Chandos McRill

Born in Missouri, McRill began playing the guitar purchased for him by his parents while he was young. Mrs McRill intimated that Chandos' interest in music emerged early on in his life. After becoming proficient on standard guitar, he would soon be found accompanying his mother, regularly singing and playing at church meetings. His penchant for country music grew as well. Much of his teen years were spent listening to The Grand Ole Opry, broadcast over the airwaves on WSM. At some point, Chandos formed the Perryville Melody Boys and in 1957 cut his first record. Mrs McRill recalls that Chandos played rhythm guitar with the Perryville Melody Boys and their debut recordings were made at a local radio station. The line-up of the group is uncertain, but may have included Chandos' songwriting partner Elmer La Homme. Chandos and his group remained local luminaries until the decision was made to travel the hard road to Nashville and fame. Some time after January 1959, Chandos and the band trekked east to Nashville. Soon after arriving they were offered a spot on the Ernest Tubb Jamboree, broadcast from Tubb's record shop each Saturday morning from 10:30 to 11:00. Not surprisingly, Chandos befriended the Texan honky-tonker while in Nashville who, according to Mrs. McRill, extended “…a standing invitation to return with his band to play on [his] Friday or Saturday night jamboree radio shows". Undoubtedly, Chandos was tempted. The rest of his band proved to be the voice of reason, though, deciding that to remain in Nashville without any money was fraught with misfortune. Grudgingly, Chandos made the trip back home to Perryville, leaving behind his dream of singing on the Opry. He was disappointed. However, the disappointment was short-lived. A few months later he returned to the same radio station studio in Perryville where he cut his first Stardust record, to lay down sides for his second and final release. The Perryville Melody Boys were in tow, but re-christened The Excellons, a more dynamic sobriquet to match a newly refined sound. The session kicked off with Chandos' self-penned Poor Me. On the surface, this song may have been a reflection on Chandos' recent ill-fated foray to Nashville. Listening to the record suggests a far deeper, morose meaning. Not only that, Poor Me proved to be unbridled rockabilly and Chandos clearly had a firm grasp on the genre. For the flip, the group cut loose on a rousing instrumental, The Toddle, on which Chandos handled lead guitar to good effect.