	B. Bumble & The Stingers - HMV 7EGF 666
	Harold Bailey & The Country Drifters - Gira 030
	Morris Bailey & The Thomas Boys - Bailey Records 500
	Ramblin' Red Bailey - Peach EP-500
	Willie Bailey - Loadstone 1616
	Earl Ball - Parthenon PAR 101/102
	The Band Without A Name - Tower 246
	Delbert Barker - Gateway 9016
	Houston Barks - Buck & Sunny 101
	Jim Barnett - Lavender 1454
	Billy Bowman - Decca 9-30195 Billy's Bounce (101081) - New Roadside Rag (101084) Billy Bowman was the steel guitar player in Bob Wills's Texas Playboys for the best part of 1950 and then again, from 1953 to 1956, after a stint in the army. His clear, light touch on his non-pedal steel can be heard to great advantage on such MGM tracks as 'Jolie Blond Likes To Boogie', 'Bottle Baby Boogie', 'St-Louis Blues', 'Cadillac In Model A' and, of course, his own 'B. Bowman Hop'. In issue #4 of 'Steel guitarist' (January 1980), Ralph Sheets wrote that 'his musical ideas were somewhat more advanced than Herb Remington's, though less 'jazzy' than Joaquin Murphy's'. After he left Wills, Billy cut two instrumental singles for Decca, most notably the one coupling 'New Roadside Rag' with his composition, 'Billy's Bounce'. And swing, it does ! Bowman has his own motifs and plays with considerable drive. Both tracks also feature splendid guitar, piano & fiddle parts - as one would expect from the seasoned Western Swing musicians who accompany him. His other Decca '45 coupled 'Midnight in Old Amarillo' with 'Coquette' (#30477). Both discs released in 1957. Like just about all Deccas, promo or not, the matrix # are stamped in the dead wax. Like Murphy and others as well, Billy later switched to pedals.
	Wayne Busby - Empire 506
	Jerry Byrne - Specialty 635

**© Paul Vidal * Privas, France**