That'll Flat Git It!, Volume 43: Rockabilly & Country Bop from the Vaults Of Allstar Records

by Various Artists

Dan Mechura's Houston-based Allstar Records had a different business plan from the lion's share of his country and rockabilly competitors. For a fee, Mechura and his cohorts would accept lyrics from amateur songwriters through the mail and fashion them into completed songs, recording the final product with a surprisingly impressive roster of singers and sidemen. By no means was everything Allstar and its Kool and Nu-Craft subsidiary labels done that way, but a fair amount was - resulting in some intriguing listening. Bear Family takes an in-depth look at Allstar's obscure output on this edition of 'That'll Flat Git It!,' uncovering some splendid obscurities by surprisingly well-known names. Johnny Bush's first two singles came out on Allstar in 1958, and there are memorable entries by veteran country vocalists Link Davis, Eddie Noack, Lawton Williams, Earl Aycock, and Smilin' Jerry Jericho. Adrian Roland's Imitation Of Love beat the odds to become a national country hit in 1960, while Johnny Watson, Bobby Clanton and The Citations, Jerry Matthews, Tommy Graham, and Mechura himself (as Daniel James with Rock Moon Rock) supply tough rockabilly and Wiley Barkdull's insane guitar instrumental Tiger By The Tail rocks harder than anything coming out of Houston in 1964!