Then & Now - Song By Song With Houston Wells

Then & Now : From Joe Meek To New Zealand

A few words from Houston Wells about the songs on his 2008 double album (with year of recording of each track)

CD 1 – Songs From The Early Years Of My Career

1. This Song Is Just For You (1962)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
This old Hank Locklin hit is one of the songs that started it all for me, and my very first release back in the 60's. Surprisingly enough it was all set to pop into the charts, however, to our dismay, Elvis Presley brought out "Bossa Nova Baby" and nudged us out of contention. The King bossa-novad right into the very spot we
had been eyeing up.

2. "North Wind (1962)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
The flip side to "Shutters And Boards" not surprising it had more appeal than the A side.


3. Only The Heartaches (1963)
One of it's many titles, most people with a few years under their belt would recognize the melody. Originally "The Bard Of Armagh", "The Old Homing Waltz", "The Streets Of Laredo" and so on. My most successful record to date. It took me to number 18 in the British charts. Did slightly better in the Ireland, stayed in the
top 10 for seven weeks.

4. Can't Stop Pretending (1963)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
A song I co-wrote. Arrangement, Pete Willsher.

5. Blowing Wild (1963)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
The ballad of black gold, from the movie of the same name.

6. Crazy Dreams (1963)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
Penned by yours truly.

7. Girl Down The Street (1963)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
Also penned by yours truly. Joe Meek really had the peddle to the mettle on this one when we recorded it. Then he speeded it up even more after the session was done. I had used the falsetto break on songs like “Only The Heartaches” and “Ramona” but Joe had me put a full yodel in this one.

8. Ramona (1963)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
We got pipped at the post by the Bachelors, with this one. The EP of this recording is now one of my rarest records!.

9. Anna Marie (1964) (Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
A beautiful love song made famous by Jim Reeves. I enjoy listening to this song since my son remixed it.

10. Strangers (1963)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
A good song castrated by the turbocharged effect. It was never intended to be so fast but Joe wanted us to do it at this pace. The original release was speeded up even more after the session, like several others on this CD.

11. Hula Love (1963)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
Written by one of the all time greats, Buddy Knox. Goes down well in New Zealand!.

12. Call Me Another Time (1963)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
This is another song I co-wrote.

13. All For The Love Of A Girl (1963)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
A Johnny Horton penned song, and one of my all time favourites.

14. The Wild Side Of Life (1964)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
A big hit for Hank Thompson and covered by many artistes. One of the all-time country classics. Tracks (14) & (15) were backed by The Outlaws. Chas Hodges, from Chas & Dave fame on bass guitar. Widely known Mick Underwood, on drums. Canadian born Ken Lundgren, on steel guitar. Last but not least, was Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore.

15. Galway Bay (1964)
One of the great classics of Irish music. I worked extensively in Ireland and love the lilting Irish ballads. Through the years they have had a great influence on country music all around the world.



16. Well Remember You (1964)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
This track was recorded as a tribute to the late Jim Reeves, with whom I'd not long finished touring when he was killed. The song was penned by the late Geoff Goddard. Unfortunately, before the song could be released, Geoff & Joe Meek had a falling out; hence the song was shelved. It never saw the light of day until 1999 when it was released on a short-lived CD compilation of my early songs.. However, the record had never been finalized. The Masters Showband originally backed me on the track, my son Robert completed the song for me. Had the song been released at the time of Jim Reeves demise, I have no doubt it would have been a huge hit. Produced by Joe Meek, Completed by Robert Smith.

17. Blue Of The Night (1965)
Bing Crosby's theme song. Big Jim Sullivan on lead guitar. Back up vocals by the Masters Showband. Recorded in London, produced by Shel Talmy.

18. Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger? (1968)
Arrangement by Alan Moorhouse. Produced by Tony Reeves. Recorded in London. Back up vocals by The Ladybirds (aka The Benny Hill Singers). Pete Willsher on steel guitar. This goes to show that even back then, UK musos could produce a good, commercial country sound.

19. Teach Me Little Children (1968)
(Previously unreleased 2007 remix)
Arrangement by Alan Moorhouse, Produced by Tony Reeves. Recorded in London.

