![]() The fine Oklahoman guitarist had played and toured with Buddy Holly opened a studio on the outskirts of Odessa. The owner/operator was another of Petty's associates. One other good studio in the Permian Basin area was operating in Odessa in 1963 and later. Tommy Allsup and Westex Studio, Odessa, Texas In 1968 after operating his studio in Big Spring for a decade and having the one big hit by the Newbeats in 1964 Hall and his musician wife moved to Nashville and setup a brand new studio where more successes seemed to have followed. ![]() Lara has been inducted into the West Texas Music Hall of Fame. ![]() At his Big Spring studio Hall eventually released singles by The Continentals, The Elgins, the Shades but his first artist was Sammy Lara. His song was opposite Holly's first version of 'That'll be the Day' (recorded at Bradley's Barn in Nashville). It was in Lubbock however that he first became acquanted with Buddy Holly and when Holly had cut his first record for Decca one of Hall's songs 'Blue Days Black Nights' was included. The studio's owner had lived in Lubbock prior to coming to Big Spring which is in the Permian Basin area, not far from Midland and Odessa. This hit undoubtedly brought a flow of more West Texans to this small studio to record! Hall's wife 'Dena' also worked in the studio, I should add. Finally in 1964 the studio produced the smash hit 'Bread and Butter' by the Newbeats which rose to #2 on the pop charts. Within a year, Hall's recordings were being released on his own label (Gaylo) and on a few national labels. Since Big Spring was relatively close to the Odessa-Midland area this studio attracted musicians of that area. The owner was Ben Hall who was an employee of a local television station there. In 1958 one such studio opened in Big Spring, Texas and was called High Fidelity House. High Fidelity House Studio, Big Spring, TexasĪside from Petty's place, there were a few more, adequately equipped studios that West Texas musicians also could record in, during the late fifties and mid-sixties. But even so, some small studios began to pop-up in West Texas in such places as Amarillo, Big Spring, Odessa, Lubbock and elsewhere, waiting to record the local talent. This tradition continued well into the sixties as 'hit records' continued to flow from the magical little studio on West Seventh street. When Knox's record went to #2 and Orbison's record garnered him a contract with Sun Records in Memphis, other aspiring West Texas rockers wanted to record at Norman Petty's Studio! This was the Lubbock-Amarillo crowd which included Buddy Holly, Terry Nolan, Nighthawks and Larry Trider among others. Roy and the Teen Kings had cut the first version of 'Ooby Dooby' at Pettys and Knox had cut the chart-stopper 'Party Doll' there the next year. This pattern of West Texans going to Clovis to record had first begun when Roy Orbison and Buddy Knox recorded there in 19 respectively. Late in life he now enjoys reliving those memories through his personal articles which appear in print often.įoreword: Back when I was playing in rock bands around Amarillo in the sixties the favorite place to record was in Clovis, New Mexico (125 miles SW of Amarillo). When not playing onstage he hawked the best bands of the area and heard (and knew) some of the better musicians. Singer, songwriter and guitarist Robin Brown was part of the Amarillo-Canyon scene in the mid to late sixties. ![]() 1960's Texas Music Your browser does not support script
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