Kookie Cook (Danville)

Arlie Neaville aka Dean Carter is responsible for some of the wildest sounds to come out of downstate Illinois (or anywhere else for that matter) in the mid-1960's.

Neaville, originally from Champaign, gravitated east to Danville, Illinois in the early 60's where he surrounded himself with a gang of talented, like-minded musicians.  One of those people was drummer Richard "Kookie" Cook.

   

Cook, a member of Neaville's backing band - The Lucky Ones, was also part of the unofficial house band at Arlie Miller's Midnite Sound recording studio located on the outskirts of Danville.

It was there that Miller, Neaville and Cook, along with a handful of other area musicians, recorded dozens of late night sessions, experimenting and honing their unique sound.

Cook, however, was not strictly a session man.   Kookie was also a bandleader and a singer that released at least two singles under his own name.  In addition, Cook wrote and recorded several incredible songs that went unreleased at the time but eventually saw the light of day.

Other members of Kookie's band (according to the above promo photo) included Karl Reed, Mark James, Johnnie Dee and Dave Diamond.

Cook's first single, released as Kookie and Satalites, was a cover of the Duane Eddy instrumental "Rebel Walk" backed with "Boy Meets Girl," an original song penned by Neaville and Miller.   The two Arlies also produced the record which was released on the Chicago label GMA in 1964.

 

In the spring of 1964, Kookie recorded two more instrumentals in Chicago, again under the name the Satalites.  Both songs, "Space Race" and "Space Monster," were again credited to Neaville and Miller.  Both would remain unreleased for 40 years.

 

The next year, Miller and Neaville started their own record label in Danville, Milky Way Records.  While the label only released a handful of singles, one of them was by Cook.

Listed simply as Kookie on the record, the single included a cover of Roy Orbison's "Ooby Doody" with the original "You Took Her Love" on the flip side.  The song was credited to Miller, Neaville and Cook.

 

The single was reviewed in the November 13, 1965 issue of Cash Box.  Both songs received a grade of B, with "Ooby Dooby" labelled a "lite tuned reading of the Roy Orbison oldie," while "You Took Her Love" was described simply as "mournful lost love."

Nothing in Kookie's official releases however can adequately prepare the listener for the songs that Cook recorded but never released.   

In 2004, Ace subsidiary Big Beat Records released The Midnite Sound of the Milky Way.  Researched and compiled by Alec Palao, the collection gathered a number of unissued songs recorded at Arlie Miller's studio, including several tracks by Kookie.

The liner notes do not provide specific dates for Kookie's unissued songs, but it appear that many were recorded in 1966 or early 1967 - sometime after "Ooby Dooby" but before the Milky Way label folded.

Several songs clearly bare a sonic resemblance to the Dean Carter releases around that same time.  Kookie's pounding drums and tortured screams even match Carter's intensity and wild abandon.   Prime examples include Cook originals such as "Working Man," "Revenge," "Misery," and "Don't Lie." 

 

 

In the liner notes of Midnite Sound of the Milky Way, Arlie Miller said this about the songs, "On most of his stuff, Kookie had the original idea, and Neaville and I would help on it, or one of his band members.  I had 'Workin' Man' all leadered up and ready to send to [pressing plant] RCA, but Kookie said forget it, he knew that we weren't gonna get any hits."

Just like that it was over.  Soon after, for a few reasons, the Milky Way label came to a sudden demise.  There is no evidence that Cook recorded ever again.

If not for the Midnite Sound of the Milky Way compilation, the far out sounds of Kookie Cook would have been completely lost and forgotten. 

_

The last single released on the Milky Way label was Dean Carter's mind-blowing take on "Jailhouse Rock." For more about "one of the most otherworldly rockabilly singles ever made" see Plastic Crimewave's recent edition of The Secret History of Chicago Music.

In addition to Midnite Sound of the Milky Way, please be sure to check out Big Beat's other compilation, Dean Carter - Call of the Wild!

Dave Bell Trio on Space Records (Springfield)

Dave Bell Trio's 1952 single "I Dreamed Of A Lifetime" b/w "I'm All Wrapped Up In You" was written, recorded and released in Springfield, Illinois.  Initially, it was reported that it would also be the first record manufactured in Springfield at a brand new pressing plant.  However, that doesn't appear to have happened.