20. "Above And Beyond" (1966)
Recorded in the Chris Andrews, "Yesterday Man" style. Backed by the Premier Aces Showband. Went to number 4 in the Irish charts. It was never released in England. Recorded and produced by Tommy Ellis, in the Ardmore Film studios, Dublin.

21. When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold (1966)
From the same session as "Above And Beyond". This is another country standard that has been covered by numerous artistes since the writers Wiley Walker and Gene Sullivan first recorded it.

22. Hello Mary Lou (1969)
I'm sure every man and his dog would know this one. Recorded in the Eamonn Andrews Studios, Dublin, Backed by the Trident Showband from Limerick. Penned by Gene Pitney, for Rick Nelson. Made number 2 for Rick in the UK, way back in 1961.

23. I Won't Go Hunting With You Jake (2007)
(Re-recorded Version)
A song from my old "Western Style" LP. However, not happy with Joe's treatment of the song, I made the decision to re-record it with my son Robert.

24. Just For Old Times Sake (2007)
(Re-recorded Version)
A song I originally recorded at the Meek studios with The Masters Showband. One of many that never saw the light of day. With all the artists Joe had on his books, there must have been a treasure-trove of songs lost when the studio was ransacked after the man's demise. Re-recorded with my son Robert.

25. Little Black Book (2007)
(Re-recorded Version)
Another song from my "Western Style" LP. Again, this is one that I was never happy with. Therefore, given the opportunity to re-record it I jumped at the chance. Arrangement and production, rhythm, bass, and lead guitar by Robert Smith. Piano by Alex Wiltshire. Dobro by Matt Sturgess.

26. Little Daughter (1997)
(Previously Unreleased)
This song is all about my first daughter Linda being born. The joy and jubilation I felt when I found I had a beautiful little girl was beyond words. I have to say this doesn't take anything away from my two other beautiful daughters, Nicola and Andrea or my five sons, Robert, Martin, Philip, Timothy and Dean. It took me a lot of years to put this song together. However I think it was worth the wait. Arranged by Robert Smith. Produced by Dave Maybee. Rhythm guitar and back up vocals by Robert Smith. Acoustic guitar by Dave Maybee. Recorded in Hamilton New Zealand.

27. Ireland (1997)
(Previously Unreleased)
This song was penned for me by my son Robert. Arranged by Robert Smith. Produced by Dave Maybee. Back up vocals by Robert Smith & Joy Adams.

CD2 - The Contemporary Houston Wells
(All tracks on CD 2 are released for the first time, anywhere)

1. The End Is Not In Sight (2004)
I’m just hoping the end stays out of sight for a while yet! This track was deemed by all involved to be a good opening track. My son Robert does all the instrumental work, also the vocal backings.

2. Send A Message To My Heart (2004)
This Dwight Yoakam hit was recorded with an Eagles feel and has a strong message in the lyric. It has been picked as a favourite by everyone that has heard it.

3. As I Leave Behind Neidin (1997)
An old Irish song, I just love the lyric. Mind you, that's not taking anything away from the melody. I also have a fondness for the Mandolin too.

4. Devil Woman (2004)
A wonderful old Marty Robbins song with a new arrangement… This song means a lot to me, and I received several e-mails from Marty’s fans in Nashville complimenting me on my rendition when they heard the segment that was available on my website.

5. Lonely Street (2004)
An old Carl Belew classic. I worked with Carl back in the 60s. This has to be a very special track for me for another reason. I not only have my son working with me on it, but my two granddaughters sing backing vocals. I have to say while I was recording the song there were a few tears flowing. Its not every day a recording artist gets to work on a CD with his children and grandchildren!.

6. The Girl From Yesterday (1997)
This is an old Eagles song, Dave Maybee on lead guitar, Joy Adams singing back up vocals.

7. Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (2007)
A song that has long been a favourite with country artistes. Both Hank Locklin and Slim Whitman made beautiful recordings. That’s not the reason I wanted to do it though; my mother used to sing it to me when I was a kid. I’ve had it in mind to record this one for a number of years, so after a well-earned rest it’s finally
getting an airing.

8. Sleepy Eyed John (2007)
I have to acknowledge Johnny Horton for this one. I’ve been kicking it around for a lot of years, and with many requests to put it on CD. Finally sleepy eyed Houston got the job done. We all had a great time rocking along with this one.

