ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAMEŽ MERCHANDISE & SERVICES
The "Rare Rockabilly" Pages are available for "SPONSORSHIP"
ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAMEŽ MERCHANDISE & SERVICES
The "Rare Rockabilly" Pages are available for "SPONSORSHIP"
RARE ROCKABILLY Rare rockabilly seems to be a well worn term by today's standards. Amateur musicologists tend to think that if a recording did not place on the Billboard or Cashbox charts, it was too much of an obscurity. Hence, when a copy of such a record surfaced for sale, it was labeled a rarity. In many cases, these records are not scarce at all. They're simply uncommon. With this in mind and considering the current state of the reissue market and the sheer volume of information concerning the very artists that recorded these uncommon releases, the term rare rockabilly is very much still an actuality (that is, when used appropriately). Avid aficionados as Bill Millar, Ray Topping, Rob Finnis, the folks at Kicks magazine, Colin Escott and Martin Hawkins, to name a few, have ensured that the tales of many of these lesser known artists has been recorded for posterity. Equally keen and just as important are some of the die hard fans who linger among the many online mailing lists (like the rockinrecords and hillbilly lists) who are constantly divulging a wealth of information on innumerable names from the better known to the totally unknown. Without such devotees, all that would exist today are records and the mysterious names that appear on their labels. Without such data, this music couldn't possibly be appropriately juxtaposed in its correct context. Now, after many years of research, we can indeed place rockabilly in its meaningful locus in history. We now know just who the Phantom is. We also know that Lew Williams' recording career was far more prolific than just his Imperial singles and we also now know far more about Art Adams than anyone may have previously believed true. However, there are still many, many artists whose stories have yet to be told and will remain in the depths of obscurity until such time as they are found and interviewed. It is for this very reason that I struck upon the idea to create this page with Bob Timmers on the Rockabilly Hall of Fame site. In my attempts to track down these still unknown artists, I have indeed discovered many. I have been collecting their stories and submitting them for publication in an Australian magazine called Big Beat of the Fifties, but with minimal response. Thus I felt it would be more appropriate to make this information available via a more easily accessible source - the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. So, as I locate and interview many of the obscure performers (including record labels too) and obtain hitherto unseen photos, they will be made available on this section of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Before delving into these enigmas though, I wish to offer a few brief words about myself. I reside in a small country town in Western Australia and I've been actively collecting and researching rockabilly and other roots related music for many years now. After a visit to London I met some of the folks from the rockinrecords list, whom I previously knew by name only. This visit also inspired me to become a dedicated record collector. That is, spending exorbitant sums of my hard earned cash on original pressings (45 and 78 RPM). Since this time I became actively involved in radio, co-hosting a program on Radio Fremantle with Dave Blaine. Broadcast each Wednesday night, Dave and I would spin many of the seldom heard rockabilly, R'n'R, hillbilly, blues and R&B of the forties and fifties. I also became a regular contributor to a Melbourne based magazine called Big Beat of the Fifties. With my regular Hen's Teeth column, I finally had a forum to share the information I had been digging up. Well, that's enough about me. I hope you enjoy the artist profiles and find the discographies on this page helpful. If you have any comments, corrections or additions to the information contained herein, please do not hesitate to contact me at rockindaddy_1955@yahoo.com.
Shane Hughes - Capel, Western Australia