The 78 rpm record was officially released locally on September 25, 1952 by the newly-formed Space Records, a Springfield label started by two of the songwriters:  Fred Spagnoli & Al Cellini.

The label's name was a combination of the first few letters of their last names.   Its motto: There's Always Space For A "Space" Record. 

Both Cellini and Spagnoli were Springfield residents.  At the time, Cellini, 2031 N. Nineteenth St., was in the poultry business (Cellini Bros Poultry) and Spagnoli, 2224 S. Thirteenth St., was a salesman for the Eastern Packing Company.

Cellini was also a part-time musician and bandleader.  He played saxophone and clarinet and led various combos in the Springfield-area as far back as the mid-1940's (Venetian Serenaders, 4 Sharps and Al Cellini & His Rhythm Boys).

The music of "I'm All Wrapped Up In You" was written by Cellini with lyrics by Spagnoli.   "I Dreamed Of A Lifetime" was written by the pair along with Cecil Hassinger.   According to various newspaper advertisements, Hassinger had been a band leader in central Illinois in the late 1940's.  Hassinger also played guitar in one of his Cellini's bands.

Click image to listen

While this would be the first record on their label, it was not the first record that Cellini and Spagnoli had collaborated on as songwriters.  

Two year prior, they wrote "I Spoke Too Soon," which was recorded by the Lee Kelton Orchestra and released on Dix Records out of Pittsburg, PA.   It was also issued on the Rondo label.

To record their latest compositions, the two men worked with the Dave Bell Trio.  Bell and his band were a popular Midwest combo that played the Springfield clubs frequently in the early 1950s.  

In an advertisement from 1952, it mentions the group featured Art Williams on the drums and Charlie Straub on the piano.  Dave Bell is referred to as "Frankie Lane's protégé."

Several months before its official release, it was announced that the Space record would also have the unique distinction of being the first record pressed in Springfield by a new business, Independent Artists Recording Company.   

The business was founded by E.H. Overman and Bud Hashman, both from Springfield.  According to the Illinois State Journal, "both men were formerly in show business, as vaudeville artists.  Overman was 'hoofer' and Hashman a song and dance man."

By the time the two men joined forces, Hashman owned a jukebox business in Springfield while Overman was operating a makeshift recording studio out of his home.  

According to the April 4, 1952 newspaper article, "Since about 1937 Overman has been engaged in cutting records.  Hashman became associated with the enterprise last September.   The two men make 'cuttings' in their studio at 903 N. Seventh St., for independent artist throughout the middle west."

In early 1952, Hashman and Overman decided to expand on their recording operation and go into the production of records.  With little experience or instruction, the two men set out to build a pressing plant from scratch.  

The newspaper gives a detailed account of the various steps involved with record manufacturing.  It also laid out the struggles the two men had getting their operation off the ground.

"Handicapped by an almost total absence of printed technical instructions on the procedure they managed to secure a  hard to find, several years old, manual on the production method and went to work.  They worked out many 'bugs' an the procedure by their own ingenuity." 

Despite the claim, there is no evidence that Overman and Hashman's pressing plant ever became operational.  The Dave Bell Trio record was to be their first, however when the record was released in September an article in the Illinois State Journal mentions that the master discs were cut in Rock Island and the pressing was being done in Janesville, Wisconsin.

As for Independent Artists Recording Co., the only other reference found was a 1953 advertisement for the Bobby Lane "Special."   There is no evidence that any commercially available records were ever recorded or pressed in Springfield by the company.

Sadly, Elmer Overman and his wife were seriously injured in a 1956 explosion at their home, which was the same address as the studio.

As for the Dave Bell Trio, they recorded at least one other single, "Moneyback Guarantee" b/w "Rock 'N' Roll Pins," which was released in 1958 on Window Records out of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. 

Al Cellini appears to have gotten out of the record business but he continued to perform and lead his combo / orchestra in the Springfield area for several more decades.

Fred Spagnoli became the Lake Springfield chief of police by 1958 but hadn't given up on writing a hit song.  An article in the Illinois State Journal at the time mentions that five of his songs had been recorded.

