Little Joe Carson

J W Hock · From: Anderson, Texas, USA

Any old-timers out there remember him or better yet see him perform ? I've read that he's one of the most forgotten yet greatest honky-tonkers of all time . In his day, (late 50's,early 60's) his name was often mentioned in the same sentence with Ray Price and George Jones. Yet he was killed in a car wreck at age 27 and quickly forgotten. Anyone remember Joe Carson ?

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

Helpless, I Gotta get Drunk, Double Life, just the name of a few of his tunes. I really liked his music a lot. An old compadre of mine Billy Mize played that great steel ride on Helpless. I was playing steel for Billy at the Foothill Club in SoCal and one night he sang Helpless. I'd never played it before and sort of stumbled through the ride trying to get it like I remembered it. At break time Bill came over and told me that he'd played steel on the session and showed me how to do it on the spot. I learned it just like the record and the next time Billy sang that song I blew the ride of course. Oh well. Anyway, Joe Carson was destined for far greater things and it's too bad he died so young. Have a good 'un...JH

------------------
Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

Steve Hinson · From: Hendersonville Tn USA

...I ordered"Hillbilly Band From Mars"last week...Joe Carson was one of the best country singers ever,IMHO...

George Rozak · From: Braidwood, Illinois USA

I've got one of his old LPs. It's one of my alltime favorites. I'd like to see his stuff released on CD - maybe the Bear family.

I believe his son is Randy Carson who is a member of the forum here.

------------------
Sho-Bud: Professional & Fingertip

Tracy Sheehan · From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

I did some night club work with Joe in Wichita Falls,Tx.Don't recall the year.Yes he was good and a pleasure to work with.As i remember it he was on his way home after a gig when he had the accident.No one thought at the time he was seriously hurt because he sit up in the ambulance talking and joking.What a loss.Tracy

Steve Hinson · From: Hendersonville Tn USA

George..."Hillbilly Band From Mars"is a Bear Family release...has all the recorded work of Joe Carson...I think it is out of print but there are some copies available at amazon.com...I found one there last week and ordered it...my wife told me it arrived a couple of days ago and I can't wait to get home and listen to it!Joe Carson was a GREAT country singer in a class with Gary Stewart,Bill Phillips,etc...I got turned on to him via"Hank's Place"on XM Satellite radio...they play a lot of his records...Steve

George Rozak · From: Braidwood, Illinois USA

Thanks for the info Steve. I'll go check out the Amazon site right now,

George

Jody Sanders · From: Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.

Joe Carson was one of the best. Had he lived, he would have been a super star. Jody.

Jim Harper · From: Comanche, Oklahoma, USA * R.I.P.

Little Joe Carson was playing in Lawton in 1956-57 at the Southern Club and was on t.v. there in Lawton on Sat night. They had a 2 hour show and we had 30 minute,s of it. i got to know Joe well and enjoyed being around him and thought a lot of him. Sure miss him. God Bless==Jim Harper==I liked his song,I will do the dish,s if you will marry me.

Steve Hinson · From: Hendersonville Tn USA

Got home and listened to my new Little Joe Carson record...great!Buddy Emmons,Walter Haynes,Billy Mize,and Ralph Mooney on various cuts...and some GREAT country singing...Steve

Smiley Roberts · From: Hendersonville,Tn. 37075

Jim Harper,
In 1961,I was stationed at Ft. Sill,& I used to hang out at the Southern Club. I remember,
they had a fine Western Swing band,& the drummer was black. The steeler didn't play pedals,but he had his steel on a desk,or table type stand.

RE: Joe Carson
I have three "45's" of Joe Carson. Two on the Capitol label,& one on the Liberty label.
The ones on Capitol are:
"Love Transfusion",& "Passion And Pride". The label also states,"Promotional Debut Record". The other Capitol,is:"Crazy Dream",
& "Take Me In Your Arms".
The Liberty record is: "Double Life" & "Fort Worth Jail". Sure would like to find an album by "Little Joe". He sure sang good 'n country.

