Billy Craddock
Billy Wayne "Crash" Craddock (born June 16, 1939 in Greensboro , North Carolina ) is an American country and rock'n'roll musician. After a series of rockabilly hits in Australia , he was able to establish himself as a successful country musician from 1971.
Life
Childhood and youth
Craddock is a cousin of rockabilly musician Gene Vincent and was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. He learned to play the guitar at age six and won a talent contest on local television at age eleven. He was nicknamed "Crash" by his football team in high school. Musical influences were mainly country stars such as Hank Williams , Little Jimmy Dickens and Ray Price .
Rockabilly career
After high school, Craddock formed his first band, the Four Rebels , who played primarily rockabilly . In 1957 he made his first recordings for the small label Sky Castle Records and released the single Smacky-Mouth / How Does It Feel . Birddoggin '/ Millionaire for Colonial Records followed in the same year . Both singles missed the charts.
Shortly thereafter, Craddock was signed by Columbia Records , who sold him as a "Teenage Idol" in order to be able to offer something to rival RCA Victor against Elvis Presley . Craddock's first single Ah, Poor Little Baby / Lulu Lee , was released on Columbia's sub-label Date Records, but did not make it into the charts again. At the beginning of 1959, Am I to Be the One / I Miss You So Much came on the market, but it wasn't until Don't Destroy Me from autumn 1959 that it was able to place itself at the bottom of the charts. However, the A-side of that single, Boom Boom Baby , became a number one hit in Australia. When Craddock toured Australia with Bobby Rydell , the Everly Brothers , Santo and Johnny and the Diamonds , he was surprised to see a crowd of screaming youngsters at the airport, not knowing that he was even at the top of the Australian charts. Two more hits followed in Australia and Craddock became the idol of the youth there.
1961 moved Craddock for two singles to Mercury Records , then to King Records from Cincinnati . In addition to a few singles, he also recorded the album I'm Tore Up for King . But there were no more hits in the States.
Success as a country singer
For the next few years, Craddock disappeared from the record business for some time and worked, among other things, in a cigarette factory. Between 1966 and 1967 he recorded a few minor singles for Chart Records .
It wasn't until 1971 that the company wanted to achieve success. With a new contract with Cartwheel Records and a switch to country music, Knock Three Times immediately made it to number three on the Billboard country charts . The next five singles for Cartwheel also made it into the top 5 of the country charts, whereupon ABC Records took over Craddock's contract. He had his first hit there in 1973 with Don't Be Angry (# 33) and a year later he had his first number one hit in the country charts with Rub It In . Two more top positions were to follow with Ruby Baby (1974) and Broken Down in Tiny Pieces (1976). Craddock had established himself in the country scene and between 1971 and 1979 had a total of 18 hits in the top 10 with his sound influenced by pop and rock . Other hits included Still Thinkin 'Bout You , Easy As Pie and Tear Fell .
In 1977 Craddock moved to Capitol Records , where he had his last big hit in 1979 with If I Could Write a Song As Beautiful As You . Craddock was last placed in the chart in 1989. Craddock still performs today and is particularly popular in Australia as a rock'n'roll idol. His last album to date, Live-n-Kickin ' , was released in 2009.
Billy "Crash" Craddock rose in the 1970s to become one of the first and so far few "sex symbols" of the country scene, as he always wore extremely modern clothes, did his hair and, among other things, left his shirt half unbuttoned. His songs, whether ballads or faster numbers, as well as his stage presence were often based on Elvis Presley's style.