It appears that Spagnoli and Cellini collaborated on at least one more song after the Space record.  In August 1954, both men are credited for "Dora," in the Catalog of Copyright Entries.   According to the listing it was likely released on Dix Records but the actual artist and record have not been identified.

A few months earlier, Spagnoli copyrighted, "Much To My Sorrow," with Ola Budde supplying the music.   Budde appears to have been from Springfield as well.  Again, the song was likely recorded and released on Dix Records but no more details are available at this time.

As for Space Records, the label's entire output consisted of just the one single: 

  

Dan Fogelberg - The 1971 RoFran Demos

While attending the University of Illinois, Dan Fogelberg became a popular performer in the Champaign-Urbana area, especially at the Red Herring Coffeehouse.   The Daily Illini once described him as "astounding audiences with his versatility and magnetic stage presence as a folksinger in the David Crosby-Neil Young mold."  

By the summer of 1971 however, it was clear that Dan Fogelberg had outgrown the local folk scene.  He had dropped out of school earlier that year and was starting to perform in Chicago more than Urbana.

As a result, his return to the area in late June of 1971 was already newsworthy.  A Daily Illini article wrote "a regular Red Herring performer until he made it big in Chicago, Fogelberg will return Wednesday at 9 pm for a benefit concert."

A few weeks after the show, while still in town, Fogelberg approached local musician and sound engineer Roger Francisco about using his studio to record some demos.  Dan explained that his manager, Irving Azoff, wanted to take them to California in search of a record deal with a major label.

The RoFran Enterprises Studio would have been well known to Dan at that time.  Some of his earliest studio recordings were done there as part of the Red Herring Folk Festival compilation albums.  This includes early versions of his songs "Looking For A Lady" and "Hickory Grove."

Thanks to an interview conducted with Roger Francisco in 2015 by the Sousa Archives and the Center for American Music, we have a few details about how the 1971 demo session came about.  Here is the story in Francisco's own words:

Dan Fogelberg ‐‐ he was always helpful for other people. He'd come in and play on sessions with other people. And then all of a sudden, one day, “I've gotta have this demo tape for Irv Azoff is taking it out to LA, and I'm gonna do that. I don't have any money to pay it.” “Okay.” “Come on, you can – you know, day at the studio, we’ll hold it for you.” So we spent a day in the studio and he took the album out."

The RoFran Enterprises sessions log book shows the exact recording date to have been July 21, 1971.  What Fogelberg recorded that day however was not preserved in the ledger.

Incredibly, a tape bearing that same date and Dan's name (misspelled as FOGELBURG) has recently surfaced.  The tape contains three songs, all studio recordings, feature Fogelberg with a backing band. 

The names of the other musicians playing on the session are not known at this time.  The song titles, according to a handwritten note inside the box, appear to be: "Another Daydream," "There Is A Reason (Who Has The Time)," and "Little Miss Mindy."

    

Two days after the recording session, the Daily Illini, somewhat prophetically, ran an article about the impending success of some of the area's talent.   "Don't be surprised if you walk into a record store one day and find an album recorded by a former Red Herring regular.  It may soon be a reality."   

The article tells of Mormos and their new album released in France.  Members of the group, many of which were former Red Herring performers, included Jim Cuomo, Elliott Delman, Rick Mansfield and Annie Williams.  Regarding Dan, the article proclaimed that he was "likely to be recording soon under a national record label."

In fact, Fogelberg soon left Champaign and headed to Los Angeles himself where he waited for months while Azoff worked on securing him the right deal.  Fogelberg wrote about this period in his life on the Super Seventies Rock Site:

David Geffen had just formed Asylum, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel had just been signed to Columbia, and Irving was trying to sell me.  

I was a big fan of Joni Mitchell's. She was a big influence on my songwriting. I'd seen that Geffen had set up this label for singer-songwriters, and I said, "What a great idea. This is where I want to be."

At the same time, Clive Davis had heard about me through Irving, and Clive was offering me a singles deal. I said, "No, I want an album deal, or we don't do it."

Geffen's label sounded like a haven for progressive artists, so I showed Irving an article about Geffen in Rolling Stone, and Irving said, "OK, I'll call the guy."

