HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Light Crust Doughboys

Light Crust Doughboys 1936

The Light Crust Doughboys were a western swing band originally formed to advertise Light Crust Flour on radio KFJZ in 1931. Milton Brown (vocals) and brother, Derwood Brown (guitar), had first gotten together with Bob Wills (fiddle) and Herman Arnspiger (guitar) in 1930 to form the Wills Fiddle Band. Touring the Dallas-Fort Worth region with medicine shows, they found employment at WBAP for the Aladdin Lamp Company as the Aladdin Laddies. Moving over to Radio KFJZ, they became the Light Crust Doughboys per above, but made their first recordings as the Fort Worth Doughboys with Arnspiger replaced by Sleepy Johnson. Tony Russell's 'Country Music Records' (CMR) has the Fort Worth Doughboys in Dallas on February 9, 1932, to lay out 'Nancy Jane' and 'Sunbonnet Sue' toward Victor 23653. Those saw release in March of 1932 per 45Worlds.

'Nancy Jane' Fort Worth Doughboys

9 Feb 1932 at the Jefferson Hotel in Ft. Worth Matrix BVE-70670-1 Victor 23653

Guitar: Derwood Brown / Clifton "Sleepy" Johnson

Fiddle: Bob Wills Vocal: Milton Brown

Composition: Milton Brown

'Sunbonnet Sue' Fort Worth Doughboys

9 Feb 1932 at the Jefferson Hotel in Ft. Worth Matrix BVE-70671-1 Victor 23653

Guitar: Derwood Brown / Clifton "Sleepy" Johnson

Fiddle: Bob Wills Vocal: Milton Brown

Composition: Milton Brown

Both Derwood and Milton left the Doughboys in 1932 to form the Musical Brownies. He was replaced by vocalist, Tommy Duncan, until he left in 1933 with Wills to form the Playboys in Waco, soon to become the Texas Playboys. The first session by the Light Crust Doughboys proper followed later on October 10, 1933 in Chicago, that led by W. Lee O'Daniel with Arnspiger and Johnson joined by Clifford Gross (fiddle), Leon McAuliffe (steel), Leon Huff (guitar) and Ramon DeArman on upright bass. Resulting from that session were such as the LCD's first two titles, 'Beautiful Texas' and 'Blue Bonnet Waltz', issued on Vocalion 02621.

'Beautiful Texas' W. Lee O'Daniel & the Light Crust Doughboys

10 Oct 1933 at the Furniture Mart Building in Chicago

Matrix C 621-1-2 Vocalion 02621

Guitar: Herman Arnspiger (lead) / Leon Huff (rhythm / vocal)

Banjo / fiddle: Clifton "Sleepy" Johnson Fiddle: Clifford Gross

Steel guitar: Leon McAuliffe Bass: Ramon DeArman

Composition: W. Lee O'Daniel

Major among personnel changes to come was Johnson getting replaced on banjo by Doc Eastwood by the time of their April 22, 1935, session in Ft. Worth for 'Milenberg Joys', 'Prairie Lullaby' and 'Carry Me Back to the Lone Prairie' on Vocalion. Marvin Smokey Montgomery then replaced Eastwood by the time of their April 4, 1936, session in Fort Worth yielding 'I'm a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas' and 'I Like Bananas (Because They Have No Bones)' for Vocalion.

'Oh! Susanna' w 'Tiger Rag' Light Crust Doughboys Film

From the film 'Oh Susanna!' directed by Joseph Kane Released 19 Aug 1936

Matrix C 621-1-2 Vocalion 02621

Guitar: Dick Reinhart / Muryel Campbell

Banjo: Marvin Smokey Montgomery Fiddle: Clifford Gross if not Kenneth Pitts

Steel guitar: Leon McAuliffe Bass: Bert Dodson

'Oh! Susanna': Steven Foster 1847

'Tiger Rag': Original Dixieland Jass Band 1917

'Dusky Stevedore' Light Crust Doughboys

12 June 1937 at the Brunswick Warehouse in Dallas Matrix DAL 272-1 Vocalion 03867

Guitar: Dick Reinhart (vocal) / Muryel Campbell

Banjo: Marvin Smokey Montgomery Fiddle: Clifford Gross / Kenneth Pitts

Piano: John "Knocky" Parker Bass: Ramon DeArman (vocal)