9. I Really Don’t Want To Know (2004)
This song should have been recorded when I was at the height of my career. It was so popular with the audience I had to repeat it several times a night. Way back it was a hit for Eddy Arnold but has been covered by many other singers.

10. Forty Shades Of Green (1997)
Johnny Cash penned this one but many people think it is an authentic Irish song. A lot of people believe that because I sing a few Irish songs, I am from Ireland. Not true; I was born in Northumberland on the English, Scottish boarder. My mother was of Irish descent. My father was Scottish.

11. King Of Fools (2004)
I didn't pick this song for my CD. My son Robert has to carry the can for that. However, I have to say I’m glad he did.

12. I Wouldn’t Cheat On You (1997)
This song is an original. My son Robert wrote it for me. It got an exceptionally good review in England. I like this song very much.

13. One More Last Chance (2004)
This Vince Gill song was one of two songs specially picked as worth buying the CD for when it was reviewed by Maurice Bowers, Country Music Pundit for Thunderbolt Magazine.

14. Sweet And Gentle Love (2004)
This is the other song picked by Maurice Bowers as being worth buying the CD for. It’s another Irish song that I have a lot of time for. It has a beautiful lyric and a lovely melody.

15. My Happiness (2004)
From my findings I would think anyone that has a voice, would have had a crack at this old favourite. Perhaps that’s why it still has a good following.

16. If I Didn’t Have You In My World (2004)
One of my favourite Vince Gill songs. My son Robert made an excellent job of the backings. I have to say it was no mean feat on his part.

17. I Will Love You Every Time (2004)
What can I say? It’s Irish. Moving words, magical melody. Altogether a delightfully poignant little song. It’s such a thrill to sing a song when there is a lot of meaning in the words and music.

18. If The Whole World Stopped Loving (1997)
A song I picked up in Dublin in my heyday, so it has been on my list to record for a long time. Originally a big hit for Roy Drusky. Dave Maybee is playing lead guitar. My sons Robert and Philip are doing backup vocals. Robert has a share in writing this one as he made a few changes in words and music.

19. Honky Tonk Man (2004)
I used to sing this song when I was knee high to a grasshopper. However, the arrangement wasn't anything like this. If you’re having a bad day it’s a good song to get you going! Another great Johnny Horton song co-written by the late and great producer, arranger and manager Tillman Franks.

20. Bluest Heartache Of The Year (2007)
A cruisey little song that is always really well received by audiences. Other artistes including Australia’s Rex Dallas have recorded it but it was originally a hit for Kenny Dale.


21. You’re My Best Friend (2004)
I only recently realised that most people know this song. It was recorded extensively in England after Don Williams had a big hit with it. That’s something I didn’t know when I recorded it. It is an easy-going, lilting country number that always appealed to me.

©2007 Houston Wells

The Songs Of Houston Wells

This list includes songs recorded with The Marksmen, The Outlaws, The Premier Aces, The Masters, The Trident Showband.

In addition to those gems we have also listed other songs that Houston has recorded during several recording sessions in New Zealand.

We have also included a list of compilations that Houston Wells' material has featured on, although we must add that a lot of these have been release unofficially.

UK and Irish Recordings:

Recorded with The Marksmen:

Fraulein (?) *Unreleased*
We Will Make Love (Russ Hamilton) *Unreleased*
This Song Is Just For You (Hank Williams, Harris)
Paradise (Pete Willsher)
Shutters And Boards (Audie Murphy, Scott Turner)
North Wind (Joe Meek)
Only The Heartaches (W P Walker, C J Edwins, T Kennedy)
Can't Stop Pretending (Houston Wells, Allan Stephens)
Blowing Wild (Paul Francis Webster, Dimitri Tiomkin)
Crazy Dreams (Houston Wells)
Anna Marie (Walker)
Moon Watch Over My Baby (Joe Meek)
I Won't Go Hunting With You Jake (Stuart Hamblen)
You Left Me With A Broken Heart (Weske)
Call Me Another Time (Jean Jolly, Houston Wells, Allan Stephens)
Squaws Along The Yukon (Cam Smith)
Little Black Book (Jimmy Dean)
Kissing Tree (Linderman, Stutz)
I'll Be Your Sweetheart For A Day (Smith)
Best Job Yet (Clinton Ford)
Strangers (Petican, Mahoney)
We're Gonna Go Fishin' (Hank Locklin)
All For The Love Of A Girl (Johnny Horton)
I'm Gonna Change Everything (Zanetis)
Behind The Footlights (Emerson)
Hula Love (Buddy Knox)
The Wild Side Of Life (W Warren, A A Carter)
Please Help Me I'm Falling (Hal Blair, Don Robertson)

