Billy Mize and Cliff Crofford's harmonies for "Tell Him No" typify the Bakersfield Sound. From a local television broadcast out of Compton, California in the late 1950's. See more at: www.weirdovideo...
Wow that's pretty cool that Cliff Crofford is your grandpa ! I remember watching Town Hall Party as a kid living in L.A. What a great show. It had less well known talents on the show but many were top-notch in my opinion, including Billy & Cliff. God bless your grandpa & I hope he is well and content. John Weems.
In the mid-60s they would perform at a club in Signal Hill, the Hilltop if my memory serves. I was barely 21 and going to my first clubs. They were great!
great song I love the oldies format however I would like to see radio come back to its origanal sound it was live it was exciting and most entertaining, I find myself listining to alot of old air checks of radio days gone by .....bring back the old format and the real talent .
I belive everybody's got a point there; this was a world-wide hit, like "Born to Lose", "The Three Bells", "Waterloo", "Cotton Fields", "I Know Where I'm Goin", "Jimmy Brown the Newsboy", all forgotten 'cause it would be more politically forget if people had listened to "No Diddley" insteda; I'm an amateur historian not a racist (from Denmark).
Because the oldies stations don't know about oldies, people work there because they need a job, because they need money no because they know this old good music. I'm I right or wrongz?
Nice version; not the original, of course. BTW, Travis and Bob, who did the original, came from Mobile, Alabama, not Bakersfield. There was also a nice contemporaneous cover version on Bullseye by Dean and Marc, who later became the background 2/3 of The Newbeats. The Everly Brothers, prime exponents of this sound, weren't the first to do it, but they were its foremost exponents and arguably the best. All that said, this song is a gem and deserves a contemporary version.
Unfortunately the "older" program directors and the just as old music directors..the best of the past...are no longer in commercial radio. Only the geniuses are left and that's why we hear the same old crap oldies on the so-called oldies stations. Today's consultants..programmers...and others of your ilk. May you rest in perg. or some other affable place. Real oldies live on thanks to YT
This version is what I would call fine. Travis and Bob had a version, that was AMAZING The guitar here is ok, but not up to Travis and Bob's version When I play this, I wait for that GREAT note and it is NOT there. Sorry Travis and Bob win hands down!!!
