Fernwood Records

Thomas Wayne - Tragedy, 1958

Fernwood Records was an American record label that belonged to the musician Slim Wallace and existed from 1957 to 1965.

history

founding

Founder Slim Wallace was a club owner, worked partly as a truck driver and played in a band with Jack Clement and Billy Lee Riley . Riley's demo recordings of the songs Trouble Bound and Think Before You Go were supposed to be Fernwood's first releases as early as 1956, but Riley was discovered by Sam Phillips' Jack Clement and therefore signed to Sun Records . In 1957 the label was officially founded by Slim Wallace and his partner Jack Clement and named after Fernwood Drive, the street Wallace lived on. In May, the first album by the artist Ramon Maupin was released with the title Love Gone / No Chance (Fernwood 101). A year later, guitarist Scotty Moore , who had previously played with Elvis Presley , and Bob Buckalaugh joined the company. The label's repertoire mainly consisted of rockabilly , rock 'n' roll and country , the genres that were common in Memphis at the time.

successes

Thomas Wayne - This Time

Scotty Moore brought the young singer Thomas Wayne to the label in 1958 . Wayne's real name was Thomas Wayne Perkins and was the younger brother of Johnny Cash's guitarist Luther Perkins . Wayne's first single, This Time (Fernwood # 106) from June 1958, was a failure, and his second Fernwood release, Saturday Night / Tragedy , seemed to flop until some disc jockeys kept playing the B-side on the radio and the song hit the ground landed eight of the national charts . It was the label's greatest success, but it could not be repeated. Both titles achieved late fame in cover versions . Tragedy became a big hit for the Fleetwoods (10th place) on the pop charts in April 1961 , while Troy Shondell brought the title This Time to ninth place on the pop charts in September 1961. The label had a minor hit with 17-year-old Travis Wammack and his record Scratchy .

The End

By 1965 Fernwood Records released a total of 42 records, the last single was released in 1964 by Glen Honeycutt . In 1968 the headquarters of the label on North Main Street in Memphis was destroyed and with it almost all master recordings and records. A year later the label was sold to Wayne McGinnis , owner of Santo Records . In 1998 Stomper Time released a CD with rockabilly songs on Fernwood Records . Although the label, like Sun , Meteor Records and Hi Records , was one of the main labels of its genre in Memphis, it is now all but forgotten.

Discography

Catalog number	year	Artist	title
101	1957	Ramon Maupin	Love Gone No Chance
102	1957	Buford Peak with Jimmy Haggett's Band	Knock Down, Drag Out Wishing
103	1957	Travis Wammack	Rock & Roll Blues I'm Leaving Today
104	1957	Eddie Collins	Patience Baby Can't Face Life Alone
105	1957	Ramon Maupin	Rocking Rufus What’s The Use
106	1958	Thomas Wayne	You're The One That Done It This Time
107	1958	Scotty Moore Trio	Have Guitar, Will Travel Rest
108	1958	Joe Lee with Scotty & Bill	Joe's Mix Ethel Mae
109	1958	Thomas Wayne	Saturday Night Tragedy
110	1959	Bill Rice	Have I Waited Too Long Love is Lost
111	1959	Thomas Wayne	Eternally Scandalizing My Name
112	1959	Joe Lee	Hang Out White Satin
113	1959	Thomas Wayne	Gonna Be Waiting Just Beyond
114	1959	O'Henry & Barbara	Why Do I Love You Wanna Jean
115	1959	Dewey Phillips	It Had To Be You Beg your Pardon
116	1960	Kelly Sims	Girl In Love Betrayed By Love
117	1960	Johnny Cannon	Big Shot Rest
118	1960	Nick Charles	Don't Take YOur Love From Me Can't Stop Cryin 'Over You
119	1960	Bill Rice	All Alone Let's Give Love a Chance
120	1960	Thomas Wayne	Guilty of Love Pancho Villa
121	1960	Bill Reeder	Where Were You Last Night? You're my baby
122	1960	Thomas Wayne	Because of You Girl Next Door
123	1960	Jerry McDonald	Am I a Love True Love, Deep Love
124	1960	Alvin & Bill	Typing Jive How Long
125	1960	Bill Rice	I'll Run and Hide I Asked Mr. Sun
126	1960	The Psychos	Mack the Knife Tragedy
127	1960	Bill Rice	Let The Four Winds Blow How Will Be Ever Be Together?
128	1961	Thomas Wayne	Tragedy No More, No More
129	1961	The Lyrics	Let's Be Sweethearts Again You and Your Fellow
130	1961	Barbara Perry	Bobby Is a Bad Boy White Satin
131	1962	The tarantulas	Like Spellbound Kaw League
132	1962	Bill Rice	It's All Your Fault Why Can't Teenage Love Last
133	1963	Jerry Foster	Let's Never Mention Old Time Again I'll be Alright
134	1963	Jimmy Climer with the tarantulas	The Clown with a Broken Heart Tall Mack, the Lumberjack
135	1963	Ace Cannon	Summer Time Hoe Down Rock
136	1964	Wayne Nelson and the Charps Combo	Tears of Things Fink
137	1964	Ace Cannon	Big Shot Tie Me to Your Apron Strings Again
138	1964	Eddie Carroll	Golden Door Night Club I've Never Met an Angel Before
139	1964	Blanche Ballinger	Everywhere You Go I Love a Sailor
140	1964	Marlon Grisham Combo	Pins and Needles In My Heart You Are My Sunshine
141	1964	Darrell Tatum	My Darling Wears White Today Best Man Always Win
142	1965	Glenn Honeycutt	Campus Love Tombigbee Queen

Web links

• Entry into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
• Extensive discography
• Discography with audio samples ( Fernwood unpublished )