Johnny R. Cash 
 

Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas, on February 26, 1932. He was one of five children born to Ray and Carrie Cash. His father was a very hard working poverty- stricken farmer who finally settled in Dyess, Arkansas, during the depression. 

Living on the banks of the Mississippi River gave Johnny an early insight into pain, suffering, and tragedy that occurred daily in his childhood. Growing up in the south, he was captivated by the sound of the country music around him, and he was similarly taken with the railroads, and the railroad workers. In the years ahead, he would write of these times. 

Johnny never had much as a child and began working in the fields at age 6. By 1940, there were two new children to care for, and times were tough. His only pleasure was listening to the portable radio, and watching his surroundings as he grew to manhood. He spent many a night, as a child, listening to the radio, until his father would demand that he turn it off and go to bed. His mind was filled with the music of Roy Acuff, Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Tubb, and later, Hank Williams. 

Johnny's mother was so impressed with his love of music, that she purchased a $6.98 guitar from Sears, Roebuck. She tried to teach him how to play, but he refused to learn. He preferred sitting and listening, instead. Finally, he sold the guitar to another child in the area. 

In the `30's, his brother Roy formed a country band, the Delta Rhythm Ramblers. The band consisted of two guitars, a banjo, a 

harmonica, and fiddle. They played on radio station KCLN in Blytheville, and rehearsed at home. Johnny listened at every rehearsal, and watched every show with avid enthusiasm. 

When World War II broke out, the band joined the armed forces, and three of the five were killed. 

In the `40's, his brother Jack was killed with a saw, and it took Johnny a long time even to try to get over it. In 1948, at age 16, he got a job on a local work project along the Tyranza River, as a water boy. He would

In 1955, after naming the group Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, they went to Memphis to audition for Sun Records. At the audition, Johnny sang a song he had been making up lyrics to, for several years, called "Hey Porter." Phillips liked the song, so Johnny wrote "Cry, Cry, Cry!," to use for the flip side.

It was good enough for Sun, so they released it. It became a hit in the south, climbing the country charts to number 14 . The group decide to follow up this hit by putting the finishing touches to the song Johnny wrote about Folsom Prison, so Sun released the follow up singles of "So Doggone Lonesome," and "Folsom Prison Blues." "Folsom Prison Blues" did very well, but years later, when he recorded it live at the prison itself, it would become a classic. 

Soon after the record was released, Sam Phillips called and asked him if he would like to be booked on the Louisiana Hayride, which, next to WSM, and "The Grand Ole Opry," was the biggest show, on the radio, in country music.

The group drove the 350 miles to Shreveport to do the show. (Elvis was also there at the time). When they performed their first two songs, the audience went wild for them, so they were asked to stay as regulars on the show. They received $12 each for performing, and they drove back that night. 

Johnny's first royalty check from Sun amounted to $12 also, but now he received his second, for $6,000.00. Bob Neal, a Memphis disc jockey who was booking Elvis agreed to book Johnny as well, so now he began to tour the south in country music packaged shows, from Georgia to Colorado. 

In 1956 Sun released "I Walk the Line," which became Johnny's first major hit. It was followed, in rapid succession, by "Train of Love," "There You Go," "Don't Make Me Go," and "Next in Line." "I Walk the Line" would be such a big hit for him that he would use it as his theme song, in the future. 

At the tender age of 24, Johnny was a recording star. The record crossed over to the pop charts because of its rhythm and blues influence. The studio pianists, were two newcomers Charlie Rich, and Jerry Lee Lewis, and both were responsible for the rich sound that emerged. 

Johnny had a rich sense of history, and religion, and throughout the years these influences would show up on many of his albums. The unique sound that Luther created on the guitar, by picking cords, one note at a time, with the strings muted by the palm of his hand, was to become Johnny's trademark.

styles and excitement, constantly building, until Cash would step out of the darkness and announce "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." 

In 1968, after many national television appearances, ABC offered him his own summer replacement show to be broadcast in 1969. The show was hailed by everyone for its quality of presentation and style. It was during this show, in 1969, that he introduced one of his most popular songs, the novelty "A Boy Named Sue," which sold well over a million copies. While the show continued to do well for several years, eventually the network began squeezing it out. 

