Took 7 stitches to close up an accidental cut over my right eye at a Cramps show in a small Sacto club wit maybe 200 people. Needless to say I just wiped the blood off and enjoyed the awesome show. For the encore, Lux asked for requests.
I shouted out The Crusher, Lux looked down at my bloody face, laughed and said ‘okay, the crusher’
it was awesome. Poisen Ivy gets lifetime award for hottest rawk chick with perfected look of total indifference.
…and I’ll insert the inevitable link to KEXP. On Friday evenings from 6-9 Pacific time, they have a rockabilly show. There should be a couple of shows archived on the web site if you want to poke around there.
I’m glad I had a post in this thread. Great albums!
Well, you started right with Charlie Feathers. He was one great singer—I got to interview and photograph him in Memphis, great guy, who made some fine records. Even in his older years, he combed his gray hair up in a nice elegant pompadour. My fave quote from our lunch at the Waffle House in Memphy: “I’ll tell you, Elvis had blonde hair, just like a little baby duck. He dyed it black, don’t let anyone tell you any different!”
I still don’t know what to make of that, at all, but Charlie’s music is really amazing.
I’d add another unsung rockabilly Great; Marvin Rainwater . Just incredible, don’t know why he’s not better known. With lyrics like “Gonna build me a bar in the back of my car, and drive myself to drink.” (From “You Think You Got Troubles”) A must have.
Everyone has had many good suggestions here; for a modern take, I’d suggest Southern Culture On The Skids. I grew up with them, and can say we were all heavily into rockabilly/psychobilly back in the day, and they’ve taken it to good heights.
Also, the Memphis connection of Tav Falco and Panther Burns . Tav was a cohort of Alex Chilton and Jim Dickinson in the Memphis music scene in the 80’s-90’s, knew Charlie Feathers, and had a great band then. New Rose, a French label, released a lot of good Memphis music in the 90’s.
And, with great reverence, Cordell Jackson , the “Rockin Granny” who had some late fame in a 1991 Budweiser commercial with Brian Setzer. She created the Moon Record label in Memphis ( Sun Records, Moon, go girl…), was the first female recording engineer in the US, and can still play a way mean guitar rings around others. Seeing her play—she dressed very modestly, and then proceeds to just tear the shit out of it. “Dateless Night” and “She’s the One’s That Got It”, make her an icon with the likes of the Cramps.
If Jason and the Scorchers and Southern Culture on the Skids are mentioned, I’ll bring one up that may be a stretch: The Drive-by Truckers. I own Decoration Day and The Dirty South, both of which are excellent records.
Other than that I have to recommendThe Dempseys, possibly the best bar band I’ve ever seen. And believe me, I’ve seen a few. These guys are masters.
A great label to support is Norton Records, which is run by an early member of the Cramps and her partner. (Give Hasil Adkins a listen!) They don’t only do rockabilly, but they have plenty of that early punk gunk.
Also, Proper Records has a couple of box sets which are a lot cheaper than the Rhino one - I haven’t got them, but I do have a few of their releases, and they sound good for the price, if you can get them ordered. Check this one for example.
Bear Family records also flies the flag high for Rockabilly, but their prices are high (for high quality). BUT, they have a low price sampler which is one of the best records I’ve bought in ages, called Perfect For Parties.
Otherwise, I’ll give another vote for the early Cramps records, and if you’re extra keen, the series of semi-legal records called Born Bad which include the songs that the Cramps either covered or had some connection to.
I used to love the Hep Cat Records mail order catalog. Then they had a website. Then they were integrated into something called Collector’s Choice Music. But you can still see new and old releases, and read various summaries of what the albums sound like. They cross the spectrum from reissues to compilations, from rockabilly to psychobilly to country.
A lot of people on this thread have already made some good recommendations. I also recommend Wanda Jackson (pre-country, pre-born again), Joe Clay, Billy Lee Riley, Maddox Brothers and Rose, the Collins Kids, and my favorite Japanese girl band, the 5,6,7,8s.
And I ad another vote for seeing the Cramps live. Always unforgettable.
From Thudlow’s cited list:
Stray Cats Built for Speed 1982 Rock
Stray Cats Rant N’ Rave With the Stray Cats 1983 Rock
These would be the two I would go for.