The club kicked off in 1949, Hank Penny played there some, but he had other gigs at the time. (The Cowtown, which Wade Ray took over, and a ballroom gig.)

Penny and a smaller version of his band played there, he intiated a Monday Jazz session night with the Barney Kessel Trio is what I heard from a pretty good swing-jazz player of the period. (Buddy Ray)
Sammy Masters recalls seeing Penny's band and Joe Maphis playing there in the early 50s.

Billy Wright from Spade Cooley's band was another regular, in 1953 one of the regulars to work the club was the Teddy Wilds band, a spin off from Ole Rassmussen's Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Through the early to mid 1950s, bandleaders and singers like Billy Wright, Eddie Cletro, Gene O'Quin and Charlie Aldridge played the
Palomino on a regular basis.

In 1956 it trimmed to Eddie Cletro, Mel Ryan and Gene O'Quin leading bands.

By 1958 adverts for the club read "The Palomino, the Valley's largest western night club, presents dancing nightly with your favorite recording artists and stars of Radio and TV."
The bands were still fronted on an lternating basis, Mel Ryan, Speedy West (with Merrill Moore), and Jack Rogers.

In '59 it was the Tunetoppers (with various members of Gene Vincent's Blue Caps), Mel Ryan and Jack Rogers.

Then it was the Tunetoppers and the Gene Davis Band, after the Tunetoppers folded in late 1959, so it was down to one main band.

The Gene Davis Band 1959-1960
(I've seen a photo of the Pal's sign bearing that name from 1963, the Palomino Riders name came later).

From 1959-1966 Davis led the Pal' band, although on Mondays and the weekend there were period when others played there. Quite often one of the leading guys in the group (Jerry Inman, etc) would get to lead
the group without Davis, sometimes with a heap of fill-in guys.
Ralph Mooney was the original steel player in '59, he left in 1960 to join Wynn Stewart, there was probably some temp player, then Red Rhodes came in on steel in late 1960.

1966-1969 Red Rhodes & The Detours played the Pal' after Gene Davis left.

1969-1971 The Tony Booth Band.

1971-1972 The Larry Booth Band.

1972- 1973 The Jimmy Snyder Band.

Late 1973-1976 Jerry Inman & the Palomino Riders.

1976- 1977 Brian Mark and The Marksmen.

1977-1978 Ira Allen & the Palomino Riders.

1977-1981 Jerry Inman & the Palomino Riders.

After this it gets quite convulted, the bands seem to have gone back into the alternating group thing that they had in the 1950s.
There was a band with Thumbs Carlisle, Glenn Castelbury (aka Castleberry), etc.
The Palomino of the 1980s saw regulars and band members like Rick Shea, Jay Dee Maness, Jack Daniels, Marty Rifkin, James Intveld, Ronnie Mack, Dwight Yoakam (who was already way too big for the club, but enjoyed dropping in), George Highfill, Rosie Flores, Gene Clark, Dave Alvin, Lucinda Williams, Cliffie Stone, Billy Block, Boo Daniels, Arnie Moore, Steve Duncan, Donald Lindley, and Jim Lauderdale among others.

There were also B-bands, a sort of second group that operated, in some cases it was a temp group for the Mondays, or later the Thursday talent nights. Quite often there were Sunday bands that the main group drew on for members.
In the late 1960s a Monday residency was a popular gig, a second Detours was formed for most of 1969 and took the job, although the
Flying Burrito Brothers had it for a time as well, while obscure country-rockers Tex had a small run there in 1970.

And sure right into the 1990s, although too much to even go into here.

Jason

Most of '81, so were you around when Canned Heat's focal point Bob ‘The Bear’ Hite died of a drug-related heart seizure behind the Palomino, after performing at the club with Canned Heat on April 6th, 1981.
Not trying to be gory or anything, just trying to pin down who was there back in April, I imagine it would have been a memorable night, for all the wrong reasons though.

Doug/Earnest- regarding the '78 Snyder band, John Noreen told me that he got the gig in '78 after Ira Allen left.
I assumed that Red took over for a bit and then you came in, I was thinking this was all 1978.
You once wrote to me "When Red played in the house band at the Palomino Club in 1978 he played a Dekley. Whe he left the band and I took his place, I had to buy his shirt."

And after you, I think you were replaced by Pete Grant in 1978.

Now this might be where Danny Michaels came in, he didn't last a real long time, as Snyder was back in 1979.
I'm a little stumped on the late 1970s and early 1980s in case you didn't notice.
Lotsa traffic in the line-ups.

Wayne Durham once identified the 1979 Jimmy Snyder group of Archie Francis drums, Pete Grant on steel guitar, Doug Atwell (fiddle), Rex ??? on guitar and Wayne Durham on bass. Wayne was apparently the first to bail.
At some point Jack Daniels joined the group, at least according to Stu Schulman who would sub on guitar for Jack Daniels.