Recorded with The Outlaws:

Galway Bay (Arthur Colahan)
Living Alone (?)
Ramona (Mabel Wayne, L Wolfe Gilbert)
Girl Down The Street (Houston Wells)
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (Howard, Orlob, Adams, Hough)
Nobodys Child (Foree, Coben)

Recorded with The Masters:

We'll Remember You (Geoff Goddard)
The Blue Of The Night (Turk, Crosby, Ahlert)
No One Will Ever Know (?) *Unreleased*
I'm Coming Home To You (?)

Recorded with The Ladybirds & Session Musicians:
Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger? (D.Robertson, D.Clement, J.Crutchfield)
Teach Me Little Children (Dorsey Burnette, J Osborn)
32nd Of May (Ahlert, Snyder) *Unreleased*

The Ladybirds were also known as The Benny Hill Singers, one of them being the wife of session man extraordinaire Joe Brown and mother to english songstress Sam Brown (who at one point in time was a backing singer for Pink Floyd and Gary Moore). These tracks were recorded at Ardmore Studio's in Ireland.

Recorded with The Premier Aces:

Above And Beyond (Howard)
When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold (Wiley Walker, Gene Sullivan)
I'm Looking At You (Houston Wells)
Happiness Takes So Long (Houston Wells)
Love Looks Well On You (Richie Moman)

Recorded with The Trident Showband:

Hello Mary Lou (Gene Pitney)
Girl Of Independent Means (Cane)

New Zealand Studio Recordings:

Ramona (Mabel Wayne, L Wolfe Gilbert)
Devil Woman (Marty Robbins)
Lonely Street (Carl Belew, Kenny Sowder, W.S. Stevenson)
I Really Don't Want To Know (Don Robertson, Howard Barnes)
Just For Old Times Sake (McGuire Sisters)
As I Leave Behind Neidin (Jimmy McCarthy)
Forty Shades Of Green (Johnny Cash)
Honky Tonk Man (Tillman Franks, Howard Hausey, Johnny Horton)
I Will Love You Everytime (Phil Coulter, Tom Paxton)
I Wouldn't Cheat On You (Robert Smith)
If I Didn't Have You In My World (Vince Gill, Jim Weatherly)
If The Whole World Stopped Loving (Ben Peters, Robert Smith)
Ireland (Robert Smith)
King Of Fools (Dwight Yoakam, Kostas)
My Happiness (Betty Peterson Blasco, Borney Begantine)
One More Last Chance (Vince Gill, Gary Nicholson)
Send A Message To My Heart (Kostas, Kathy Louvin)
Sweet And Gentle Love (Jimmy McCarthy)
The End Is Not In Sight (Russell Smith)
The Girl From Yesterday (Glen Frey, Jack Tempchin)
You're My Best Friend (Wayland D Holyfield)
I Won't Go Hunting With You Jake (Stuart Hamblen)
Little Black Book (Jimmy Dean)
Little Daughter (Houston Wells)
Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (James Royce Shannon)
Sleepy Eyed John (Tex Atchinson)
Bluest Heartache Of The Year (W Wimberly, Rocky Wimberly)
Bonnie Scotland (Houston Wells, Rob Smith) *Unreleased*
Dad (Houston Wells, Rob Smith) *Unreleased*
Moonlight (Houston Wells, Rob Smith) *Unreleased*
There Ain't No Future In The Past (Houston Wells, Rob Smith) *Unreleased*
Daddy And Home (Jimmy Rodgers) *Unreleased*
T B Blues (Jimmie Rodgers)*Unreleased*


Re-Mastered Recordings:

