Just Gazing at my copy of 'Keep on pushing' as you do... lol   strangely Ive never actually thought about the 'Arr  Tommy Smith & the Derby's' credit before, is this the same group as on Swift on 'Don't Play the Role' and  Kool 'Goin Back to Houston' 45's?

 

three very very nice 45's, but then you now that..

 

Mal

Edited June 19, 201411 yr by Mal C

Tommy & The Derbys - don't play the role is Tommy Tate and a Jackson, Mississippi 45. Where as The Carpets are from Kansas City and were a vocal group that used local combo Tommy Smith and the Derby for backing.

 

Now as far as I can tell the Kool 45 which is from Houston, was not Tommy Tate, so could have been Tommy Smith. But neither the late owners son of Kool records or members of The Carpets can confirm this and I have spoken to both on the subject. Tommy Smith is to my knowledge dead.

thats interesting, I knew about the Tommy Tate being on the Swift 45. Are you aware of any other discs by Tommy Smith and Derby's... their songs are all exceptionally good, just love that Kool 45..

 

Also, just so I can properly discount it, the VJ recording 'I Cant Win' is obviously a totally different group all together isn't it...

 

Mal

Edited June 19, 201411 yr by Mal C

No I'm not saying Tommy Smith is Tommy & The Derbys on Kool, just that it might be, but can't confirm it. Tommy Smith is a common name, but Tommy & The Derbys I would say is less so. So it is possible that the Kool 45 and the group backing The Carpets are one in the same, but no one involved with either can confirm that.

As for the possibility of Tommy Tate's Tommy & The Derbys being the same group as the one on Kool. Well that would sound more feasible as Jackson & Houston aren't that far apart, but none of Tommy's old buddies down in Jackson can remember him working down in Houston and the voice just don't sound right. Tommy Tate has a fairly distinctive voice.

Lastly, listening to the vocals on the Kool 45, he sings that he's glad to be back in Houston, that he had a great time in KC, hanging on 19th & Vine.

 

Well KC could be Kansas City and it does have a 19th & Vine streets, so who knows.............

Blimey thats some 'keen' detective work on the 'Kool 45...' do you know of any other songs by this outfit?

 

 

cheers Dave

 

M