We got David's number and got him on the phone. He said, "I have no idea who you are, or what you're talking about, but if you send me a tape I'll listen." The rest is pretty much history. Irving went to work for David, and they hollered at each other across Sunset Boulevard.

But the ironic thing was, I didn't go with Asylum. It didn't feel exactly right, and Irving was saying, "Look, there are a lot of places to go here." He wanted to play the record companies, and for six months he just made the rounds. Every day I'd be sitting out in the Valley, in this little apartment, eating chili and waiting for a record deal.

Irving would come home and say, "Well, it's A&M, definitely."  I'd say, "Oh, great. When do we start?"  And Irving would say, "We'll talk about it tomorrow." The next day he'd come home and tell me about another record company.

He did this to me for about six months. Finally I said, "I'll believe it when I see it." In the end, we went with Columbia and Clive, but for an album, not just a single. 

Fogelberg returned to Champaign-Urbana briefly in October of 1971 for a concert at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.  He opened for REO Speedwagon and the All Star Frogs at the first ever rock concert held in the Great Hall.

In ads promoting the concert, Dan was bill as being "Back from California."  An article in the Daily Illini mentions that he had been on the West Coast "studying with Neil Young."

A review of the concert in the Daily Illini a few days after the show was however less than impressed with the "new" Dan Fogelberg. 

"Seeing Fogelberg perform used to be an almost mystical experience.  He'd come on stage looking dragged out and sullen, say hardly an audible word during his entire set, giving nothing but his music and the feeling in it.  The cheerful, clean, talkative Dan Fogelberg of Saturday night seemed like a different person altogether, and not necessarily a better one.  The California experience polished him, but it took some of the mystery and appeal away from his stage personality."

The reviewer conceded that "neither his songs nor his playing lost any of their sensitivity or beauty during his stay on the West Coast."

Fogelberg would return to perform one last time at the Red Herring in January of 1972.  That night he shared the stage with Elliott Delman and Annie Williams, both back from Paris.  Like Dan, the two were only in town briefly.  (Recordings of the concert appear to exist and it may have been broadcast live on WPGU.  Later, the three went to the radio station and had a late night in-studio jam session.)

The Daily Illini review of the Red Herring performance was titled, "Fogelberg, Delman Unchanged."  Despite the sentiment, things would never be the same again.  In many ways the concert served as Dan's farewell to his "college years" and to his home state.

Still, Fogelberg shared a new song that night proving he had not forgotten where he came from:  "Three thousand miles east / I may miss the harvest / But I won't miss the feast."  The chorus adds: "It looks like your gonna have to see me again / Illinois, oh, Illinois / Illinois, I'm your boy."

Other Early Fogelberg Recordings

 

 

RoFran Records Volume One: 1965-1966

ARTIST	TITLE	YEAR
The Intruders	Deception	1965
The Rogues	Gone To Stay	1965
Lee Rust	Did You Ever Kind Of Wonder	1965
Lee Rust	Mystery House	1965
Lee Rust	Try, Try to Leave	1966
Lee Rust	She’s Gone Tonight	1966
The Prodigies	Kysmyph (KIS-MIF)	1966
The Impalas	Kristina	1966
The Prodigies	I Want To Do It	1966
The Quaternotes	My Baby Left Me	1966
The Prodigies	Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer	1966
The Lindsey Triplets	Tomorrow’s Another Day	1966
Al Ierardi	Drifter	1966
The Intruders	Intrudin'	1965
The Rogues	Wait Till the Summer	1965
Lee Rust	Scramble	1965
Lee Rust	Come on Back	1965
Lee Rust	I’m Spoken For	1965
Lee Rust	World Made of Romance	1965
The Prodigies	Don’t Look Back	1966
The Impalas	Lost Beat	1966
The Prodigies	What’d I Say	1966
The Prodigies	Sleigh Ride	1966
The Lindsey Triplets	Terry	1966
Al Ierardi	Dureen	1966

RoFran Enterprises (Urbana)

SESSIONS LOG -CLICK TO VIEW

RoFran Enterprises was a recording studio and record label owned and operated by Roger Francisco in Urbana, Illinois from 1965 to 1973.

Over the course of those nine years, the studio produced roughly 120 singles, EPs and albums combined, with almost all of them pressed in very small quantities.  The majority of the musicians found on those releases were from downstate Illinois or associated with the University of Illinois in some way.

