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details will suffice. Born Charline Highsmith, in Henrietta, Texas on 2nd September,
1929, Charline made her first recordings for Jim Bulleit‘s Bullet label in 1949 and a
year later she cut two sides for Imperial. However, her big break came when Col. Tom
Parker introduced Charline to the New York based Hill & Range publishing concern,
who in turn brought her to the attention of RCA Records. During her three years with
the company, Charline waxed some 27 sides. Her raunchy version of Winfield Scott’s
Burn That Candle
was cut just seven days after Bill Haley had cut his hit version for
Decca.
What About Tomorrow
, recorded at her final RCA session in May 1956, reflects
the changing face of country music in the mid-fifties and this fine song amply shows
her vocal control. Disillusioned and dissatisfied with RCA, Charline quit the label in
1956 in search of pastures new. What followed was a string of releases on a half dozen
or so labels. Sadly, she passed away on 27th November 1987.
WADE RAY, who was featured on ‘More Ballroom Kings‘ makes a welcome return
here with his impassioned plea
I Need A Good Girl Bad
. Wade proves that he was no
stranger to the blues, turning in a tough, chunky, almost rock-flavoured performance.
Having alluded to rock‘n’roll, perhaps this is the time to introduce JANIS MARTIN, a
fine, belting singer, once billed as ‘The female Elvis’. Although often an out and out
rocker on disc, young Janis was a country girl at heart. Born in Sutherlin, Virginia in
1940, Janis’ credentials as a bona-fide country singer are beyond doubt; she could
boast of an impressive list of artists with whom she had worked prior to joining RCA
Victor in 1956: Jim Eanes, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Ernest Tubb, Sonny James and Jean
Shepard, to name just a few. Her tendency to slip back to her country roots is illustrated
by
Love Me To Pieces,
the most hillbilly of her recordings and which even features a
honky tonk styled piano break.
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