In the end Stu told me that he replaced Pete Grant on steel in the Palomino Riders.The band was then Jimmy Snyder, Jack Daniels (guitar), Steve Duncan on Drums, Ed Hill on piano, Greg Humphries on bass, Doug Atwell on fiddle. (circa 1980?)

Dan Tyack once wrote me, "I played at the Pal after I left Asleep at the Wheel in late '80. I played there for a little over a year. For most of my time there, Thumbs Carlyle was the guitar player.
Dan Tyack
Stu Schulman preceeded me at the Pal. I got Joe Shelby down from Northern CA after I started working with the Sweethearts of the Rodeo (with Vince Gill on guitar).
This, I believe, would have been 1981.
Joe Shelby was born in Berkeley, and in a small biography claimed to have played with Johnny Lee, Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver, Lorin Rowan and Billy Spooner of The Tubes. He mentioned that in 1981 he joined the Palomino Club band, although I think his stint was short.

I've heard that Thumbs Carlisle took over the group by late 1981. Thumbs group included Stu Schulman on steel guitar.
This might have been one of the B-bands though, I never thought to ask Stu about this band, a few people have mentioned it.
I think Thumbs band at the Palomino was known as the Shut-Outs, and Garth Hudson from the Band was known to sit in on the rare occasion.

Guest and Sunday bands around 1980-1982 that I have heard of where John Stewart and the Juke Box Commandos, The Chuck McDermott Band, The Glen Castlebury Band and Cort Casady's Canyon. The Glen Castlebury Band at the time were regulars at The Lone Star Saloon at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Pacific Highway.

Others I've heard about:
Paul Bowman's Band.
Gary Tacket once told me, "I played the Palomino in LA in 82-84 with Paul Bowman who had JD Manness, Steve Duncan, Jack Daniels and the like with him."

The Glen Castlebury Band
The band led by Glen Castleberry was the house band for the Thursday evening talent night for about a year and a half. This was around 1982-83. Arnie Moore (ex-John Stewart) the bass player and vocalist also appeared as an actor in several television films. The group was completed with Boo Daniels on steel, Jack Daniels (guitar) and drummer Steve Duncan who had worked with Ricky Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band. Around this time a young singer named Billy Ray Cyrus used to come in and sing on some of those talent nights.

Confusin' huh?

Cal, do you remember singer Lane Brady?
Thom Bresh mentioned her in an article, said she was performing with Jimmy Snyder and the Palomino Riders circa 1981. After Snyder’s group Lane and Bresh formed songwriting performing duo Bresh and Brody from 1981-1985, then she later worked as a country/jazz/MOR singer and appeared in various adverts, films and television shows.

Also of note, I have read that Gene Moles Jr. the Bakersfield guitarist joined the Pal' band in 1981, but who with?...I have no idea.
His dad was Gene Moles who worked for Mosrite guitars and played on most of the 1960s albums by Red Simpson. My source on Gene Jr. aka Eugene Moles was writer Gerald Haslam who wrote some great things on Bakersfield, however his Hollywood timelines are sometimes a little out.

Yeah, I remember the night the Bear died. It was quite a shock.

Lany Brody came out and sang with us sometimes, but not on a regular basis. She had lunch with George Burns once and came in all excited about that.

I also worked some other gigs around LA with or without Snyder, with Thumbs, Castleberry and others. So evidently were were off from the Pal those nights. I do remember working the talent night every week. That was a trip.

Cal, when did you leave SoCal and hook up with Faron?

If anyone's wondering why Herbster's interested in the obscure country rockers Tex, well it's an in joke, although I'd seriously like to see a reissue of their lost recordings on a compilation by the main songwriters previous group. Long story..

I worked with Faron in 1980 and then went to LA in '81 and worked the Pal and then came back to Nashville in August and went back with Faron.

I see Eugene every once in a while here. He was working with Del Reeves and doing some sessions at Gene Breeden's the last time I saw him, which was a while ago.

I'd forgotten about it til I saw this thread, but I'VE GOT A VIDEO TAPE FROM THE PAL THAT'S BEEN SITTING IN MY CLOSET FOR 23 YEARS. Sheesh... I'll post a clip today if I can.

C#

[This message was edited by Cal Sharp on 30 October 2004 at 03:26 PM.]

EB, John Noreen, played with Brian Mark and The Marksmen; the house band in 1976-77, with Billy Graham (fiddle), Curtis Stone on bass, Billy Joe Walker Jr. and Harry Robinson on guitars, John Hobbs (piano), John Noreen on steel, and Mikey ‘Moon’ Porter.
He wasn't 100% about the stint with Snyder, he told me it was very brief.

