Lefty Frizzell ~ She Found the Key

Lefty Frizzell (born 3/31/1928) was a honky-tonk singer, who set the style for generations of vocalists that followed him. Frizzell smoothed out the rough edges of honky-tonk, giving it a contemporary sound. Lefty began singing professionally as a teenager, landing a spot on KELD in El Dorado, Arkansas. He spent his teenage years singing on radio programs, in nightclubs, for dances, and in talent contests. By 1950, he had landed a gig at the Texas club Ace of Clubs. Lefty came to the attention of Jim Beck, the owner of a recording studio, making landmark recordings in Dallas. Beck had many connections within the publishing industry. Jim built all of his equipment from scratch and was leading the way for the recording industry at the time. Impressed with Frizzell’s performance, he arranged a demo session for Lefty (4/1950). Frizzell cut several original songs, including, “If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time,” which Beck took to Nashville and tried to pitch the song to Little Jimmy Dickens, but Dickens declined it. Columbia record producer Don Law heard Lefty perform on stage and signed him to a Columbia contract (1950). Lefty’s debut single, “If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time” shot to the top of the chart and Lefty followed-up with “I Love You a Thousand Ways. Frizzell was working with a core group of Dallas-based studio musicians. In early-1951, he formed the Western Cherokees, led by Blackie Crawford, which was his primary band for both live and recording …
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