I spoke,on the phone, w/ Randy Carson, several years back. At that time,he was in the 512 (Tx.) area code

------------------

  ~ ~


  ©¿©  It don't mean a thang,   


  mm   if it ain't got that twang.


       www.ntsga.com

Jussi Huhtakangas · From: Helsinki, Finland

In the 80's French EMI-label released repros of lot of the old albums by Capitol and Liberty, Joe Carson's Memorial Album was one of them. I used to see it alot in the record stores here. Also his "Careless Words" was released on an European cheapo collection of old Liberty-stuff, Willie's original Night Life was on the same collection.

Jim Hartley · From: SC/TN

Steve,

I saw your post and the name Bill Phillips jumped out at me. "Tater", as we knew him sang with my dad's band when I was just a kid and I still have some old tapes somewhere. I was going through some old stuff last year and I found an old Christmas card he sent my dad after he moved to Nashville. I lived and played in Nashville for eight years and never saw him. I'm gonna look him up on my next trip to town. Thanks for the reminder of a great country singer.

Jim

Steve Hinson · From: Hendersonville Tn USA

Jim,Bill Phillips is one of my favorite all-time country singers...I only have one album by Bill-"Bill Phillips Style"...great album!I got to meet Bill last year at the Ryman...he was backstage at a Kitty Wells anniversary show I was working on.I don't think Bill sings any more due to health issues,but he was a"hoss"!Real nice fellow too...I'm going to try and find some more of his records...thanks-Steve

Jim Hartley · From: SC/TN

Hey Steve,

If you have a chance, e:mail me, I need to talk to you if you don't mind.

jimbob51@bellsouth.net

Thanks,

Jim

PS J.W. Great post, thanks for letting me borrow it to get this message to Steve

[This message was edited by Jim Hartley on 12 October 2004 at 05:16 PM.]

[This message was edited by Jim Hartley on 13 October 2004 at 05:52 AM.]

Randy Carson · From: San Antonio, Texas, USA

hi im Joe Carson's son Randy,

and i appreciate the nice comments. i was
16 months old when he died and he had just made it even though Hank Thompson signed him at 16 he always wrote his own songs and the were good so the cut them.
but by the time liberty offered him a deal at 26 they had made up there minds to get the big writters like Willie so they could get a hit and boy did they.

the cut was I gotta get drunk and the first ordered sold more than 3 times the amount of a number one record according to Tommy Allsup and Snuff Garret.
after that came a smash called Helpless, then
Double life was climbing the charts in the 20's with a bullet when hi died(i have his last copy of Billboard/he was keeping up with his tunes), all three hits were in a nine month period.

Bear family released 33songs with a 48 page booklet thats pretty cool. And by the way its not out of print, its one of bear family's best sellers.
you can always find a copy on ebay or go to the bear family site. all the stuff is good but because he was so young on the first stuff his tenor voice may have kept some of the tunes from becoming hits.

But when you get the C D and you want to go to solid gold, listen to tracks 16-31 his voice is deep, and much richer than when he was young yet he could hit a high note with such ease it sounds like he could have sang it a couple of keys higher.

Helpless was the biggest radio hit and
Glen Campbell sang harmony and doubled his guitar part to the steel at the same time and it went down on the third take.
i saw buddy emmons at the dallas show and he told me that when my dad hit town after he recorded with him he was his favorite singer but then said just about everybody that heard him he knew that he was there favorite singer..
Im very proud of my father and he's supposed to be in the new Texas Hall of Fame when it opens. I guess we will see, they talk to me about some of his stuff like nudie suits, i wish they could find the one that george jones still owes him money for.
but george paid my mom back by doing two cuts of my dads writing.
If you want a copy and cant find one just let me know and ill get it for you, but they sell about one a week on ebay.

i just bought some and sent some to lloyd green,buddy emmons, and tom brumely.

Darrell Mcall has covered a couple of his songs, What a nice guy.

by the way the last song he ever sang was titled the Last song.

let me know if i can help you find something IT WOULD BE MY PLEASURE
randy carson ph 512 335 4151 or randycarson@onebox.com

[This message was edited by Randy Carson on 29 October 2004 at 08:19 AM.]

George Rozak · From: Braidwood, Illinois USA

Hi Randy...

