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From: Buddy McPeters
Date: December 17, 2002
The Harley Huggins and the Barn Dance Gang CD from Interstate Music on their Country Routes label RFD CDD 27 has appeared though it isn't slated for release until September. I haven't received a copy yet. I do have a copy of the CD inserts and the notes I wrote for them sent to me as galley proofs. There are a few mistakes because the information wasn't available at the time the notes were written and printed. The cover of the CD states that the band and music was from 1946 when in fact it was from 1947. Since the music was transferred to CD the original 16 inch discs have been located and the labels include dates of recording as well as dates of first airing. Unfortunately, these discs were in storage in Canada and could not be gotten to for further information because of the winter there. My notes went out to Interstate per their request in March and they went immediately to print upon my approval of the known information at hand. All of this will be corrected and cleared up on Vol II of the Harley Huggins radio transcriptions which will be forthcoming. We are presently in the process of choosing the selections and writing a new set of notes.
Harley Huggins Barn Dance Gang was formed about 1947 from Curley Roberts Rangers band in Fresno, CA. According to what Harley told me Curley simply told him one day, "Here, you run the band for awhile." Harley changed the name from the Rangers to The Barn Dance Gang so named after the big ballroom they played at 'The Fresno Barn' out on Shields Ave where Bob Wills and many other stars played. Curley remained in the group singing and playing rhythm guitar. The remainder of the personnel was comprised of locals musicians who had worked with Robert's Rangers, some of which played with Bob Wills and still others came from Luke Wills and his Rhythmbusters.
Curley Roberts came to CA and settled in the San Joaquin Valley in 1942 after discharge from the Service and eventually landed in Fresno. He brought Western Swing to Fresno first before anyone else, though Stogner has been credited with it.
Harley Huggins was a former member of the Alabama Boys as well as Johnnie Lee Wills and then in 1942 he joined Bob Wills and left for Hollywood to make a series of shoot-em-up western movies. Upon their completion he was drafted into the Army and was stationed in England until after WWII and he rejoined Bob in Los Angeles on VE-Day 1945. He left Bob Wills in early 1946 not long after recording his only Bob Wills vocal, 'I'm Feelin' Bad' and settled there in Fresno where he soon joined Roberts and his Rangers band. He also worked with Dave Stogner's band. He sang and played rhythm guitar and bass.
Gene Barnard came to CA with his brother Junior shortly after VE-Day, driving him from Tulsa where Junior had been involved in a hit and run fatal accident in which a local woman had died. Bob's influence got Junior out of the scrape, pulling strings with City Hall and the DA's office. Junior was exonerated but lost his Oklahoma drivers license and Gene motored him west, both of them bringing their wives and guitars. Gene briefly joined Bob Wills, which only lasted a couple of weeks as Gene was newly married and didn't want to go on the road. Junior went on the road with Bob and Gene stayed and joined Roberts Rangers. He stayed when Harley took over and formed the Barn Dance Gang and some very fine examples of his hot electric guitar is on this CD. He was a very talented guitarist like Junior, only he didn't play the loud, over-driven blues licks but decidedly was a Charlie Christian disciple, playing in a more intricate single string approach. He also plays some steel guitar on the radio shows but his performances are a little lackluster. Bill Subco played fiddle for Roberts Rangers and is heard on this material to full advantage. An obvious Joe Holley fan, he was asked on several occasions to play with Bob Wills but refused to go on the road.
Other Texas Playboys who played in Harley's band were trumpeter Alex Brashear and pianist Mancel Tierney. Alex managed to get off the road once in awhile and he played in many bands in Fresno including Roberts Rangers, Harley's Barn Dance gang and Junior's Radio Gang etc. Mancel Tierney was a former Alabama Boys alumnus who also had stints with many Western Swing bands including Bob Wills shortly after leaving the Barn Dance Gang.
Fiddler Bobby Bruce and steel guitarist J.L. Jenkins played and recorded in Luke Wills Rhythmbusters and then joined Harley in Fresno for a while before they went to Tulsa to join Johnnie Lee Wills. Bruce went to work for Leon McAuliffe and his Cimarron Boys where he stayed 5 years before joining Bob in 1953. Western movie side kick Arkansas 'Slim' Andrews played in the Barn Dance Gang during these recordings singing and playing a number of instruments including mandolin, harmonica and accordion. Manny White sang and played some of his original songs with the group.
The music is from transcribed radio shows recorded in mid to late 1947 and aired in the same time period over KMJ Fresno. Former KVOO program director and radio personality Ross Allen Franklin hosted the radio shows as Emcee and announcer. There are 36 songs on this CD including:
San Antonio Rose, I Got Rhythm, You're Tired Of Me, The Waltz You Saved For Me, Shine, Live And Let Live, Wabash Blues, Darktown Strutters Ball, I've Got A Feeling, Baby Won't You Please Come Home, Columbus Stockade Blues, Skip It, Blue Steel Blues, Jole Blon Likes The Boogie, Spanish Two Step, Texas Tornado, In The Heart Of The Golden West, My Heart Went That-a-way, Shine, Across The Alley From The Alamo, Hot Lips, Fat Gal, Oklahoma Hills, 12th St Rag, Somebody Loves You, Poor Folks All The Time, You Two Timed Me Once Too Often, Monkey Business On The Steel, In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree, Margie, Beg Your Pardon, Draggin' The Bow, Love Me Now, I'm Nobody's Sweetheart Now, Redwing, Texas Playboy Rag and Sunbonnet Sue (Closing theme) as well as 'There's A Hot Time in The Old Barn (Town) Tonight' which was their opening theme.
I think you will all get a thrill hearing this CD. There is some GREAT music here from this very short-lived band.
Buddy