Jan 23, 2011

Dee Mullins & Patsy Timmons


Dee & Patty backstage at the Big "D" Jamboree (?), 1957/8. (photo from writer's collection)

















Married couple Dee Mullins (Dwight Mullinaux) and Patsy Timmons recorded three 45's together. The first one was released on Mercury just after the Mercury-Starday deal was over. First Date/Parking (Mercury 71252) presumably sold well enough that Mercury re-pressed it some time later with the top-side as Our First Date. The second pressing also had slightly different master compared to the original release. The difference is heard at the very end of the song as it wasn't faded as in the earlier release. 


The first pressing - First Date/Parking. Reviewed in Billboard on February 3, 1958.




The second pressing - Our First Date/Parking.

Sound samples from the second pressing.


Hear Our First Date


Hear Parking

Their next release came out on Dixie label. Gee Whiz/Don't Tease Me (Dixie 2006) was reviewed in Billboard on July 14, 1958. I don't have the 45 but the tracks sound very similar to Mercury recordings. It's very possible that they were recorded at the same session. The Dixie 45 was released as Pat & Dee. One of their tracks, One Week Later was released on a Dixie mail order series EP (530) also as by Pat & Dee.

Their final 45 came out on Pappy Daily's D Records. Sweet Lovin' Baby/Ohh-Wow was released on October, 1958.


Hear Sweet Lovin' Baby


Hear Ohh-Wow

Dee & Patty still performed together but they didn't make any records at all. Instead, both Dee Mullins and Patsy Timmons recorded for D as solo artists. They both had already appeared solo on Dixie mail order series EP's. She's No Angel by Patsy and Oh Oh, I'm Falling In Love Again by Dee was released on Dixie 530. Patsy also recorded a Kitty Wells cover I Can't Stop Loving You that appeared on Dixie 532.



Listen I Can't Stop Loving You

Dee had only one 45 on the D label (I've Really Got A Right To Cry/The World's A Lie, D 1066, 1959). Patsy had three, of which the first was I Understand Him/Step Aside Old Heart (D 1033, 1958).



Listen I Understand Him


Listen Step Aside Old Heart

Two more Patsy Timmons releases followed in 1959:

- Answer To Life To Go/I've Got It (D 1079)
- Branded For Life/My Philosophy (D 1109)

Couple of years later Patsy and Dee were divorced and Patsy left the music business.

Dee went on to record throughout the 1960's. I have added his only Mel-O-Dy 45 here as well. Mel-O-Dy was a short-lived Motown subsidiary. Maybe the folks at Motown thought that country music was not their business.
Both sides of Dee's Mel-o-dy 45 was written by Howard Hausey who also wrote some of the biggest hits for Johnny Horton back in the 1950's including Honky Tonk Man, Whispering Pines and Ole Slew Foot. Mel-O-Dy 117 was released in 1964. Al Klein was the producer and it was probably recorded in Dallas, Texas.
Of the songs, Come On Back (And Be My Love Again) was earlier recorded by Mac Curtis on Shalimar Records and in late 1960's Gene Wyatt covered it on Paula Records. Dee Mullins died in 1991.



Listen Love Makes The World Go 'Round, But Money Greases The Wheel


Listen Come On Back (And Be My Love Again)

Sources:
  • The Complete D Singles collection Volume 2 booklet by Kevin Coffey
  • Billboard magazines
  • Rockin' Country Style

5 comments:

Mellow said...

Hello! Great blog, especially this post here. I searched for info on them very long but was not able to find much. Thanks!

Welcome to the blogger orbit! ;)

gilhodges said...

Hey, thank you very much for these. Great to hear it.

Derik said...

Believe it or not I just found your blog today. And I see you have my blog listed as one of the ones you follow. Now I feel silly and will return the compliment.

This is a very nice posting. Lots of good info, labels and audio.

I thought Dallas Frazier wrote "Money Greases The Wheels". ???. That's what the 45 I have of him doing the song says. I always get confused about those things.

Thanks a bunch.
Derik

Derik said...

Oops, I see now that Dallas Frazier's song is a completely different song. My mistake.

Anonymous said...

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Rockin´regards from Barcelona(Catalonia).
Dj EddieCesc