The CARLISLES & Jim

Chanteur US né William Carlisle, le 19 décembre 1908 à Wakefield (Kentucky). Bill Carlisle rejoint son frère Cliff au début des années trente, le duo enregistrant sous le nom des "Carlisle Brothers" pour Decca Records. Vedettes réputées dans la station de radio de Louisville, ils se séparent en 1947, Cliff désirant prendre une semi-retraite. Bill continua à se produire à la tête des "Carlisles". Il a enregistré en solo pour RCA (57-58), Columbia (60 & 62), Hickory (66) et Chart Records (69-71). Bill Carlisle est décédé le 17 mars 2003.
Yodeling singer/songwriter/guitarist Bill Carlisle was the younger brother of popular 1930s country singer Cliff Carlisle. During the '30s, Bill established himself as an expert purveyor of racy, blues-tinged country songs, but during the '50s and '60s, he was best-known for his novelty songs as he and his family band, the Carlisles, became regulars on the Grand Ole Opry.
The brothers performed as part of a Carlisle family group on Louisville radio in the 1920s in an early manifestation of the barn-dance format. Brother Cliff gave Carlisle his start as a soloist in 1933 by letting him sit in on an audition at the ARC label. His first single, "Rattlesnake Daddy," became quite popular and later evolved into a bluegrass favorite. Dubbed "Smilin' Bill" by publicists, Carlisle was noted for his precise and extremely fast runs on the guitar. Eventually Bill became almost as popular as his older brother, with whom he shared a talent for yodeling and a tendency to sing songs filled with risqué double entendres, such as "Copper Head Mama" (1934) and "Jumpin' and Jerkin' Blues" (1935). The Carlisle brothers signed with Decca in 1938 and built outward from the blues/Hawaiian core they had established around Cliff Carlisle's pioneer dobro stylings. During a long stint on Knoxville radio station WNOX, they became stars of two barn-dance programs, and Bill continued to appear on other stations around the Southeast as a solo artist.
After World War II, the Carlisle brothers signed with the upstart King label, based in Cincinnati, scoring a giant hit with a cover of Ernest Tubb's wartime classic "Rainbow at Midnight" in 1946. Two years later, Bill had his own Top 15 hit with "Tramp on the Street." Cliff eventually retired around 1950, and Bill then organized the Carlisles, a group that despite its family moniker actually included a succession of unrelated individuals, gospel singer Martha Carson and songwriter Betty Amos among them. Carlisle also performed with several 1950s stars in the early stages of their careers — Don Gibson, Chet Atkins, and Homer & Jethro, among others. It was during these performances that he began to leap about on stage and develop his comical alter ego, Hotshot Elmer, a character he had created earlier in his career. As Elmer, Carlisle would interrupt performances by jumping over chairs, falling off the stairs, and creating general mayhem on stage. Carlisle's trademark athletic leaps earned him the nickname "Jumpin' Bill."
The scene was set for the recordings that brought Carlisle his greatest renown in the 1950s: a series of novelty songs, delightfully off-center gospel pieces like "Rusty Old Halo," and straight-country harmony numbers recorded for the Mercury label. The first, "Too Old to Cut the Mustard," hit the Top Ten in 1952 and was covered by Rosemary Clooney and other pop artists. The 1950s were much less friendly to lyrics of sexual tension than were the decades in which Carlisle began his career, but "Too Old to Cut the Mustard" was one of several Carlisles numbers (another was the "The Old Knot Hole") that evoked the styles of a more tolerant era. "No Help Wanted" climbed to number one the following year and stayed there five weeks. That year he had three more hits, all of which made it to the Top Ten, including the Ira Louvin song "Taint Nice (To Talk Like That)." Though seemingly striking an old-fashioned pose in their cornball humor, these recordings crackled with an energy in tune with the stirrings of what became rock & roll; they featured sharp electric guitar solos and such instrumental novelties as a bass saxophone. This string of successes led the Opry to invite the Carlisles aboard in 1953. Carlisle's children joined his band in the 1960s, and he had another hit in 1965 with "What Kind of Deal Is This." Carlisle was a fixture of the Opry in later years, performing there up until ten days before his death on March 17, 2003.
Talents : Singer, Songwriter, Guitar, Yodeler

Style musical : Old-Time Country, Comedy, Yodeling, Traditional Country, Cowboy

Carlisle, Bill



Born 1908 in Wakefield, Ky. A regular on the Grand Ole Opry (WSM, Nashville, Tenn.), then Ozark Jubilee (ABC-TV) in 1956. Died in 2003.

