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Carl Story, the Palomino Kid
and the Ranch Boys
KCNC Fort Worth, TX
KFJZ Fort Worth, TX
KXOL Fort Worth, TX
WBAP Fort Worth, TX


About The Artist

We were introduced to Carl Story by a column written by legendary hillbilly music journalist Floy Case back in 1945. Carl was one of our first encounters with artists that had the same name which sometimes causes confusion trying to sort out information as we find it.

Billboard magazine noted in July of 1945 that Carl was doing "...a solid selling job" and reported that his sponsor (unnamed) had just signed up for another year of his shows.

Floy noted that Carl, known as the Palomino Kid, was on the air at 5:30am over KFJZ in Fort Worth, Texas back in 1946. His show was just him and his guitar and Floy noted he had only started on that station in February. She also told her readers that he was only 20 years old then and was born in Coleman, Texas. Floy noted later in early 1947 that the show as airing at 6:00am over KFJZ.

In 1946, Ms. Case reported of a large country music package show that was held for two days at the Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas area. It included Grand Ole Opry stars such as Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys; Rod Brasfield and the Cackle Sisters (also known as the DeZurik Sisters). Jim Boyd and Carl Story with his band and Cecil Gill were also on the show. In another column, she mentions his show was being sponsored by an optical company.

Carl also had a show that aired at 10:15am on Sunday with a group known as the Ranch Boys. That group included Charlie Phillips on electric guitar, Weldon Pittman on fiddle, Joe Millican playing steel guitar and bass along with Carl. In another article, she mentions David Baker played electric guitar for the group.

Around November 1946, Norma Winton (who became the long-time president of the Ernest Tubb Fan Club) was telling readers that Carl was part of her group, the Norma Winton Melody Trail Riders. Ms. Case noted that Carl was one of a group of singers who had stopped by her home for a visit. Another was a female singer by the name of Billie Vann Gober, known as Billie Vann. She seemed to indicate in a kind of gossip column type of way that the two of them may have been an 'item' as they were being seen together quite a bit around town.

Ronnie Pugh in his autobiography of Ernest Tubb tells readers that Carl also wrote a song called "I'm With A Crowd But So Alone". Ernest's wife at the time, Elaine, heard Carl sing the tune over his Fort Worth radio show and offered to let Ernest hear it. Ernest made a few changes, recorded it in Decmeber 1947 and listed Elaine as co-writer as she had pitched it to Ernest.

We get a bit of an inkling as to the tunes Carl was singing back then that seemed to catch the attention of Ms. Case. One was "Darling, Tell Me All." Another was "I'm Beginning To Forget You" which was written by Floy with Jimmie Davis and noted that Carl was among those featuring it along with Ernest Tubb. Ms. Winton mentioned that he was singing "I Dreamed I Held you In My Arms Again."

Around 1949, Floy tells us in another publication that Carl had led a show on a Wednesday night at the New Library Theater. His radio show over KXOL was in its 73rd week according to Floy. He had a show from 6:00am to 7:00am each day as well as his "Hillbilly Matinee" at 1:30pm. She writes that he did poems, interviewed guests, wrote songs and recorded on the Blue Bonnet label. He also worked as a technician for the station.

Credits & Sources

  • Mountain Broadcast and Prairie Recorder; December 1945; Mountain Broadcast Pub. Co., Inc.; New York, NY
  • The Billboard; July 28, 1945; Billboard; Cincinnati, OH
  • National Hillbilly News; November 1946; Mr. & Mrs. Orville Via; Huntington, WV
  • Mountain Broadcast and Prairie Recorder; February - March 1947; Mountain Broadcast Pub. Co., Inc.; New York, NY
  • Mountain Broadcast and Prairie Recorder; June 1946; Mountain Broadcast Pub. Co., Inc.; New York, NY
  • Mountain Broadcast and Prairie Recorder; October 1946; Mountain Broadcast Pub. Co., Inc.; New York, NY
  • Mountain Broadcast and Prairie Recorder; November 1946; Mountain Broadcast Pub. Co., Inc.; New York, NY
  • National Hillbilly News; March - April 1949; Mr. & Mrs. Orville Via; Huntington, WV

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Recordings (78rpm/45rpm)

 
Blue Bonnet Record
Rec. No. Side Song Title
  132 A I'm Walking Out On You
  132 B I'd Rather Play The Field
  143 A I've Only Myself To Blame
  143 B Everybody Wants To Be My Baby


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