Music is predominantly for dancing in West Texas and it was one of the first areas to embrace rock'n'roll. Norman Petty ran the best known studio in the area and launched the careers of Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Buddy Knox, Waylon Jennings and Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs. WEST TEXAS BOP brings together some of Petty's best rockers, 11 of which are previously unissued and most of the others are new to CD.
Sonny West's Rock-Ola Ruby and Sweet Rockin' Baby is perhaps the most sought after rockabilly single of all time. Gary Dale's Honey Honey and Jack Huddle's Starlight are the best examples of Buddy Holly's outstanding session guitar work. Jack is joined by songwriter/guitarist Jack C Smith for the novelty rocker Midnight Monster Hop.
Peanuts Wilson became an award winning songwriter but is best known for the classic Cast Iron Arm which is joined here by You've Got Love (later covered by Buddy Holly and the Crickets) and four previously unissued titles including Paper Boy which predates Roy Orbison's hit recording by seven months.
Weldon Rogers' So Long, Good Luck, Goodbye is another high priced classic which is coupled with two other songs from the same session. The Amarillo based Nighthawks only saw one release but it combined the superb rockers All A Your Love/When Sin Stops. The latter song became Waylon Jennings' debut single. This package gives the Nighthawks' planned followup, Queen Of Love and Goodtime Girl, their first ever release.
Talk About My Baby was an early composition by Sonny Curtis who is now on the board of directors of the Nashville Songwriters Association. Sonny is a long-time member of the Crickets whose personnel once included Earl Henry (Sinks): heard here on Whatcha Gonna Do. The Roses provided vocal backup to several tracks on this set. Tease is the best of their own previously unissued recordings.
This is the first legit compilation of rockabilly and rock'n'roll gems from West Texas.
By John Ingman
