Mason Houghland
Credited as a songwriter as Mason Houghland II, he also performed just as 'Mason' on a 4-Star single in 1977.
History[edit | edit source]
His grandfather Mason Houghland made a fortune with a gas enterprise, Spur Oil Company, based in Nashville that later merged with Murphy Oil from El Dorado, Arkansas. The legacy of Mason Houghland in Middle Tennessee lives on through his equestrian interests, most notably in his involvement with founding the annual Iroquois Steeplechase and selecting William DuPont, Jr. to design the course. The elder Mason was the first president of the "Volunteer State Horsemen’s Association (now Foundation), which today remains the governing body of the race meet," according to the Iroquois Steeplechase official history.
While the only release of Mason Houghland II is a 1977 7" on 4-Star records under the name 'Mason,' produced by Joe Johnson, his songwriting credits indicate an ongoing relationship with the early rock and roll scene in Nashville, from the early 1960s, in particular a relationship with Bobby Russell. An early single by a Brownsville band called The Four, was recorded in Nashville for Bragg records, with Mason writing both sides and arranging it as well. in 1967, Houghland has quite a few releases of songs he had written, including one on the Elf records label, owned by Buzz Cason and Bobby Russell. The performer, listed simply as "The Bright Hour," only had this single release with songwriting credits for Houghland, Russell, and Cason. The release by performer Peter Courtney on the Viva label indicates a similar connection on the A-side track "The Loser," written by Mason Houghland (credited as Masan Houghland on the overseas pressing) with Betty Russell, Bobby's sister. The publishing for that song was by Russell-Cason Music. Viva Records was owned by Snuff Garrett, who had worked with Buzz Cason at Liberty Records in the early 1960s and was initially distributed by Dot Records. The single "You Bet Your Life" appeared as B-side on a 7" by rock and country performer Bobby McDowell on the Amy Records label, which was also part of the distribution network for Bobby Russell's Elf Record label.
The website archive of songwriter Mark Dabek provides a glimpse of Mason Houghland's time in California in the article "John Livesy. Mason Houghland and The Nashville Boys" :
During that time of working at College Press, Dabek also became friends with John Livesey, who was a partner in a small ad agency that did printing there. John knew of Dabek’s music and songs and suggested he meet a friend of his named Mason Houghland who had come from Nashville to do music in L.A. Mason’s music was melodically remarkable, with great chord progressions and excellent modulations. Sort of romantic yet ingrained with a good country feel. Dabek and Houghland teamed up and put together a number of songs, the whereabouts now unknown. Dabek wrote lyrics to several of his works (the most memorable of which was “Highway Song”) but they would soon go on divergent paths, but for a short time their collaborations were active and productive. There are no known recordings of these songs.
It turns out that Mason also knew several notable Nashville based songwriters and they were temporarily renting a house in the Valley (San Fernando). Sonny Curtis (Mary Tyler Moore Theme, I Fought the Law, Walk Right Back), Bobby Russell (God Didn’t Make Little Green Apples, The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia), Mason, John and Dabek gathered there on a couple of occasions and shared music, stories, and beers and listened to each other’s works. There was a visit with Vicki Lawrence at one point in time, and they just hung out and played the music for awhile. Everyone went their separate ways rather quickly: Mason worked in music in L.A. for some years after that and then went back to Tennessee where it believed he still resides and Sonny Curtis and Bobby Russell went on their various endeavors and projects across the country. John Livsey continued in his art and became one of the excellent photographers over the years, photographing many famous entertainment personalities and traveling the world with his ability to capture the essences of human moments. One his most famous photos was that of Frank Zappa naked on the toilet (definitely a classic).
Releases[edit | edit source]
As performer 'Mason' :
1977: California Comin' Down On Me/ Dreams (7") 4 Star Records, Cat# 5-1028, Arr: Mason Houghland, David Briggs, Prod: Joe Johnson
As a songwriter:
1965: The Four - If Your Eyes Say Love/Tears Of Love (7", Single, Bragg, cat# B-215
1967: The Bright Hour - Adora / Love You Baby (7"), Elf , cat# 90,001
Peter Courtney - The Loser / Pictures Are My Only Souvenirs (7", Single), Viva (3), cat# V-609
Bobby McDowell - Three Squares (And A Place To Lay Your Head) / You Bet Your Life (7", Single), Amy, cat# 979
External References[edit | edit source]
https://www.45cat.com/artist/mason-houghland 1977 4-Star Records single
http://dabekmusic.com/john_livsey,_mason_houghland_and.html
https://www.iroquoissteeplechase.org/history
https://www.discogs.com/artist/5415824-Mason-Houghland
https://nashvilleinteriors.com/life-bright-hour-farm/
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/tennessean/name/calvin-houghland-obituary?id=23891994 Father's obit
https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/hendersonvillestandard/joe-johnson/ Joe Johnson, 4-star producer, obit