Discography
Singles
year | single | # | Chart position | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Country | US pop | Canada Country | |||||
Sky Castle Records | |||||||
1957 | Smacky-Mouth / How Does It Feel | ZTSP-26671/2 | - | - | - | ||
Colonial Records | |||||||
1957 | Birddoggin '/ Millionaire | 45-CR721 | - | - | - | ||
Columbia Records | |||||||
1958 | Ah, Poor Little Baby / Lulu Lee | 1007 | - | - | - | ||
1959 | Am I to Be the One / I Miss You So Much | 4-41316 | - | - | - | ||
Sweetie Pie "/ Blabbermouth | 4-41367 | - | - | - | |||
Boom Boom Baby / Don't Destroy Me | 4-41470 | - | - / 94 | - | |||
1960 | I Want That / Since She Turned Seventeen | 4-41536 | - | - | - | ||
Letter of Love / All I Want Is You | 4-41619 | - | - | - | |||
One Last Kiss / Is It True or False | 4-41677 | - | - | - | |||
Heavenly Love / Good Time Billy (Is a Happiness Fool) | 4-41822 | - | - | - | |||
Mercury Records | |||||||
1961 | How Lonely We Must Be / Truly True | 71811 | - | - | - | ||
1962 | A Diamond Is Forever / Ole King Cole | 71862 | - | - | - | ||
King Records | |||||||
1964 | Right Around the Corner / Betty, Betty | 45-5912 | - | - | - | ||
My Baby's Got Flat Feet / One Heartache Too Many | 45-5924 | - | - | - | |||
Love You More Every Day / Teardrops on Your Letter | 45-5964 | - | - | - | |||
Chart records | |||||||
1966 | There Ought to Be a Law / Two Arms Full of Lonely | 1415 | - | - | - | ||
1967 | Love We Live Without / Whipping Boy | 1450 | - | - | - | ||
Go on Home Girl / Learning to Live Without You | 59-1004 | - | - | - | |||
1968 | Anything That's Part of You / Your Love Is What Is | 59-1025 | - | - | - | ||
Cartwheel Records | |||||||
1971 | Knock Three Times / The Best I Ever Had | A-193 | 3 / - | 113 / - | 21 / - | ||
Dream Lover / I Ran Out of Time | A-196 | 5 / - | - | - | |||
You Better Move On / Confidence and Common Sense | A-201 | 10 / - | - | - | |||
1972 | Nothin 'Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees) / She's My Angel | A-210 | 10 / - | - | 1 / - | ||
I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door / What He Don't Know Won't Hurt Him | A-216 | 5 / - | - | 1 / - | |||
Afraid I'll Want to Love Her One More Time / Treat Her Right | A-222 | 22 / - | - | 19 / - | |||
ABC Records | |||||||
1973 | Don't Be Angry / I'm a White Boy | 11349 | 33 / - | - | 22 / - | ||
Slippin 'and Slidin' / Living Example | 11364 | 14 / - | - | 13 / - | |||
'Till The Water Stops Runnin' / What Does a Loser Say | 11379 | 8th / - | - | 18 / - | |||
Sweet Magnolia Blossom / Home Is Such a Lonely Place to Go | 11412 | 3 / - | - | 1 / - | |||
1974 | Rub It In / It's Hard to Love a Hungry Worried Man | 11437 | 1 / - | 16 / - | 1 / - | ||
Ruby Baby / Walk When Love Walks | 12036 | 1 / - | 33 / - | 2 / - | |||
1975 | Still Thinkin '' bout You / Stay a Little Longer In Your Bed | 12068 | 4 / - | - | 1 / - | ||
I Love The Blues and the Boogie Woogie / No Deposit No Return | 12104 | 10 / - | - | 6 / - | |||
Easy as Pie / She's Mine | 17584 | 2 / - | 54 / - | 1 / - | |||
1976 | Walk Softly / She's About a Mover | 17619 | 7 / - | - | 4 / - | ||
You Rubbed It in All Wrong / I Need Somebody to Love | 17635 | 4 / - | - | 4 / - | |||
Broken Down in Tiny Pieces / Shake It Easy | 17659 | 1 / - | - | 2 / - | |||
1977 | Just a Little Thing / First Time | 17682 | 28 / - | - | 21 / - | ||
A Tear Fell / Piece of the Rock | 17701 | 7 / - | - | 4 / - | |||
First Time / Walk When Love Walks | 17725 | 10 / - | - | 15 / - | |||
1978 | Another Woman / Words Still Rhyme | 12335 | 92 / - | - | - | ||
I Think I'll Go Somewhere (And Cry Myself to Sleep) / It All Came Back | 12357 | 50 / - | - | - | |||
