Why So Glum, Lum?

Here’s an little record that is so obscure that there’s absolutely nothing written about it, or its creator, anywhere on the net. I can find nothing about him in the back issues of either Cash Box or Billboard, by searching the Internet Archive or in any of the usual online rockabilly discographies, so any help from you in fleshing out this particular disc’s backstory would be greatly appreciated.

 

Lum Hatcher’s 1966 single, White Lightning ‘n Excess and Behind the Fear, appears to be one of only two 45s issued by Indianhead Records of Wooster, Ohio. The A-side is a decent hillbilly rocker, only really let down by the appalling harmony vocals. Clearly influenced by the Big Bopper’s White Lightning (later covered by the Fall), the song was originally written by songwriter Hank Mills as White Lightning Express around 1959, and covered by, amongst others, Roy Drusky. We’ll never know if Hatcher simply misheard the lyrics, or if he adapted them on purpose. My guess would be the former, as it is clear from the quality of the performance that very little care has gone into the whole production.

Incidentally, the only other Indianhead single I am aware of is Charge! by Chet Good, although in that instance the label is credited as 'Indian Head' (two words, not one). Indianhead/Indian Head was, apparently, one of a number of labels established by Quentin Welty, an artists manager, producer, and radio ad salesman. He's not credited, but my money would be on Welty producing both sides of this particular effort.

 

The flip side is something else altogether. A slice of miserabilist country-western, with the two vocalists making absolutely zero attempt to sing in time or in harmony. Again, the title is wrong: originally penned as Behind the Tear by Ned ‘from a Jack to a King’ Miller and his wife Sue, it was first recorded in 1965 by Sonny James, who took it to Number One on the US Country Music chart. If it were not for the fact that Behind the Tear had not been recorded prior to 1965 it would be difficult to accurately date Lum’s 45: the sound of the A-side is so steeped in hillbilly rock ‘n’ roll that it could have been issued in 1959.. no wonder it often turns up on rockabilly compilations.

 

Actually, both sides of the disc have turned up on compilations over the years, including 1992’s Rock to the Bop and the rather wonderful 1995 album God Less America (which is probably where I first heard it), and despite a couple of plays on the World’s Worst Records Radio Show no one has yet been able to provide any further information on Lum or his band. Over to you!

Download Lightning HERE

Download Fear HERE