Barbara Pittman
Barbara Pittman (* 6. April 1938 in Memphis , Tennessee ; † 29. October 2005 ibid) was an American rockabilly - singer and the only woman from Sam Phillips was contracted.
Life
Childhood and youth
Barbara Pittman was born in Memphis in 1938, where she was raised in poverty as one of twelve children. Her mother had Irish ancestry and her fiddle father was Indian. Pittman was influenced in her childhood by big bands and singers like Ella Fitzgerald . She was also heavily influenced by the blues , as her uncle had a pawn shop on Beale Street , where she spent a lot of time. As a child, Pittman met Elvis Presley because her mother was friends with his mother Gladys. As a teenager, she often spent time with Presley.
Career
As a teenager, she introduced herself - like Presley - to Sun Records , but was initially rejected by Sam Phillips because he was of the opinion that she was too young and did not have enough talent. Her first professional engagement was the local DJ Sleepy John Estes in the Eagles Nest . In 1955 she joined Lash LaRue's western show. She was originally hired as a babysitter, but she soon appeared on his shows as a singer. In that one year she traveled to California with LaRue .
In early 1956 she returned to Memphis, where she met the musician and songwriter Stan Kesler . She became the singer of the Snearly Ranch Boys , with whom Kesler also played, and performed regularly with the band at the Cotton Club in West Memphis . Kesler let them play a demo tape of his song Playing for Keeps in this club , because he wanted to convey the song to Elvis Presley, who was already under contract with RCA Victor at the time. Sam Phillips heard this tape and was immediately impressed by Pittman, even though he had previously turned it down.
Although a few female artists recorded for Phillips' labels, Pittman was the only one to later get a contract. She held her first session in April 1956 at Sun Studio and recorded her first single, I Need a Man / No Matter Who's to Blame , which was erroneously released under the name "Barbara Pitman". She was accompanied by the Snearly Ranch Boys and the Sun studio musician Marcus Van Story on bass. Although the single was slow to sell, manager Bob Neal took it on touring with other Sun artists. In late 1956 and early 1957, Pittman made additional recordings for Sun, but they remained unpublished. Phillips had lost interest in a collaboration until Fernwood Records and Hi Records made their offers, whereupon Phillips Pittman engaged for his new label Phillips International and took them as the only female artist under contract.
Her first single for the label, Two Young Fools in Love / I'm Getting Better All the Time , became a regional hit but missed the national charts. Two more singles followed in 1958 and 1960, including Cold Cold Heart and The Eleventh Commandment . In the latter title she was supported by the Gene Lowery Singers. Pittman also recorded as a member of Stan Kesler's group The Sunrays.
However, the great success did not come for Pittman and by the beginning of the 1960s Phillips' successful days as a producer were over. Pittman left Memphis and moved to California, where she recorded soundtracks for numerous films, played with the Righteous Brothers and performed on cruise lines. In 1970 she moved back to Memphis and married the German record collector Willie Gutt, with whom she settled in Houston , Texas . In the 1980s, Pittman was rediscovered due to the rockabilly revival, and this was followed by numerous appearances in Europe as well as re-releases of her old recordings with Rockhouse, Bear Family and Charly.
Barbara Pittman died of heart failure in her hometown of Memphis in 2005, aged 67.
Discography
Singles
| year | title | Label # | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | I need a man / no matter who's to blame | Sun 253 | |||
| 1957 | Two Young Fools in Love / I'm Getting Better All the Time | Phillips International 3518 | |||
| 1958 | Cold Cold Heart / Everlasting Love * | Phillips International 3527 | |||
| 1960 | The Eleventh Commandment / Handsome Man | Phillips International 3553 | |||
| Other recordings | |||||
| 1956 |
|
demo | |||
| 1956 |
|
Sun (unpublished) | |||
| 1957 |
|
Phillips International (unpublished) | |||
|
Phillips International (unpublished) | ||||
|
Status unknown | ||||
* Some copies of Phillips International 3527 are incorrectly labeled Everlasting Heart .
Albums
- 1983: The Original Sun Sides (Rockhouse)
- 1990: I Need a Man (Bear Family)
- 1997: Getting Better All the Time (Charly)
Web links
- Entry into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
- Discography with audio samples
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Pittman, Barbara |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rockabilly singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 6, 1938 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Memphis , Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 29, 2005 |
| Place of death | Memphis , Tennessee |