Geezinslaws
Encyclopedia
The Geezinslaw Brothers, also known as The Geezinslaws, is an Austin, Texas
-based country music comedy duo consisting of Sammy Allred and Dewayne "Son" Smith. They have been performing for more than 50 years and released numerous recordings over a 40+ year span from 1963 to 2005.
The group started as The Geezinslaw Brothers in the 1950s. They once opened for Elvis Presley
and were regulars on the Louisiana Hayride
radio show.
In 1961, Arthur Godfrey
invited them on his show, giving the duo their big break. They landed a record deal with Columbia Records
and released their debut album The Kooky World of the Geezinslaw Brothers in 1963. They moved to New York City
and changed record labels to Capitol Records
, where they recorded four more albums between 1966 and 1969. The duo made the country Top 100 three times during their stint with Capitol, but never cracked the Top 40.
The Geezinslaw Brothers made guest appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show and Jackie Gleason Show and toured with Roger Miller
and Perry Como
. They became regulars on Ralph Emery's
radio program Pop! Goes the Country
. In 1986, they appeared on Nashville Now
, another show hosted by Ralph Emery.
The Geezinslaw Brothers released only one album each decade in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1979, they released an album for Willie Nelson's
Short Lived Lone Star Label titled "If You Think I'm Crazy Now..." In 1989, the band, now calling themselves just The Geezinslaws, released a self-titled album on the Step One label.
In 1993, the group received the National Association of Record Merchandisers "Indie Best Seller Award" for their recording, Feelin' Good, Gittin' Up, Gittin' Down. This album also gave them their first chart single in over two decades with "Help, I"m White and I Can't Get Down."
The group has appeared on Austin City Limits
three times. The Austin Music Awards inducted The Geezinslaws into its Hall of Fame for 2005.
The Geezinslaws latest release, Eclectic Horsemen (2005), has guest performances by Willie Nelson
, Kinky Friedman
and Kelly Willis
.
Sammy Allred also worked in radio on and off for over forty years, much of the time as a radio personality
on KVET
in Austin. He is a member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame and won the Country Music Association
Personality of the Year Award in 2006 and 2007 and the Billboard
Personality of the Year Award in 1971 and 1997.
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
-based country music comedy duo consisting of Sammy Allred and Dewayne "Son" Smith. They have been performing for more than 50 years and released numerous recordings over a 40+ year span from 1963 to 2005.
The group started as The Geezinslaw Brothers in the 1950s. They once opened for Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and were regulars on the Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American music...
radio show.
In 1961, Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
invited them on his show, giving the duo their big break. They landed a record deal with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
and released their debut album The Kooky World of the Geezinslaw Brothers in 1963. They moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and changed record labels to Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, where they recorded four more albums between 1966 and 1969. The duo made the country Top 100 three times during their stint with Capitol, but never cracked the Top 40.
The Geezinslaw Brothers made guest appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show and Jackie Gleason Show and toured with Roger Miller
Roger Miller
Roger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
and Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
. They became regulars on Ralph Emery's
Ralph Emery
Walter Ralph Emery is a country music disc jockey and television host from Nashville, Tennessee. He gained national fame hosting the syndicated television music series, Pop! Goes the Country, from 1974 to 1980 and the nightly Nashville Network television program, Nashville Now, from 1983 to 1993...
radio program Pop! Goes the Country
Pop! Goes the Country
Pop! Goes the Country was a weekly half-hour syndicated variety country music television series between September 7, 1974 and January 1, 1982 for a total of 234 episodes...
. In 1986, they appeared on Nashville Now
Nashville Now
Nashville Now is a television talk show that focused on country music performers. It aired live weeknights on The Nashville Network from 1983-1993. The host was Nashville TV/radio personality Ralph Emery. The show won several Emmy awards during its run. A frequent guest and substitute host was...
, another show hosted by Ralph Emery.
The Geezinslaw Brothers released only one album each decade in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1979, they released an album for Willie Nelson's
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
Short Lived Lone Star Label titled "If You Think I'm Crazy Now..." In 1989, the band, now calling themselves just The Geezinslaws, released a self-titled album on the Step One label.
In 1993, the group received the National Association of Record Merchandisers "Indie Best Seller Award" for their recording, Feelin' Good, Gittin' Up, Gittin' Down. This album also gave them their first chart single in over two decades with "Help, I"m White and I Can't Get Down."
The group has appeared on Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits is an American public television music program recorded live in Austin, Texas by Public Broadcasting Service Public television member station KLRU, and broadcast on many PBS stations around the United States...
three times. The Austin Music Awards inducted The Geezinslaws into its Hall of Fame for 2005.
The Geezinslaws latest release, Eclectic Horsemen (2005), has guest performances by Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Kinky Friedman
Kinky Friedman
Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman is an American Texas Country singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and former columnist for Texas Monthly who styles himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain. He was one of two independent candidates in the 2006 election...
and Kelly Willis
Kelly Willis
Kelly Willis is an American country music singer-songwriter, whose music has been described as contemporary country, alternative country and new traditionalist.-Early life:...
.
Sammy Allred also worked in radio on and off for over forty years, much of the time as a radio personality
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
on KVET
KVET-FM
KVET-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station operating a Country format. It is licensed to Austin, Texas with an ERP of 49,800 watts from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, TX, and is owned by Clear Channel Radio....
in Austin. He is a member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame and won the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
Personality of the Year Award in 2006 and 2007 and the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Personality of the Year Award in 1971 and 1997.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | The Kooky World of the Geezinslaw Brothers | Columbia | |
| 1966 | Can You Believe...The Geezinslaw Brothers! | 33 | Capitol |
| 1967 | My Dirty Lowdown Rotten Cotton-Pickin' Little Darlin | 36 | |
| 1968 | The Geezinslaw Brothers & "Chubby" | 29 | |
| 1969 | The Geesinslaws Are Alive (And Well) | ||
| 1979 | If You Think I'm Crazy Now... | Lonestar | |
| 1989 | The Geezinslaws | Step One | |
| 1990 | World Tour | ||
| 1992 | Feelin' Good, Gittin' Up, Gittin' Down | ||
| 1994 | Wish I Had a Job to Shove | Rock Bottom | |
| 1996 | Blah, Blah, Blah | Step One | |
| 2005 | Eclectic Horsemen | The Geezinslaws |
Singles
| Year | Single | US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | "You Wouldn't Put the Shuck on Me" | 66 | Can You Believe…The Geezinslaw Brothers! |
| 1967 | "Change of Wife" | 57 | My Dirty, Lowdown, Rotten, Cotton-Pickin' Little Darlin |
| "Chubby (Please Take Your Love to Town)" | 48 | The Geezinslaw Brothers & "Chubby" | |
| 1992 | "Help, I'm White and I Can't Get Down" | 56 | Feelin' Good, Gittin' Up, Gittin' Down |
Music videos
| Year | Video |
|---|---|
| 1992 | "Help, I'm White and I Can't Get Down" |