References:
Obituary in issue 96 (2003) of American Music Magazine.

Original Releases



Discography is not intended to be complete

Date & Source	Label & Number	V	Titles {& References to LP/CD List}	As By	Matrix Numbers
1957/Sept. 2 Bb c&w rev.	RCA Victor 47-7017		Uncle Bud {a} I've Waited Too Long	1 1	H2WW-5618 H2WW-5616
1957/Dec. 30 Bb pop rev.	RCA Victor 47-7132		Tiny Space Man {a} How Will I Know? {a}	1 1	H2WW-7326 H2WW-7325
1958/Apr. 7 Bb c&w rev.	RCA Victor 47-7214		Dumb Bunny {a} Who's A-Gonna Stop Me {a}	1 1	H2WW-5615 H2WW-5617
1959/Aug. 31 Bb pop rev.	Mercury 71490X45		Down Boy {a} Union Suit	2 2	YW18291 YW18290
	Mercury EP-1-3280		Bounding Bill Carlisle And His Little Carlisles [monaural] Rattlesnake Daddy {a,b,c,e,f} Feet Don't Fail Me {a} Women Doggie Joe {a,f}	3 3 3 3	7552-7555 7552-7555 7320-7551 7320-7551
1960/May 30 Bb c&w rev.	Columbia 4-41679		Air Brakes {a} Home, Sweet Home	1 1	JZSP 50412 JZSP 50413
1960/Nov. (Bb est.)	Columbia 4-41873		John Came Home {a} Skin 'Em Quick
1962/Jan. 13 Bb c&w rev.	Columbia 4-42263		Monkey Business {a} Woman Driver {a}	1 1	JZSP 55705 JZSP 55706
Additional Tracks on Comps
1957	RCA Victor unissued		Bessie Lou {a}
1961	Columbia unissued		A Mouse Been Messing Around {a}

References in "As By" Column:

1. as by Bill Carlisle
   
2. as by Bill Carlisle And The Carlisles
   
3. as by The Carlisles / Vocal By Billy Carlisle And The Carlisles
   

Other Notes:

• SEE ALSO: Carlisles
  

Collector-Oriented Compilation LPs and CDs Containing Tracks



Single-artist compilations included selectively

a.	Bear Family BCD 15980 (cd)	Busy Body Boogie / Jumpin' Bill Carlisle
b.	Bear Family BCD 17022 (cd)	Perfect For Parties
c.	Cactus CD 5008 (cd)	Rockin' Hillbilly, Vol. 9
d.	Official OFF-CD 5055 (cd)	Mercury Hillbilly
e.	Orbit 5915 (cd)	Rock N Roll Dance Party Country Style, Vol. 15
f.	Wendi LP 000003 (lp)	Let's Go Rock-A-Billy

