When the Bellamy Brothers abandoned their pop formula and revamped their sound toward the country market, they went back to their Florida roots to find a band. They remembered Ron & The Starfires, a Top 40/R & B group that used to play clubs and dances all over the Sunshine State, particularly at the Dade City Teen Center.
The Bellamys asked the band to join them on the road. The group also supported the Bellamys in the recording studio, in contrast to the usual country method of using session musicians. Included in the new Bellamys lineup were bass player Jerry Chambers and his cousin, guitarist Carl Chambers.
They played on “The Two and Only” and “You Can Get Crazy” albums that yielded “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body” (their first country number one), the Top Five follow-up “You Ain’t Just Whistlin’ Dixie,” plus the chart-topping “Dancin’ Cowboys” and “Sugar Daddy.”
On “Sugar Daddy,” Carl’s “dirty” guitar work, marked by heavy “finger noise” came through clearly. David Bellamy used to get a kick out of people coming up to him and saying, “I like that dog barking on that record.” David would say, “Well, okay, whatever you heard,” but what they were actually hearing was the finger movement on the guitar.
