RARE TULSA LEON RUSSELL DAVID GATES 1963 45 COUNTRY BOYS "OKIE SURFER" WLP DELFI

$

49

Once Tulsa friends Russell Bridges (who would become "Leon Russell") and David Gates finally got settled in L.A. in the early 60s, they formed a short-lived production company in which they shared fees and royalties made from the music they wrote and the records they made together and individually. One of these records by Leon and David in 1963, made during the height of the California "surf sound," was a parody about a surfer from Oklahoma (joke!). I've only seen a few of these 45s in the 50+ years I've been collecting, and I've never seen a commercial copy. Thus, was it ever released? The A-side song, "Okie Surfer," has been posted on YouTube, the B-side song, "Blue Surf," has not, but it is a pretty good surf-guitar instrumental. The record has been played, and there are a few very, very light rubs or brushes (NOT scratches), but you really have to look for them, and none can be felt to the touch. I would have no problem calling the vinyl on both sides VG++. There is light wear on the A-side label (which tells me the B-side was probably played more), so I'll also call it VG++; the B-side label is M-.

You can learn more about Russell (Leon) and David, and the Tulsa bands they played in from my book, "Tulsa Bands and Musicians, 1955-1975," also listed on my eBay site.

I will be listing more Oklahoma garage, rockabilly, and teen 45s through the summer skipping the weeks I will be on vacation.

PLEASE contact me if you want a type of domestic shipping other than “Media Mail.” If you win more than one item, please wait for me to send an invoice with a combined, domestic shipping rate. I do not, however, carry items over to future auctions for the purpose of combined shipping. I ship outside the U.S. only through “FEDEX Global Express Guaranteed,” which will include a global tracking number and a signature requirement from the buyer. Buyers outside the U.S. should wait for my invoice with both the Global Express Guaranteed shipping charges as well as the winning-bid price; I will not ship until both are paid. I reserve the right to refuse to ship to certain countries, like Greece and Italy. I accept returns only if there was an error in the description of the item. I must be notified of the return within 14 days of Buyer’s receipt of the item, and it must be the same item I shipped and returned undamaged. PLEASE EMAIL ME PRIOR TO BIDDING WITH ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THE ITEM OR SHIPPING.

PLEASE NOTE MY VISUAL RECORD GRADING SCALE:

SS (Still Sealed): Unopened, still in original shrink-wrap in original condition unless noted differently.

Mint: I do not use this grade.

NM or M- (Near Mint or Mint Minus): Almost as produced except for superficial things like paper sleeve rubs or light handling. Label will have full gloss and color as produced.

VG++ (Very Good Plus-Plus): A well-cared-for record, but the vinyl will display a few noticeable imperfections such as a few light marks or scuffs that cannot be felt to the touch. Label will also have some color and/or gloss fading or light wear; any other distractions will be noted in the label description.

VG+ (Very Good Plus): Still a well-cared-for record, vinyl has a few more noticeable imperfections than VG++ that cannot be felt to the touch. May display some original gloss. Label can show some, but not large, areas of wear; any other distractions will be noted in the label description. NOTE: this is still a very acceptable grade for most collectors.

VG (Very Good): A used but still reasonable copy. Vinyl will have several moderate and/or one or two major flaws such as scratches that can be felt to the touch, but the record will play through with some ticks and possibly other surface noise, nothing that overwhelms the sound. Label gloss may be completely gone, color fading, moderate wear, any other distractions will be noted in the label description.

VG- (Very Good Minus): Vinyl will have some major imperfections along with visible groove wear but will still play through. Label will have heavy wear, no gloss, color faded, any other distractions will be noted in the label description.

FR/PR (Fair/Poor):  A record with major problem(s). I usually do not list records in these grades unless it is a very scarce/rare record that is highly sought-after. Such a record’s condition, along with its flaws, will be described in detail.