Compton Brothers

Group Members:

Tom Compton, Bill Compton, Harry Compton.

These three brothers started as professionals when Tom was 12, Bill 11 and Harry 7. They entered a talent contest in Rangely, Colorado and won first prize. Colorado was just one of many homes for this young trio. Their father, a pipeline construction worker, traveled with the family in a house trailer to most of the western states and as far afield as Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan in Canada. Shortly after winning the contest, they moved back to Missouri and won some 100 first prizes in contests. Their reputation spread and soon they were booked on the prestigious Ozark Jubilee. However, as they got older, school and especially military service intervened. Tom and Bill both served in the Signals Corps, with Tom stationed in Germany and Bill stationed in Korea. They continued their music, playing NCO clubs. Tom was writing most of the songs at this stage and it was at this time that they met Dave Murray, who joined the brothers. In August 1964, they entered a five-state Country music talent contest that was held in Baltimore, Maryland. They won the first prize of $500.00 and a Columbia recording contract. They released only one single, Still Away, on Columbia the following March. The song had been co-written by Tom while stationed in Germany. The group decided early on to incorporate comedy and impressions in the act, with Harry, in a battered old hat with a bolt through it, as the group’s comedian. In October 1965, they signed for management with Omac, the Buck Owens/Jack McFadden organization. They became regulars on the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree. As their career got underway, they appeared with stars such as Owens and Roger Miller and did syndicated TV appearances with Jim & Jesse. In 1966, the group moved over to Dot and had their first chart entry at the end of that year with Pickin’ Up the Mail. It was over a year until they charted again, this time with Honey. Both of these entries were in the 60's, but it was not until 1969 that the group made a major mark with their reworking of the Gene Simmons’ Pop hit Haunted House, which reached the Top 15. They followed this with another cover, Charlie Brown. This novelty song had been a major Pop success for the Coasters over a decade earlier. The Comptons’ version reached the Top 20. Despite several more releases, the best they could manage between 1970 and 1975 were a pair of Top 50 singles, Yellow River and Claudette in 1972. Their final chart record was in 1975, when their ABC/Dot single Cat’s In The Cradle just scraped into the Top 100.

Discography: