Janis Martin was a unique figure in the history of rockabilly -- there were other women working in that male-dominated field , but Janis Martin was the one dubbed "The Female Elvis Presley" by RCA, reportedly with the approval of Col. Tom Parker. She had too many strikes against her for a lasting career, but she was good and she left behind the records to prove it.
Janis Martin was born in Sutherlin, Virginia March 27 1940. With a stage mother on one side and a father and uncle who were amateur musicians on the other, Martin was practically predestined for a performing career. She was playing and singing before age five. By six, she'd mastered chords on her junior-sized guitar and was singing in a style influenced by Eddy Arnold and Hank Williams. Martin became a fixture in local talent contests and won all of them. Martin was playing and singing on the WDVA Barndance out of Virginia by age 11. By her mid-teens, she'd appeared alongside the likes of Ernest Tubb, the Carter Family, Sonny James, and Jean Shepard.
From the Barndance, she traveled with Glen Thompson's band for two years and then went on the road with Jim Eanes, a former Starday recording artist. In 1953, she appeared at a Tobacco Festival with Ernest Tubb and Sunshine Sue. As a result of this appearance, Janis was invited to become a regular member of the Old Dominion Barndance in Richmond, Virginia third largest in the nation, ranking only behind the Grand Old Opry and the Wheeling, West Virginia Barndance.
Her amazing amount of experience for one so young helped push her into rock & roll. It turned out that Martin had tired of country music by her mid-teens, especially the slow ballads, having been doing them for a decade. The timing was perfect, for she discovered rhythm & blues in the mid-1950s, and was soon bringing that material into her own song lists.
Sam Phillips was a white man who genuinely love black music and in 1950 he opened the Memphis Recording Studio. There blues legends B.B. King, Howling' Wolf and Elmore James made some of their first recordings. After first leasing recordings to other labels Phillips began his own label Sun Records in 1952. Phillips often said "If I could only find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a million dollars".
July 5, 1954 was a warm summer night in Memphis, Tennessee. Scotty Moore and Bill Black were recording that night at the Sun Records. According to Scotty Moore "we were taking a break, I don't know, we were having Cokes and coffee, and all of a sudden Elvis was singing a song, jumping around and acting the fool, and then Bill picked up the bass and he began acting the fool, too, and you know, I started playing with them. Sam had the door to the control room open- I don't know, he was either editing some tape or doing something - and he stuck his head out and said, "What are you doing?" and we said, "We don't know." "Well back up," he said "try to find a place to start and do it again'"
Rockabilly was invented that night in Memphis. It's rough southern edges were an exciting contrast to the group oriented rhythm and blues produced in the Northern cities. Fading from the scene by the late nineteen fifties, Rockabilly for many remained the "purest" form of rock and roll. Though it only last a few brief years it provided a crucial sound, image and rebellious spirit for rock's initial wave.
In the period of 1970's, most of the bands that were playing 1950's rock'n'roll and rockabilly were using bass guitar. Ray Campi was one of rare players that kept the tradition of slap bass alive. Those who attended some of his shows remembers his charismatic performance and influential stage persona. Ray's appearance at the "Blue Suede Shoes", a three day rock'n'roll festival that happened in England in 1979, was the introduction of slap bass to many young Teddy Boys and rockers. This legendary concert was later released as a feature film that remained as the evidence of Ray's performance on this wild weekend.
Originally from New York (born in Yonkers, NY in 1934), Ray Campi was always drawn to southern culture and music. He moved to Austin, Texas when he was ten and soon started learning to play standard and steel guitar. He made many recordings in the 1950's, but it wasn't untill 1970's when his career took off when he switched to upright bass and was rediscovered by Ronny Weiser. He released thirteen of Ray's albums and dozen of singles for his record label Rollin' Rock. Ray Campi's music is now available on more than 55 vinyl records and CDs worldwide.
I'm proud to present to you here, on the Art of Slap Bass, member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the musician known as the King of Rockabilly:
Born Otha Ellas Bates (later known as Ellas McDaniel), 28 December 1928, McComb, Mississippi, USA. After beginning his career as a boxer, where he received the sobriquet "Bo Diddley", the singer worked the blues clubs of Chicago with a repertoire influenced by Louis Jordan, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters. In late 1954, he teamed up with Billy Boy Arnold and recorded demos of "I'm A Man" and "Bo Diddley". Re-recorded at Chess Studios with a backing ensemble comprising Otis Spann (piano), Lester Davenport (harmonica), Frank Kirkland (drums) and Jerome Green (maracas), the a-side, "Bo Diddley", became an R&B hit in 1955. Before long, Diddley's distorted, amplified, custom-made guitar, with its rectangular shape and pumping rhythm style became a familiar, much-imitated trademark, as did his self-referential songs with such titles as "Bo Diddley's A Gunslinger", "Diddley Daddy" and "Bo's A Lumberjack". His jive-talking routine with "Say Man" (a US Top 20 hit in 1959) continued on "Pretty Thing" and "Hey Good Lookin'", which reached the lower regions of the UK charts in 1963. By then, Diddley was regarded as something of an R&B legend and found a new lease of life courtesy of the UK beat boom. The Pretty Things named themselves after one of his songs, while his work was covered by such artists as the Rolling Stones, the Animals, Manfred Mann, the Kinks, the Yardbirds, Downliners Sect and the Zephyrs. Diddley subsequently jammed on albums by Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters and appeared infrequently at rock festivals. His classic version of "Who Do You Love" became a staple cover for a new generation of US acts ranging from Quicksilver Messenger Service to the Doors, Tom Rush and Bob Seger, while the UK's Juicy Lucy took the song into the UK Top 20.
