RockabillyDukeBox!: March 2014

Thursday, 20 March 2014

Little Rockin' Chair

LONNIE JOHNSON - LITTLE ROCKIN' CHAIR

A teenage Elvis Presley listened to Lonnie Johnson.

Tomorrow Night - Lonnie Johnson

More information on Lonnie Johnson can be found HERE

Sunday, 9 March 2014

45s In The Car?

The format for the 7 inch disk to be played in the car was 16 rpm (16 2/3 rpm)

THE LONG GONE, BUT OFTEN WONDERED ABOUT 16rpm SPEED

The information above comes from the excellent book by Jim Dawson & Steve Propes

Grab your own copy HERE

The history of the 45 from it's creation to it's demise.

Jumpin' George Oxford radio commercial from 1955; 45s or 78s?

Saturday, 8 March 2014

DukeBox Boppers

IT IS HONKY TONK MUSIC - HANK the DRIFTER

I have always wanted a picture of myself to adorn a cover wrapped around a hot piece of vinyl. Alas that is never going to happen...so I made one myself!

This is a collection of my favourite BOPPIN' music, songs I used to dance to (free style) many moons ago.

The collection kicks off with 'It Is Honky Tonk Music' by Hank the Drifter real name Daniel Ray Andrade. Daniel dug the music of Hank Williams and I was surprised at the time to find out that this excellent song was recorded in 1963 the recording sounds much older.

I was expecting to hear a cover of Johnny Strickland's 'She's Mine' when I first spun Johnny Jano's 'She's Mine' but the Louisiana rocker belted out boppin' number from the grooves that is never far from my turntable.

I picked up 'I Got Blues On My Mind' by Lonnie Irving on a 45 when I was still a greasy teenager with an unbelievably high quiff back in 1978. It is a great raw rockabilly number. At the time I was hoping that I would find more gems by Lonnie but his life was cut tragically short when he died from leukaemia in 1960 at the age of 28.

Rocky Bill Ford's 'Have You Seen Mabel' was released on the Starday label in 1956.

'Mabel' and the flip side 'Mad Dog in Town' were about as Rockin' as Rocky got.

Cowboy Sam Nichols was a genuine singing cowboy from the 1930's that made a living selling his songbooks while on the road. 'Keep Your Motor Hot' is a fine hillbilly bopping song.
'Rock Me Mama' by Ken Lindsay and 'Walking Talkin' Baby Doll' by The Three Ramblers I know virtually nothing about except the fact that I like the recordings.
'You Are The One' by James Gallager is a jokey number about a girl that ain't doing to well at school, she would much prefer getting woo'd in a hot hot.
Carl Trantham with the Rhythm All Stars recorded 'Where There's A Will (There's A Way) for Starday records in 1957.'You Nearly Lose Your Mind' by Roy Moss blew my socks off when I first heard it on the Mercury Rockabillies L.P way back in the mid 1970's.
Arlie Duff is better known for 'Alligator Come Across' but give 'In The Big Woods' a listen.
Arthur (big boy) Crudup with 'Shout Sister Shout' sends me back in time to The Castle pub in Tooting in the early 1980s it's a nice jumpin' platter to end the DUKEBOX BOPPERS set.

DUKEBOX BOPPERS!

P/W dukeboxrock

Thursday, 6 March 2014

Big Bill Lister

I was having a holiday in Texas back in September 2001 when I had the good fortune to meet and shake hands with the great Bill Lister. He was in the audience at the Llano Opry in the Llan-Tex theatre watching a show starring Leona Williams. He really was a nice guy, very friendly and polite and he answered my questions that he must have heard and answered a thousand times before! RIP Bill a true gent.