Those years [1958 to 1968] were marked by key achievements in repertory expansion, recording activity, and roadshow innovations. At the end of that decade came the greatest national recognition any country sing- er had ever received and a new personal stability, through his breaking the pill habit and his marriage to June Carter  as well as a return to Nashville as a base of operations. [Malone & McCulloh, 1975, p. 297] 

It was during these years that Johnny became the first country music artist to develop the "concept" album, beginning with Ride This Train (1960), and continuing with; The Lure of the Grand Canyon (1961), Blood, Sweat and Tears (1963), Bitter Tears (1964), Ballads of the True West (1965), From Sea to Shining Sea (1967), The Holy Land (1968), America (1972), The Gospel Road (1973), Ragged Old Flag (1974), The Highwayman (1985) and Highwayman 2 (1990), with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson, and finally, Heros (1986), with Waylon Jennings. He also managed to demonstrate his unique sense of humor in a comedy album Everybody Loves a Nut (1966), and his children's album, The Johnny Cash Children's Album (1975). 

The year 1969 was a banner year for Johnny: the Country Music Association named him both Entertainer of the Year, and Male Vocalist of the Year. He also won back-to-back Grammy Awards in 1968 and 1969 as Best Male Country Music Performer, as well as other honors and awards. 

During the late '60's and early `70's when Sun Records was taken over by Shelby Singleton, they released most of his old records and smothered a new generation with his sound. 

Johnny still remains one of the most respected singers, writers,  and storytellers in country music.

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 Carl Lee Perkins 

Carl Perkins was born in Tiptonville, Tennessee, on April 9, 1932, the second of three brothers. He led rather a quiet life, in a large family, as was the typical of the time. The family ran a welfare-supported farm. In the 50's, his family moved near Jackson, Mississippi, where Carl worked in a battery factory. A local black sharecropper sold him a guitar for $3.00, and Carl spent days and nights listening to the radio, and playing his guitar. 

When Carl was 15, his family moved east to sharecrop in the hills around Jackson. He worked in the cotton fields for two years and then in a dairy, getting up at 2 A. M. each morning, in order to milk 65 cows. He even tried to become a baker. 

In 1947, he relocated in Bemis, as a laborer in a battery plant. When he entered a talent show, he was so impressed with the reaction of the people that he formed the Perkins Brothers Band, with his brothers Jay B. and Clayton, whom he taught to play guitar. 

In 1953, he purchased a $150 Les Paul guitar, and began to develop what would be one of the most unique musical styles, which some say crosses the bluegrass sounds of Bill Monroe, with the blues sound of John Lee Hooker. This style would be blended with the Elvis sound, and would be copied by many for years to come. 

Carl moved with his wife Valda Crider to Parkview Courts, in Jackson and sent demos out to record companies. In December 1954, Sam Phillips gave him an audition. In February 1955, Carl recorded "Movie Mag" and "Turn Around" on the Flip label, which was an affiliate of Sun Records. The reception around Memphis was very good. 

Carl signed with Sun Records in 1955, and began to tour with his brothers, Clayton and Jay B., as well as with W.S. Holland. He released a number of songs that year, but the one that really made it for him was "Blue Suede Shoes," his own composition. It was just this sound that Sam needed to replace

Elvis whom he had just sold to RCA. A few months later, however, RCA released Elvis' version, and the song became Elvis's. Carl's version, however, managed to sell over 2 million copies. 

Carl toured with Johnny Cash through out the 50's, and when Cash moved to California, Carl did too. Carl was so close to Johnny that he also began to consume alcohol and pills. Like Cash, he overcame his addiction. He was on his way to stardom; this married man, with three kids would dare to challenge the great Elvis Presley at his own sound. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, as tragedy would soon hit. On March 22, 1956, on the way to New York City to perform on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Perry Como Hour," his car crashed just outside Delaware. After the accident, he just could not make a comeback; even when he changed to Columbia Records and had some measure of hits on the label, he was never destined for stardom. 

Carl Perkins became the first white southern rock `n' roller to reach the American pop top twenty. "Blue Suede Shoes" got there just one week before "Heart- break Hotel". [Rogers, 1982, p. 36] 

In 1963, Carl moved to Decca Records, and then to Dollie. As a featured artist in "The Johnny Cash Show," both on television, and on the road, from 1969-71, he gained many new fans. This exposure gave him a chance to return to Columbia Records with a new contract, in 1968. Although his career never flew high, several of his records hit the charts, and he gained quite a following. 

