David Bigham (front left)
Robert Linville (back)
Ray Rush (right)
David Bigham (front left)
Robert Linville (back)
Ray Rush (right)
The group hailed from the towns of Andrews & Odessa, TX & had originally backed up Roy Orbison on his Sun recordings. Being that Roy used the Clovis studios, it was through him that they were introduced to Norman Petty & became session vocalists there for many years.
Replacing The Picks, they were used as the backing group for Buddy & The Crickets' recordings for most of 1958. They appeared on: Think It Over, Fool's Paradise, Lonesome Tears, & It's So Easy. They also did backups on JI's recordings as "Ivan" of "Real Wild Child", "Frankie Frankenstein" & "That'll Be Alright".They sang "Real Wild Child" with JI (Ivan) at the recording in 1958, and not again until the Surf Tribute in February 1999. "I forgot how that one went!" said David.
They also did late'58 recordings with The Crickets after Buddy left for New York as well as appearing on recordings with Buddy Knox, Waylon Jennings, Jimmy Bowen, Bobby Vee & many more Petty Studio recordings during 1958-1959. So many in fact that Robert & David assume they recorded approx. 150 tracks (they were recording multiple sessions per day!) and they have not been able to keep track of all of their recordings.
As "The Roses" they recorded 3 singles on the Dot label, two as Don (Lanier) & The Roses, and one as simply "The Roses", being Norman Petty's "Almost Paradise" composition.
The Roses were the only group to actually tour with Buddy & The Crickets as backup vocalists for 16 days of the fall edition of Alan Freed's Show Of Stars 1958. Near the end of that tour was the last time Robert & David saw Ray Rush. "Ray was late for EVERYTHING. The shows, when we had to leave, recording sessions...everything. We warned him that the next time we were ready to leave town, we were leaving at 9:00 sharp. A minute later & we would be gone without him. Well, 9:00 hit & no Ray around. So we left, and we never saw Ray again!" Robert muses.
Robert was drafted into the U.S. Army, David got married, and somehow the two lost touch. No attention was given to The Roses until the Clovis Music Festivals started up in the mid 80s and with each newspaper interview Robert (who helped organize the festivals) did, he mentioned how he would like to get in touch with his fellow Roses again. Finally in 1991, David Bigham's daughter read his story in an Amarillo newspaper and got the two reunited after 30+ years!
Ray Rush released a few singles under his own name and also acted as A&R man on several David Box recordings. He was supposedly to be promotions mgr. for Buddy's Prism record label, but dropped out of the company in its early stages. He stayed on in the music business & later discovered BJ Thomas and eventually setting up a label in Nashville. It was suspected for years that he had passed away, but in June of 2002, he was found to be residing in Texas.
Robert & David both kept very busy with Wal-Mart men's choir, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and organized the Clovis Music Festivals as well as help with Petty Studio tours.
In 2000 (40 years since they had last recorded), they performed their classic backups once again on CD releases by "The Shackshakers", "The Fireballs" and "Jerry Naylor". Their track "Lotta Lovin" with The Shackshakers charted overseas later that year. In December of 2000 they were inducted into The Rockabilly Hall Of Fame, and in April of 2001 performed at the Ryman Auditorium (Grand Ole Opry) in Nashville.
Robert & David last performed together with The Fireballs in Lubbock, TX
in Sept. 2001 before Robert passed away in November of 2001.
In August of 2002, David & Ray met again for the first
time since their 1958 tour.
Ray Rush resides in Southern Texas,
David Bigham is
retired and in Clovis, NM
You can write David at:
The Roses
P.O. Box 5614
Clovis, NM 88102
SONGS THEY HAVE APPEARED ON (partial list):
* Almost Paradise - The Roses
* I Kissed An Angel - The Roses
* Rock Me My Baby - The Roses
* Tease - Don (Lanier) & The Roses
* Leave Those Cats Alone - Don & The Roses
* Right Now - Don & The Roses
* Since You Went Away To School - Don & The Roses
* Don't Try To Change Me - Don & The Roses
* Sweet & Easy To Love - Roy Orbison
* Devil Doll - Roy Orbison
* Fool's Hall Of Fame - Roy Orbison
* Domino - Roy Orbison
* An Empty Cup - Roy Orbison
* It's So Easy - Buddy Holly & The Crickets
* Think It Over - Buddy Holly & The Crickets
* Fool's Paradise - Buddy Holly & The Crickets
* Lonesome Tears - Buddy Holly & The Crickets
* Someone, Someone - The Crickets
* Love's Made A Fool Of You - The Crickets
* When Sin Stops - Waylon Jennings
* Talk About My Baby - Sonny Curtis
* If I Had Known - Ken James
* Within My Heart - Ken James
* Real Wild Child - Ivan (J.I. Allison)
* Frankie Frankenstein - Ivan
* That'll Be Allright - Ivan
* Oh Babe - Jimmy Self
* I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself - Buddy Knox
* Somebody Touched Me - Buddy Knox
* To Be With You - Buddy Knox
* All For You - Buddy Knox
* Lookie, Lookie, Lookie - Ronnie Smith
* A Tiny Kiss - Ronnie Smith
* My Babe - Ronnie Smith
* I've Had It - Peanuts Wilson
* Cast Iron Arm - Peanuts Wilson
* My Heartbeat - Peanuts Wilson
* You've Got Love - Peanuts Wilson
* Whole Lotta Lovin' - Jim Robinson
* When Sin Stops - The Nighthawks
* All A Your Love - The Nighthawks
* Good Time Girl - The Nighthawks
* Queen Of Love - The Nighthawks
* Blue Baby - Wes Bryan
* I Just Want Your Love - Wes Bryan
* I'm Keeping You - Jimmy Bowen
* White Bucks - Ronnie Price
* The Hula Hoop Song - Sonny West
* Doll Britches - Sonny West
* Bessie Lee - Sonny West
* Butterfly - Bobby Vee
* Bye Bye Love- Bobby Vee
* Party Doll - Bobby Vee
* Susie Q - Bobby Vee
* Wishing - Bobby Vee
* That'll Be The Day - Bobby Vee
* Young Romance - Tommy Hancock & The Connoisseurs
* Do You Remember - Charlene Condray
* My Heart Jumped - Bobby Fuller
* Gently My Love - Bobby Fuller
* Lotta Lovin' - The Shackshakers
* Mr. Heartache - The Shackshakers
* Everybody Should Have Lived In The '50s - The Fireballs
* Most All Of The Time - The Fireballs
* Think It Over - Jerry Naylor
* Yesterday's Teardrops - Jerry Naylor
The Roses recording for the first time since 1959
with "The Shackshakers" in Lubbock, TX (2000)