In the late 1960's, the Champaign-Urbana music scene was exploding with talent.   Blytham Ltd, a local booking agency led by Bob Nutt and Irving Azoff, represented nearly every major rock and pop group in downstate Illinois and was quickly making Champaign-Urbana the music hub of the Midwest.   

RoFran Enterprises was in prime position to be the go-to studio for the burgeoning scene and yet that never happened exactly.  RoFran instead operated on the periphery, producing far more school and church recordings than rock albums.     

While the studio eventually became closely associated with the U of I folk scene centered around the Red Herring coffee house, RoFran appears to have had little overlap with the larger rock scene happening in the area.  That is, if we only look at the records that were released.

The studio's log book (above) however offers an alternative view.  One that demonstrates the full scope of the studio's operation.  Not only does it provide a complete (?) list of the official releases (pages 2-5) but it reveals dozens of sessions by area rock groups, most of which never saw any type of release or pressing.

This includes "lost" sessions by REO Speedwagon, Finchley Boys, One-Eyed Jacks, Head East and Arlie Neaville.  Other lesser known Champaign bands such as Feathertrain, Bluesweed, Uncle Meat and Backstreet all recorded there.  In fact, Irving Azoff and Bob Nutt  appear to have used the studio regularly to record demos of the many downstate groups in their stable.   These sessions represent only the tip of the iceberg.

RoFran Enterprises, these days, is probably best known amongst hardcore record collectors for a handful of difficult-to-find 45s.  Now, with the help of this log book, hopefully a more complete story can start to be told.

_____________

Roger Francisco was born in Decatur and grew up in Springfield, Illinois. He moved to Urbana in the 1950's to pursue a degree in electrical engineering at the Univerity of Illinois and eventually worked at the Magnavox plant in Urbana.  Francisco was also a musician and audio engineer who, in 1964, had spent time in a Nashville studio playing bass with Mike Brewer and the Galaxies.  

Inspired by what he saw in Nashville, Francisco built a modest recording studio on the lower level of his bi-level home at 5 Rainbow Court in Urbana.  There he began recording local groups as well as jingles and commercials for area businesses.

By the end of the first year of operation, RoFran had released several 45s on the RoFran label including singles by the Intruders, the Rogues, the Impalas and Lee Rust.  In addition, RoFran also produced a number of  LPs with most of the early albums being remote recordings of area choirs and school bands.

Francisco's own group, the Prodigies aka Sound Studio One, recorded and released a total of four singles during this early period as well.  Most of the members in the group would help serve as the studio's house band.    This included: Fredrick "Bill" Steffen III on drums,  J. Gordon Wilson on keyboards and Howie Smith on saxophone.   At the time, Smith was also a member of the University of Illinois Jazz Band.

Another important addition to the RoFran family was guitarist Al Ierardi.  Ierardi recorded his own single at RoFran in December of 1966.  He would go on to work at the studio as a session player as well as a staff artist and a producer.  Ierardi is credited with writing the 1967 Ravins' b-side "I Had A Feeling" recorded at RoFran as well as designing the album jacket for one of  J. Gordon Wilson's albums. 

According to the October 21, 1967 issue of Billboard magazine, "RoFran Enterprises in Urbana. Ill., is expanding its operation and has moved into new offices at the Masonic Temple Building, 115 West Main Street, Urbana. President Roger Francisco, whose record releases are distributed by M -S Distributors in Chicago. says the firm is expanding its pop music production under a&r man Howard A. Smith."

RoFran's expanded services included arranging, composing and song publishing.  In late 1966, Francisco is credited with helping write, arrange and produce a single with the Lindsey Triplets (aka ABC Triplets) from nearby Philo.

While the music operation was growing, the advertising side of the business took off as well.  Francisco, who had been doing radio jingles and commercials from the very beginning, listed his business in the local yellow pages under the heading of "Advertising Agencies."  

Soon the business was taking on ad work beyond just radio jingles.  In early 1967 RoFran was hired to do all of the advertising for the local MacDonald's including newspaper ads, radio spots and even personal appearances.   As a result, saxophonist and a&r man Howie Smith also served as Ronald MacDonald for many years in the Champaign-Urbana area.