In 1963, he was asked to join Chuck Berry on a 30 day tour of England, so he set out to make a comeback overseas. In England, he ran into a new group of musicians who called themselves the Beatles. They told him that they were big fans of his, and asked if he would mind if they recorded some of his music. He thought that was great. 

His last hitch with Columbia lasted until 1973, when he went to Mercury for one album. He still records and plays with many famous artists, including Johnny Cash, as back up and support vocalist and guitarist. 

Carl continues to represent the sounds of rockabilly music on records, more than any other artist in history. He has been a part of "The Johnny Cash Show" for many years, and has remained friends with Johnny Cash.

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Jerry Lee Lewis
 

Jerry Lee Lewis was born in Ferriday, Louisiana, on September 29, 1935, the second son of Elmo and Mary Ethel Lewis. The first son, Elmo, Jr. was killed in a car accident at the age of 9. He also had two sisters, Frankie Jean and Linda Gail. 

For about four decades, Jerry Lee Lewis has outperformed other performers, and outdone many great musicians, first in the genre of rockabilly, then in rock and roll, and finally in country music. 

Jerry Lee started playing piano at the age of four. It was at an early age that Jerry Lee and his cousins ( Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart) would sneak into the black areas and go to the local honkytonks to inhale the blues sounds of the times sounds that were considered sinful to the pure bred country and western and Gospel white people of the south. 

Jerry Lee's father would travel around the area and have him perform from the back of his flatbed truck. This was a great training ground for an up-and- coming entertainer, and for his part in the movie High School Confidential, which would come much later. 

In 1949, he joined in a band plugging a car dealer, where he played for 20 minutes and received $13 in donations, and decided to go pro. By 1950, he was working at the Blue Cat Night Club, in Natchez, and on Saturdays he had a 20-minute radio show on WNAT. 

Jerry Lee quit high school and attended Southwestern Bible Institute, in Waxahachie, Texas. The school's rules included clean conduct and conversation, modest appearance in dress, high standards of moral life, and a deep consecration and devotion to spiritual life. Needless to say, Jerry Lee didn't last long, and was expelled. 

Next, he became a door-to-door salesman, but he quit in 1952. He was extremely successful as a salesman, but the sheriff was not too enthused with his methods. He began playing drums for a blues pianist. His first marriage was to Dorothy Barton, age 16, who was a preacher's daughter; the marriage lasted one year.

In 1953, he married Jane Mitcham Natchez, who gave birth to Jerry Lee, Jr., who would later turn to drugs. He died in a car accident in 1973. The following year Jerry Lee went to Shreveport, Louisiana to try and join the Louisiana Hayride, but was turned down by Slim Whitman. 

Although Jerry Lee was raised on gospel music, it would be his love of the blues that kept him going, and later inspired the outbursts of rockabilly music that would overpower the nation in the future. 

In 1956, Jerry Lee moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and played backup piano for many artists at Sun Records, with the likes of Carl Perkins, Billy Lee Riley, and even with Elvis. Sun's big break of selling Elvis to RCA was also Jerry Lee's big break because Sun was now hungry for talented artists in the same genre. 

The label soon signed Jerry Lee to a recording contract after he cornered Jack Clement (Sun's A&R man) one day, and played every kind of music imaginable in a monster test session. His first release was "Crazy Arms," a knockoff of the Ray Price hit. The song was a mild success, but never made the charts. 

In his second session, after first recording "It'll Be Me," he was told to play whatever he wanted to. After some time, Jerry finally turned to his band and said, "Hey, let's play that Shakin' thing," and that's how "Whole Lotta' Shak in' Going On" was created. The song went on to sell over one million copies. 

This first great hit, "Whole Lotta' Shakin' Going On" was not played by many white radio stations at the time, because of its sexual overtones. The song was taken from the black blues culture, where the overtones were considered normal. Nevertheless, the song managed to stay on the charts for 29 weeks. 

