The Singing Sands of Alamosa

Hey all!

Hit a local thrift, over the weekend, and spotted this sheet music (yeah I know, like I need one more esoteric Colorado music-related item, to collect).

"The Singing Sands of Alamosa" was written, in 1942, by Kim Gannon and Bert Reisfeld, and was recorded by numerous folks, including Bing Crosby. The sheet music above shows bandleader Woody Herman. I've seen another copy, of this exact same printing, featuring bandleader Bobby Byrne's picture.

The record came out around the time Western-themed songs were all the rage. One Billboard review notes: "Another song of the wide open spaces, this one about the sands in the heart of Colorado."

In the heart of Colorado, there's a canyon every lover knows,

Where the dessert sands sing love songs, every time the wind blows.

The singing sands of Alamosa sang tenderly the night we found love was ours,

Deep in the sands of Alamosa the angels hid a song a mid the dessert flowers.

But since you said goodbye, there's no music

Just a ghost of what used to be

September 12, 1942

Billboard

The melodic wonder is located in the Great Sand Dunes National Park. The fine granules make an audible vibration, when the mounds compress the air within the moving sand. Eyeball this video.

You've Won a Band Box Recording Contract!

So I'm digging around through some old Colorado Springs newspapers, when I spot something interesting - a 1970 mention of the Denver record label, Band Box.

The story mentions that a local teen won a trip to Europe, as the top place winner in the Talented Teen Foundation competition. But what grabbed my interest was a small mention, well into the story, that Band Box Records awarded a recording contract to two local bands, who were also in the competition - the Widefield High School Cantina Brass Band, and the Young Musicians of American Accordionaires.

June 1, 1970

Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph

What's interesting about this story is the fact that Band Box had pretty much stopped recording, by this time. The last known Band Box record was made in 1969, according to Band Box historian Craig Swank. This 1970 story indicates that "recordings of their selections," by Band Box, would also be part of the prize package. Did this mean there were actual records pressed? Could THESE be the last records ever made by the label?

A few years ago, I found an advertisement, in a March, 1971 Billboard issue - a notice that the Band Box label, and all of its master recordings were for sale (it was part of this story). I now know that, because of this latest 1970 newspaper article find, this For Sale advertisement was placed nine months after that band contest story.

Billboard - March 1, 1971

Sadly, the records were never made.

I located Dave Brody, one of the members of the 1970 Widefield High School Cantina Brass Band, who told me, "That recording was never made. We were supposed to tour Europe, as well, but we were unable to raise the needed money." I also had it confirmed that the second place winner, the Young Musicians of American Accordionaires, did not take Band Box up on the offer to record the group. "The YMA did not ever record with Band Box," says Kim Christian, the daughter of Mike Aman, the director of the group.

The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living

Hey all!

If found this LP, in an Denver used record store, a couple of years ago. For $4.99 I thought I would take a chance on what appeared to be a homemade album. I filed it away, thinking I would do some research, when I found the time.

So I rediscover the LP, while researching my massive Colorado song database project. I pulled out the album, and out comes papers of typewritten notes!

Guess what? It's a Colorado record! How about that?

The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living album was the project of the Jefferson County Open Living High School, located in Lakewood. According to the notes in the album, "This project is designed to teach students how to write lyrics and melodies, and then to do music arrangements and recording of the songs. In the course of working on a single song, a student may write part of a lyric or a melody, participate in arranging the music for a number of musical instruments and voices, and set up microphones and operate our four track tape recorder."

(NOTE: This 1979 album is mentioned in Acid Archives, but as a New Mexico album, which is incorrect... and yes, I did check the value. Apparently this LP is considered rare and is prized by collectors. In 2016, Popsike recorded a realized Ebay auction price of $219. Discogs currently has four for sale - from $360-$1,114 (!!)

The LP was directed by Dan McCrimmon, who previously recorded on the Biscuit City label (Colorado Folk, Dreams, Lies and Whispers and New Road). He was also half of the duo Frummox (with Steve Fromholz), and worked with other Colorado singers, including Harlan Quinn, and Marie Rhines, to name a few.

