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Group Members(incomplete)
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Stamps-Baxter Dixie Quartet/Stamps Dixie Quartet (1941-1942, 1946-1957?)
History
In 1941, when Gene Lowery left his Stamps-Baxter affiliated Dixie Four Quartet in Memphis, the remaining members continued their affiliation with the songbook company billed as the Stamps-Baxter Dixie Quartet. The mid-1941 lineup included Eiland Davis, Roosevelt Abner, Brown Carter, Carl Rains, and Reece Crockett. They relocated several times over a few months including stops in Tuscola, Illinois; Beaumont, Texas; and Jackson, Tennessee before wartime gasoline rationing limited their ability to travel. By early 1942, Vernon Bright had become their tenor and Herschel "Frankie" Collins was their pianist. In April, 1942, Waldo Pool joined the group. A newspaper article said that Pool, "has a car with good tires which should last a while." Pool replaced Brown Carter at baritone and Victor Bright replaced Roosevelt Abner at lead. Still, they were unable to make a living, and the group disbanded around mid-1942.
After the end of World War Two, the quartet was re-established and sang daily over KTHS radio in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Pat Lindsey, who had been the bass singer for the original Stamps-Baxter Melody Boys back in 1932, was the manager. They were billed as Pat Lindsey And His Stamps-Baxter Dixie Quartet. An early lineup included Ancil Baker, Ford Keith, Victor Bright, Pat Lindsey and Billy Grable. There were many personnel changes in 1946.
The January, 1947 issue of the Stamps Quartet News said the Dixie Quartet had left Stamps-Baxter and joined the Stamps Quartet organization. The members were Billy Grable (piano), Vernon Bright (tenor), Delmon Knight (lead), Ford Keith (baritone and manager), and Victor Bright (bass). They continued to sing on KTHS for a while.
Later in 1947, Ford Keith left to sing with the Frank Stamps All-Stars for a short time before joining the Ozark Quartet. Arlie Brumley from the Ozark Quartet reorganized the group and moved them to Evansville, Indiana. Brumley became the group’s bass singer and manager, and Victor Bright switched over to baritone, replacing Ford Keith. Reece Crockett became their pianist. The Indiana venture lasted for only a short time.
Near the end of 1947, they were back on KTHS in Hot Springs. The members were Vernon Bright, Carl Henderson, Richard Smith, Doug Jones, and Mrs. Hazel Jones on piano. Doug Jones sang bass and was the group’s manager. According to a concert ad, they sang "Western, Popular, Semi-Classical, and religious tunes. Their show also contains plenty of good hilarious comedy.” This arrangement didn’t last very long either. The June 1948 Stamps Quartet Music Company’s Souvenir Album listed Doug Jones and Richard Smith as members of the Stamps Melody Boys in Little Rock.
By the fall of 1948, the group’s leader was former member Waldo Pool, who for a short time (1943-1946) had been a part owner of the Hartford Music Company along with Odis Echols. The group was billed as Waldo Pool And The Stamps Dixie Quartet.
In 1950 Pat Lindsey was back and the group was billed as Pat Lindsey And His Dixie Quartet.
In the mid-1950s, there was a Stamps Dixie Quartet located in Houston, Texas. By 1957, what was possibly the last Stamps Dixie Quartet operated in Oklahoma; however, a Lindsey Brothers Quartet operated from Camden, Arkansas for many more years.