Jerry Lee began touring with the various artists at Sun, including Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. At one of the performances, they both told Jerry Lee  that he should move around on stage. He argued that it was easy for them, because they played guitar, but not for him, since he played piano. Carl then asked him if he could play standing up. He said he could play lying down if he had to. During his act, he began to stand up, his boot hit the stool, sending it off the stage. As he bent over his long blond hair came streaming down. He looked like a wild animal, and the audience went crazy. So crazy, that Carl turned to Johnny and said, "Maybe we did the wrong thing." But, as we know, it became the major asset in his performance. 

Now, when he did a show, he was reckless. He would generally play the piano with his feet, his elbows, his backside, upside down, or in  any style

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he could imagine that would help the burning style of music and the turbulent pace of his delivery keep going on and on. 

It was said that his performances were so unbelievable, that even Elvis was acceptable to the adults, after they saw Jerry Lee perform. He was definitely not Perry Como, or even Pat Boone. In August of 1957 "Whole Lotta'' Shakin Going On" would accomplish something that only songs by Elvis would do: it became number one on both the country and the Pop charts at the same time. His music, as well as his piano playing was wild and ridiculous, just what the teenagers wanted to see. 

His music led to an appearance on "The Steve Allen Show," on national television, which was the closest competitor to "The Ed Sullivan Show" at the time. Steve soon got into the act, throwing chairs and other objects around the stage area in tune with the wild sounds coming from the piano on the stage. The performance brought an enormous amount of telephone calls from adults, who thought Jerry Lee's performance was "outrageous" and from teenagers, who wanted to know more about the new performer. Rumor had it that he was basically shy, until Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash told him to get wild and carry on. 

Sun followed the song with a second smash, "Great Balls of Fire," in November, which proved that Jerry Lee would remain a sensation for some time, or at least that's what everyone thought. In February of 1958, Sun released "Breathless," backed with "Down the Line," but for some reason the record was slow to take off. Sun merged with Dick Clark's sponsor for his new Saturday night show, Beechnut Gum, and they decided to push both the gum and the record with a giant mail order deal. 

The idea was tremendous; for months, Sam Phillips and everyone else at Sun spent days and nights sending autographed copies of the record to teenagers throughout the country, making both the gum and the record a huge   success.  Jerry Lee had always had it written in his contract that he was to be the last person to perform on any road show. On one occasion, on an "Alan Freed Show," in 1958, at the Paramount Theater, in New York, he was told that Chuck Berry was to perform last. When he performed "Whole Lotta' Shakin' Going On" at the end of his performance, he set the piano on fire. As he went off stage, he supposedly turned to Chuck Berry and said "Follow that, Nigger!." 

His music would continue to be popular with the teenagers of the time for a number of years, until he married his thirteen year old second cousin, Myra Gail, the daughter of his bass player. this act 

started a descent from power which he would take years to regain, with a new generation, in a different genre, altogether. 

Sun had arranged for a huge tour of Europe, starting in Great Britain. When Jerry Lee landed in London, he dared to make fun of Buckingham Palace and the Queen; he was sarcastic, and egotistical. The British press decided to crucify him. They published the news of his marriage to a child, and wouldn't let up. He was booed wherever he went. In spite of his denial of the problem, he decided to return to the United States. His career would never be the same. 

The Sun release of "High School Confidential," backed with "Fools Like Me," a beautiful country song, was a total disappointment to both Jerry Lee and Sun. Even though the record eventually sold over 1 million copies around the world, it was slow getting there. Even the tie in with the movie of the same name couldn't save the record. The sales of his records were sinking. To try and overcome this crisis, in July 1958, Sun released a record in the style of "The Flying Saucers" using Jerry and a popular disc jockey on the record. But no matter what was tried, "The Return of Jerry Lee Lewis" did not work. Also, in 1958, Sam's brother, Judd, left Sun to form Judd Records, in Sheffield, Alabama. 

Jerry Lee's next release, "Break Up," though an excellent song, was again somewhat of a disappointment, as would be all the rest of his releases into the `60's including a spectacular version of "What'd I Say," made more popular by Ray Charles. 

In 1959, Myra gave birth to their son, Steve Allen Lewis, who would drown in a swimming pool accident in 1962. In 1963, she gave birth to Phoebe Allen Lewis. She and Jerry Lee were divorced in 1970. 

