Introduction

Gibson, Nathan D.; Pierce, Don

doi:10.14325/mississippi/9781604738308.002.0007

Extract

The Starday story is the tale of one of, if not the, most important independent labels in country music history—an empire based on East Texas honkytonk, rockabilly, bluegrass, western swing, cowboy trios, old-time stringband music, Cajun ditties, jug bands, gospel quartets, square dance jigs, cornball comedians, polkas, and almost anything else that has, at one time or another, fallen under the mighty umbrella of “country music.” Among industry professionals, the story is legendary. Among performers, the catalogue is textbook. Among record collectors, Starday can be an obsession. Yet beyond these insider circles, the Starday story has largely remained cloaked in mystery and obscurity. With the assistance of Starday president and co-founder Don Pierce, as well as dozens of Starday artists, employees, and family members, this shall finally end.

Shortly after I embarked upon this project, several friends and colleagues inquired as to how I wound up writing a book about Starday Records. I assume that many readers might be pondering the same question, and so I will do my best to explain. Several years ago, while attending Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, I met a professor named Rex Trailer. I soon discovered that he had played host to a country and western–themed children’s television show for more than twenty years throughout New England called Boomtown. I further discovered that he had performed with Gene Autry and Bill Haley in the early 1950s and had recorded some mighty fine tunes on his own (my band later covered his 1956 ABC-Paramount recording of “Hoofbeats”). As I studied poetry and songwriting, Rex became my professor, mentor, senior advisor, and close friend. In 2001 we wrote and recorded a rockabilly-flavored country album entitled Nate Gibson & the Gashouse Gang and sang our playful compositions about TV remotes and the joys of Necco wafers.

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