User:Historian Robin

Robert Robin Brown: I'm a long-time resident of West Texas. As a musician, collector and writer I wish to contribute useful information about the Panhandle and South Plains of Texas. I also have a special interest in musicians, singers and early bands of the Amarillo, Lubbock and Odessa-Midland areas and I also will attempt to correct information that has been erroneously posted. For example in Bob Will's article his hometown of Turkey, TX wasn't initially mentioned although he lived near there from 1912 to c.1929. In the article on the hit song 'Sugar Shack' it has been stated in error that Jim Torres had co-wrote the song with Keith McCormack but gave his share to his aunt, Faye Voss. Actually he was no kin to Mrs. Voss as she was Keith's aunt and Keith has stated that 'he' shared the song with his aunt Faye because of all the support she and her husband Johnny Voss had made to him over the years. Keith was a founding member of the String-A-Longs band and Mr. Voss had been their original manager. According to their bass player Aubrey DeCordova the band received much help and support from Johnny and Faye Voss in the early days. They meant everything to the band! Unfortunately, when Norman Petty signed the band he became their producer, manager and booking agent. Being a relative of Keith McCormack it's doubtful that Mr. Voss ever had the underage boys under any kind of contract. Voss was a salesman for Cudahay Meats and their first gigs were playing 'grand openings' at supermarkets, where Cudahay meat was sold. Voss, a musician himself provided transportation and sometimes instruments for the boys to play even! It's also a fact that the band was initially called 'The Patio Kids' because they had begun playing on the patio of the Voss home in Plainview while in their early teens. Many early photos of the band were taken in the Voss home.