All tracks remastered and produced and additional recording (including additional guitars and backing vocals) by Rob Smith

We'll Remember You (Geoff Goddard)
The Blue Of The Night (Turk, Crosby, Ahlert)
Teach Me Little Children (Dorsey Burnette, J Osborn)
My Little Daughter (Houston Wells, Rob Smith)
Hula Love (Buddy Knox)
Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger? (D.Robertson, D.Clement, J.Crutchfield)

Houston Wells - The UK's First Professional Country Music Recording Star

Biography by Paul Hazell (used with his permission)

Houston Wells - Then & Now From Joe Meek To New Zealand

Recent years have seen Houston Wells recording new material, both with a host of session musicians, as well as with his son Rob Smith. When you finally get your hands upon a collection of the modern works from this true legend of the UK and Ireland music scene's you will be astounded at his versatility, you will marvel at how well he has managed to reinvent himself without ever losing the knack of bringing out the beauty of the written lyric. What you will also hear is the legacy of a talented family, for Rob has added his own influence to the recordings he has made with his father in an effort to bring new and inspired vision to some old favourites and some brilliant original recordings. Rob's 2 daughters Catherine and Laura are both beautiful singers, they have accompanied their father and grandfather in their home studio (as well as having written their own material).


The Early Years - A Country Singer in the Making

Houston Wells first saw the light of day in Northumberland, England where he was born Andrew Smith, not far from Newcastle Upon Tyne. He enjoyed a happy childhood and grew to love the outdoors through his father, who nurtured in him a love of nature and took him on fishing trips. Not surprisingly, he grew up with an ambition to work in the outdoors and tried driving earth movers and logging as it turned out with a return ticket for later in life in both cases before joining the army and eventually the merchant navy.

A stint on the SS Iberia eventually saw him living for a time in Canada, where by the late 1950s he had settled in Powell River, about one hundred miles North of Vancouver. There, he worked as a logger and developed his love of country music. His inspiration as a singer came from such names as Slim Whitman, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash and Hank Locklin. The possessor of a rapidly maturing and tuneful voice, the young ex-seaman took to singing in bars whenever the opportunity arose.

Canada, of course enjoys a long and rich tradition of country and folk music influences that has produced such esteemed names as Hank Snow, Wilf Carter, George Hamilton IV and latterly Gordon Lightfoot and Ann Murray. The young man absorbed the local music and continued to perform whenever his spare time allowed.

The life in Canada was short-lived though, as Houston's wife and children elected to stay in the UK when the Canadian period began. So, in 1959 Houston moved on, travelling around by Greyhound bus and initially stopping over with relatives in Detroit before sailing back to England on "The Corinthia". The marriage did not last however and the young, newly single Andrew Smith settled in Wickford, Essex where his parents and brother were living. He took a job driving a truck for a boss based in nearby Rayleigh and listened to a lot of country music as he drove up and down the length of England. Houston recalls:

"Of all the songs I heard on the radio back then two particularly made an impression on me. One was Jim Reeves' "He'll Have To Go" and the other was Hank Locklin's "Please Help Me I'm Falling". Little did I realise then that within a short time I would be working with both these country superstars! It makes me wonder if life's already lined up for you".

The move to Essex was fortuitous, as living not too many miles away in the Southend-On-Sea area were four young lads collectively known as The Coasters, who were soon to play a major part in Andrew Smith's life! The Coasters had been formed by guitarist Pete Willsher and featured Brian Gill on bass, Norman Hull on rhythm guitar and Peter Nye on drums. They specialised in playing instrumental pieces and were well known around the Southend and Leigh-on-Sea area, where they often invited young would-be vocalists to sing a song or two. In a way, a kind of pre-digital forerunner of karaoke!

It was one night at the Elms Hotel in Leigh-on-Sea that Andrew Smith volunteered to sing a couple of numbers with The Coasters. The boys realised immediately that here was someone who was a lot more than just another lad who could hold a tune. Here was a good looking young man who within a few bars held the audience in the palm of his hand. What is more he could hit and hold some impressively powerful notes.


From that night on it was Andrew Smith & The Coasters and over the ensuing months they carved out a musical niche for themselves in a growing area spreading out from Southend and the popularity of their gigs made them wonder if there might be a chance they could record.

