Transcription Mystery Disc #183

 This metal core, 8-Inch Recordisc has an outer edge start and spins at 78 rpm. That's all fairly normal. The label reads "Hillbilly Stuff" 9/28/46. So my interest was piqued to say the least. The recording is in excellent condition with very low noise, adequate fodder for a commercial release actually. It's a very unusual find considering it's almost 70 years old.

The Melody Boys - The Love of A Lifetime


This turns out to be a live radio recording of The Melody Boys. There have been a few groups to use that name, or variations like the Mountain Melody boys, Harold Stepteau and his Melody Boys, The Melody Boys Quartet, The Honolulu Melody Boys, The Southern Melody Boys, The Baltimore Melody Boys, The Roseland Melody Boys, T. Texas Tyler and the Oklahoma Melody Boys, The Texas Melody Boys, and the Dixie Melody Boys. This is not the one formed by Harry Choate, the infamous hell-raising Cajun musician, dang. That band was active from 1946 to 1951, and recorded for Gold Star Records.

It's also unlikely that they are the one formed by Herschel Foshee, aided by Joe Roper, in the 1930s as the Stamps-Baxter Quartet. After the death of Foshee in 1949 they changed names to Smilin’ Joe Roper and the Melody Boys. More here. This recording predates their name change by 3 years. Though they did play on KARK-AM regularly giving some plausibility to the recording here.There was another Melody Boys that were a house band on WISE-AM in Asheville, NC connected to Jim Shumate.