Composition: J.C. Johnson

'Baby, Give Me Some of That' Light Crust Doughboys

30 Nov 1938 in Dallas Matrix DAL 644-1 Vocalion 04638 / Conqueror 9195

Guitar: Dick Reinhart / Muryel Campbell

Banjo: Marvin Smokey Montgomery Fiddle: Kenneth Pitts / Buck Buchanan

Piano: John "Knocky" Parker Bass: Ramon DeArman Vocal: Jim Boyd

Composition: Marvin Montgomery

'Beer Drinkin' Mama' Light Crust Doughboys

15 June 1939 in Dallas Matrix DAL 831-3 Vocalion 05201

Guitar: Dick Reinhart / Muryel Campbell

Banjo: Marvin Smokey Montgomery Fiddle: Kenneth Pitts / Cecil Bower

Piano: John "Knocky" Parker Steel guitar / vocal: Jim Boyd Bass: Ramon DeArman

Composition: Marvin Montgomery

'Green Valley Trot' Light Crust Doughboys

24 Nov 1939 in Saginaw TX Matrix 25594-1 Vocalion 05357 / Conqueror 9410

Guitar: Dick Reinhart / Muryel Campbell

Banjo: Marvin Smokey Montgomery Fiddle: Kenneth Pitts / Cecil Bower

Piano: John "Knocky" Parker

Steel guitar / vocal: Jim Boyd Bass / vocal: Ramon DeArman

Composition: Joe Ferguson

'Rainbow' Light Crust Doughboys

24 April 1940 at the Burrus Sawmill Studio in Fort Worth

DAL 1056-2 OKeh 05610

Guitar: Leroy Millican / Paul Waggoner

Banjo: Marvin Smokey Montgomery Fiddle: Cecil Bower

Piano: Babe Wright Bass: Joe Ferguson

Composition: Alfred Bryan / Percy Wenrich

'Cripple Creek' Light Crust Doughboys

26 April 1940 at the Burrus Sawmill Studio in Fort Worth

DAL 1073-1 OKeh 05653

Guitar: Leroy Millican / Paul Waggoner

Banjo: Marvin Smokey Montgomery Fiddle: Cecil Bower

Piano: Babe Wright Bass: Parker Wilson / Joe Ferguson

Vocals: Kenneth Pitts / Ramon DeArman / Wilson / Ferguson

Composition: Kenneth Pitts

'Little Honky Tonk Headache' Light Crust Doughboys

26 April 1940 at the Burrus Sawmill Studio in Fort Worth

DAL 1074-2 OKeh 05752

Guitar: Leroy Millican / Paul Waggoner

Banjo: Marvin Smokey Montgomery Fiddle: Cecil Bower

Piano: Babe Wright Bass: Parker Wilson / Joe Ferguson

Vocals: Kenneth Pitts / Ramon DeArman / Wilson / Ferguson

Composition: Marvin Montgomery

Another significant shift in personnel arrived when Jack Perry (Mel Cox) assumed lead vocals and fiddle for a session in Dallas in September 1947, Wilson Lefty Perkins also joining the group at electric guitar and steel for such as 'Oh My Aching Back' and 'Oklahoma Waltz' released on King 713. Other titles were issued variously, several not until 1959 on the LP, 'The Light Crust Doughboys' (Audio Lab 1525).

Praguefrank's has the Doughboys' last session with Montgomery on an unknown date in latter 1947 or early 1948 in Dallas with Montgomery, Perry and Perkins joined by Carroll Hubbard (fiddle) and Red Kidwell (bass) to string along 'Honolulu Lou', 'Starlight Waltz' and 'Billy Goat Rag', those also issued in 1959 on Audio Lab 1525. Other titles from that session went unissued: 'Tears in My Heart', 'I've Cried My Last Tears Over You', 'I'm Moving You Right Out of My Heart' and 'I'd Never Cry Again'.

'Starlight Waltz'

Jack Perry and his Light Crust Doughboys aka Mel Cox and his Flying X Ranch Boys

C Jan 1948 in Dallas

DAL 1074-2 OKeh 05752

Guitar: Leroy Millican / Paul Waggoner

Guitar: Marvin Smokey Montgomery Fiddle: Mel Cox (Perry) / Carroll Hubbard

Steel guitar: Wilson “Lefty” Perkins Bass: Red Kidwell

Vocal: Mel Cox

Composition: Mel Cox

Montgomery resurrected the Doughboys in 1969 with a whole different crew, recording 'We're The Light Crust Doughboys from Burrus Mill' released on Doughboy 1001. He carried forth the LCD legend until his death on June 6, 2001, of leukemia. By that time gospel had become an important portion of the group's repertoire.

The Doughboys yet perform to this day under the leadership of Art Greenhaw, LCD bassist and manager since 1993. As of this writing their most recent configuration consists of Dion Pride (son of Charley Pride on vocals, guitar and keyboards) joined by Jim Baker at fiddle and banjo, Marek Eneti on fiddle, Art Greenhaw at bass and Randy Wills (descendent of Bob Wills on keyboards and bass). They've released 'God's Silver Soldiers' (Art Greenhaw Records 2013) as recently as 2016.