Brian Gill was an electrical engineer and he constructed a basic home studio so that the group could make a demo tape. Pretty soon, they had cut "China Doll" & "This Song Is Just for You". That recording found its way to London where it landed on the desk of Terry McGrath of Southern Music. Impressed by what he heard, McGrath asked Andrew to allow him to place it and very shortly afterwards, the boys received an invitation from the much exalted producer Joe Meek to attend his famous studio at Holloway Road in North London.

Houston recalls today that their first impression was that they had been unceremoniously shunted into a backroom store, ankle-deep in cables, plugs and tapes. Then it occurred to them that this was the actual studio where all the famous recordings were made!

Meek was impressed with Andrew and the boys. It later emerged that although he was renowned for his pop and rock n roll productions, he harboured a secret love for country music and was delighted to have a country act on his books. However, he already had other groups signed up and, in particular, had in mind that The Outlaws could provide perfectly good backings for Andrew's voice. He broke the news to the young lead singer. He would sign up Andrew but not the group. This bombshell did not go well with Andrew who insisted that he would only record with The Coasters. The resultant compromise was that Meek would record Andrew with The Coasters but only Andrew would be under contract. Meek would pay Andrew and he would have to share his income with the band.

The second surprise was that the recordings would not be released as being backed by The Coasters as there was already a popular American group by that name. Also, it was decided that Andrew Smith did not sound much like the name of a country singer. So it was that Houston Wells And The Marksmen came into existence as a Joe Meek act!

The day that Houston signed to Meek was preserved for posterity by the photograph of Meek holding his gun on Houston, as if compelling him to sign!

Interestingly, a 45rpm copy of that original demo has recently surfaced and we are hoping that it might respond positively to some tender loving care by our mastering team with a view to one day sharing it with the public on a future release.

In The Limelight

The first single was a studio cut of the Hank Locklin hit that had formed one side of the demo disc. "This Song Is Just For You" was coupled with the Pete Willsher number "Paradise" and it was released in September 1962. The former track is included on CD1 of this set and showcases the power and range of Houstons voice. It did well in the UK and enjoyed even more success in Ireland. It served to gain them some much-needed publicity and before long the boys were sporting glitzy country style shirts made up by Pete Willsher's mum! A similar level of success was achieved by the second single, a cover of the Jerry Wallace hit "Shutters And Boards" which sported Meek's own composition "North Wind" on the flip side.

Whilst Meek's musical brilliance is unquestioned, his choice of single A sides frequently has been! "North Wind" was universally acclaimed as a great song with a superb production and bound to succeed. However, Meek chose to make it the B side, which meant that it received much less airplay. Consequently both Houston and many of his followers have always believed that they missed out on a potential hit by not having "North Wind" as an A side. You can make up your own mind as "North Wind" is featured in this compilation.

Meek chose "Only The Heartaches" as the A side of the third single, so his taste was not so bad this was the one that made Houston Wells a really hot name. A country song with a western feel, released just as the Liverpool sound was taking off, one might not have expected the song to sell but, sell it did! It went into the pop charts in the UK and Ireland and won them many major shows, TV and radio appearances and subsequently led to concert tours. More and more the boys went out on the road and demand grew for new recorded product.

To ensure that Meek had plenty of material from which to choose future releases he had the boys record numerous tracks. That way, should the tours take the group away, Meek could still ensure a constant stream of new releases for his public. He would often move the boys on to more songs during recording sessions, promising to finish them off later.

Through all this, two things became apparent that surprised and frustrated Houston. Firstly, he noticed that as the records were released, his voice often sounded higher than it actually was. Also the backings did not sound as discussed with Meek. Houston told me:

"The basic tracks would sound fine in the studio but then, when we heard them on record they didn't sound the same and my voice sounded much higher than it really was."

In fact, what Houston did not realise at the time was that many of the tapes had been speeded up after recording but before the records were mastered and pressed and frequently, the productions had not been finished as Meek had promised. With this release, you can hear many of the tracks at the speed they were recorded, with the backings remixed to reflect the original intentions of Houston and Meek. This will be the first time these mixes have ever been heard outside the studios.

