Ladies Sunday school class visits music museum

The Bolivar Church of God Senior Ladies Class visited the Country Cabin Music Museum in Hornsby on Friday. The ladies enjoyed the museum so much, they took almost two hours walking the eight rooms, and upon leaving, said they intend on coming back again and bringing family and friends. They recognized many people they personally knew and were pleased to have them in the museum. The Hardeman County walls alone have many hundreds of photos, "locally made" musical instruments and memorabilia.
Ed Doles and Loretta were telling the many different stories about the artist's backgrounds. One of the artists Larry Manuel from Memphis, "called Ed" only a couple of hours after the visitors left. We had told the ladies, Larry has a "very interesting story." In the early 1950s Larry's father Joe Manuel, started the famous "Saturday Night Jamboree" at the Goodwyn Institute Auditorium in Memphis. Joe wanted it to be like the Grand Ol' Opry, for Memphis. The Rockabilly Hall Of Fame in Nashville says this is probably where the "first live Rockabilly" was performed. The show was on the radio and Larry began playing in his father's band at age 13. There's a Historical Marker where the building once stood in Memphis, telling about Larry' father Joe Manuel, who was a popular "Hillbilly Radio Star of the 1930 & 40s."
In 1959, Eddie Bond recorded Larry Manuel on his Stomper Time Records, "Don't Try To Call Back Tomorrow" and "You Say I Was A Fool To Love." The record hit the Top 40 Charts in some areas and reached #3 on the Country, Rock & Roll and Pop Top 40 Charts at the same time. Then as music goes from one fad to another.....Rockabilly & Rock & Roll were fading. Larry Manuel joined the Memphis Fire Department and then retired after over 40 years.
Eddie Bond sold his Stomper Time Records to his promoter in England, Dave Travis, who re-released the old Rockabilly songs in Europe in 2007 and Larry Manuel was a "star again" and touring overseas. Eddie Bond told his friend Ed Doles, who owns Country Cabin Music Museum, you need to put this guy in your Museum, he has a "great story!" I contacted Dave in London for the information and he called Larry in Memphis. After Larry talked with Ed on the phone he sent a package to the Music Museum for his display.
Too late for "a long story short," but Larry called Friday right after we had just talked about him, to our tour group, to say "Thank You, I have received so many phone calls from people saying they saw me on the Internet Country Cabin Music Museum." Larry told Ed he and his family will be here soon to visit, and also a Historian from the University Of Memphis.