Biography
The enjoyable mid-'50s Ohio country and bluegrass unit known as the Country Pardners produced one of its strongest sides in the track "Another Old Dog in the Race." Guitarist and lead singer Carlos Brock formed the band after an extended stretch playing guitar and fronting Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys. His co-guitarist in the Pardners was Bill Price, whose high-school picking had already caught the ear of bluegrass leader Jimmy Martin. After finishing school, Price joined Martin and a young J.D. Crowe on banjo in what seemed a promising trio. Employment issues soon dissolved that lineup; Martin teamed with the Osborne Brothers while Price and banjoist Bobby Simpson relocated to Cincinnati. There they encountered Brock inside Jimmy Skinner's record store, the same location from which Skinner broadcast live performances. The musicians quickly assembled a new group and drew interest from both RCA Records and the publishing company owned by Grand Ole Opry figure Roy Acuff. They spent a month rehearsing at Brock's mother's house, where, Price later remembered, "She wouldn't charge us no board" and "It's good she didn't, we didn't have any money much." A new country songwriter, George Jones, offered them his composition "Why Baby Why." That number came closest to bringing the Pardners chart success, yet when they entered the studio with producer Chet Atkins the quartet learned that Red Sovine and Webb Pierce already had competing versions slated for release. The session still yielded four RCA sides, among them the aforementioned "Another Old Dog in the Race."
Brock soon entered the army. The remaining members lamented bluegrass's fading fortunes amid the rise of rock & roll and artists such as Elvis Presley, a shift that pushed each musician toward other employment. Price returned to college and entered business, while Simpson took up insurance sales. The story did not end there. With fresh management the original players pursued another attempt at a professional career, securing Opry guest spots for Price that let him blend music with his daytime work. In the late '60s he and his wife launched a booking agency that received a major lift when Bill Monroe became a client. By the '70s the couple was staging multiple large bluegrass festivals annually and had begun recording together, releasing several albums on Rural Rhythm. Price began billing himself as Bill Price & the Country Pardners. Simpson abandoned the banjo altogether and operated a bonding company in Charlotte, NC. Brock settled in Jacksonville, FL, where he raised cattle and led a weekend band alongside brothers Lonnie and Bobby Brock. Price long hoped to reassemble the original lineup for one of his festivals and, during the mid-'70s Rounder reissue of several Pardners tracks in the Early Days of Bluegrass series, offered "five dollars each no matter what shape" for surviving copies of the group's old singles. He died of liver cancer in 2001 at age 66.
Brock soon entered the army. The remaining members lamented bluegrass's fading fortunes amid the rise of rock & roll and artists such as Elvis Presley, a shift that pushed each musician toward other employment. Price returned to college and entered business, while Simpson took up insurance sales. The story did not end there. With fresh management the original players pursued another attempt at a professional career, securing Opry guest spots for Price that let him blend music with his daytime work. In the late '60s he and his wife launched a booking agency that received a major lift when Bill Monroe became a client. By the '70s the couple was staging multiple large bluegrass festivals annually and had begun recording together, releasing several albums on Rural Rhythm. Price began billing himself as Bill Price & the Country Pardners. Simpson abandoned the banjo altogether and operated a bonding company in Charlotte, NC. Brock settled in Jacksonville, FL, where he raised cattle and led a weekend band alongside brothers Lonnie and Bobby Brock. Price long hoped to reassemble the original lineup for one of his festivals and, during the mid-'70s Rounder reissue of several Pardners tracks in the Early Days of Bluegrass series, offered "five dollars each no matter what shape" for surviving copies of the group's old singles. He died of liver cancer in 2001 at age 66.