Secondly, Houston received no money and pretty soon was borrowing a suit from his father and a car from a friend because he could not afford to get to gigs and recording sessions on his depleted savings!

"The contract I had with the Meek organisation stated that I was entitled to one penny for every record sold. I still have the contract! With all the records we moved, that should have come to a quid or two, however I've yet to see a penny from them!"

This gave rise to numerous rumours that Houston was taking full pay and keeping the group on the bread line!

"We were on the bread line, he says, but it wasn't my fault. I guess I was naive, it would be different if we were going through that today. I was as green as grass back then, now I've got all my buttons on!"

A third frustration that only became apparent in later years was the number of tracks recorded by Meek that never saw the light of day. Whether Meek never got around to finishing the productions or whether he had plans for later albums we will never know. Houston takes up the story:

"There were a lot of tracks that never saw release through the Meek years and it wasn't because they weren't good enough. For instance, I recall that we did "Tennessee Stud" at the request of the TV star Richard Greene, who was famous as Robin Hood. He invited us to go shooting pheasants with him at his country home and it emerged that he was a lover of horses. "Tennessee Stud" was one of his favourite songs".

"Then later I recorded the delightful "Just For Old Times Sake" with The Masters. It always frustrated me that so many tracks never came out on record. In fact, I have re-recorded "Just For Old Times Sake" for this album. "We'll Remember You" was another favourite of mine a tribute to Jim Reeves that didn't get released on record, although it did see the light of day briefly later on an early CD compilation. But there were many more and now no-one seems to know where those master tapes are. Technically, they now belong to me so if anyone knows of their whereabouts I'd be grateful to them for letting me know".

At The Top

Sales of the records blossomed, against all the trends of pop music of those times and Houston Wells & The Marksmen appeared on all the major pop TV shows and headlined their own major concerts. They also embarked on some impressive concert tours, supporting such names as The Beatles, Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash and Hank Locklin and later more tours with Locklin as well as working with Roy Orbison, The Carter Family, Lonnie Donegan, Carl Belew and again with The Carter Family.

In due course, more singles, two EPs and an album, "Western Style" followed. Today copies of that original LP album and the EPs are collectors pieces and exchange hands at high prices. Houston is amazed at the prices they sell for:

"I never realised how collectable my recordings were until a friend showed me on the Internet".

The constant pressure for concerts, tours and recordings coupled with the equally constant lack of funds placed pressures on the group and in 1964 they split. Meek immediately replaced The Marksmen with The Outlaws as he had originally wanted and Houston Wells & The Outlaws toured Ireland as well as returning to the studios to make more recordings, including "Galway Bay" and "Wild Side Of Life", which both appear on CD1 of this set and include Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore and Chas Hodges of Chas & Dave fame amongst the backing musicians. Other well-known musicians playing on Houston's sessions at different times included Canadian steel guitarist Ken Lundgren, guitarist Big Jim Sullivan - a renowned as an artiste in his own right as well as for his work with Tom Jones - and drummer Mick Underwood.

There followed a number of years during which Houston largely based himself in Ireland but toured not only the emerald isle but much further afield, working exhausting schedules across the UK, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and many other European countries as well as a tour in the USA.

During these years Houston worked with different bands. Initially there was The Masters, then in 1966 when The Masters split, Houston joined forces with The Premier Aces. With both bands, Houston enjoyed the trappings of success for the first time. They earned good money for their personal appearances and enjoyed charting records in the Irish Charts.

In 1968 Houston formed The Trident Showband, working 7 nights per week, travelling hundreds of miles on a regular basis, including once again touring with Hank Locklin.

Numerous fine recordings were made through the Irish years, sometimes returning to the UK to record for Meek but later also recording in the Emerald Isle. One track recorded during a brief visit to the Meek studios was the aforementioned "We'll Remember You" - the Reeves tribute. The song was given to Houston in the studio and he had to take it home, arrange it over night and record it the next day at 9am!. Contrary to some reports, the track was recorded with The Masters, not The Outlaws as many people assumed. Houston is particularly glad to see it included in this compilation:

"During the tour with Jim we got to know him very well and he did a lot to help us. He even invited us to tour with him in the USA, although tragically, that was never to be as he was killed in the plane crash. Although I didnt write this song, I meant every word that I sang".

