KING ROCKABILLY VARIOUS (UK) CD

SKU/Barcode: 029667177726

While King had many facets of American country- and blues-derived popular music covered from the 1940s to the 1960s, it was far weaker in rockabilly than it was in blues, hillbilly country, R&B, and early soul. Still, it did record more rockabilly in the 1950s than many have realized, although Charlie Feathers's releases in the style tend to be the only King ones that are remembered. A couple dozen rockabilly items from the mid-'50s to the early '60s are here, and only a few names will be recognized even by rock scholars. There's Feathers (with an alternate take of 'Bottle to the Baby'); Moon Mullican (with his 1956 single 'Seven Nights to Rock,' an attempt by the middle-aged former hillbilly star to jump on the rockabilly bandwagon); Boyd Bennett; and, most surprisingly, Dave Dudley, who did his rather mild 'Rock'n'Roll Nursery Rhyme' in 1956, long before making his mark with truck-driving country anthems. And there's also Hank Mizell, whose 'Jungle Rock' wasn't a hit in 1958, but unexpectedly made the British Top Ten in 1976 as a reissue; Mac Curtis is also here, and also got some belated acclaim on the European rockabilly revival circuit. On the whole, it's just average derivative rockabilly, sometimes with the hillbilly roots of the performers showing, though the production is better than those of many independent labels, as you'll notice when playing this next to other label-centric '50s rockabilly collections on Ace itself. Charlie Gore and Louis Innis's '(You Ain't Nothin' But a Female) Hound Dog,' an answer record to Big Mama Thornton's 'Hound Dog,' is of above-average interest as far as this thing goes, though it's closer to hillbilly than rockabilly.

1. Shake Shake The Bluetones
2. Move Boyd Bennett
3. Clock Tickin Rhythm Cecil Mcnabb
4. Bip A Little Bip A Lot Joe Penny
5. Mercy Mercy Mercy Joe Penny
6. Peg Pants Bill Beach
7. Youre Gonna Like Me Baby Bill Beach
8. Jungle Rock Hank Mizell
9. No Good Robin Hood Delbert Barker
10. Jug Band Jump Delbert Barker
11. Pony Tail Partner Bing Day
12. Tremblin Rusty York
13. Grandaddys Rockin Mac Curtis
14. Eeny Meeny Miney Mo Bob & Lucille
15. Your Kind Of Lovin Donnie White
16. Rock Nroll Nursery Rhyme Dave Dudley
17. You Aint Nothin But A Female Hound Dog Charlie Gore/Louis Innis
18. Gotta Make Her Mine Ronny Wade
19. Annie Dont Work Ronny Wade
20. Top Ten Rock Fuller Todd
21. You Tell Her I Stutter Jimmy Lee Prow
22. Seven Nights To Rock Full Version Moon Mullican
23. Bottle To The Baby Alternate Take With Studio Chat And False Start Charlie Feathers
24. Rockin Blues Booker Lee Jr.