Viele Musiker und Journalisten nennen heute BILL FLAGG,
wenn es darum geht, wer als erster den Begriff "Rockabilly"
verwendet zu haben. Die einen sagen, BILL FLAGG habe seine Musik
schon 1953 so genannt (siehe nachfolgenden Auszug), die anderen
sehen ihn im Zusammenhang mit der Beschreibung der Musik
als "Rock-A-Billy" durch Billboard im Juni 1956, wobei dann aber
auch Roy Hall und das Burnette-Trio genannt wird.
Fest steht, dass der 1934 in Maine geborene FLAGG, der nach nur
drei Platten einen langen Abschied von der professionellen Musik
nahm, bevor ihn sein Sohn wieder mit Bluegrass-Klängen zurück
brachte, einer der ersten ist, was uns hier zunächst reichen soll.
The name "Rock-a-Billy" came up as an established expression in the 1970s, when the so called Rockabilly Revival took its run. But in the 1950s, there were only a few documented uses of this word. Billboard used the word "rock-a-billy" in their 1956 June issue when they reviewed Ruckus Tyler’s record of Rollin’ and a–Rockin’ / Rock Town Rock; the Johnny Burnette Trio’s 1956 recording Rockbilly Boogie (sometimes spelled as Rockabilly) was another early expression. And there was Bill Flagg, who began to use the term "Rockbillie" to describe his music in 1953. This is the earliest known use of the word, but many people even don’t know Bill Flagg.
Flagg was born in 1934 in Waterville, Maine, but moved to Connecticut shortly before World War II. Flagg’s grandpa was the local milk deliveryman.
Flagg started his career as the "Lone Pine Cowboy" in the radio and later changed his style to bluegrass music with a band called the Prairie Drifters. He was playing around Hartford and draw huge crowds with his band. Around 1954, he combined the traditional country and bluegrass music with the new sound that was called Rock and Roll together with his friend John Sligar. He lost his old audiences, but the teenagers now filled the dancehalls when Flagg played.
His popularity grew well and in 1956, he was signed to a recording contract by the New York City based record label Tetra Records. Flagg and his two back-up musicians Cat Gibson and Ted Barton, by then called the Rockabillies, travelled to New York and went into the Bell Sound studio to make their first recordings. They laid down Doin’ My Time, Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms, Can’t You Hear My Calling and Six White Horses, which were of course bluegrass standards. When A&R manager Monty Bruce asked for all the information on Flagg’s "self-written songs", it was obvious that Bruce didn’t know about rural music and Flagg replied that the songs were only covers. Bruce didn’t want to release anything but original material, so Flagg began to write two songs that night. He never had written a song before, but the result was as good as it could be.
Together with his band he recorded Go Cat Go and Guitar Rock, two examples of classic rockabilly music. Both songs cracked the Billboard charts and Flagg appeared on Dick Clark’s TV show "American Bandstand" several times. Tetra promoted his songs as "Rockbillie". Monty Bruce sold Flagg’s contract to MGM Records and in April 1958, a third single followed on the label.
But Flagg’s career was interrupted by the heart attack his father had suffered back home and Flagg decided to go out of the music business and returned to his home. He helped his father and performed for ten years in a little club. After his father died, Flagg finally turned down his music career to pursue other interests.
27 years after Flagg vanished from the music scene, his son Bob joined a bluegrass band and Flagg was pursued to perform with them at a bluegrass festival. The reactions were overwhelming and Flagg decided to give it a try again. He recorded an album with bluegrass songs and set up the group Hobo Bill & the Last Ride. Today, Bill Flagg still performs and was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1999.
Original Released Recordings
September 15, 1956
Go Cat Go/A Good Woman’s Leavin’
Tetra 4445
December, 1956
Guitar Rock/I’m So Lonely
Tetra 4448
April 28, 1958
Doin’ My Time/I Will Always Love You
MGM K12637
Additional Recordings (unissued):
Can’t You Hear Me Callin’
Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms
Six White Horses
wenn es darum geht, wer als erster den Begriff "Rockabilly"
verwendet zu haben. Die einen sagen, BILL FLAGG habe seine Musik
schon 1953 so genannt (siehe nachfolgenden Auszug), die anderen
sehen ihn im Zusammenhang mit der Beschreibung der Musik
als "Rock-A-Billy" durch Billboard im Juni 1956, wobei dann aber
auch Roy Hall und das Burnette-Trio genannt wird.