By early 1967, the studio had for the most part stopped using "RoFran" as a label name and instead used "A Custom Product of RoFran Enterprises" or simple Custom on the label.  Often the artist would choose their own label name such as Psychedelic, Star, Shades, Soul, Syndicate, Golden and Folksound.

As the label names suggest, a wide variety of music was being captured at the studio in the late 1960s.  Country artist Marvin Lee recorded an album and at least one single at RoFran.  The studio also recorded a number of Champaign-area soul and gospel groups including Count Demon, Leroy Knox and the Gaypoppers, the Soul Brothers, the Golden Star Singers and the Holy Zyrnes.  Jazz trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater would record and release a single in 1968.

The studio also attrached bands from nearby communities such as the Shades of Blue and the Keepers (both from Danville), The Quarternotes (Rantoul), The Ravins (Gibson City), The Cameros (Petersburg) and Howie Thayer (an Illinois State University student originally from La Moille in north-central Illinois).

The "lost" sessions from 1966-1969 include a who's-who of Blytham artists:  One-Eyed Jacks, Finchley Boys, The Regiment, Seeds of Doubt and Somebody Groovy.   Multiple sessions are simply listed under Blytham, Bob Nutt or Irv Azoff.   Other bands that made demos at the studio during this period include The Bacardis, The Chandras, Fat Daddy Five, Reel Blues and Arlie Neaville.

By the late 1960's, RoFran became closely connected with multi-instrumentalist Jim Cuomo and his avant-garde group, Spoils of War.  So much so that Roger Francisco and Al Ierardi both performed and recorded with the group.  

In 1969, Spoils of War released a 7" EP containing two nine-minute pieces that combined psychedelic songs with electronic textures.  According to an interview in It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine, Cuomo said a 1,000 copies were pressed at the time.  Cuomo would record another EP under his own name the next year.

By 1970, the RoFran records were starting to be pressed by Century Custom Recording Service.   In a 1970 Daily Illini article, RoFran Enterprises was mentioned as being a subsidiary of Century Records.

Around that same time, the RoFran studio moved out of Francisco's basement and into a new location at the corner of Race and Washington (117 W. Washington) in Urbana.  

By October of 1970, neighbors of the new location filed a petition against the studio.  They claimed that "loud sounds and vibrations come from the studio until 2 or 3 am, making it difficult for them to sleep."  An article in the Daily Illini mentions that police had been called 15 or 20 times.  Francisco's wife was quoted in the paper saying the real issue was that the neighbors didn't like "long hairs."

Blytham Ltd continued to use the studio to record demos at this time, undoubtedly contributing to the "noise" and "long hair" complaints.  This included sessions by REO Speedwagon, Bluesweed, Feathertrain, Backstreet, Esquires, Uncle Meat and Sunday.  A few of these recordings still exist and have been archived by the University of Illinois at the Sousa Archives. 

It was around this same time that RoFran began to produce a series of live albums from the Red Herring Folk Festival, several of which contain early recordings of Dan Fogelberg.  Another performer, Peter Berkow, soon joined RoFran Enterprises as an engineer.   A Daily Illini article comments that Berkow had practically moved into the studio.

Francisco and Berkow also began working with a group of folk musicians from that same scene on a concept album / band that would eventually be known as The Ship, a Contemporary Folk Music Journey.  Both Francisco and Berkow would become managers of the group and recorded a demo of the concept piece in the Fall of 1971.

The group eventually signed with Elektra Records and recorded the album with producer Gary Usher at the label's studios in Los Angeles.  The group however was unhappy with certain "special effects" added by Usher and flew Francisco out to Los Angeles to help remix the album.  Released in October of 1972, the final version of the album contains Francisco's mix.

The Ship was one of the last big projects of RoFran.   Some of the lost sessions from 1971-1973 include Mackinaw Valley Boys, All Star Frogs, Heavy Duty, US Kids, Hound Dog Moses, One-Eyed Jacks, and The Guild.  Unreleased sessions by Head East and Sunday from December 1972 are preserved at the Sousa Archives.  

