"It's been a pleasure flagging up all these different artistes. They deserved a decent send-off. As does TIMJ, so no histrionics from me. RIP will continue until September 25th. I hope to eventually find a platform on which to relaunch this idea. Best wishes to all."
Owens Boomer Castleman was born on July 18th 1945 in Farmers Branch, Texas, USA. He moved to Los Angeles in his teens, and was a regular at Randy Sparks' "Ledbetters" folk club, alongside leading lights such as John Denver. His first slight taste of success came under the pseudonym 'Boomer Clarke', when he paired up with Michael Martin Murphey in the 1960s pop group 'The Lewis & Clarke Expedition'.
They recorded a 'pop' album in 1967 for 'Colgems', the label on which 'The Monkees' first appeared. Michael Nesmith – a native of Dallas - is said to have been influential in securing the group a contract through his musical contacts, having once played with Castleman in a band called 'The Survivors'.
However, following the demise of that band, he went forth as a solo artist, moving to Nashville and becoming a "one-hit wonder" in 1975, hitting the US charts at No. 33 with the single "Judy Mae" (featured in this Jam). In a similar vein, his later records included "Hot Day In The South", and in 1977, he produced the transatlantic hit "Telephone Man" for Meri Wilson. In the late 1970s, he briefly took on a Fifties 'rock 'n' roll' style, aimed primarily at the UK market.
Castleman was also the inventor of the "palm pedal", a device which allows guitar players to execute 'pedal steel'-style string bends. He made his original prototype in 1968, and the device now goes under the name the "Bigsby Palm Pedal" (the original patent had expired, allowing other vendors to market similar devices). He also founded the independent country music record label 'BNA Records', which he later sold to 'BMG Music'.
6 Comments (since 10 Sep 2015)
rest_in_peace
"It's been a pleasure flagging up all these different artistes. They deserved a decent send-off. As does TIMJ, so no histrionics from me. RIP will continue until September 25th. I hope to eventually find a platform on which to relaunch this idea. Best wishes to all."
rest_in_peace
Owens Boomer Castleman was born on July 18th 1945 in Farmers Branch, Texas, USA. He moved to Los Angeles in his teens, and was a regular at Randy Sparks' "Ledbetters" folk club, alongside leading lights such as John Denver. His first slight taste of success came under the pseudonym 'Boomer Clarke', when he paired up with Michael Martin Murphey in the 1960s pop group 'The Lewis & Clarke Expedition'.
rest_in_peace
They recorded a 'pop' album in 1967 for 'Colgems', the label on which 'The Monkees' first appeared. Michael Nesmith – a native of Dallas - is said to have been influential in securing the group a contract through his musical contacts, having once played with Castleman in a band called 'The Survivors'.
rest_in_peace
However, following the demise of that band, he went forth as a solo artist, moving to Nashville and becoming a "one-hit wonder" in 1975, hitting the US charts at No. 33 with the single "Judy Mae" (featured in this Jam). In a similar vein, his later records included "Hot Day In The South", and in 1977, he produced the transatlantic hit "Telephone Man" for Meri Wilson. In the late 1970s, he briefly took on a Fifties 'rock 'n' roll' style, aimed primarily at the UK market.
rest_in_peace
Castleman was also the inventor of the "palm pedal", a device which allows guitar players to execute 'pedal steel'-style string bends. He made his original prototype in 1968, and the device now goes under the name the "Bigsby Palm Pedal" (the original patent had expired, allowing other vendors to market similar devices). He also founded the independent country music record label 'BNA Records', which he later sold to 'BMG Music'.
rest_in_peace
Boomer Castleman died from cancer in Nashville on September 1st 2015, aged 70. He is survived by his two daughters. http://www.thedailybanner.com/nashville-mourns-boomer-castleman/