[78-L] Bowmar Records

[Cary Ginell]

Just acquired 2 10-inch 78s on the Los Angeles-based Bowmar label - this is a 1950s label from California that normally issued spoken word, foreign language, and other non-musical kinds of records, but I have found several interesting folk music artifacts. One was apparently an album consisting of 2 discs titled "Folk Songs of California and the Old West" - although I only have the two loose discs, #1610 & 1611, with the copyright date of 1953. Here's what the album looks like (you'll have to scroll down the page to see it)

http://www.beardshampoo.com/Loscalifornios/Resources.html

The two 78s I have include 11 songs while the website only lists 6 without listing the performers. The 78s have 2 or 3 songs per side, which explains how 11 got onto 2 discs. Artists are Ben Cruz and Sam Hinton. Hinton, of course, is a familiar name to folk music collectors, being the originator of one of the most famous anti-atom bomb songs, "Old Man Atom," first issued on ABC-Eagle and then on Columbia. The songs Cruz & Hinton sing (all solo with guitar, no duets) are in Spanish and English.

The folk music record I have on Bowmar is by 2/3 of the Easy Riders (#1626), the group that had a big hit on Columbia of "Marianne" and who also backed Dean Martin on the million selling "Memories Are Made of This" for Capitol in 1956. Terry Gilkyson was probably still a solo act with Decca when the Bowmar 78 was made, which features songs by the other members of the group, Rich Dehr and Frank Miller, probably their first records as well, three years before the first Easy Riders records were released. The songs they sing are The Alabama, Haul Away Joe, Cowboy's Hymn, and Railroad Corral. I interviewed Miller about 20 years ago but don't recall him mentioning Bowmar at all. He was 76 then and I believe he passed some years ago.

Has anyone done any research on this label? I'm wondering if there are other nascent recordings by early folk revival artists.

Cary Ginell