50's music Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Duane Eddy “Have ‘Twangy’ Guitar Will Travel”

sfilzen — Thu, 02 May 2024 20:33:27 +0000

Duane Eddy “Have ‘Twangy’ Guitar Will Travel” 1958. Jamie Records. Yesterday Duane Eddy’s death was announced (b. 1938, d. April 30th, 2024) so taking his debut LP out for a spin in commemoration. The hit record (#5 US, #6 UK) is a collection of great guitar instrumentals that are a mix of rockabilly, country and blues plus a bit of surf thrown in for that full-bodied classic 50’s sound. My dad is a huge fan of Duane Eddy so although this record is waaaayyy before my time, I grew up listening to his twangy talent. Probably the most famous track on Have Twangy Guitar is “Rebel-‘Rouser” which he released as a single in ’58 when it went to #6. Another great is the Bo-Diddly-esque “Cannon Ball” (#15 US, #2 UK). I’m not as crazy about the “yakety sax” vibe on “Detour,” a cover from 1945 written by Paul Westmoreland in 1945 and originally recorded by Jimmy Walker with Paul Westmoreland and His Pecos River Boys. A cover (of sorts in that Eddy didn’t write it) that is a good ol’ whoopin’ and hollerin’ rocker, with an interesting story, is “Ramrod.” Written by Al Casey, it was first released as a single in ’57 with Al Casey playing lead guitar, but the record was credited to “Duane Eddy and the Rock-A-Billies.” “The Beatles, then called The Silver Beetles recorded a cover of ‘Ramrod’ from Paul McCartney’s bathroom in July 1960. The version was never officially released and it circulated on bootlegs.” (Wiki)

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Jerry Lee Lewis “Jerry Lee Lewis”

sfilzen — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 21:30:05 +0000

Jerry Lee Lewis “Jerry Lee Lewis” 1958. Sun Records. A spin of his debut record in honor of Lewis’ death this past Friday, October 28th. Lewis already had a couple of giant hits prior to his first full-length, including “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On,” neither of which appear on the LP. But the record is packed with Lewis’ signature rockabilly meets boogie-woogie piano, mostly covers of songs by other artists. Those include “Don’t Be Cruel” written by Otis Blackwell and famously recorded by Elvis, “Crazy Arms” written by Ralph Mooney and popularized by Ray Price, “Ubangi Stomp” written by Charles Underwood and first recorded by Warren Smith, “Jambalaya” by Hank Williams, and “Matchbox” by Carl Perkins. Jerry Lee has one original: “High School Confidential” which he released as a single in May of ’58; it was also the title song the 1958 film High School Confidential. It went to #21 on the Hot 100 chart, to #9 on the Country chart and #5 on the R&B chart, all in the US, and to #12 in the UK.

We saw Jerry Lee perform just once, a free concert back in September ’95 at Maritime Days in Veterans Park, Milwaukee. I have no idea what songs he played but I’m sure he played a bunch of his classic hits and we were thrilled to see “the Killer” play live. At the end of his set, he had left a can of Pepsi on his piano. Joe asked the stagehand who was tearing down and prepping for the next performing if we could have Jerry Lee’s Pepsi. We totally got it and proceeded to sip and share it with our friends. We hung onto that Pepsi can for a few years but finally got rid of it when we moved in ’99. (Lewis had not actually opened or drank the Pepsi.)

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Wanda Jackson “Wanda Jackson”

sfilzen — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 17:21:48 +0000

Wanda Jackson “Wanda Jackson” 1958. Today, October 20th, is Wanda Jackson’s 85th birthday (b. 1937). Wanda Jackson is her debut record and it mixes country music, 50’s style pop and rockabilly while prominently featuring her distinctive clear soaring voice that frequently gives way to an exuberant growl. I adore Wanda Jackson, the Queen of Rockabilly, ever since I got hooked on her 1960 release Rockin’ With Wanda in the early 90’s when Joe gave me the tape. My favorite songs from her s/t release are the rockin’ ones: “Long Tall Sally” originally recorded and co-written by Little Richard in 1956, the rollicking piano-forward “Money, Honey” (written by Jesse Stone who is best known for “Shake, Rattle and Roll”) and “Let’s Have a Party,” first recorded by Elvis Presley for the movie Loving You in 1957. Jackson’s version was released as a single in 1960, hitting #37 in the US and #32 in the UK (Elvis’ initially went to #2 in the UK in ’57). We saw Jackson play at Cactus Club a few years ago – anywhere from 10-20 years, it’s super fuzzy – and it was incredible. She told stories about dating Elvis briefly in the 50’s, her experience as a woman breaking barriers in the music business and, of course, sang some of her most beloved songs from the early days of rock.

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