Plugging Into Lexington’s Musical Matrix

This tribute to Matrix is marked by sadness over the death of Stan Gibbons. I had started this late last summer and finally had the chance to interview Stan at his home in Paris just back in December. We were still working on details and exchanging messages when I heard of his sudden passing. I dedicate this to his lovely wife Shelia as well as...

University of Kentucky’s Avo and Ray – Living Their Best College Life

Even during the time of the British Invasion nearly ever college town boasted a strong folk scene and Lexington was no exception. A genre largely disregarded by collectors these days, local acts once packed our clubs nightly. Dig deeper and there are always interesting stories to find – like Avo and Ray… enjoy! [2023 Shawn Chambers / Lexingtunes] The Lennon-McCartney moment for Avo Kiviranna and...

Harrodsburg Hotshots – The Vandells

The British Invasion swept through every hill and holler in Kentucky and dozens of teen bands emerged in the wake. The small town of Harrodsburg was not immune and several excellent garage bands popped up in the 60s. Fortunately, at least one was able to capture their sound for posterity. And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Vandells!   [2023   Shawn Chambers / Lexingtunes] Note: the earliest...

Daniel Turner’s Dark Musical Journey

The hunt for Daniel Turner (like so many other artists on this site) spanned many, many years. You would not believe how many Danny / Daniel Turners I called during those years all to no avail. This Lemco 45 was love at first sound for me and I have been on the hunt for his story since the first day I played it. As always...

Vision’s Quest for AM Radio Gold

I’ve been strangely enamored with Vision’s record since picking it up at a flea market back around 1998 or so. Released during Lexington’s transitional period when the true garage and soul bands were lost to time (or in some cases Vietnam) but prior to the full on southern rock onslaught – it is unique. Every few years I would try again to track these guys...

Sound Files #2 – KY Garage Compilation, The Misfits, The Exceptions, Dry Ice and More

Sound Files #2 – Winter 2021 With a brief lull in finishing a bunch of upcoming pieces for 2022, I figured I’d drop another quick Lexingtunes newsletter on such a snowy day. Here’s hoping for a much better and productive year for all of us!  [2022 Shawn Chambers / Lexingtunes]   Gear Fab’s New Kentucky Comp Didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas? Gear Fab...

Bonnie and The Little Boys Blue – From Street Corner Singing to Nikko’s Legendary Swan Song

The search for Bonnie and the Little Boys Blue felt for many years like chasing down the Loch Ness monster. This legendary vocal group from Lexington’s past had achieved almost mythical status in the vinyl community during the collecting heyday of the genre. But unlike Scotland’s Nessie, they were actually known to have existed! It took me many years to locate some members (which I...

Sound Files #1 – Shoguns Lemco Mystery, Ivory Thumper Amon Greer, REM’s Bobby Fields and More

Sound Files #1 – Spring 2021 News you can use? Dunno, but this is the first of what will probably be a quarterly installment of a Lexingtunes newsletter where I will share some brief bios, pictures, and whatever I’m in the mood to go on about. As always… enjoy!  [2021 Shawn Chambers / Lexingtunes] A Shoguns By Any Other Name… For many years, I had...

Tommy Baldwin – Remembering REM’s Rocker

Tommy Baldwin was among the first generation of rock ‘n rollers gracing the REM label, but historically has been overshadowed by his peers in the musical collective memory of Lexingtonians. Nevertheless, his debut single in 1960 can stand toe-to-toe with any contemporary regional release and remains on want lists of collectors around the world (including my own). This is a brief bio and hopefully it...

Bruce Marvello – If Looks Could Thrill

Lexington’s own teen idol Bruce Marvello had a don’t-blink-or-you’ll-miss-it musical career and slipped under the radar of most local music fans. I’ve always dug his Nikko 45 and I am happy to finally salute him properly. Enjoy. [2021 Shawn Chambers / Lexingtunes] I mean Bruce was a dancer. These boys would come in from out of town to challenge him you know, but they might...

Waxletes – Central KY’s Sporting Life at 45 RPM

Who’s in your Vinyl Four? Thumbing through my Lexington / central KY music collection it dawned on me how many sports related 45s I had randomly accumulated through the years. I’m sure there are many more that I have missed. Give ’em a virtual whirl and don’t put too much thought into my rating system – I sure didn’t! Be sure to click the song...

