Merl Lindsay
Merl Lindsay (born December 12, 1915 in Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , as Merle Lindsay Salathiel , † October 12, 1965 ) was an American country musician . Lindsay was a well-known representative of western swing in Oklahoma and California and led his own band, the Oklahoma Night Riders .
Life
Childhood and youth
Merl Lindsay was born in Oklahoma City in 1915 as one of eight children. Lindsay grew up in a musical family; his parents played instruments and several of his siblings later became professional musicians as well. His father, CE Salathiel, owned a dance hall in Oklahoma City, where Lindsay played with his father from 1936.
Career
Two years later, Lindsay formed his own band, the Barnyard Boys , with whom he moved to California in 1941. There he changed his name from Merle Salathiel to Merl Lindsay and renamed his band the Oklahoma Night Riders . On the west coast he was able to increase his popularity considerably and quickly became a fixture in the local country scene. In Compton , California, he performed regularly in his own dance hall and was heard on KMTR ( Los Angeles ) and KXLA ( Pasadena ). Lindsay also appeared in some westerns by the musician and actor Jimmy Wakely . In February 1946, Lindsay and the Oklahoma Night Riders played their first records for 4 Star Records in Hollywood . Another session for 4 Star followed in June 1946. While Lindsay was working in California, musicians like Jimmy Pruett ( piano ) and Terry Fell ( double bass ) were members of his band.
In 1947, Lindsay moved his base back to Oklahoma City, where he could be heard with the Oklahoma Night Riders on WKY and initially also performed in his father's dance hall. When it burned down that same year, he could be seen in various other halls in the area before opening his own Lindsay Land Ballroom . Shortly after arriving in Oklahoma City, Lindsay made further recordings for Bullet Records with the Oklahoma Night Riders . In addition to radio appearances, he also got his own television show. In 1957 Lindsay and his band were hired by Red Foley for his show Ozark Jubilee as a house band, whereupon Lindsay renamed the band Ozark Jubilee Boys . Records were also played over and over again - in 1957 on Hu-Se-Co Records and 1961 on D Records , Lindsay and his band also tried rock 'n' roll . The singles for D are among Lindsay's last recordings.
Merl Lindsay died of cancer in his hometown of Oklahoma City in 1965 . He was buried in Sunnylane Cemetery in Del City, Oklahoma. In 1992 he was posthumously inducted into the Western Swing Society Hall of Fame . The Oklahoma Night Riders had many very talented musicians as members between 1941 and their end, for example those for Bob Wills , Johnnie Lee Wills , Leon McAuliffe or Hank Thompson . Wanda Jackson and Norma Jean, for example, began their careers as singers for the Oklahoma Night Riders. Lindsay herself played fiddle in the band and only sang from time to time.
Discography
year | title | # | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
Published titles | |||
4 Star Records | |||
1946 | Me Shimmy Shakin 'Daddy / Please, Don't Turn Your Back on Me | 1064 | |
1946 | Gotta Litle Red Wagon / Don't Break Your Heart for My Sake | 1065 | |
1946 | Water Baby Blues / Mammy's Lullaby | 1117 | |
1946 | We've Said Goodbye / As Cotton Sack Drag | 1118 | |
1948 | Lonesome Okie Going Home / Don't Say Goodbye | 1255 | |
1948 | You Can Be True, Dear / Baby Buggy Boogie | 1256 | |
Bullet Records | |||
1947 | When You Come Home Again / It's Been Too Late Too Long | 643 | |
1947 | What's to Become of Me / You Laughed at My Tears | 644 | |
1947 | Old Timey Christmas / Safety Pin Rag Bullet | 647 | |
1948 | A Plain Talkin 'Man from the West / Your Troubles are My Troubles | 658 | |
Skyline Records | |||
1949 (?) | Rendezvous with a Rose / Is It True | M-73 | |
Cormac Records | |||
1950 | Slidin 'Steel / Blue Mary | CRS-1093 | |
1950 | Is It Too Late to Say I'm Sorry? / Stealin 'Sugar | CRS-1094 | |
1950 | Calico Heart / Lindsay Waltz | CRS-1140 | |
1950 | Pink Champagne / A Little Bit Old Fashioned | CRS-1141 | |
MGM Records | |||
1950 | Is It Too Late to Say I'm Sorry? / Stealin 'Sugar | K10795 | Republication of Cormac CRS-1140 |
1950 | Mog Rag Boogie / All Over Nothing at All | K10846 | |
Staff Records | |||
1951 (?) | Turner Turnpike / I Live for You | 322 | |
1951 (?) | Spanish Eyes / Don't Let Go | 324 | |
Mercury Records | |||
1952 | Empty Mansions / You Crossed Your Fingers (While I Crossed My Heart) | 6402x45 | |
1952 | Grade "A" Pasteurized / Eager Beaver | 6417x45 | |
1953 | Singing Water Baby Blues / Cotton Pickin 'Boogie | 70117x45 | |
Hu-Se-Co Records | |||
1957 | Gonna Learn to Rock / Tonight's the Night for Love | 1-757 | with Doyle Madden |
D records | |||
1958 | Stealin 'Sugar / Hoy Ray | 1028 | |
Shasta Records | |||
1959 | Born to Lose / Tight Slacks | 45-117 | |
1959 | Pistol Packin 'Mama / The Saddest Eyes | 45-123 | |
D records | |||
1959 | Stolen Kisses / Is It Too Late | 1106 | |
1960 | Picks and Bows / Let's Go Dancing | 1161 | |
1960 | Hey Hey Little Boy / Rockin 'Water Baby | 1164 | |
1960 | EP
|
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1962 | Tied to the Bottle / She's the One for Me | 1231 | |
Unknown label | |||
Californio / tarantula | 724 | ||
Other recordings | |||
1947 |
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Bullet | unpublished |
1949 (?) |
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Transcriptions | |
1950 |
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Radio recording | |
1959 |
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D. | unpublished |
Web links
- Merl Lindsay on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)
- Short biography
- Video: Merl Lindsay and the Ozark Jubilee Boys at the Town Hall Party
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Lindsay, Merl |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Salathiel, Merle Lindsay (real name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country musician |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 12, 1915 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Oklahoma City , Oklahoma |
DATE OF DEATH | October 12, 1965 |