Carol Hughes - pop singer ± 1960

Carol Hughes is a not uncommon name. There is an actress by that name who played in a Flash Gordon movie, there is a British writer, and many many more Carol Hughes'es around. That's what makes it hard to find more about that singer Carol Hughes who recorded from 1956-1962 on various US labels.

I have no personal information about the singer. She may be born around 1940 in the Los Angeles area (one of her songs figures on a soul compilation The Sound of East L.A). She's got a good, swinging, deep, powerful voice. She could be black.
Listen to her song Lover Boy

Below an autographed single release.



She has recorded quite some songs. She must have been known outside the US. The record on Mercury that I've got is a release printed in Norway.
That makes it extra strange that I haven't been able to find any other information about her.

Discography:
1956-57 on Mercury:
Merc 70986 Fancy Dance/ Mine all mine (Oct. 1956)
Merc 71095 My Big Brother's Friend/ Lover Boy (Apr. 1957)
1957-58 on Roulette:
Roul 4032 Pick Another Baby / Never Go 'way (Oct. 1957)
Roul 4041 Lend Me Your Comb/ First Date (Jan. 1958)
1958-59 on Dot
Dot 15863 The Bass/ Don't forget I love you (Nov. 1958)
Dot 15923 Bobby/ Sholem Aleichem (March 1959)
1959-60 for RCA-Victor
RCA 7605 Staying Young/ Going to the dogs (Sept. 1959)
RCA 7617 It's me, it's me, it's me/ I must have done something wonderful (Oct. 1959)
RCA 7665 Let Me Go Lover / When Did I Fall In Love (Jan. 1960)
RCA 7726 Creation/ Love, Kisses and Heartaches (Apr. 1960)
RCA 7763 I Can Tell/ Congratulations (June 1960)

For Corby (note: read comments below: this is another Carol Hughes...)
Corby 212 Let's Get Together Again/ Don't Turn Your Back
year unknown; some 1965-67 Corby releases exist, but 1960 could also be possible

1961-62 for Carlton
Carlton 571: Hello Heartbreak/ She's right for you (end 1961, early 1962?)

No information of recording after 1962.
Any help...?

Update Nov. 2009:
Picture of Carol found!
Paper (1956) says: "...a 14 years old, sophomore at West Oranje (NJ) high school, singing since the age of 2, TV experience in Athur Murray Dance Party and the Dean Martin Show...."

Sophie Pascal - Yé-yé girl from Belgium/ artiste belge?

Sophie Pascal, a 1964-1965 recording artist, probably from Belgium.




Je manque toute information personnel sur Sophie Pascal. Tout que j'ai, sont les titres de ses disques, et une CP avec photo.
Ses disques sont lancés par Palette, maison de disques belgique. Alors, je devine, elle est belge. Ces disques ont été paru en Hollande aussi, en 'picture sleeves'.
Elle a été bien connu, années 1964-65.
Où est madame Sophie maintenant? Elle a renregistré d'autres disques? Quelqu'un peut me renseigner?

Ecoute Sophie: Je ne frapperai plus à ta porte. Disque début, avec l'orchestre Willy Albimoor (1924-2004), un flamand bien connu. C'est une translation de "I ain't gonna knock on your door". Pas la chanson de Eddie Hodges d'ailleurs. Les 'covers' de Sophie sont toujours des disques qui, en version originale, sont restés obscure aux pays d'origine aussi.
Peut-être Sophie faisait sa texte lui-même: la chanson "Plus la même" c'est l'adoption d'une composition de Chip Taylor, texte de Pascal (=Sophie?).
D'autres textes sont fait par Nelly Byl et Van Aleda, des noms fort connus en Belge de 1965.

Discographie:
1964:
Palette 40184 Je ne frapperai plus à ta porte (I ain't gonna knock on your door/ Tant pis pour moi (I don't care anymore)
Palette 40206 Seule sous la pluie / Plus la même (He's my little devil)
1965:
Palette 40230 La petite grive (The little grave) / Les larmes aux yeux (Linda with the lonely eyes)

EP Palette 7256: Seule sous la pluie / Tu es là / Plus la même / Ne te moque pas de moi

Update March 2026

Na meer dan 15 jaar ontving ik uiteindelijk een reactie die iets zegt over de persoon van Sophie Pascal. Een anonymus schreef me:

Sophie Pascal als artiest gekend onder deze naam is op 24 maart gestorven in Veurne. Overlijdensbericht te bekijken op Uitvaar Kesteloot Veurne.