In 1973, Francisco sold the studio to Al Ierardi who renamed it the Tape Factory.  Over the next decade, Francisco went on to work as an engineer at two other Champaign-Urbana studios: Silver Dollar and Creative Audio.   

As if that wasn't enough, Francisco had a long and fascinating career beyond recording studios.  For some, Francisco is best known as the voice of the FitnessGram PACER test.  For a recent interview (Aug 2023) with Francisco see the WKIO Homegrown podcast.

Special thanks to Al and Carla Ierardi for preserving and sharing the RoFran Enterprises studio ledger.

For a more concise list of 45s released by the studio see our RoFran Records discography.   Now you can also listen to many of the early RoFran records.

Richie Deran, Dave Parkinson & Pontiac Records (Canton)

Richie Deran and the New Tones put out just one record, "Little Willie" b/w "Girl And A Hot Rod."   The single was released by the Pontiac Record Company of Canton, Illinois in late 1959.

Deran, who wrote and sang both songs, was from Burlington, Iowa.  Most of the members of the New Tones were also from the Burlington-area including Don Bowman on guitar, Larry Gustin on guitar and Bob Baldridge on drums.  The one exception was saxophone player Dave Parkinson who was from Canton, Illinois.

According to a 2012 article in the Canton Daily Ledger, the Pontiac Record Company was owned by Canton businessman Jim Aloian.  The Deran record appears to have been the label's only release.

A few color variations of the single exist as well as reproductions and bootlegs.

Not long after the release of the single, Deran joined Gary Stites on tour.  Stites, who was from Colorado and had recorded for the Carlton label, had performed in Burlington on New Years Eve 1959.

Together they were billed as "Rock and Roll Stars from Dick Clark's American Bandstand."  The New Tones served as the backing band for both singers on the tour.  

An article written at the time mentioned that the tour would take them to 600(!) cities across the nation.  Despite the claim only a handful of dates in central and southern Illinois could be identified.

Feb 19, 1960:  Canton High School (Canton)
Feb 22, 1960:  Illinois State Normal University Ballroom (Normal)

Feb 24, 1960:  Illinois Theater (Jacksonville)

Mar 2, 1960:  Granada Theatre (Mt. Vernon)

Mar 3, 1960:  Orpheum Theater (Marion)

By April, the tour had come to a halt.  Deran continued to perform with the New Tones around Iowa over the next few years.   A 1961 article lists the members of the group as Joe Coleman on rhythm guitar and Terry Hiensly on lead guitar (both of Burlington) along with Baldridge and Parkinson.  By 1963, Warren Wunnenberg had replaced Baldridge on the drums.

Deran, whose real name was Korschgen, appears to have left his music career behind shortly afterward.  In the early 60's he opened Richard's Upholstery in Burlington which he owned and operated for more than 40 years.

Parkinson (with sax) to the left of JB

As for Dave Parkinson, the group's saxophonist, his long musical journey was only just beginning in the early 1960's.   Most notably, Parkinson went on to play and record with James Brown, Bobby Byrd, Hank Ballard and others as a member of The Dapps in Cincinnati.  Back in Illinois, Parkinson would later be known as the leader of Dave and the Dynamics.

A detailed history of The Dapps that includes an interview with Parkinson can be found on the blog Zero To 180.   In it Parkinson mentioned another legendary musician from Canton, bassist Tim Drummond, who played with Brown around the same time before going on to work with Neil Young, Bob Dylan and many many others.

Bobby Carter & Cardell Records (Bloomington)

Bobby Carter's two singles on Cardell Records are some of the finest examples of rockabilly to come out of downstate Illinois.  Released in 1960-1961 on an unknown label, both remain extremely rare and shrouded in mystery.

The first record however contained a few clues.  Printed on the label was "Bloomington, Illinois" as well as the names of some of the other musicians: H. Sherman, A. Miller and Johnny Lawrence.

Carter it turns out was a native of Danville, Illinois (not Bloomington). Born in 1935, William Robert Carter actually had a long career as a singer and musician, despite having one of his lungs removed as a child.  Carter claimed that singing helped strengthen his remaining lung.

In the 1950's, while still in Danville, Carter was a member of the rockabilly group The Varieteers.   Other members of the Varieteers at one time included: Arlie Miller, Jim Foley, George Foehrer and Curley Arnett.  