Don Juan / Things Are Mostly Fine | 12384 | 57 / - | - | - | |||
Capitol Records | |||||||
1978 | I Cheated on a Good Woman's Love / Not a Day Goes By | 4545 | 4 / - | - | 4 / - | ||
I've Been Too Long Lonely Baby / Jailhouse Rock | 4575 | 28 / - | - | 28 / - | |||
Hubba Hubba / Let's Go Back to the Beginning | 4624 | 14 / - | - | 14 / - | |||
If I Could Write a Song as Beautiful as You / Never Ending | 4672 | 4 / - | - | 8th / - | |||
1979 | My Mama Never Heard Me Sing / As Long As I Live | 4707 | 28 / - | - | 24 / - | ||
Robinhood / We Never Made It to Chicago | 4753 | 16 / - | - | 34 / - | |||
Till I Stop Shakin '/ Sneak Out of Love | 4792 | 24 / - | - | 44 / - | |||
1980 | I Just Had You on My Mind / You Just Wanta | 4838 | 22 / - | - | - | ||
Sea Cruise / She's Got Legs | 4875 | 50 / - | - | - | |||
A Real Cowboy (You Say You're) / One Dream Coming | 4935 | 20 / - | - | 17 / - | |||
1981 | It Was You / Betty Ruth | 4972 | 37 / - | - | - | ||
I Just Need You for Tonight / Leave Your Love a Smokin ' | 5011 | 11 / - | - | 20 / - | |||
Now That the Feeling's Gone / She's Good to Me | 5051 | 38 / - | - | - | |||
1982 | Darlin 'Take Care of Yourself / Love Busted | 5139 | - / 28 | - | - | ||
The New Will Never Wear Off of You / Hold Me ight | 5170 | 62 / - | - | - | |||
Cee Cee Records | |||||||
1983 | Tell Me When I'm Hot /? | 5400 | 86 / - | - | - | ||
Atlantic Records | |||||||
1989 | Just Another Miserable Day (Here in Paradise) / Softly Diana | 7-88851 | 68 / - | - | - | ||
To Love Somebody /? | - | - | 91 |
Albums
year | album | Chart position | Label | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US Country | US | |||
1964 | I'm Tore Up | King | ||
1971 | Knock Three Times | 18th | Cartwheel | |
1972 | You Better Move On | 37 | ||
1973 | Two Sides of "Crash" | 29 | ABC | |
The Best of Billy "Crash" Craddock | 50 | Chart | ||
Billy "Crash" Craddock | Harmony | |||
Mr. Country Rock | 20th | ABC | ||
1974 | Rub It In | 6th | 142 | |
Greatest Hits Volume One | 21st | |||
1975 | Still thinkin 'bout you | 11 | ABC / Dot | |
1976 | Easy as pie | 8th | ||
Crash | 8th | |||
1977 | Billy "Crash" Craddock 16 Favorite Hits | Starday | ||
Live! | 11 | ABC / Dot | ||
The first time | 37 | |||
1978 | Singing Is Believing | |||
Billy "Crash" Craddock | 14th | Capitol | ||
Sings His Greatest Hits | 30th | ABC / Dot | ||
Turning up and turning on | 20th | Capitol | ||
1979 | Laughing and Crying, Living and Dying | |||
1980 | Changes | 71 | ||
1981 | Crash craddock | |||
1982 | The Best of Billy "Crash" Craddock | MCA | ||
The New Will Never Wear Off Of You | Capitol | |||
1983 | Greatest hits | |||
1985 | Crash Craddock Live! | Cee Cee | ||
1986 | Crash craddock | MCA / Dot | ||
Crash's Greatest Hits | Colonial | |||
1989 | Back on track | Atlantic | ||
1992 | Boom boom baby | Bear Family | ||
1996 | Crash's Smashes | Razor & Tie | ||
2006 | Christmas favorites | Cee Cee | ||
2009 | Live -N- Kickin ' |
Individual evidence
- ^ Roland, Tom: The Billboard Book Of Number One Country Hits . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1991, pp. 118f
- ↑ published on Date Records
Web links
- Official website
- Entry on Allmusic
- Discography with audio samples (until 1964)
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Craddock, Billy |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Craddock, Billy Wayne (full name); Craddock, Crash (nickname) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rockabilly, rock and roll and country musician |
DATE OF BIRTH | June 16, 1939 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Greensboro, North Carolina |