Marsha Carlile with Paul Buskirk Band - Nite Life / He Gave Us a Heart (B&B 333)
Between Willie Nelson's original version in 1960 (which sold no copies), and the Ray Price hit version in 1963, "Nite Life" was only recorded once, by Marsha Carlile on the tiny B&B label in Houston. This version, also, received no attention. The $150 that Paul Buskirk, Walt Breeland, and M. Matthews had spent purchasing the song from Nelson (the value equivalent of $1,300 today) must have seemed like a huge waste of money at the time.
In its June 12, 1961, issue, Billboard reported that "Walt Breeland, of Country Music Promotions, Houston, is on tour of New Mexico, Arizona, and California spreading the gospel on Claude Gray, whose new Mercury effort is due almost any day now. Breeland says he has available deejay copies of Gray's gospel release on 'D' Records, 'Homecoming in Heaven,' and Eddie Noack's latest for Mercury, 'Shotgun House' b.w. 'Where Do You go,' as well as the first release by Marsha Carlile, 17-year-old miss from Ingleside, Tex., 'He Gave Us a Heart' b.w. 'Nite Life,' which was released Friday (26). For copies of the above three, write to Breeland at 8618 Anacortes Street, Houston 17."
Paul Buskirk in the early 1960s.
These are Gold Star recordings, and the release date given by Billboard (Friday, May 26, 1961), allows us to date this with unusual precision. The B&B (which presumably stands for "Breeland & Buskirk") label still has the original publisher, Reeney Rhythms BMI (the same publisher as the Moonlighters'"Rock-A-Bayou Baby"). By the time Price recorded it two years later, this had changed to Pamper and Glad Music, and "W. Nelson" would finally be listed in the writer's credits.
Musically, this differs from Nelson's original in that a steel guitar (undoubtedly played by Herb Remington) plays the solos, rather than Buskirk's lead guitar. It's a fine version, sung well by a vocalist sounding rather more mature than her 17 years.