Rockabilly music was born in the mid-fifties when rhythmnblues fused with country music. Traditional bands that once played country, embraced the new sound which appealed to younger audiences. One of rockabillys founders, Bill Haley, started his career in a hillbilly / country band and the late, great Johnny Cash also started in rockabilly just have a listen to 'Folsom Prison Blues' or 'RocknRoll Ruby'.
Traditionally, rockabilly was played in a three-piece setting with no drummer - the double bass player slapped the beat and the acoustic guitar added to the rhythm.
These days, rockabilly enjoys a large, cult-like following both in Australia and across the world. Many rockabilly devotees embrace the 1950s as a lifestyle, wearing fifties fashions, collecting vintage furniture and driving cars designed in the era.
Born : October 20, 1937 // Maud, OK, United States Wanda Jackson was the first female rock and roll singer in the United States, releasing her debut record in 1956. She is often hailed as the "Queen Of Rockabilly."
She was born in Oklahoma and moved to California in 1941. Her father who was a musician bought her a guitar and gave her lesson. He would take her to see acts like Tex Williams, Spade Cooly and Bob Wills, which left a lasting impression. She moved back to Oklahoma in 1952 won a talent contest, was discovered by Hank Thompson in 1954. While still in High School Wanda was recording for Capitol Records.
Born: April 30, 1925 Died: November 5, 1960 Hometown: Tyler, Texas
Johnny grew up in Rusk, Texas. Although he was born in Los Angeles he always insisted that East Texas was his home. He first hit the headlines as a star basketball player for baylor University. After collegiate years, Johnny became a professional angler. From childhood, Horton spent every leisure moment working with fishing tackle and equipment. He fished every stream in that lake-covered south-east Texas inland area and the Gulf of Mexico shoreline. As a hobby, while relaxing after a day in hip-boots or in a rowboat with a fishing party, Johnny took up pickin' and singin'. On one of his expeditions into the mossfiligreed bayous, a staff member of radiostation KWKH (Shreveport) was fishing. Horton, as usual, played and sang for the group. The report of this staff member reached Horace Logan, programm director of the Louisiana Hayride. Only one audition covinced logan that Horton had it all. So, Johnny stayed in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he was a star for eight years on the Louisiana Hayride Radio Show.
Fabor Robison (Fabor Records), a fellow Texan, heard Johnny perform on the Hayride. A personal talk and an audition convinced Robison he had a new star! And he was right! Johnny recorded his first ten singles on Abbott (a Fabor sub-label), with two sides being duets with Billy Barton. Horton had his first hit on the country music charts with "Gobbler, the hounddog" and some other big ones for the Fabor label. And the string of hits never really stopped. Of course, the New Orleans epic hit a new peak. Johnny recorded the Jimmy Driftwoord song "The battle of New Orleans" in 1959 and it became a number 1 hit, it even wound up being the number one song for the entire year.
Johnny was killed in an automobile crash on November 5, 1960, on U.S. Route 79 near the small town of Milano, Texas. He was returning from an engagement in Austin, Texas. His widow, Billy Jean, was the former wife of Hank Williams, who met his death in the backseat of a car, on his way to do a show, in 1953. Hank's hart just gave out from alcohol and drugs abuse.
More recently, in 1996, Bear Family dug up a Johnny Horton recording that had been mysteyously burried for 40 years. It is a very good cover of the Tennessee Ernie Ford original "Shotgun Boogie" which is now issued on the Bear Family CD "That'll flat git it! Volume 8". Most, if not all, of Johnny recordings, masters and demos, have been re-issued by Bear Family records are are very much worth while!
Johnny did a lot of country and western, for us Rockabilly freaks, the following tracks are the most interesting and they have all been compiled on a Bear Family LP named "Rockin' Rollin' Johnny Horton" which was first issued in 1981 (recording dates between brackets).
Ik ben Hans, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam pippop.
Ik ben een man en woon in Brisbane (australia) en mijn beroep is Gepensioneerd.
Ik ben geboren op 01/08/1947 en ben nu dus 77 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Music van 1940 tot 1970.
Ik ben geboren in 1947 in hoorn nh. Ik woon nu 30 jaar in australia .
Recording Studio. There blues legends B.B. King, Howling' Wolf and Elmore James made some of their first recordings. After first leasing recordings to other labels Phillips began his own label Sun Records in 1952. Phillips often said "If I could only find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a million dollars". 
Ik ben Hans, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam pippop.