Ik gaf deze informatie aan AI en er kwam een verhaal over een zangeres die Magda Deboodt zou hebben geheten en platen als Sophie Pascal zou hebben afgeleverd. Maar verder zoeken op die naam gaf geen enkel resultaat. Het was me een raadsel waar AI die informatie uit had gehaald!

Een link naar uitvaart Kesteloot Veurne gaf wel informatie. Bij een overlijdensbericht van Dela stond een onmiskenbare foto van de zangeres bij de naam van Jeannine Debrauwer. Geboren Etterbeek 22-04-1941, overleden 24-03-2026 te Bulskamp. Dit zou onze Sophie moeten zijn geweest.  

Pamela Law - Oklahoma rocker on Boyd?

She recorded, as far as I know, 4 vinyls for Boyd records. An Oklahoma City label, of Bobby Boyd, some releases with an Indian's chief head depicted on a brownish label.
These were her 4 45-rpm records:

Boyd-1985 (Jun 1960) When The Band Plays The Blues b/w Not Like It Was With You
The A-side is a fantastic rockabilly rocker, with a hammering honky tonk piano. The song was composed by John D. Loudermilk and originally recorded by Hank Locklin on RCA one year before. The B-side is probably a cover of the Mel Tillis song, recently unearthed by daughter Pam Tillis on her 2002 cd.

Boyd-1986 (Nov 1960) Just Like You Like It (click to listen) b/w What Did You Do
This record probably was Pamela's biggest seller, though 'big' is of relative notion. The song was penned by a Robert Riley (not likely to be the nowadays Alabama governor!). The B-side was a Walker/ Wilkins song.

Boyd-3036 (May 1961) End of the Line b/w Bingo
Both Robert Riley songs. The seller who labelled the record 'Northern Soul' probably preferred to fool ignorant buyers over giving an accurate description. "Bingo" is a great, fast rocking song, hear it!.

Boyd-119 (Apr. 1962) Naturally / Secret
Again, 2 Robert Riley songs.

Who can tell me who and where Pamela Law (sometimes misspelled as Pamala Law) is, or add other information?


Update Apr. 2010:
I now found more information:
Pamela was born on May 20, 1944 in Davidson County, TN. Her first recording was when 15 years old. Billboard magazine wrote "a Gallatin Tenn. youngster, high school sophomore, frequent guest at Noel Ball's show".
Pam married Joe Lewis Blankenship in 1963 (date explains the end of her recording career).
She was a substitute teacher and later a secretary at Union Elementary and a member of West End Missionary Baptist Church in Gallatin, TN.
Pamela passed away age 58 in 2002.

Still, no more information, no artist photo, ... help!

Don Argo - 1965/66 artist

Don Argo, a pop singer whom I have no biographic information about.

Don recorded 3 singles for the Nashville Hickory label. See discography below.

I have no other recording information about him, nor have I seen a picture, birth date or whatever. Anybody can help me?

This Don Argo is not the math professor/ writer (book: Canaveral Light). I mailed him, but he does not know his musical namesake.

Don's first (?) record I Love You, Lucy was a local success in Clovis, New Mexico. It hit the KCLV Top 10 in July 1965.

Two follow-up records flopped. Of which Candy Sue shows Don doing a nice Buddy Holly style pop song. I haven't heard the third one.

Any additions will be appreciated!

Discography:

Hickory 45-1318 (1965): I Love You, Lucy / Linda With The Lonely Eyes

Hickory 45-1352 (1965): Blue Heartaches / Candy Sue

Hickory 45-1380 (1966): Go To Him / She's Not A Bad Girl

Nellie Rutherford - a Northern Soul Hickory label mystery

All I know of this Nellie Rutherford, is that she recorded 2 45-records in 1962. Very interesting records too, for these are covers of Boudleaux/ Bryant, John Loudermilk and Roy Orbison/ Joe Melson penned songs.

After these 2 recordings, she seems to have quit recording.

I haven't got one tiny piece of information about the person Nellie Rutherford. Please help...

Nellie's recordings are catalogued as Northern Soul and Doo-Wop.

"Laughing At Me", can be described as a R&B stomper, with a touch of Harlem Shuffle.

Her cover of "Turn Me On" is an important one. She took the song that was released by Mark Dinning one year earlier. Mark's version treated the song as a crooner's ballad, which did not work. Nellie changed it into a soulful version. Nellie sounds like a black singer, but -recording for Hickory- I would not be surprised if she turns out to be white.
The version by Nellie must have been the inspiration for Nina Simone to record the song in 1966, what eventually led to the mega hit cover of Norah Jones (in 2000). So in a way, Nellie is Norah's grandma.

