Mickey Barnett is one of the handful of "cheapie label" artists to get credited under his own name, and to gain name recognition among music fans as a result... An accomplished singer, instrumentalist and producer, Barnett first broke into the music business in 1963, when his single "Just A Memory" generated some buzz, and he worked steadily for decades to come. Though top forty fame eluded him, Barnett landed a solid longterm gig as a house musician for Pickwick Records, recording over a dozen albums for the label, while anonymously backing other musicians in a variety of styles, including a lot of country stuff. He was also involved with (or led) a Pickwick "band" called Country Road, which recorded a few albums, noted below. Barnett eventually set up his own studio, where he produced numerous custom-label recordings while also keeping up his own career as a live performer. Here's a quick look at his work...
Mickey Barnett "Country Hits" (Little Giant Records, 1965) (LP)
Mickey Barnett "...Sings The Hits Of Johnny Cash" (Hilltop Records, 1966) (LP)
Mickey Barnett "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (Pickwick Records, 1967) (LP)
More of a folk-pop covers album. The sentiment is nice, but they did consistently misspell Art Garfunkel's last name... which, actually, is kind of a nice touch.
Mickey Barnett (And Country Road) "Folsom Prison Blues" (Design Records, 1967) (LP)
Mickey Barnett "Rainy Night In Georgia" (Design Records, 1967) (LP)
Mickey Barnett "Galveston" (Design Records, 1968) (LP)
Mickey Barnett "Orange Blossom Special" (Design Records, 1968) (LP)
Mickey Barnett & The Sunflowers "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" (Design Records, 1968) (LP)
Mickey Barnett "Let It Be" (Pickwick Records, 1970) (LP)
Mickey Barnett "Sings 18 Yellow Roses" (Little Giant Records/Pickwick International, 1976) (LP)
Budget label singer Mickey Barnett recorded several el cheapo specials for labels such as Design and Hilltop, though oddly enough this one seems like it was kind of a real album, with original material, a visible release date and an actual single released off the album(!) Pickwick even assigned this to a private custom imprint... what was up with that? Well, I guess somebody thought that Barnett had paid enough dues to merit the deluxe treatment...
Mickey Barnett "Villa Roma" (Killer Records, 1979) (LP)
Mickey Barnett "By Request" (Killer Records, 1985) (LP)
Mickey Barnett "On Stage" (Little Giant Records, 1995) (LP)
Mickey Barnett/Various Artists "Country Favorites With Old Friends" (Little Giant Records, 1998) (LP)
Mickey Barnett "Love's Ups And Downs" (Little Giant Records, 2000) (LP)
Mickey Barnett "All Aboard" (CPS Records, 2002) (LP)
Mickey Barnett & The Wranglers (ABS Records, 1963) (#JS-2112) (7")
A: "I'm Sorry I Cheated On You" (c: Mickey Barnett)
B: "Just A Memory" (c: Mickey Barnett)
(Producer not identified)
Mickey Barnett (Little Giant Records, 1968) (# 121767-1) (7")
A: "Don't You Believe Her" (c: Nat Stuckey)
B: "Gone" (c: Smokey Rogers)
(Producer not identified)
Mickey Barnett (Down Yonder Records, 1974) (#DY-002) (7")
A: "Keep Your Cotton Picking Hands Off My Gin" (c: Bobby Stevenson)
B: "I Keep Thinking To Myself" (c: Clyde Otis)
(Produced by Clyde Otis)
Mickey Barnett (Down Yonder Records, 1975) (#DY-004) (7")
A: "The Loneliest, Heartbreakin'est Town (In The Whole U.S.A.)" (c: Clyde Otis, Burton & Kelly)
B: "Lord You Know How Men Are" (c: Clyde Otis)
(Produced by Clyde Otis)
Mickey Barnett (Little Giant Records, 1976) (# S-121767-2) (7")
A: "Now That You're Gone" (c: Mickey Barnett)
B: "Miss Tully's Bar" (c: Barnett & Lake)
(Produced by Mickey Barnett & Bob Wood)
Mickey Barnett (Little Giant Records, 1977) (#S-121767-4) (7")
A: "Mama's Side Of The Bed" (c: Ray Dahrouge)
B: "Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right" (c: Mickey Barnett)
(Produced by Mickey Barnett & Bob Wood)