Fest steht, dass der 1934 in Maine geborene FLAGG, der nach nur
drei Platten einen langen Abschied von der professionellen Musik
nahm, bevor ihn sein Sohn wieder mit Bluegrass-Klängen zurück
brachte, einer der ersten ist, was uns hier zunächst reichen soll.
The name "Rock-a-Billy" came up as an established expression in the 1970s, when the so called Rockabilly Revival took its run. But in the 1950s, there were only a few documented uses of this word. Billboard used the word "rock-a-billy" in their 1956 June issue when they reviewed Ruckus Tyler’s record of Rollin’ and a–Rockin’ / Rock Town Rock; the Johnny Burnette Trio’s 1956 recording Rockbilly Boogie (sometimes spelled as Rockabilly) was another early expression. And there was Bill Flagg, who began to use the term "Rockbillie" to describe his music in 1953. This is the earliest known use of the word, but many people even don’t know Bill Flagg.
Flagg was born in 1934 in Waterville, Maine, but moved to Connecticut shortly before World War II. Flagg’s grandpa was the local milk deliveryman.
Flagg started his career as the "Lone Pine Cowboy" in the radio and later changed his style to bluegrass music with a band called the Prairie Drifters. He was playing around Hartford and draw huge crowds with his band. Around 1954, he combined the traditional country and bluegrass music with the new sound that was called Rock and Roll together with his friend John Sligar. He lost his old audiences, but the teenagers now filled the dancehalls when Flagg played.
His popularity grew well and in 1956, he was signed to a recording contract by the New York City based record label Tetra Records. Flagg and his two back-up musicians Cat Gibson and Ted Barton, by then called the Rockabillies, travelled to New York and went into the Bell Sound studio to make their first recordings. They laid down Doin’ My Time, Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms, Can’t You Hear My Calling and Six White Horses, which were of course bluegrass standards. When A&R manager Monty Bruce asked for all the information on Flagg’s "self-written songs", it was obvious that Bruce didn’t know about rural music and Flagg replied that the songs were only covers. Bruce didn’t want to release anything but original material, so Flagg began to write two songs that night. He never had written a song before, but the result was as good as it could be.
Together with his band he recorded Go Cat Go and Guitar Rock, two examples of classic rockabilly music. Both songs cracked the Billboard charts and Flagg appeared on Dick Clark’s TV show "American Bandstand" several times. Tetra promoted his songs as "Rockbillie". Monty Bruce sold Flagg’s contract to MGM Records and in April 1958, a third single followed on the label.
But Flagg’s career was interrupted by the heart attack his father had suffered back home and Flagg decided to go out of the music business and returned to his home. He helped his father and performed for ten years in a little club. After his father died, Flagg finally turned down his music career to pursue other interests.
27 years after Flagg vanished from the music scene, his son Bob joined a bluegrass band and Flagg was pursued to perform with them at a bluegrass festival. The reactions were overwhelming and Flagg decided to give it a try again. He recorded an album with bluegrass songs and set up the group Hobo Bill & the Last Ride. Today, Bill Flagg still performs and was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1999.
Original Released Recordings
September 15, 1956
Go Cat Go/A Good Woman’s Leavin’
Tetra 4445
December, 1956
Guitar Rock/I’m So Lonely
Tetra 4448
April 28, 1958
Doin’ My Time/I Will Always Love You
MGM K12637
Additional Recordings (unissued):
Can’t You Hear Me Callin’
Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms
Six White Horses
Anhänge an diesem Beitrag
 |
|
| Dateiname: | Flagg,Bill0Guitar Ro … 4448.jpg |
| Dateigröße: | 28.88 KB |
| Titel: | Flagg,Bill0Guitar Rock Tetra 4448.jpg |
| Heruntergeladen: | 298 |
|
|
| Dateiname: | Flagg,Bill01Go Cat G … 4445.jpg |
| Dateigröße: | 26.06 KB |
| Titel: | Flagg,Bill01Go Cat Go Tetra 4445.jpg |
| Heruntergeladen: | 312 |
|
|
| Dateiname: | Flagg,Bill03.jpg |
| Dateigröße: | 21.46 KB |
| Titel: | Flagg,Bill03.jpg |
| Heruntergeladen: | 277 |