I got my copy of "Hillbilly Band From Mars" on Amazon just a few weeks ago. They had 6 or 7 available when I ordered mine, so anyone who's interested might want to check Amazon. Absolutely great stuff. If you like traditional country, you'll love this. I've always had the old Liberty LP titled "The Last Song," but I just about wore it out over the years.

George

------------------
Sho-Bud: Professional & Fingertip

Tracy Sheehan · From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Smiley.The steel player at the Southern club in Lawton Ok.was Chuck Cauldwel.He had his steel on an orange crate a used a straight pick and his middle and ring fingers.Actualy picked with his finger nails.Surprissed any one remembers that place.LOL.I also played there some.Tracy

Randy Carson · From: San Antonio, Texas, USA

Tracy,
you are correct about the steel player.
any steel player that heard him left scared
to death, because he played with a straight
pic like you said, and just flat out didnt need more than one pick or any pedals for any sound he blew most people's mind.
Chuck is dying and they had a reunion of
all the old Southenairs(which half ended up playing for Bob Wills) my Dad's and Tommy
Allsup's band in Lawton to do Benefit for
Chuck.
I had the MISSED golden opportunity to turn down
Tommy Allsup who had asked me to sing and basically front the band in place of my father and play fiddle since my dad also played fiddle in the band but my boss was out of town and left me in charge of the store while he was on vacation now if that aint my luck, and drizzles. I heard it was just like they never stop playing together.
oh yeah if anybody would like to still contribute to chuck; please contact his
nephew;
Chris Caldwell
ph 580 250 1010

chuch doesnt have penny to be buried it would be very much appreiated.

[This message was edited by Randy Carson on 30 October 2004 at 03:29 AM.]

Tracy Sheehan · From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Hi Randy.So sorry to hear about Chuck.Do you have an address where i could send a donaton for him? You are sure right about his playing.I played fiddle back then about half the time and was hooked on steel.He had his 8th and 7th strings reversed.I ask what that was and he said,oh just one of those ignorant tunings.He tuned my steel the same way on the last 2 strings and even later when i went to a 10 string i still use that same reverse on now what is the 9th and 10th string.HE showed me how to play some great stuff.I won't name any names but you are correct about his playing.I recall some Nashville pickers coming in one night and we were on break and some of them laughed when they saw his steel on that orange crate and no pedals.To make a long story short many steel players had him showing them things after the band quit.He showed me some things on steel that really helped me get over the hump on swing and chords.Another story about him is some time later i was with a band out of Springfield,Mo.and we went through Lawton and we stayed over night and i took them to hear Chuck.I don't know how many times some of them went back up to the stage because they coulden't beleve he wasn't using pedals.He used 2 bars at times.I never got the hang of that.lol.For old stories about some old timers Chucks steel didn't have legs because some big dude jumped on Chuck one night and he threw and hit the guy with his steel.Ah.for the old days.
And yes your dad was also a very good fiddle player and was at home with country or swing on it.So many of the greats are gone but not forgotten.Hope i didn't bore every one.I get long winded talking about the good ol days.Tracy

Randy Carson · From: San Antonio, Texas, USA

Tracey,
I Love those stories, truth be told about
chuck, well he had
a drinking thing he always battled.

the interesting thing about chuck is when i
worked with him i was just a teenager learning
fiddle and on break he would say hey randy let me show how to play that part or twin to what he was doing. and he would be real cool about it but didnt use a bow just listen for a while fingering it then he show me his fingers and show me my part.
he did the
same for my dads guitar player at the time
of my dads death which is now a great jazz player named JERRY CASE his brother plays piano around dallas ft worth JOHNNY CASE.

its a shame chuck really never got anything great on record, but guys he is one of the greatest. when TOMMY ALLSUP takes the TEXAS PLAYBOYS to do a freebie you know he was as good as they come. matter of fact Tommy told me he was the greatest swing steel player he ever worked with, and that means just almost everybody. SO EVERYBODY THAT HAS HIS HEART thinking about a donation please call number at bottom

FOR CONTRIBUTIONS CALL CHRIS CALDWELL IN LAWTON OK ph 580 250 1010
he's a picker too and he will greatly be of great thanks to you.
Randy

[This message was edited by Randy Carson on 30 October 2004 at 03:15 AM.]