A pity that Palomino Club doco folded a few years back, but the couple making it went through a rather disasterous seperation.
Funding wise I think they might have hit a wall as well, they'd filmed some interviews, even had a reunion gig of sorts, Jay Dee, Buck Felts and Archie Francis from the mid 70s Jerry Inman Band. I think Al Bruno and others had been interviewed.

Forumite Jim Eaton had one of the B-bands, Easy Money, they played the Sunday and behind the opening acts while Inman's Riders backed the headliners. If of course they didn't have a self contained band, if the FBBs or Asleep played, then they got bumped as I understand it.

Tommy Thomas was a cheap bastard. He wanted us musicians to hobnob with the customers on break, but he charged us full price for drinks, so we would patrtonize the liquor store next door and hang out in the parking lot or drive down to the Baked Potato to listen to some jazz on our breaks, which were often a couple of hours, if another band was on the bill.

But it was fersure a fun gig. I enjoyed it a lot.

The way I remeber it, Tommy let us go in Aug, 81. That was cool with me, because I'd already decided to go back to Nashville. Snyder showed up in Nashville a few months later, and has been here ever since.

Gene

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If You Keep Pickin That Thing, It'll Never Heal!
;)

Gene Brown, hi there, I know your name from the Breeden studio crowd in the 1970s.
Did you end up playing on any of the Red Simpson stuff from the 1970s at all?
Gene also had an indie Portland Records, I don't know the exact years, I thin Red had an indie single in the 1970s, but some discographers have listed some Rose Maddox sides for Gene's Portland label as early as 1968-69.

I can make some stills from the video. I've found a few pics of the guys at the Pal when I was there; I'll post them on my movie page in a day or two. Maybe I should make a page just for the Pal...

Most of my road stories aren't fit for human consumption, or I'd have more of them up. :-)>

I used to have a pic of my ex-wife in a Pal T-shirt, but a subsequent girl friend destroyed it. Not the shirt or the ex - the pic.

Gene, I write articles on Bakersfield related artists on the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame's (nicknamed the RAB HOF) Bakersfield Sound section, which isn't strictly about Bakersfield as I've done sections on Jim Pierce, Wynn Stewart's 1950s band the West Coast Playboys, etc and none of those guys were Bakersfield based.

However, they worked and influenced others that were and you would fall into that category as well.
I'll email you and when you get everything up and running we can add the link to the RAB HOF.
I reckon I know the Jerry Naylor track as well, I've been hoping that Sundazed put together a comp of cool Tower and Capitol singles. Fingers crossed, but I imagine the Tower/Capitol budget reissue series would have to be a success. So far we have reissues by Red Simpson, Dick Curless and Kay Adams, all very cool I might add.

Cal, why not post the stories.. Robbie Fulks always cracks me up with his, and yours have a similar vibe: http://robbiefulks.com/

Mike, thanks for your input as well, I didn't know there was a Burns sisters act.
I was expecting some posts on the Barn Dance, but I don't see Marty Rifkin, Jay Dee or some of the other guys from the last decade of the Pal' post here much anymore.

Tiny the bouncer, now there's a guy of legend. I've had someone tell me that he got that crossbow/arrow bolt in the eye. I kid you not.

Hey Jim, the Black Brothers played the Cowtown in one form or another over the years. Larry the guitarist was there more than Bobby at one point, then later Bobby was there more than Larry due to their various other ventures.
On the Black Brothers website there's a pic of Paul Franklin, Emmylou Harris, Larry Black and Linda Hargrove @ the Palomino Club circa 1970, although it's more likely the pic is from 1975-76 from forum feedback and Paul and Linda.

Cal, do a Pal' page if you can, if I ever get one up and running for the RAB HOF, I'll link it to yours.

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Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

I'm pretty sure Jay Dee agrees, I ran the March date past him and he thinks it was about right.
I don't think there was a steeler with the Booth Band before Jay Dee, and they'd been there for some months before he joined.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

After the Pal' 1959-1966, he was Roger Miller's bandleader 1966-67, then at the Corral Club 1967-68, the Nashville West 1968-1970, then the Alamo in 1970-72, although he did return there later in the 1970s.
So yes you were pretty close with that recollection.
Sorry to so that Gene passed away in 2001.

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If You Keep Pickin That Thing, It'll Never Heal!
;)

The V.I.P. was around in 1969, the house band included forumite Dale Bennett with Al Bruno, Phil Baugh and Archie Fancis among others. The club folded, everyone got other gigs, Al and Archie reunited at the Pal' in 1970.
The funning thing is I think that Dale B. and Phil B. ended up at the Pal' in 1970 as part of Ray Price's band.

Cal, those pics look sharp, the Palomino Club ones are cool, but it's nice to see some good shots of pickers relaxing as well.

Leon did work for Snyder, he was also part of the Pal' band in 1962 with Snyder.
They recorded together a couple of years ago in Nashville for one of Leon's albums, so they're still at it.