Carl Lee Perkins was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who recorded at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, beginning in 1954. Amongst his best-known songs are "Blue Suede Shoes", "Matchbox" and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby".
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blues, leading to what is considered "classic" rock and roll. Some have also described it as a blend of bluegrass with rock and roll. The term "rockabilly" itself is a portmanteau of "rock" and "hillbilly", the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing, boogie-woogie, jump blues, and electric blues.
Aubrey Wilson Mullican, known professionally as Moon Mullican and nicknamed "King of the Hillbilly Piano Players", was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and pianist. He was associated with the hillbilly boogie style which influenced rockabilly. Jerry Lee Lewis cited him as a major influence on his own singing and piano playing.
Starday Records was an American record label producing traditional country music during the 1950s and 1960s.
Felice Bryant and Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant were an American husband-and-wife country music and pop songwriting team. They were best known for songs such as "Rocky Top," "We Could", "Love Hurts", and numerous hits by the Everly Brothers, including "All I Have to Do Is Dream", "Bye Bye Love", and "Wake Up Little Susie".
"You Are My Sunshine" is a song copyrighted and published by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell in 1940. According to BMI, it has been recorded by more than 350 artists, and translated into 30 languages. In 1977, the Louisiana State Legislature decreed that "You Are My Sunshine" would be a state song, to honor two-time governor Jimmie Davis.
"Hello Mary Lou" is a song written by American singer Gene Pitney first recorded by Johnny Duncan in 1960 and in the following year by Ricky Nelson.
Billy Wayne "Crash" Craddock is an American country and rockabilly singer. He first gained popularity in Australia in the 1950s with a string of rockabilly hits, including the Australian number one hits "Boom Boom Baby" and "One Last Kiss" in 1960 and 1961 respectively. Switching to country music, he gained popularity in United States in the 1970s with a string of top ten country hits, several of which were number one hits, including "Rub It In", "Broken Down in Tiny Pieces", and "Ruby Baby". Craddock is known to his fans as "The King Of Country Rock Music" and "Mr. Country Rock" for his uptempo rock-influenced style of country music. His most recent release is the song "Paint Your Toes".
"Be-Bop-a-Lula" is a rockabilly song first recorded in 1956 by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps.
Gene Summers, born David Eugene Summers, was an American rockabilly singer-songwriter and guitarist. His most famous recordings include the late 50s "School of Rock 'n Roll", "Straight Skirt", "Nervous", "Gotta Lotta That", "Twixteen", "Alabama Shake", "Fancy Dan" and his biggest-selling single "Big Blue Diamonds". Summers was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Southern Legends Entertainment & Performing Arts Hall of Fame in 2005. He still performed worldwide and celebrated his 50th anniversary as a recording artist in 2008 with the release of Reminisce Cafe.
Tommy & The Tom Toms was an American musical group from 1959 to 1962 playing rock and roll, rhythm & blues, and rockabilly.
Deanna (Dea) Summers was an American songwriter born in Mississippi. The family relocated to Memphis, Tennessee in 1952 where she attended Kingsbury Jr. High School. She also attended Humes High School before her family relocated to Dallas, Texas. She had been an active member of BMI as both a songwriter and publisher affiliate since 1965. She was co-owner of Silicon Music Publishing and many of her compositions have been recorded by various artists. Her songs and published works have appeared on Capri Records, Tear Drop Records, Charay Records, Mister Rock Records, Enviken Records, Le Cam Records, Country Disco Records, Rollercoaster Records, Primo Records, Crystal Clear Sound Records, Collector Records, Collectable Records, Big Beat Records, Lake County Records, Domino Records, Front Row Records, Maridene Records, Helvis Records, W&G Records, Overtone Records.
"Straight Skirt" is a song written by Mary Tarver in 1958 and published by Song Productions, BMI the same year. It was originally recorded by Gene Summers and his Rebels, a rockabilly band from Dallas, Texas and was first released in February 1958 by Jan Records #11-100. On March 8, 1958, Cash Box picked it as their 'Sleeper of the Week'. In Billboard 's 'Reviews of Pop Records' they wrote: "The artist is backed by a chorus and cheerful rockabilly support on this blues. The kids might take to this".
The Ultimate School Of Rock & Roll is a 32-track CD by Gene Summers. It is a compilation of his biggest hits including out-takes and alternate tracks. The CD was released nationally in the United States by Crystal Clear Sound Records in 1997 and is still in print. It was issued as a deluxe edition with an insert booklet containing 16 printed pages with extensive photos plus exclusive liner notes by Phil York.
Texas Rock And Roll is a 10" vinyl album by American rockabilly singer Gene Summers. It was released by the French Big Beat label in 1981. It is a compilation of early rock 'n roll recordings by Gene Summers covering a time period from 1962 through 1975.
"You Said You Loved Me" is a song written by Glenn Keener in 1961 and published by Gant Music, BMI. It was first recorded by Gene Summers in 1961. The recording session took place in Fort Worth, Texas at Clifford Herring Studios. Musicians included Summers-vocals, Glenn Keener-guitar, Freddie Powers-bass, Art McNulty-organ and an unknown drummer. It was released on Alta Records (#104) on February 2, 1962 and was flipped with the ASCAP pop, standard tune "Tomorrow" written by (Spiltany-Wilhite-Hirsh).
Stephen A. Love is an American eight times RIAA award winning Gold, Platinum and Multi platinum American entertainer, expert senior construction manager, country rock pioneer, multi-instrumentalist musician, lead singer, songwriter, producer, entertainment business promoter, CEO of the James Allen Promotions and Blue Jeans Music BMI. He lives near New York City and in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico.
Reminisce Cafe is a landmark album by Gene Summers, released in 2008. It is his 50th anniversary album issued by Seduction Records on February 1, 2008, exactly 50 years to the day of the release of his first hit single "School of Rock 'n Roll"/ "Straight Skirt".
Andrew Jackson 'Jack' Rhodes was an American country music producer and songwriter, with songwriting credits on over 625 released songs. Several of his songs became hit records, including "A Satisfied Mind", "Silver Threads and Golden Needles", "Conscience I'm Guilty", "The Waltz of the Angels", "Beautiful Lies", and "Till the Last Leaf Shall Fall". Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972 (posthumously), he is most recently celebrated as one of the founding fathers of Rockabilly, having written specifically for Gene Vincent and Capitol Records. He was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2009. Jack Rhodes memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Mineola Historical Museum in Mineola, Texas and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in Nashville.
"Boppin' the Blues" is a 1956 song written by Carl Perkins and Howard "Curley" Griffin and released as a single on Sun Records in May 1956. The single was released as a 45 and 78, Sun 243, backed with "All Mama's Children", a song co-written by Perkins with Sun labelmate Johnny Cash. The single reached no. 9 on the Billboard country and western chart, no. 47 on the Cashbox pop singles chart, and no. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. The single was also released in Canada on the Quality label as #1570. The record was reissued in 1984 on the Collectables label on the Back to Back Hit Series featuring Sun Records as 3090 and on the Sun Golden Treasure Series in 1979 as Sun 9.
