The Fugitive

 

 

When : 1965
Where : 812 16th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee

"The Fugitive" penned by Mack Vickery (sole composer when the song was copyrighted) and published by Al Gallico Music has been recorded that year by Johnny & The Thunderbirds and by Lamar Morris.

Born 1938 in Town Creek, Alabama, Mack Vickery was raised in Michigan. He recorded three songs in the Sun Records studio in 1957 which remained unissued. Vickery recorded prolifically and unsuccessfully for many years, but he became a remarkably gited songrwiter.

Hired by Audrey Williams as songwriter in 1966.

 

Every name, people and companies, whose names are seen on the two records brings us to a building located 812 16th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee which housed the offices of Al Gallico Music, Audrey Williams (Ly-Rann Music and her booking agency) and Dino Productions (Roberts and Friend)

So to find an outlet for the song the publisher and/or the composer had just to cross the corridor. First taker was certainly Dino Productions, a company established the previous year by Carl Friend and Lance Roberts. 

Carl Friend came to Nashville, leaving Hot Springs, Arkansas after he resigned his duties as A&R director and VP of United Southern Records and president of  Ouachita Music Publishers, and according to Billboard (30 May 1964) "will continue writing (some 23 artists have cut his tunes)."

Lance Roberts (real name Kenny Roberts, not the country singer) had previously recorded for Sun and Decca Records. Early in 1963, he was signed by United Southern Records to management and recording contracts (Billboard, 19 January 1963). 

 No record issued, it seems. 

 

 Dino Productions, Friend and Roberts were soon stopped in their tracks. In 1968, they were "sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in the workhouse after pleading guilty to charges of fraud, defrauding artists by promising to produce, distribute, and promote their records, and to secure personal appearances for them, [...] claimed to be doing business with such personalities as Louis Armstrong, the Rolling Stones and Hank Williams Jr." (2 plead  guilty of bilking The Confederates of $1,000, Billboard, 9 March 1968).  We find Carl Friend continuing his career in the music industry in the seventies as president of Casino Records indicted by a federal grand jury on charges he plagiarized recorded material and used the mails to defraud investors in a 15 volumes album titled "History Of The States", the said album was never released. People cannot change their nature.

Produced by Dino, the Johnny and The Thunderbirds version was on RIC (Recording Industries Corp.) operated by Luther Vanadore. The band came from Toledo, Ohio. John Rank (pic) was the lead singer, keyboard player, and the band's namesake. He graduated from Scott High School in 1958. The other original members included Sammy Kern (lead guitar), Bob Hardy (bass), John Eickel (drums) and Nick Palise (sax).  More info at buckeyebeat

The Lamar Morris version came out in April 1965 on the Bonanza label owned by Audrey Williams, his mother in law (he married Lycrecia Williams).  Arranged by Ray Stevens and produced by Jack Sanders. For a number of years, Lamar Morris has fronted the Cheatin' Hearts band of Hank Williams Jr. Morris first acquainted with the Williams family when he won a local talent contest in 1952 in Andulusia, Alabama, at which Hank Williams was appearing.

 

Jack Sanders, vet deejay, has stepped out of Nashville WKDA, in November 1964, in order to accept the music post of vice-president of Ly-Rann Music, owned by Audrey Williams. Earlier, during a five year tenure on WAKY-Louisville, he grabbed the number one show rating and held it for a solid five years (Cash Box, 28 November 1964). Certainly a grabber Jack was as, if you want the truth, he quickly left Louisville for Nashville after charges that Jack had "carnal knowledge" with an under-aged girl.

 

More on Audrey Williams later.

Oinked