#683 (Week of 10/23/10 - 10/29/10)

---

TRIBUTE TO JIMMY SWEENEY - PART TWO OF TWO

"Tobacco Road"/ "The Song Of The Wind" by Jimmy Sweeney With Choir on Tennessee 715 released in 1952

"(It's) Needless"/ "It's Goodbye Again" by Jim Sweeney And The Dinning Brothers on Tennessee 809 released in 1950

[All photos of Jimmy Sweeney are provided by Eugenia JoAnn Sweeney III and David E. Sweeney.]

Above: Jimmy Sweeney. Caption at bottom of photo: "JIM SWEENEY    DATE RECORDS." Sweeney had a release on the Date label (a subsidiary of Columbia located in NYC) in early 1958. He also had releases on the parent label in 1958-59.

Above: The Varieteers. Jimmy Sweeney is at far right.

Above: Jimmy Sweeney performing.

Above: Jimmy Sweeney studio proofs.

Above: Label images of Tennessee 715 released in April 1952 and Tennessee 809 released in June 1950.

Comments from Marv Goldberg:
Who were the Dinning Brothers? I imagine that they were a white group, since I think Billy Vaughn (of the Hilltoppers) was once a member. I can only find a couple of listings for them, Tennessee 807 and 810. The master numbers of those are contiguous with those of Sweeney and the Dinning Brothers, so I imagine that they were just around when he came to record and were thrown in behind him. They do a nice job.
(Note: "Vaughn" is shown as composer of (It's) Needless. "Dinning" is composer of the flip side.)

JIMMY SWEENEY DISCOGRAPHY (compiled by Marv Goldberg)

BULLET 1009 (5 Bars)
    I'm All Dressed Up With A Broken Heart - 10/47
    To Make A Long Story Shorter

On 6/30/48, the Varieteers were guests on "Appointment With Music" (NBC, sustaining, Wed. 10:30 - 11:00 PM), broadcast from WSM, Nashville. The host was Snooky Lanson, with Dorothy Dillard & Beasley Smith ork. They sang "All Dressed Up With A Broken Heart," leading me to suspect that the 5 Bars were the Varieteers.

TENNESSEE 714 (Jimmy Sweeney)
    Boogie Woogie Jockey (w/Gene Nobles WLAC, Nashville) - 5/50
    I Gotta Leave This Town

TENNESSEE 715 (Jimmy Sweeney)
    Tobacco Road - 6/50
    The Song Of The Wind

M-G-M (Varieteers)
    I'll Try To Forget I've Loved You - 1/51
    You Don't Move Me No More

TENNESSEE 809 (Jim Sweeney & Dinning Brothers)
    (It's) Goodbye Again - 4/52
    It's Needless

REPUBLIC 7054 (Jimmy Sweeney) [subsidiary of Tennessee]
    Believe In Me - ca. 10/53
    Desire

In Oct 53, the Varieteers were at Ciro's in Hollywood. They performed in the intermissions between sets of Xavier Cugat and Abbe Lane.

HICKORY 1004 (Jimmy Sweeney & Varieteers)
    I've Got A Woman's Love - 2/54
    Deep Blues

HICKORY 1014 (Varieteers)
    I Pay With Every Breath - 8/54
    If You And I Could Be Sweethearts

REPUBLIC 7101 (4 Bars) [subsidiary of Tennessee]
    Memories Of You - 11/54
    When Did You Leave Heaven?

HICKORY 1025 (Varieteers)
    Call My Gal, Miss Jones - 5/55
    Minnie Come Home

LATER EFFORTS (tending towards C&W):

CHIC 1002 (Jimmy Sweeney)
    The Question - 12/56
    These Tears

CHIC 1007 (Jimmy Sweeney)
    Tica Boo - ca. 3/57
    Bongo Olay

DATE 1001 (Jim Sweeney; subsidiary of Columbia)
    The Midnight Hour - 1/58
    Till The Right One Comes Along

COLUMBIA 4-41201 (Jim Sweeney)
    Sick, Sick, Sick - 6/58
    Gonna Find My Sweetheart

COLUMBIA 4-41262 (Jim Sweeney)
    It Wouldn't Be The Same - 11/58
    Afraid

COLUMBIA 4-41454 (Jim Sweeney)
    (Where You Lead Me) I'll Follow You - 8/59
    The Buzzard And The Owl

HICKORY 1115 (as Jimmy Bell)
    Prayin' For Someone To Love - 2/60
    What'cha Gonna Do About Me

HICKORY 1136 (as Jimmy Bell)
    She Wears My Ring - 11/60
    Going Down To The River

HICKORY 1146 (as Jimmy Bell)
    Lunch In A Bucket - 4/61
    (Yes) Here I Go Again

HICKORY 1156 (as Jimmy Bell)
    The Poorest Boy In Town - 10/61
    Honey Bee

BUCKLEY 1101 (Jimmy Sweeney)
    She Wears My Ring - 7/62
    What'cha Gonna Do About Me

Listen to this week's selections by Jimmy Sweeney on Tennessee Label:
[Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]

A. Stream RealAudio (DO NOT USE...LISTEN USING DOWNLOAD REALAUDIO)...             1. Tobacco Road - 1952           2. The Song Of The Wind - 1952           3. (It's) Needless - 1950           4. It's Goodbye Again - 1950             ALL FOUR played in sequence      B. Download RealAudio...             1. Tobacco Road - 1952           2. The Song Of The Wind - 1952           3. (It's) Needless - 1950           4. It's Goodbye Again - 1950      C. Stream/Download Media Player...             1. Tobacco Road - 1952           2. The Song Of The Wind - 1952           3. (It's) Needless - 1950           4. It's Goodbye Again - 1950

     [To download audio files, right-click on link and then select "Save (Link) Target As..."]

Click HERE for TRIBUTE TO JIMMY SWEENEY - PART ONE.
(Above link will open in a separate window)

This site is non-commercial. All information displayed is provided to further the general public's knowledge of RnB vocal group harmony.