Also noted in the credits are Dick Weissman and Harry Tuft. In 1961, Weissman co-founded The Journeymen with John Phillips and Scott McKenzie. He appears on the Alan Kelly LP Selected Heartichokes, as well as the same Marie Rhines and Harlan Quinn LPs, as McCrimmon. In 1979, he recorded a solo album on Kicking Mule Records,  Modern Banjo - Mountain Style. Weissman also teamed up with Harry Tuft (who is credited on the Unexamined LP as Director of Technical Services) on the LP Favorite Folk Songs Minus Guitar. Tuft is well known as the founder and former owner of the Denver Folklore Center, and is an inductee in the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.

The idea for the project came, in 1978, when Dan, and his wife Teresa were informed about grant money to work with kids, to teach them to write and record their own songs. "We initially took the idea to the Adams County School District, and they said, "Sure we want it, but we don't want you," said Teresa McCrimmon.

"I was not a licensed teacher, so they turned us down," added Dan McCrimmon.  "So we had this Title IV-C Educational Risk money, and nowhere to use it. We went back to the state and they said 'Well you still have the grant, Adams (County) won't get it without you.' We had connections with Jefferson County Open School, or Mountain Open High School, as it was called, and they jumped at the opportunity."

Recording an album, with student-penned songs, was always the original intent of the project.

Caption: Harry Tuft and students lend an ear

Canyon Courier

June 13, 1979 

(newspaper scan courtesy of Carl Heffner)

"The whole point with the students was, here's how you write a song, here's how you record it, and here's how you make an album," Dan McCrimmon added.

 Caption: Linda Smith, Chip Ottaway and Dina Woolums in harmony

Canyon Courier

June 13, 1979 

(newspaper scan courtesy of Carl Heffner)

The album was produced between January-June, 1979. Dan McCrimmon believes between only 100-150 of the albums were produced. They were pressed at a record plant, in Cheyenne, WY. Each album included three pages of typewritten liner notes.

The album opens with the folky "School Bus Blues," performed by Tebor Saw and Barb Flory.  "Them Cowboys," performed by Karan Pond, is a nice soft femme folk offering. The "New Mexico Suite" is a fantastic three-part cut (clocking in at almost 7-minutes long). "Going Home to Nowhere" which starts the suite, borders on loner psych folk, with heartfelt vocals by Jarrell Robinson. A violin instrumental follows-up, then "Santa Fe Day," closes out the cut, with vocals by Abbey Ruskey. "Reach Out" brings back Karan Pond on vocals, who shines on this simplistic folk song. Side one ends with "The Sane Asylum," a hodgepodge novelty folk and spoken word offering.

"Initially, the kids wanted to write rock and roll, but we had limited resources, and encouraged then that ballads were a better forum," said Dan McCrimmon. 

Side two starts off, again on the femme folk side, with the standout song "These Times," performed beautifully by Meredith Grenfell. Just lovely. "Fireflies and Flemish Dragons," is a very mellow, harmony-intensive female vocal song, performed by Chris Hubley.  Given all of the mellowness, the next cut, the harmonica country rap "Muffin Tin Blues" doesn't seem to belong, but singer Mark Holland offers a respite. "Alberto's Song" gets the album back on track with a gorgeous guitar instrumental, by Alberto Franco. "The Eclipse Song," performed by Trebor Saw is another standout performance. Just a guy and his guitar, but it is one of my favorites. Side two ends with the much-too-short song "An Aura of Love," performed by Dina Woolums.

"It was such wonderful fun to have the expertise of Dick Weissman and Harry Tuft," said Teresa McCrimmon. "To have these professionals sharing their expertise with teenagers was just wonderful to watch. To work at the Open School, to work with students with so much energy and guts, to put themselves out there, it was wonderful."