The boys loved the life on the road, exhausting though it was. There were lots of crazy antics but few regrets. Perhaps one regret for Houston was missing the opportunity to shoot as a marksman in the Olympic team because the band was engaged to perform elsewhere. He did however win the West of Ireland down the line double rise Championship.

But back to the music. More fine recordings were made with both The Premier Aces and The Trident Showband. "When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again", "Hello Mary Lou" and "Above And Beyond" were good examples, the latter reaching No 4 in the Irish charts. During that period of time he also returned to England to record "Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger" and "Teach Me Little Children". Notwithstanding the success the boys achieved, with changing musical trends, it was becoming more and more tough to schedule appropriate work, the hours were crazy and members of the band began to yearn to spend more time with their families and loved ones. Thus in 1971, Houston resolved to bring the band to a close and they split amicably.

Houston decided it was time to leave the music industry and return to the outdoors. He embraced his long-held love of shooting and to replace the income from concerts, moved to County Wicklow where the family bought a logging business. They were successful at first but then fuel shortages and rising petrol prices made life really difficult and in late 1973 they closed the business.

To New Zealand

Houston decided that he would make a fresh start. He would emigrate to New Zealand. He contacted his ex-wife and obtained her blessing to take the children with him. Some rumours years later suggested that as the fans didnt know what had happened to him, Houston must have stolen his children and would therefore be wanted by Interpol!! This was not the case and Houston and the children sailed uneventfully for Auckland in December 1973, arriving down-under on 8th February 1974.

Houston promptly re-entered the logging business and for a time even returned to his other work-passion of driving earth-moving equipment! (He still gets excited at the thought of driving big machines!). He was offered operating work in various parts of the world but declined the potentially high earnings in favour of remaining with his family. They settled and built a life there and, although Houston never lost his love of country music, he no longer saw himself as a performer.

He did however continue to write songs and these were filed at first but later became part of his drive to see a new commercial CD release.

The Call Of The Boards

Although Houston keeps busy with his gym workouts, his shooting, his songwriting and his family, the call of the boards was too strong to be ignored forever. It was a series of unconnected events though that led to him reawakening the passion for singing!

On settling in New Zealand, Houston had continued with his shooting in his spare time and in 1986 was part of the New Zealand team that competed in the World Sporting Championships in Australia. Whilst there, Houston sang a few songs one evening at an informal get-together and found that, not only did he still get that same old buzz from performing, but his audience loved it too! The voice was still good and that evening awoke the seed of the performer within him.

Houston began to take an interest in the lively New Zealand country music scene and performed informally from time to time in the local country music clubs. He continued writing songs and started to build a reputation for having a good voice and singing good material! He began to attract the attention of local country music names such as singer John Hore-Grenell and producer Dave Maybee. Maybee invited Houston to record some of the songs he had been writing. Before long, Houston Wells was once again laying down tracks. Now though the pop-country sounds of the 60's
had been replaced by a more mature-sounding Houston recording some impressive contemporary country music.

By the late 1990's, Houston had built an ambition to once again seek a commercial release for some of this new repertoire of material. A couple of CD compilations from his early recordings had generated a lot of interest and shown there was a market for Houston Wells product. A friend produced a website for him and that also generated immediate interest. Eventually Houston was contacted by a couple of UK-based labels that were interested in releasing an album in due course. Those discussions continue but in the meantime, Jasmine Records have been in discussion with Houston about this project, which aims to bring up to date the story of the Houston Wells recording career.

Houston Wells Today

Houston today lives on the shores of Lake Taupo, New Zealand where he enjoys a busy life combining his family and music with his interests of shooting, mending antique clocks and keeping fit. Musically, he has ongoing inspiration from his son, Rob Smith who is an established and respected guitarist and vocalist in his own right. They often spend time together in Rob's studio, experimenting with new songs and laying down demo takes.

Houston has also recently written his first novel and is now looking for a publisher. Although a fictional story, it draws from many of Houstons experiences through the years and there is much of Houston in the main character! Even today, his love of the outdoors remains and when he is not trekking up a mountain, or haring through the bush on his mountain bike, he can often be found sitting by the lake writing songs.