Listen to a sample of Turn Me On.

Discography:

Hickory 45-1172 (May 1962): Turn Me On (Loudermilk) b/w Laughing At Me (Boudleaux/ Bryant)

Hickory 45-1182 (Sept. 1962): Lavender Lace (Orbison/ Melson) b/w Looking At The Ceiling

Bobby Wattrell - one 45rpm only?

Bobby Wattrell, [a name that seems to rhyme on: what the hell] who is he...?

I've got this nice 45 rpm of him, but have no information about the singer at all...
The facts: Bobby recorded one 45 rpm record on Magnasound 45-701: Terry b/w Bye Bye Blackbird. One side a John D. Loudermilk song, the other written by Dixon-Henderson. Released December 1963.

Magnasound is a subsidiary label of Monument records. The song is labeled as "A Norro production". Without a doubt this is Norro Wilson, the country singer/ songwriter, who worked for Monument records.
Listen to a sample of Bye, Bye, Blackbird.
Google does not give many clues to the name Bobby Wattrell. He probably hasn't recorded any more as a solo artist.

The family name Wattrell seems to be not very common. Which gives me hope that someday someone somewhere will happen to find my page and be able to tell me more about the singer...

Update March 2019: the Tennessean, March 1970, reports about a concert by the Newbeats, with a Bobby Wattrell added as a drummer.

Bobbi Staff = Barbara Grindstaff

Bobbi Staff recorded a few good pop/ country songs in the second half of the 1960s.
Her real name was Barbara Grindstaff, she was born in Shelby NC, 1946.
According to Tom Armstrong's site she grew up Forest City, NC and was married to a fellow who wound up playing piano on Ralph Emery's TV show.



Though she is labeled a country singer and had a minor C&W hit, the songs are not strictly country but more general teenage Nashville pop music.

Listen to a sample of Pride (1966). A good song with a catchy organ. Composed by Lou Zerto.

Bobbi's discography:

1963, as BARBARA GRINDSTAFF:
Showcase 2500: Have Mercy (Mel Tillis) / Where The Red Roses Grow

as BOBBI STAFF:
1965:
RCA 8689: Where Did the Summer Go (Gary Gold/ Peter Udell) b/w I'm Available (Just For You) (Oct 1965)
1966:
RCA 8333: I Didn't Cry Today (Skeeter Davis) b/w Chicken Feed (#31 C&W hit, Vance Bulla)
RCA 9024: He Can Be Your Baby (Loudermilk) b/w Pride (Zerto)
1967:
RCA 9093: The Red Light Is Green (Robison-Wilson) b/w Straight To Helen (Blackwell)
RCA 9251: Sun Tan and Wind Blown Time (Jean Chapel) b/w I Can't Find My Walking Shoes (Sandra Rhodes)
RCA 9363: He Chickened Out On Me (Alexander) b/w Bobby Blows A Blue Note (Light)
1968:
RCA 9504: Back Away (Fort) b/w Ring Beats A Promise (Briggs-Rule).

I have never seen a picture of the singer and no idea what has happened to her after 1968.
Anyone who can help me...?

UPDATE Feb 2008:
A reaction by anonymous gave me a link to the book about Forest City by Anita Price Davis and James M. Walker, with 2 Staff pictures and more details of her career.

It turns out she sang at a very young age for talent shows. Singing and touring abroad, in Europe in 1957.
Later she performed for 'my' queen Juliana and President LBJ in 1963, (that must have been after Kennedy's funeral??). She was a regular at George Hamilton IV's shows.

UPDATE May 2009:
I was very surprised to find out a 1963 footage of Bobbi singing live on tv still exists!. She is singing "Honey Comb", backed up by The Hayriders, for Dutch television, December 1963. About 99% of all that has been aired on TV those years has gone lost, it seems to be a wonder that the tape with TV-show that had Bobbi's performance has been saved!
Two stills form that show:


See video clip below

And after 1968...? No more details yet.

UPDATE
I've got a reaction on the video from 2 nieces of Bobbi. They wrote: Aunt Barbara is still alive and well and living in Nashville. She has two children, a daughter and a son. Barbara stopped recording and performing around 1969 when she became pregnant with her daughter. Barbara divorced Jerry Whitehurst (performed on Hee Haw) in the late 70 – early 80’s and she never remarried. Aunt Barbara is awesome, they wrote, she is fun, quick witted, and has always been very close to them.