"The project was transformative," said Dan McCrimmon. "I got my teaching certification and taught there at the Jefferson County Open School, for 23 years."

Dan McCrimmon is still very active in the music industry, and is well-respected luthier (link to his website). 

Harold Bomgardner

Digging though my Colorado vinyl obscurities - I find these three 78rpm recordings from operatic tenor, Harold Bomgardner, on the Electronic Recordings label, out of Denver. Once again, the story behind obtaining these finds is fuzzy, but they appear to be from a collecting stage in my life, when I was amassing obscure Colorado 78rpm recordings (still am).

I found early school-era references to Harold in Kansas, in the 1920s, where he was active in the glee club. He later attended Hays Teacher College, in Hays, KS. Sometime after college, he ditched the idea of a teaching career, and moved to New York City. I found a reference to him as a former student of Maestro Enrico Rosati (who also coached Mario Lanza). Further digging confirms he was a performer at the Metropolitan Opera, in New York City, and appeared on Broadway, in the 1930 musicals, The Chocolate Soldier, the Prince of Pilsen, The Serenade, and the Count of Luxembourg, as well as the 1931 production of The Student Prince. A 1936 Manhattan, KS newspaper called him  "...one of the greatest singers in America, today."

Sometime after his opera and Broadway musical career, Harold found the Lord, and hit the tent revival circuit, performing throughout the Midwest United States, and Canada. I found a 1935 ad for his appearance, at a Des Moines, IA revival, with The Rev. E.W. Kinnel.

As for his Colorado ties, I dug up a 1938 Richmond, Indiana newspaper which noted him as a "Colorado Springs choir director," one of the earliest references I  have to him living here.

Palladium-Item newspaper

Richmond, Indiana

March 11, 1946

The 78rpm recordings I have show a catalog number of 22148, so I'm wondering if these may have been recorded in 1948, given his home base, at the time. I couldn't find any reference to Electronic Recordings, in Denver. These 78s appear to be from a box set, as I have D-E, F-G, and H-I. All are classical, faith-based recordings, accompanied by a piano.

Hear a sample of "After"

The last reference I find of Harold, in Colorado, was in the 1960s. I found numerous credits as a wedding singer, in matrimonial announcements, in the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph.

Elk Bugles Radio Show - The Band Box Episode

Every Thursday from 4:00 -5:00 pm (MT) Elk Bugles is the Colorado music show featuring the little-known vinyl of the state. Tune in every week to hear unknown and unheard Colorado vinyl records, from the 1930s to the 1980s – the records missing from the state’s music history books.

  

On today’s show we’ll be playing songs from the Denver record label, Band Box. The story of Band Box goes back to around 1952, when Romanian immigrant Aurelia Vicky Morosan (1909-2006) saw a newspaper ad for a studio for sale - Columbine Records. She bought the company, and called it Band Box (after Columbia Records pitched a fit about the similarity of the names). The label churned out about 200 singles (and a few LPs).

 

Dummy the Duck

Daddy Ed’s Original

 

Rocket Ship

Jackie Lowell

 

Drums Fell off a Cliff

Ronny Kae

 

Brigitte Bardo

Bob and Shirley

 

Ding Dong

Chuck Mills and the Monarchs

 

Giuseppe’s Twist

Giuseppe’s Fabulous Delrays

 

King Kong

Orlie and the Saints

 

I’ll Step Aside

Lee Chandler

 

Ruby’s Stool

Bobbi Kae

 

A Mind of Your Own

Dewey Knight

 

Paper Heart

Embert Mishler

 

Life’s Not Worth Living

Warren Robbe

 

Lonesome and Blue

Ruff Family

 

Popcorn Twist

Nancy Kaye and the Echos

 

Fannie Mae

Mastertones featuring JD Scott

 

First Day of Your Life

The 4 Ms

 

When the White Lilacs Bloom Again

Leigh Barron

 

And When I Die

New Mobile Strugglers

 

Whip n’ Bill

Dick Dederick

 

No Credit

Joey Buffalo and Sonics

Solve the Mystery - The Coachmen

Hey all.

