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In the mid 1950\u2019s Gene Harrell would find his way to Texarkana where he would meet two young country musicians, Bette and Mary Kirby. Harrell would join future jazz artist of note, Clarence \u201cTonk\u201d Edwards, sax player Del Puschert, steel player Ivan Greathouse and drummer Bill Fairbanks. Clarence was nicknamed \u201cTonk\u201d by Bette Kirby after hearing play Bill Doggett\u2019s \u201cHonky Tonk\u201d. He would later be inducted into the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame. During his career he worked with Gerry Mulligan, Billy Butterfield, Dizzy Gillespie and Sarah Vaughan just to name a few.<\/p>\r\n
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The Kirbys and band were working at a night club called \u201cChaylor\u2019s Starlight Club\u201d. The band cut a few demonstration tracks while performing live at the club. Gene recalls, \u201cThe tracks were a little rough but we sent them up to Memphis to Sam Phillips.\u201d Phillips headed up the legendary Sun Records label and studio that spawned so many historic musicians. Sam like what he heard and he soon came to Texarkana to check out the Kirbys.<\/p>\r\n
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This resulted in an invitation to come to Memphis and take a shot at Sun. Gene remembers Phillips as being \u201ca very nice gentleman\u201d. He relates, \u201cSam took us all out to lunch and then it was into the famous studio!\u201d<\/p>\r\n
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Things started off well with the Kirbys and company cutting the first of five tracks on the session schedule. These included \u201cThe Blond in Red Velvet\u201d a song penned by the Starlight Club owner\u2019s daughter, Johnnie Chaylor. The other tracks were \u201cI Got the Craziest Feeling\u201d and a Gene Harrell composition \u201cYou\u2019ll Always Belong To Me\u201d, \u201cSo Tired\u201d and finally \u201cHello Stranger\u201d.<\/p>\r\n
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The first four of these are listed today in the Sun catalog. The fifth, \u201cHello Stranger\u201d did not make it to tape. The session was well under way when it was interrupted by a phone call from Johnnie Chaylor. She did not care for the two Kirby sisters and so \u2013 according to accounts in the book \u201cMemphis Belles \u2013 The Women of Sun Records\u201d by Hank Davis, threatened Phillips with every verbal means to stop the sessions. Both \u201cTonk\u201d Edwards and Gene recall the phone call and they knew something was amiss.<\/p>\r\n
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