

to reiterate what chalky said to other questions, it is the same band as the bigger and better outfit and they were all black. eddie told me some stories about touring the southern states during times of segregation when they played behind wire, as per the blues brothers. a really nice old guy.

[Guest Dan]

Reminds me of a theme tune to a Neil Simon film.... far too twee for these ears...

it was always a massive 80s 100 Club favourite for me (ian clark?) and getting hold of a copy was one of my best moments in soul collecting to date.

but my missus heard it about five years ago and said it sounded like the theme tune to a carry on film, and she's right: close your eyes and you can actually see charles hawtrey and hatties jacques cycling past a nudist camp.

i still love it though