The Traits

The Traits

The Traits are a Texas rock and roll group from San Marcos, formed in 1957 and active through the early 1960s. They are also known as Roy Head and The Traits, and are centred on Roy Head, with the original line-up also including Tommy Bolton on rhythm guitar, Gerry Gibson on drums, Dan Buie on piano, Clyde Causey on lead guitar and Bill Pennington on bass. When Causey joins the military, George Frazier replaces him before the group begins recording.

Early recordings and regional success

The group records and performs rockabilly, rock and roll and rhythm and blues. They cut their first material at TNT Recording Company in San Antonio, run by Bob Tanner, and build a regional following in Texas through concert, sock hop, college, university and dance hall appearances. Their early releases include “One More Time” and “Live It Up” in 1959, followed by “Summertime Love” in 1960, all of which establish them as one of the notable teenage bands on the Texas circuit.

During this period, the parents of the group turn down Dick Clark’s invitation for them to appear on American Bandstand. The members are still minors, and some are still in school at the time. In 1961 and 1962, saxophonists David McCumber and Danny Gomez are added to the line-up, and the group records further regional material for Renner Records in San Antonio.

Recordings for TNT, Renner and Scepter

Renner releases versions of Ray Sharpe’s “Linda Lu” and the group’s “Little Mama,” as well as “Got My Mojo Working” and “Wo Wo.” The Renner recordings are taped and mastered at Jeff Smith’s Texas Sound Studio in San Antonio. In 1964, Roy Head and The Traits sign with Scepter Records. By then, Gene Kurtz has replaced Bill Pennington on bass, Kenny Williams has replaced Clyde Causey on lead guitar, Ronnie Barton adds trumpet, and Sarah Fulcher joins as a backing singer. The group also releases a 45 on the Lori label pairing “Get Back” and “Never Make Me Blue,” later issued on Scepter.

In 1965 they work with producer Huey Meaux of Houston. “Treat Her Right” is recorded at Gold Star Studios in Houston and issued on Don Robey’s Back Beat label. It reaches number two on both the US pop and R&B charts in 1965. Other singles from the same period include “Just a Little Bit” and “Apple of My Eye,” both of which reach the Top 40. TNT also issues the group’s first album, Roy Head and the Traits, drawn from their TNT and Renner recordings and distributed by Scepter.

Style, influence and later activity

The group’s early recordings are described as blues-laced, rockabilly-styled songs, with much of the writing credited to collaborations between Bolton, Buie, Gibson and Head. Roy Head’s stage movement is noted for its energetic dancing, and his style is sometimes described as blue-eyed soul. “Treat Her Right” becomes the group’s best-known recording and is later covered by a wide range of artists, while “One More Time” also remains a recurring favourite with later performers. The group’s recordings are reissued by multiple labels over many years.

The Traits also record with Dean Scott on lead vocals during 1966 and 1967, and in 1967 they record with Johnny Winter on vocals and guitar, issuing “Parchman Farm” and “Tramp” on Universal. Roy Head and The Traits are listed among “The 200 Greatest Rock N Roll Artists Of The 1960s,” and Roy Head is a member of the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame, the Texas Country and Western Music Hall of Fame and the Austin Music Awards Hall of Fame. The group holds reunions in 2001 and 2007, and is inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame at a Texas State University concert in 2007.