Curley Money
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Curley Money (March 20, 1925 - December 23, 2003) was an American rockabilly musician.
Born Robert Earnest Money in Haleburg, Alabama, he was the youngest in a family of six brothers and two sisters. Money became interested in music at the age of eight, when two of his older brothers started playing musical instruments. Soon Money had his own guitar and dreamed of fame as a country star. He moved to Columbus, Georgia in 1942 where he formed his own group, the Rhythm Ramblers. They toured nationwide. The group included his nephew, Comer Money, who would make several records of his own in the 1960s on his uncle's Money and Rambler labels. After a stint at WGBA Radio in Columbus, the Rhythm Ramblers had their own TV show for a while, on WRBL TV.
Money started his first record label, Rambler Records, in 1956. His first record, released in April of that year, was pure country : "Playing the Game"/ "Why Must I Cry". He went on to record such boppers as "Gonna Rock". Other favorite recordings were "Lazy Man", "Bo Jangles Rock", "Hurricane Baby" , "Little Queenie" and a version of George Jones's "White Lightning". This last one as late as 1965. For the availability of these records on reissue comps see the entry for Money on Terry Gordon's website: http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/artists/m/mone5000.htm
There is also a somewhat mysterious connection with the Sun Records label. Money's "Chain Gang Charlie" (which runs to a bare 1 minute 27 seconds) has appeared on two compilations of unissued Sun material (on Charly and Bear Family). Then there is the Phillips International single (3530) "The Frog"/"A Little Blue Bird Told Me". Credit on the label goes to "Lee Mitchell" and, in smaller print, "The Curly (sic) Money Combo". "The Frog" is a good guitar / sax instrumental in the style of "Raunchy", played by the usual Sun suspects : Billy Riley, Bill Justis, Jack Clement, Charlie Rich and Jimmy Van Eaton. "Chain Gang Charlie", "The Frog" and "A Little Bird Told Me" were all recorded on September 4, 1956. Exactly what role either Lee Mitchell or Money played in this is unclear, though Mitchell obviously is the vocalist on the B-side.
Money continued to record well into the 1970s, for the Gold Standard record label in Nashville, along with managing several local night clubs in Columbus like the locally-famous Green Valley Club located out River Road. He also maintained a day job as a radio announcer on WHYD in Columbus. Buffalo Bop issued an LP, Buffalo Bop 2003, with 12 tracks by Money in 1985. Money was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2003. http://www.rockabillyhall.com/Certificates.html Money performed at a number of dance halls between Columbus and Nashville in those days. He continued to perform in the Columbus area for several years landing his longest running gig that lasted over 15 years with the same band at the Gallops Senior Center. There he could be found entertaining some of his lifelong friends and fans and singing those hits that made him famous. Money died December 23, 2003 in Columbus, Georgia.
[edit] References
"Curley Money",Author: C.Scott Money, April 15 2007. Columbus, GA
