It was there that Cargoe became forever linked with Jim Peters of local AM radio KAKC fame, who was the sound, lighting, and voice of The Machine.
As Rubbery Cargoe, they began writing original material, and opened for bands of the day including The Cowsills, and Eric Burdon and the Animals.
[citation needed] After they returned to Tulsa, Peters organized a recording session at KVOO, where the first Rubbery Cargoe demos were created.
Peters' younger brother Tim, who was a soprano at the Trinity Church men and boys choir, sang high note harmony on their demo tape.
[citation needed] Dan Penn and his partner at Beautiful Sounds, Eddie Braddock, had connections in the record business, so when the album neared completion, Walker and Peters went looking for bidders.
Often associated with the Power Pop genre given to Ardent label-mates Big Star, Cargoe projected more of a stylized artistic nuance to their songwriting and performing, with harmonies exhibiting a strong American/Southern Roots cultural influence.
They scored numerous Billboard and Cashbox Top 100 listings, and reviews from 1970 through 1973, along with major radio play of their first single “Feel Alright” and follow-up “I Love You Anyway”.
The band's studio LP CARGOE was even featured, with Isaac Hayes Shaft, which won an Academy Award that year for Best Original Song, in a Special Edition section of Billboard’s June 3, 1972 “The Deck is STAX” promotion.
When Stax went bankrupt in the mid-'70s, ownership of the masters eventually wound up in the hands of Fantasy Records Saul Zaentz, and no one's been able to get the tapes for domestic release.