So I'm working on this massive Colorado song database (cataloging every single song, on every single piece of vinyl I own), when I get to the letter "C" and find this long-forgotten LP in my collection, from The Coachmen. There is a $10 label on the plain back cover, so I'm thinking I obtained it from a used record store, somewhere in my travels. I remember liking the yellowing, pasted-on front cover picture, so I took a chance, and plopped down my Hamilton.

So I get home and, like I always do when I obtain a perplexing find, I head to the Internet to look for additional information. Much to my surprise, I discover the album has had realized online auction prices of well-over $100 (!!), AND I also discover that this record might be from a Colorado group! After searching a few hours, for definitive proof that these guys were actually a Colorado band, and finding none, I filed it away - only to be rediscovered in my stash, today.

The front cover only mentions the band members: Bob, Jode, Terry, Fran and Mike. There is absolutely no mention of a city, a state, or a recording studio. The album was issued on the Director Records label and is an RCA Custom pressing.

The 1960s-era selections give a bit of a clue, as to the time period, with a cover of the Beatles, "Hey Jude," being the "newest" song, noted (1968):

Taste of Honey

Everybody Loves Somebody

More

Alfie

Tijuana Taxi

Around the Lake Polka

Cry Me a River

Theme From "The Oscar"

Somewhere My Love

In the Mood

Sugar Bear Boogie

Hey Jude (YouTube audio)

Apparently, around this same time, there was another band, going by The Coachmen, based in Nebraska. There were also Coachmen bands in Bellinghman, WA; St. Louis MO; Iowa, Mountainside, New Jersey, and Sacramento, CA. The pre-ZZ Top group the Moving Sidewalks were originally dubbed The Coachmen, and an Illinois group, dubbed The Coachmen, which included a young Dan Fogelberg. Plus, there was a group going by Cindy Rella and the Coachmen, who had a minor hit with "Bring Me a Beatle for Christmas" - and that's just naming a few!

To make matters even more confusing, there was apparently a three-piece band, from Colorado, going by The Coachmen. Newspaper archive digging find them playing quite a bit in Colorado Springs, Greeley, and Boulder, from 1966-1969.

Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph

December 26, 1966

So dear reader, let's figure this one out. I'm looking for absolute proof that the five-piece Coachmen, with Bob, Jode, Terry, Fran and Mike, are from Colorado, or not. 

Let's solve the mystery!

When is a Colorado record not a Colorado record?

One of the questions I am often asked is, "What do you look for, when hunting Colorado records?" The process can be daunting, but after decades of searching, I pretty much have good read on obscure Colorado bands and singers. But for those folks starting out, one of the easiest ways is to look for a Colorado address or city, on the 45 label or album cover. However, this is not always full proof.

Example #1:

Yesterday, while record hunting at a friend's house in Pueblo, I spotted this album. I flipped over the cover, and discovered a Pueblo address, just south of the country club.

Wait, how was this album off my hometown record radar?

I rushed home and quickly hit my newspaper archive, to find that Herold White was a prolific country music act, performing at the Hogan and Mr. G's, in the Springs, and the Silver Dollar Saloon, in Pueblo, from 1970-1975.

Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph

January 25, 1971

OK, so that's pointing in the right direction, but something wasn't adding up. The booking address was in Nashville, as was the record label. A search of the backing band members revealed they were from Florida. On a hunch, I tracked down a musician and former radio disc jockey, named Herold White, located in Florida.

 Lo and behold, it was the same Herold White!

Pueblo address mystery solved!

Herold's fan club president was Trina Hart, a former disc jockey with KPIK, the country music radio station, in Colorado Springs. I tracked down some brief mentions of her, in a couple of 1962 Billboard magazines. She was requesting records for the station, and used her home address - the same address found on the back of Herold White's album!

So kids, the lesson to this story is, don't assume a record is actually from Colorado, even if there is a Colorado address noted.

The end.