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JIMMY BOWEN WITH

THE RHYTHM ORCHIDS

“I’M STICKIN’ WITH YOU”

(JIMMY BOWEN, Buddy Knox)

Roulette 4001

No. 14    April 27, 1957

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Jimmy Bowen (b. Nov. 30, 1937, Santa Rita, NM), Wayne “Buddy” Knox, and Don “Donnie” Lanier all

attended West Texas State College.  Don Lanier played lead guitar, Buddy played rhythm guitar, and

Jimmy­–as Buddy told Jean-Pierre Chapados in New Kommo­nions magazine–was “the worst bass player

I have ever heard.”  They gigged at school functions and local night spots in Dumas and Amarillo as the

Serenaders.  “We started thinking we could take our Hank Wtlliams sound, add a little Hank Ballard

and some drums and it might amount to something,” said Buddy to liner note writer Adam Komorowski.

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“One night at a dance, this kid wanted to know if he could sit in on a cardboard box.  He had a pair of

brushes, and he played just a backbeat, and all of a sudden the floor was full of people dancing.  Our

whole sound changed right there.  He was a little red-haired kid; Don Mills, our first drummer.”  A

name change was needed; they became the Rhythm Orchids.

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Early in 1956, Roy Orbison and his Teen Kings played the college.  Bowen and Buddy approached him

about tips on getting on record.  Roy told them of ’em the is square character, Nor­man Petty and his studio

in Clovis, New Mexico.  In April 1956, Oil man Chester Oliver financed the session with the intent of

releasing “I’m Stickin’ With You” backed with “Party Doll” on his teeny Blue Moon label.  Such was not

to be, but the boys did form their own label, Triple D-named after KDDD, the Dumas radio  station the

Orchids often performed on.

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By this point Don Mills had departed being replaced by Dave Alldred, a Clovis resident and some­ time

drummer with the Norman Petty Trio.  Alldred would soon leave the Orchids to record with GERRY

 GRANAHAN as part of Dickie Doo & The Don’ts; known for the hideously fabulous “Nee, Nee, Na, Na,

Na, Na Nu, Nu” (#40, 1958).   Chico Hayak took over the vacated drum throne.

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The response proved so hot for the double-sided disk–on the homespun and marginally distributed

Triple D label–that Phil Kahl, George Goldner, and Morris Levy reportedly formed Roulette Records

just to distribute the Rhythm Orchids’ record nationally.  Seeing that air­ play was evenly divided

between the sides, and that each side featured a different lead singer, the Roulette bosses–and soon

to be legends–decided to split the disk in two, figuring that two hits would be better than one–“Party

Doll,” as issued by Buddy Knox & The Rhythm Orchids eventually went to num­ber one on the pop charts.

“I’m Stickin’With You,” with Bowen singing lead–with label credits given to Jimmy Bowen & the Rhythm

Orchids–was not quite as successful but still secured a spot in the Top 40.

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With Kahl as their manager, the Rhythm Orchids played the Paramount in New York City, and appeared

on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

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Buddy went on successfully clicking for awhile with platters like “Rock Your Baby to Sleep (#17, 1957),

 “Hula Love” (#9, 1957), “Somebody Touched Me” (#22, 1958), and “Lovey Dovey” (#25, 1961).   With “Rock

 Your Baby,” Buddy was in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, with Elvis.  Serving his time in the

Tank Corp, Buddy’s slot in the Orchids was filled by Trini Lopez.  Yes, that Trini Lopez…

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With HUGO & LUIGI the assigned producers for the New York sessions, Bowen’s “Ever Lovin’ Fingers”

(#63, 1957), “Warm Up to Me Baby” (#57, 1957), and the maudlin “By the Light of the Silvery Moon”

(#50,1958) did moderately well, and for a few years, occasional releases bearing his name appeared

on Crest, Decca, Capehart, Reprise, and his own Amos label.   By 1959, the Rhythm Orchids were no

more.

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While with Roulette, Bowen observed all studio activities, with the intent of becoming a producer.  In the

early ’60s, Jim did become a producer for the Chancellor label; the label known for Fabian and Frankie

Avalon.  In 1963, Bowen was asked to join the newly formed Reprise Records, where he produced such

acts as Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, JACK NITZSCHE and Frank and Nancy Sinatra.  Jim was moving’

on up to peaks undreamed by bad bass players with lone hits.   Bowen moved to Nashville first in 1973 as

president of Capitol’s Opryland subsidiary, followed by stays as head of MGM country products and MCA’s

C & W Division; producing numerous hit recordings for the Bellamy Brothers, Glen Campbell, Crystal Gayle,

MERLE HAGGARD, Reba McEntire, the Oak Ridge Boys, Waylon Jennings, JOHNNY LEE, Kenny Rogers,

JOHN SCHNEIDER, George Strait, Conway Twitty, and Hank Williams, Jr.  Wow!

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Jim Bowen became vice-president and Nashville manager for Elektra/Asylum and is still considered a

force in the Music City.   Early on, Donnie Lanier became Jim’s assistant, a position he maintains to date.

Buddy Knox resides in Canada, where he continues to sing of “Party Doll”and “Hula Love.”