Carlisles


Original Releases



Discography is intended to be complete through 1964

Date & Source	Label & Number	V	Titles {& References to LP/CD List}	As By	Matrix Numbers
1951/Sept. 29 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 6348X45		Too Old To Cut The Mustard {a,h} My Happiness Belongs To Someone Else	1 1	7264 7262
1952/Jan. 19 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 6371-X45		I Would If I Could (But I Can't) Patch Up Our Old Love Affair	1 1	7267 7266
1952/Aug. 26 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 6403-X45		Love, Love, Love (That's What It Is) {a} Woman Driver {c}	1 1	YW 7367 YW 7322
1952/Nov. 29 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70028X45		No Help Wanted {a,b,d,g} This Heart Is Not For Sale	1 1	YB7434 YB7433
1953/Mar. 7 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70109X45		Leave That Liar Alone Knothole {a}	1 1	YW7448 YW7452
1953/June 13 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70174X45		Something Different {a} Is Zat [!!] You, Myrtle {a}	2 2	YW7469 YW7468
	Mercury 1-3118		Too Old To Cut The Mustard No Help Wanted Is Zat You, Myrtle {i} Something Different	1 1 1 1	A B
1954/Feb. 6 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70306X45		I Need A Little Help {a} I'll Never Love Again	2 2	YW7553 YW7554
1954/Apr. 24 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70351-X45		Shake-A-Leg {a} Let Me Hold Your Little Hand	2 2	YW7565 YW7564
1954/June 26 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70405X45		Moody's Goose If You Don't Want It (The Salesman's Song) {a}	2 2	YW7603 YW7602
1954/Aug. 21 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70435X45		Honey Love {a} Female Hercules {a}	2 2	YW7619 YW7618
1954/Dec. 4 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70484X45		Busy Body Boogie {a,i} The Mainest' [!!] Thing	2 2	YW7649 YW7650
1955/Feb. 12 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70544-X45		It's Bedtime, Bill {j} Rusty Old Halo	2 2	YW7678 YW7676
1955/Apr. 30 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70604X45		Bargain Day, Half Off Nine Have Tried (And Nine Have Died) {e}	2 2	YW7677 YW7648
1955/Aug. 13 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70665X45		Lil' Lize Jane {a} Teletouch	2 3	YW7738 YW7739
1955/Oct. 8 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70712X45		Middle Age Spread On My Way To The Show	2 2	YW7651 YW7750
1955/Dec. 3 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70754X45		Run, Boy Dangerous Crossing	1 1	YW7771 YW7772

1956/Mar. 24 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70828X45		Pickin' Peas (Down The Long Pea Row) Goo-Goo Da Da (Baby Latin Meaning "Daddy")	1 1	YW12681 YW12680
1956/June 16 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70887X45		Knock, Knock (You Can't Come In) Money Tree {a}	1 1	YW12678 YW12679
1956/Sept. 8 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 70951X45		Poor Man's Riches Rainbow At Midnight	1 1	YW12734 YW12733
1957/Jan. 26 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury 71035x45		I'm Rough Stuff {a,f} Business Man	1 1	YW14709 YW147081
1957/May 13 Bb c&w rev.	Mercury-Starday 71110X45		Wouldn't You Like To Ladder Of Love {a}	1 1	YW14720 YW12735
	Mercury LP cut		I Don't Want To Run {a} Old Fashioned Love {a}

References in "As By" Column:

1. as by The Carlisles
   
2. as by The Carlisles / Vocal By Bill Carlisle And The Carlisles
   
3. as by The Carlisles / Vocal By Bill And Dottie
   

Other Notes:

• Chronology of EP uncertain.
  
• SEE ALSO: Carlisle, Bill
  

Collector-Oriented Compilation LPs and CDs Containing Tracks

a.	Bear Family BCD 15980 (cd)	Busy Body Boogie / Jumpin' Bill Carlisle
b.	Blazon 2001 (cd)	Sizzling Hillbilly, Vol. 1
c.	Cactus CD 5002 (cd)	Rockin' Hillbilly, Vol. 3
d.	Club PR PRLP- 008 (lp)	Pure Rockabilly, Vol. 8
e.	El Toro ETCD 1011 (cd)	Tennessee Rock'n Billy 1955
f.	Official OFF-CD 5055 (cd)	Mercury Hillbilly
g.	Orbit 5906 (cd)	Rock N Roll Dance Party Country Style, Vol. 6
h.	Orbit 5913 (cd)	Rock N Roll Dance Party Country Style, Vol. 13
i.	Proper PROPERBOX 103 (cd)	From Boppin' Hillbilly To Red Hot Rockabilly
j.	Rockafeller US 7002 (lp)	Rock And Roll, The Untold Story, Vol. 2: Cowboys, Hillbillies 'N Injuns