![]() The Carlisles, Bobby Williamson, and the Stanley BrothersĬlearly, the performances of the Carlisles, Bobby Williamson, and the Stanley Brothers on covers of "Honey Love," "Sh-Boom," and "Finger Poppin' Time" are awkward. ![]() Compilers Davis, Forbes, and Scott are sympathetic to the business turmoil and personal confusion that prompted non-rock producers and non-rock performers to make so many terrible recording decisions. ![]() Sometimes novice rockers borrowed entire hit songs like "Maybelline," "Long Tall Sally," and "Hound Dog" sometimes they tried to re-create guitar licks, slap-bass techniques, or drumming patterns that sounded rebellious and sometimes they just co-opted key words like "rock," "rockabilly," "teenage," and "go, go, go" to achieve youthful attention. What are documented via oral evidence in these delightful Bear Family discs are the attempts of numerous performers to hitch a ride on the musical mystery train that had propelled Elvis Presley, the Moonglows, Buddy Knox, and Wanda Jackson onto the Billboard charts. Experienced singers wondered if audiences would continue to support their old styles by purchasing new recordings. Established songwriters feared for their future livelihood. Davis, Forbes, and Parker contend that the unanticipated rise of rock and roll had created genuine career uncertainty within the tradition-bound record industry. Using detailed liner notes that explain the genesis of each song presented, the compilers unravel a web of angst rather than avarice. ![]() Organized by Hank Davis, Roy Forbes, and Scott Parker, features 128 recordings distributed among four CDs. Similarly, Dave Bartholomew and Fats Domino welcomed the supplementary recording revenue generated by Pat Boone's rendition of "The Fat Man" and Teresa Brewer's version of "Bo Weevil." The four Bear Family CDs featured in this review present a non-accusatory perspective on both '50s cover recording activities and rock-and-roll experimentations by traditional country and pop performers. It didn't matter that Pat Boone, Doris Day, and Frank Sinatra took turns crooning the Charms' 1955 hit "Two Hearts, Two Kisses (Make One Love)." The royalties still rolled back to Otis Williams and Henry Stone. Thus talented singer-songwriters like Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, and Otis Williams (of the Charms) were financially rewarded rather than penalized during the period of cover recording warfare. Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, and Otis Williams What is undeniable, though, is that cover recording practices always benefited composers. Still other scholars argue that the unintended consequences of the appearance of multiple versions of new rock-and-roll songs expanded the general public's interest and enthusiasm for non-traditional melodies and lyrics. Other writers assert that the white covers of new black music during the 1950s were simply the continuation of a common recording industry practice totally unrelated to race. Some authors contend that white musicians sought to deprive black artists of both music chart recognition and commercial profits by producing and marketing copies of original blues, doo-wop, and R&B recordings. The Hillbillies: They Tried to Rock, Vols 1-4 Hank Davis, Roy Forbes, and Scott Parker (comp.)Ĥ CDs Bear Family BCD 17350, AH/BCD 17406, AH/BCD 17416, AH/BCD 17417 For decades popular music scholars have disagreed about the motivation and efficacy of mid-century cover recording. ![]()
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