In a 2015 interview, Carter remembered playing in downtown Danville in the 50's for hundreds of people with some protesters carrying signs saying "Sinful Music."  Danville's WITY once billed Carter as "the Illiana Elvis Presley."  

In 1957, Carter moved to Phoenix, AZ for his health where he signed with Rev Records.  It is unclear whether he recorded for the label or not.  By 1960 Carter had returned to Illinois and settled in Bloomington.

It was during this time that Carter released his two singles:

• "Before We Part and Go" / "If You're Gonna Shake It"  (1960)

 
"Destiny, I Love You" / "Run, Run, Run" (1961)

Both were released on Cardell Records.  While the second 45 listed Carter's backing band simply as The Spotlites, the first provided us with the names H. Sherman, A. Miller and Johnny Lawrence.

Given the Danville connection, it is likely that A. Miller is Arlie Miller who recorded his own single in Danville around the same time and like Carter had been a member of the Varieteers.   Miller's single "Lou Ann" / "You're The Sweetest Girl" was released on the Lucky label.  Jim Foley, another member of The Varieteers, also released a single on Lucky in 1960.  

Arlie Miller would go on to open the Midnite Sound Studio in Danville and start Milky Way Records with Arlie Neaville (aka Dean Carter) a few years later.   As for H. Sherman and Johnny Lawrence, it is unknown if they were from Bloomington, Danville or somewhere else entirely.  

For the next decade or so, Bob Carter's musical activities are also uncertain.  In 1973 however, he moved to Nashville and recorded a demo that eventually landed him a deal with Oweman Records.  It is not clear whether he ever released anything for the label.  He did however have one single released on the Royal American label:  "As The Fire Grows" b/w "Soakin' Up Suds."

While living in Nashville, Carter worked at various recording studios, label and production companies.  He eventually moved back to the Danville area where he continued to perform with area bands.  According to the Commerical-News, "when he wasn’t playing music, Carter worked numerous jobs, including selling shoes and managing stores. A barber, he also had several barber shops in the area, and started the Tilton Teen Club."

In 2015, at age 80, Carter was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Music in the Heartland Society.   Carter passed away in 2017.

WESN Show #69 - January 27, 2022

Studio Spotlight: Golden Voice Recording Co. Vol. 2
ARTIST	TRACK	LABEL	YEAR	TOWN / CITY
Abaddon	Gotta Have It	Golden Voice	1969	Pekin
Suburban 9 To 5	Capt. Kangaroo	Golden Voice	1968	Peoria
3's A Crowd	Keep On Walking	Golden Voice	1968	Peoria?
Camaro Brigade	On The Day You Said Good-Bye	- no label -	1970	Petersburg
Mourning 'Ours	Shake	Golden Voice	1968	Peoria?
Upson Downs	Here Comes My Rainbow	Golden Voice	1968	Metamora
Buster Browns	In The Morning	Golden Voice	1968	Galesburg
Bare Wire	Run Out Of Time	Stereo Village	1969	Clinton
Zimmo's Thanatopsis	Does He Love You	Golden Voice	1968	Morton
Strange Brew	The Loner	Golden Voice	1969	Springfield
The Alliance	Let Me Love You While I Can	unreleased	1969	Peoria
Blue Ice	People Get Ready	Golden Voice	1969	Genoa
East Side Blues	Tell Everyone That You See	Thunder	1967	Peoria
Wheezer Lockinger	Gypsy Train	- no label -	1970	Rockford
Gidians Bible	Lowland Blues	Alona's Dream	1969	Bloomington-Normal
Forest City Sound	Dismal Shadows	Golden Voice	1968	Rockford
Bushes	Function At The Junction	Growth	1968	Galesburg
Peanut Butter Conformity	But It's Alright	Golden Voice	1968	Bloomington-Normal?
John St. Jainne	Listen To My Eyes	Golden Voice	1969	Bloomington-Normal
Forty Second Street Auxiliary Choir	You Ask Why	Thunder	1968	Peoria
D.J.'s	Keep On Running	Golden Voice	1969	Peoria?
Gulliver	I'll Be The Wind	Golden Voice	1970	Peoria?

Photo of G.V. control room by M.A. Milam