Jerry Lee was the longest resident star at Sun records, and continued to record for them up to the end. Starting in 1958, his records were banned from airplay, and his tours were cancelled, all because of his marriage and his attitude. It would not be until later in the mid-'60's when he would be heard from again. 

Country music was not exactly a new genre for Lewis, since most of the flip sides of his great rockabilly and rock and roll hits were country songs, even some Hank Williams' tunes. So, in 1964, with Sun Records slowly fading away, one of the last artists to do so left the company to join the Smash Records division of Mercury Records. 

For a number of years, Smash tried to continue his efforts in rock, but nothing really hit. It was not until a decision was made to try country music, that success was achieved.

112 What It Was Was Rockabilly
 
 

 In 1966, Smash released Jerry Lee's first country album entitled Country Songs. Jerry Lee followed this with a number of different kinds of sounds on album, but nothing seemed to work for him. He was about to quit the label, when he was convinced to return for one more session, with country music as the genre. The change clicked, and in 1968, Mercury released the next big song, "Another Place, Another Time." Jerry was back on the music charts, this time in country music. He followed this hit with "What's Made Millwau- kee Famous Has Made a Loser Out of Me." 

During the late 60's and early `70's it was the rock and roll revival shows that kept him going. During the `60's after the takeover of the Sun catalog by Shelby Singleton, a number of his older cuts on Sun became hits, in the Country Music genre: They were "One Minute Past Eternity," "I Can't Seem to Say Goodbye," and "Waiting For a Train." 

In 1970, Jerry Lee graduated from the Smash Record subsidiary to the major Mercury label, and continued to have successful releases. In 1971, he married Jaren Pate, and in April of 1972, they had their only child, Lori Leigh Lewis. In 1974, Jaren filed for separation from Jerry Lee. In June of 1982, she was found dead. 

In 1979, Jerry Lee made another change, this time to Elektra Records, and cut his first LP in Los Angeles, which was his first session outside Nashville for some time. Again he proved himself with a number of hits, this time with a combination of country, blues, and rock. 

In 1981, he suffered physical problems with a tear in his stomach, and the time involved with recuperating drove him crazy; it wasn't until August that he was taken off the critical list. By 1982, he had regained enough strength to continue his trade, which he still does today, in spite of his age, and his physical disabilities. 

On June 7, 1983, Jerry Lee married a Shawnee named Michelle Stevens, a 25-year old waitress from Garden City, Michigan. Seventy-eight days later, she was found dead from an overdose of methadone. On April 24, 1984 he married 22 year old Kerrie McCarver. 

In the years following, he was arrested for attempted murder on Elvis; he has been arrested for drunkenness, and assault; and he was brought to trial by the Internal Revenue Service, for back taxes. He has suffered near strokes, and heart attacks, but the Killer goes on. 

Charlie Rich 
 

He was born in Colt, Arkansas, on December 14, 1932. No other rockabilly artist had to wait as long as Charlie Rich to obtain the star status that he long deserved. 

Charlie was schooled in gospel music as a child, and his parents were Missionary Baptists who were very active in the church. His mother played organ, and both parents were members of a gospel quartet, where harmonious singing reigned supreme. 

By the time he attended Consolidated High School in Forrest City, his interest and participation in music had expanded. While his environment was that of country music, he began to develop an acute interest in jazz. He also developed a "cute" interest in an attractive young woman by the name of Margaret Ann, whom he married after they graduated from high school. 

Margaret Ann was Charlie's biggest supporter as he tried to advance in the music world. He played in many local groups as a teenager, usually normal dance music, but occasionally jazz. He attended the University of Arkansas
for a year, as a music major, then he joined the Air Force, in 1951. 

While he was stationed in Oklahoma for three years, he formed his own jazz group. He then organized a singing group called the Velvetones, that even had its' own television show for awhile. After the service he tended to lean toward the blues area of music. Now, however, he had a desire to try farming and left music for the weekends. 

