The Country Playboys
My Dad, Gene Holder (2nd from the left), was in a band near Poughkeepsie, New York back in the late 1950's called "The Country Playboys". He played the accordion and was a vocalist. On the side-bar are links to 8 recordings that were made around 1957 on reel-to-reel magnetic tape that I had converted* to digital media. Dad is the lead vocalist for: "It's a Lovely, Lovely World" and "You Two-Timed Me". The vocals are not stellar, but the band has a pretty nice sound. I do not know the names of the other band members. If anyone knows them, please shoot me a message on my Contact page. I also cannot find any information on the last track "Your Love is Dying". I would also appreciate any information regarding composers or performers of this song.
Short Biography [Legalese - The following is history as handed down from Dad. No claim is made to the veracity of details.]
Dad played weekly on television in New York City, performed with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans at one of the State fairs, performed at Carnegie Hall, and he co-authored the song "A Bushel and a Peck". His version was a good bit different from the one that was a hit for Frank Loesser from the musical "Guys and Dolls". Dad said the song was stolen from them by Loesser. They pursued a lawsuit, but their lawyer and Loesser's lawyer turned out to be college roommates and the suit fizzled.
The Pancordion brand instrument pictured was given to Dad by Senator Franklin Roosevelt Jr. after his was stolen while living and performing in Arizona. My Dad's mom, Madeline Holder, was a cook for Mr. Roosevelt and was upset when it was stolen. Mr. Roosevelt asked what was the matter and said, "Perhaps it will turn out alright." He then had the accordion shipped to my dad as a Christmas Eve surprise.
From Entertainer to Minister
At some point, Dad started seeking something more than the worldly path he had been on. He studied with eight or more different kinds of churches before he found a preacher (Tom Byers) and a group that lined up with what he was reading in the Bible. He felt he had to quit his band, mainly due to the sorts of places they had been performing. He became a preacher for many years, but he still played the accordion whenever he had the chance. If you visited our home, you might just find yourself on the couch with him giving you a performance as if he were playing for an audience of five hundred. He loved to perform and entertain. He was later a founding member of the Alabama Accordionist Association. For early meetings of the club, he would show up and walk in the building with the instrument slung over his shoulder like a rucksack. The transport case had fallen apart years earlier, he was up in years, his accordion straps were getting ragged, the bellows had developed some holes, and he lacked funds for the repairs. Someone from the club noted what a picture that presented of his love for the instrument.
There are two other things I will always remember about Dad. First, he was always faithful to visit people who were sick at home, in the hospital, or in a nursing home. Second, he was a good and gentle husband to my Mom, Virginia. I think I only heard a single agitated retort my whole life.
* Special thanks to Kevan Moore for doing the tape to digital conversion