New Additions: The Ray Fuller Band album (1978)

When considering the Columbus music scene over the past forty years, Ray Fuller was not a name that jumped immediately to mind. But in talking with musicians for this project, it became apparent that Fuller plays an important part in the evolution of the music scene, more so in the 70s and 80s than the more recent years. With that, I picked up his first record, the only one under the name The Ray Fuller Band, released on Blue Ash Records in 1978, a collection of well-done blues standards that show that rawer edge that would get smoothed out over the years.

Know Yer Artist: Ray Fuller

Artist: Ray Fuller

Bands
The Ray Fuller Band
Ray Fuller And The Bluesrockers

Releases
1978 - The Ray Fuller Band album (Blue Ash Records)
1984 - Somethin' Shakin w/The Bluesrockers album (Midnight Records)
1987 - Damn Guitars w/The Bluesrockers album (Oahu Records)
1992 - Live w/The Bluesrockers album (Oahu Records)
1997 - Pearlene w/The Bluesrockers album (Oahu Records)
1999 - Twist Of Fate album (Oahu Records)
2004 - "Live" Rockin The Blues w/The Bluesrockers album (Not On Label)
2011 - Piece Of Work w/The Bluesrockers album (Azuretone Records)
2014 - Live At Buddy Guy's Legends w/The Bluesrockers album (Azuretone Records)
2016 - Long Black Train w/The Bluesrockers album (Azuretone Records)
2019 - Pay The Price w/The The Bluesrockers album (Azuretone Records)

New Additions: She Don't Tell Secrets seven inch single by The Guise

Sometimes in the many hours of crate-digging at various record stores across town, stumbling upon one unknown record in a local bin opens up a rabbit hole of information. That's the case with, from what I've figured out so far, the only release by The Guise from 1983 on Doubletree Records that I found at Magnolia Thunderpussy a few months back. Turns out Doubletree was a second sub-label of Kingsmill Studio, which released nearly a hundred records on the main Blue Ash Records in the 1970s and 80s. The Guise also appeared on Volume 3 of the Q-FM Hometown Series with a song called "You Don't Have To Cry," a track similar to their power-pop style on this single.

Blue Ash Records and Kingsmill Recording Studio

Blue Ash Records was a Columbus based recording label that existed for about ten years, from the early 1970s to the early 1980s with about fifty releases. Digging up information on the label has been difficult, to say the least. Discogs says they were the in-house label of Kingsmill Recording Studio, which itself has little information available. There's an entry at 45rpmrecords, but with even less info. The usually reliable BuckeyeBeat.com has no info, and much of the search results on Google end up with Blue Ash, Ohio, the city outside Cincinnati.

So, if you're reading this, and have any info on Blue Ash Records and/or Kingsmill Recording Studio, feel free to reach out.

New Additions: Pure Jam 1976 Self-Titled Album

Tracking down the only record from Pure Jam, the 1976 self-titled release on Blue Ash Records, became a bit of a game. Both of the singles contained songs on the album, so acquiring them would only be a stop-gap solution. As the album regularly sells in the mid-thirty dollar range, with current copies around fifty, that wasn't sound budgeting. Luckily, keeping a regular eye on eBay paid off, as a copy popped up for a much more affordable price, and I was able to check out the interesting combo '70s power pop with touches of psychedelia and soul.

Know Yer Band: Pure Jam

Band: Pure Jam

Members
Vocals/Percussion - Joe Mellencamp
Guitar/Vocals - Glenn Dalton
Keys/Guitar/Vocals - Eric Austin
Bass/Vocals - Bentley Austin
Drums/Percussion/Vocals - Craig Austin

Releases
1975 - Between The Lines/See Your Around 7" single (Blue Ash Records)
1976 - Taxi Dancer/Lady Liberty 7" single (Blue Ash Records)
1976 - Pure Jam album (Blue Ash Records)
Unknown - Howard Johnson's Moon 7" single (Pizza)