Aubrey Cagle
Aubrey Cagle (born September 17, 1934 in Lexington , Tennessee , † 2004 ) was an American rockabilly musician and label owner.
Life
Childhood and youth
Aubrey Cagle was born in Tennessee and grew up on his parents' farm. He bought his first guitar when he was eleven. He had earned the money for this by doing odd jobs. Six years later he formed his first band and had a small show on a local radio station in Jackson , Tennessee . Later on, Cagle performed regularly in his hometown on WDXL.
Career
In 1955, Cagle moved to Indianapolis , Indiana because he could no longer find work in Tennessee. But it wasn't until four years later that he recorded his first record for the House of Sound label from Memphis . During this session, Want to Be Wanted Blues and Real Cool emerged ; accompanied by local studio musicians such as Chips Moman (guitar) and produced by label owner Chesney Sherod, the single was released in late 1957. Sources vary significantly with the recording and release date. While Terry Gordon assumes that the House of Sound single was released in 1957, an article from New Kommotion magazine mentions 1959 as the date.
Cagle quickly returned to Indianapolis, where he performed and founded his own label Glee Records in 1959 or 1960 with his brother-in-law Johnnie James . Be-Bop Blues / Just For You was Cagle's first single on his new label. At the same time he played with Jerry Williams in Tennessee Thompson's band and can be heard as a rhythm guitarist on his only single. Cagle often played with Williams in Indianapolis, although this was not part of Cagle's regular band.
By 1962, Cagle recorded three more singles for Glee, all of which were recorded with his band in Nashville , including Come Along Little Girl , Sweet Talkin and I'll Find My Way Back to You . The band members varied, but bassist Bill Williams was always there. Since Cagle had decided in 1961 to use the stage name "Billy Love", his last two singles were also released under this name. Cagle thought DJs could remember this name better. After that, Cagle did not record any more singles, but continued to run his label. In 1968 his brother-in-law died unexpectedly, so that Cagle took over Glee Records completely.
At the end of 1977 (Terry Gordon mentions 1972) Cagle found two unreleased master recordings of Rock-a-Billy Boy and Bop'n'Stroll with him, which he then published on Glee. The tracks were originally recorded in his friend Jan Eden's garage in 1959, following the House of Sound single.
Cagle continued to play in Indianapolis clubs through the 1970s. With his wife Sue he had a son, Ricky, who played drums. Cagle died in 2004 at the age of 70.
Discography
Singles
| year | title | Label # | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 (?) | Real Cool / Want to Be Wanted Blues | House of Sound CS 504 | |||
| 1959 (?) | Be-Bop Blues / Just For You | Glee 100 | |||
| 1960 | Come Along Little Girl / Blue Lonely World | Glee 1001 | |||
| 1961 | Sweet Talkin / Oh What a Memory (as Billy Love) | Glee 1005 | |||
| 1962 | I'll Find My Way (Back to You) / My Empty Arms (as Billy Love) | Glee 10010 | |||
| Unpublished titles | |||||
| 1959-1961 |
|
Glee | |||
Albums
- 2000: Real Cool
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cagle, Aubrey |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Love, Billy (stage name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rockabilly musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 17, 1934 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lexington, Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | 2004 |