06 January 2014

Jeff Hughes, who recorded for Mel Tillis' obscure label?

Who was this Jeff Hughes who recorded a single for Mel Tillis' obscure label? And may have recorded more?

This record is the release on the label Tillis TI-1002:
"If I Had The Right" b/w "Sorrow's Tearing Down The House (That Happiness Once Built)" (sample).
The Tillis Recording Company must have been a label of Mel Tillis, who was the producer and composer (of the B side). I know of only 1 other release on this Tillis record label (Tillis 1001: Johnny Wiggins "It’s no surprise" / "I'm not gonna love you anymore", probably 1960 or 1961). I did not find any other Tillis' release, the label might have stopped after 2 efforts.
Mel Tillis' song on the B side is a May 1962 release by Stonewall Jackson. Hughes' version on the Tillis label may come from about the same time. Probably his version is the original. The song on the A-side was copyrighted in 1961, the (original?) version was on a Kitty Wells LP.
So, date of the release of Jeff Hughes' single may well be 1961/1962 as a source claims, based on the Columbia ZTSB-listing, corresponding end 1961/ begin 1962

Then there is another Country flavoured record release from 1962 from a Jeff Hughes on the Karen label:
"Our Space Man Did Come Back" (listen) b/w "I Should've Kept Moving", Karen 59 (May 1962).
Both sides are a Hughes composition, probably both written by Jeff Hughes himself, though BMI-files couple the A side to a June Hughes and the B to a Jess Hughes. But the Library of Congress copyrights are both by Jeff Hughes. Billboard mentions the release May 5 and gives both sides a 3-star rating ('moderate sales potential'). An eBay seller writes: "great rockabilly tribute to the historic outer space flights of astronaut John Glenn and the flip is a fine country bopper". The novelty song is chosen in a later years various artists compilation cd, "Out Of This World Flying Saucers", now titled "Our Space Man Came Back".

I don't know if these two records are by the same Jeff Hughes. For the time being, I suppose so.
They both seem to be from around 1962, when the Gettysburg Times write of a Jeff Hughes, "famous recording star", playing with the Southland Playboys. In 1963, newspapers mention the Jeff Hughes Band of York, PA. Same man?

Over the years, there are a couple of more songs  to be found composed by several Jeffrey Hughes'. But I doubt if they deal with the same Hughes who recorded that 45 for the Tillis label. And these days there's a Jeff(rey Paul) Hughes playing in a band called Chaparral.

3 comments :

Anonymous said...

Yes it is the same jeff hughes im best friends with his son jeff hughes jr if you want to know more ill write back thank you

2packs4sure said...

I'd like to know more !

Kees said...

Me too!
Plese Anonymous tell us more...