The Acrosonics – Off the Record with Frankfort’s Pioneering All-Girl Band

The four Frankfort teens that made up the Acrosonics were undoubtedly the first all-girl rock band in the central Kentucky area and possibly the entire state. This was no “girl group” of pretty faces singing sweetly in front of a group of other musicians, however. Okay, okay, they had pretty faces, but they also rocked and deserve far more than a footnote in local music...

Kendall Hayes – The Golden Pen of Perryville

There have been numerous articles written about Kendall Hayes and his worldwide smash composition “Walk On By” but shamefully few references to his own recording career. Writing about Kendall Hayes without mentioning arguably the biggest country song of all-time is an impossible feat. I get that. Baseball without the Babe? Boxing without Ali? Nah, doesn’t work there and doesn’t work here. “Walk On By” casts...

The Dimensions – Tates Creek’s Teen Rockers

By the mid-1960s several of Lexington’s record labels boasted at least one young performer: Little Jacky Wayne for REM, Little Lambsie Penn (a Miranda Records discovery), and Terry & Jerry Lester of Sun-Ray. All were preteen singers, but each of them was backed by adult musicians. At the time of their recording, the teens that formed the Dimensions held the distinction of being the youngest...

The Elite UFO – Stanton’s Invaders from Planet Garage

Highly prized and equally highly priced, the Elite UFO’s 45 has arguably become THE quintessential Kentucky garage record. This is the story, which I started in 2010 and shelved, but have now completed. Enjoy. [2019 Shawn Chambers / Lexingtunes] Teens from across Powell County rush into the Stanton skating rink and out of the crisp, rapidly cooling autumnal air. Inside some can’t resist sliding their...

The Miranda Records Story

The dozen or so releases on the Miranda label are not often found on the want lists of modern day collectors. The vocal / orchestral style captured on H.I. Miranda’s eponymous label has fallen from favor with the current collecting public, but it is important to give a nod to the pioneering label and contributions of Miranda to Lexington’s musical past.  [2019 Shawn Chambers /...

I’ll Go Wandering – The Search for the Saxons

I had heard rumors of the Saxon’s REM recording for years. It was supposed to be a great rock record. I heard more rumors. None of the old musicians I quizzed in town had heard of the band. None of my local collector buddies owned it. Heck, no one had even seen it! My early REM spreadsheet had an entry for it with a brief...

Intimate Cyrcle – Bringing the Upbeats to Downtown

The first time I heard the Intimate Cyrcle’s Chetwyd single was a bit of a shock. I knew it was the label’s last 45 release, but given the spelling and knowing most of the label’s prior releases I figured it had the potential to be a psych-tinged rocker. Like many times in my life I was dead wrong – but pleasantly so. This great two-sider...

Frank Atkins – A Reds Rose in the Bluegrass

I think it was around 1994 the first time I chanced upon one of Frank Atkins’ records at a thrift store. The label reminded me of a Johnny Bench tribute record I had and the price was certainly right. Over the next couple years I stumbled upon more and more copies of this record – literally finding a box of 25 once at a yard...

Bill Stamper – Winchester’s Rock Royalty

The Winchester music scene of the mid 1960s featured many talented singers, but the scene had an almost exclusively country focus – Bill Stamper was one of the first to change that. Truly a man of many talents, Stamper ran a small studio and his Loy label showcased his own brand of rock n’ roll – songs which are still being appreciated by fans around...

Tommy Jackson – The Kentucky Drifter

Winchester’s own Tommy Jackson was country through and through. Tommy died more than a decade before I began documenting the music of the region, but it sure wasn’t hard to meet people that remember his shows and his music. Unfortunately, when I had the unexpected opportunity to talk with his widow, I was without my recorder or camera and was not able to get a...

Kenny Whalen & The Travelers – A Half Century of Music

Kenny Whalen and his group of Travelers have entertained Kentuckians for nearly 50 years – with Kenny’s contributions stretching back even further into the musical past (nearly 60 years spent onstage). The importance of Kenny’s picking on area artists and recordings cannot be stated strongly enough. He was the go-to for label managers, artists, and booking agents any time a song or singer just needed...

The Jimmy Lee Ballard Story

During his heyday in the 1960s, Jimmy Lee Ballard was a staple on the central Kentucky music scene. His effortless delivery and Southern drawl suited both traditional country and clearly more rockin’ cuts. When I decided to launch this page to finally start sharing some research and information from a never-published book, I had no doubt that Jimmy Lee would be the first entry. He...