Margaret Ann urged him to get ahead in music, but not much happened for several years. Finally, she called Bill Justis, A & R man at Sun Records, and asked for a chance to have him hear Charlie's tapes. They liked what they heard and began to use him as a session man for various performers, including Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison, and to use his songs for other artists. Many of these songs became hits for other artists, "The Ways of a Woman in Love" and "I Just Thought That You'd Like to Know" (Johnny Cash), and "Break Up" and "I'll Make It All Up To You" (Jerry Lee Lewis). 

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At the end of the decade, Sun began releasing a few of Charlie's recordings. On his third release he made the charts with a heavy rockabilly number called "Lonely Weekends." Unfortunately Sun was on the wain by this time, and there was no one to push for him and promote him as was done with the great artists before him. 

When Sun faded out of the business in the mid-'60's he turned to Mercury Records under the direction of Shelby Singleton, who would later take over Sun. His first single, on the Smash label, entitled "Mohair Sam," made the charts in 1965. He liked the company, and he liked Jerry Kennedy, who produced most of the country songs for Mercury, but once more, there was no follow-up hit.   

About 2 years later, Charlie signed with RCA, and again, he received little promotional push, even though one of the songs, "Big Boss Man" was a fair hit. At this time, Charlie began to hit the pills and the booze. He moved to Hi Records, and still received no noticeable recognition. In 1968, he signed with Epic Records. 

Epic teamed him with producer Billy Sherrill, who was pushing out the formatted country music style, and making hits. Billy had great faith in Charlie's style and his ability, and together they worked on finding Charlie's formula for success. But, just as before, they seemed to be going nowhere. Though his songs made the charts, none were at the upper level. Some of the songs that made it were, "Big Boss Man," "Who Will the Next Fool Be," "Nice and Easy," and "Life's Little Ups and Downs," the latter written by Margaret Ann. 

When Bill Williams joined Epic, in the promotional department, in Nashville, he fell in love with the latest release by Charlie, entitled "Behind Closed Doors." He began a mountain of promotional material to push the record, and it paid off. The single became a major hit in 1973, and earned a gold record. More important, however, the follow-up record, "The Most Beautiful Girl" earned another gold record. His albums began to reach high levels on the charts, and he was on his way. 

At the 1973 Country Music Association Awards celebration, in Nashville, Charlie picked up three awards; Best Song, Best Record and Best Male Artist. When he sang "Behind Closed Doors," his fellow musicians gave him a standing ovation. 

His success at Epic would continue, and in 1978 he moved to United Artists, but kept Billy Sherrill at the controls in the studio. He continued to obtain moderate success with his recordings, because he now had a good following.

Roy Orbison
 

Roy Orbison's writing and performing from the late `50's through the 60's created a platform for many future artists and earned him the deepest respect of them all. 

Born in Wink, Texas on April 23, 1936, Roy was brought up on country music, but ventured into popular music through his friend Pat Boone. 

Pat's venture into popular music aroused the interests of Roy, causing him to gear his writing toward pop. Another young artist, Johnny Cash, on hearing some of Roy's material, helped him to get in touch with Sam Phillips. 

Roy sent Sam Phillips a copy of "Ooby Dooby" because it was the type of music that Sun was using at the time, not the kind of music that Roy wanted to do. Sam loved the song and released it. It was a major hit in 1956, selling 300,000 copies. 

Roy soon moved to Nashville, and signed to write songs with Acuff-Rose Music Publishers. One of the first songs he wrote was "Claudette" which became a major hit by the Everly Brothers. After he was in Nashville for awhile, he switched to Monument Records, a relatively new company. Now he was given the chance to write and record ballads, what he wanted to do in the first place. 

His second recording for the company, "Only The Lonely," was a beautiful ballad so beautiful, in fact, that it sold over 2 million copies. It was the song that started the ball rolling, and for Roy the ball continued rolling out of the `50's and into the first half of the 60's. The song "Blue Angel," also released in 1960, sold over a million copies as well. 

In 1961, he would sell over one million copies of "Running Scared," "Cryin'" backed with "Candy Man," and "I'm "Hurtin'." In 1962, "Dream Baby," and "Workin' for the Man" would sell over 1 million copies, as would "In Dreams," "Mean Woman Blues" and "I'm Fallin'" in 1963. 

Roy continued to knock out hit after hit in his infamous style, with the ya ya's and violins, and large orchestrations. His high pitched voice had an enormous range and seemed to bring the songs to life.