Charlie Feathers
Charlie Feathers (* 12. June 1932 in Slayden , Mississippi as Arthur Lyndbergh Feathers ; † 29. August 1998 in Memphis , Tennessee ) was an American country- and rockabilly musician. He was considered one of the leading representatives of his genre, although none of his singles made it into the charts. His best-known songs include Tongue-Tied Jill , One Hand Loose and Jungle Fever .
Life
Childhood and youth
Born as one of seven children to farm owners Leonard and Lucy Feathers, Charlie Feathers began playing the guitar at the age of nine . Early on he listened to the weekly WSM Grand Ole Opry . In the fields of the farm, he was heavily influenced by the blues and work songs of African American workers, as well as Bill Monroe and Hank Williams . After leaving school without a degree, he worked with his father first in Cairo , Illinois , then on the oil fields in Texas .
Career
In the early 1950s, Feathers moved to Memphis , Tennessee , where he married Rosemary Hardy in May 1951. After a long stay in the hospital because of meningitis , Feathers decided to become a musician. Due to his illness, Feathers had been exempted from military service and in 1953 became a member of the Saturday Night Jamboree , a local live radio show. However, at the time, Feathers was still playing country music. At the end of 1954 the record label owner Sam Phillips became aware of the young Feathers and had him make demos of the country track I've Been Deceived at his home with the musicians Quinton Claunch and Bill Cantrell . In February he recorded the tracks Peepin 'Eyes and I've Been Deceived in his first studio session , which were released shortly afterwards on Flip, a sub-label of Phillips Sun Records , and then on Sun. Due to the good regional sales of the record, further sessions followed. Feathers recorded the song I Forgot to Remember to Forget , written by himself and Stan Kesler , as a demo; in the version of the young Elvis Presley , the track became a number one hit on the country charts.
At the end of 1955 a second single followed at Sun, but his contract expired. Together with Jerry Huffman (guitar), Jody Chastain ( steel guitar ) and Shorty Torrance ( bass ) he formed a band and played the rockabilly title Bottle to the Baby for Phillips, but Phillips could not be changed. After Jody Chastain switched to double bass and drummer Jimmy Sword replaced Torrance, the group renamed The Musical Warriors and toured the southern states , performing on Barn Dances and radio. After the tour, Feathers signed with Meteor Records in Memphis. There Feathers and his band released one of his most famous tracks, Tongue-Tied Jill , along with the Corrine, Corrina version Get With It . The much larger label King Records became aware of Feathers shortly afterwards and signed him with his band. When Feathers joined King, the label had little experience with rockabilly music: " They had no idea about bass slapping and them things ," Feathers later said.
While at King, Feathers and the Musical Warriors recorded the most famous songs of their careers, such as One Hand Loose , Everybody's Lovin 'My Baby and Bottle To The Baby . However, after Feathers got no financial return, he left King. With his band he still got the opportunity to do some gigs in the KRLD Big D Jamboree . Feathers and the Musical Warriors stayed together until 1960, performing and releasing singles on Kay and Hi Records. Their last record together came out in July 1960 under the pseudonym "Charlie Morgan" on Wal-May Records. In the following years Feathers was under contract with various labels such as Memphis, Holliday Inn and Vetco. His 1974 song That Certain Female , released on Ronnie Weiser's Rollin 'Rock Records, was used in the 2003 feature film Kill Bill .
After Feathers performed at the London Sun Sound Show in 1976 , he made a big comeback as part of the rockabilly revival. Feathers recorded various albums and toured Europe and the United States. In the 1980s, Feather's health deteriorated noticeably and he had to withdraw from the public for some time. After a few months he returned to the stage, even if he could only perform in a wheelchair.
Charlie Feathers died on August 29, 1998 at the age of 66 in Memphis, Tennessee, three days after falling into a coma from a stroke . Feathers was posthumously inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame .
Discography
Singles
| year | title | Record company |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Peepin 'Eyes / I've Been Deceived | Flip Records |
| 1955 | Peepin 'Eyes / I've Been Deceived | Sun Records |
| 1956 | Defrost Your Heart / A Wedding Gown Of White | Sun Records |
| 1956 | Tongue Tied Jill / Get With It | Meteor Records |
| 1956 | Everybody's Lovin 'My Baby / Can't Hardly Stand It | King Records |
| 1956 | One Hand Loose / Bottle To The Baby | King Records |
| 1957 | Nobody's Woman / When You Decide | King Records |
| 1957 | Too Much Alike / When You Come Around | King Records |
| 1958 | Jungle Fever / Why Don't You | Kay Records |
| 1960 | Dinky John / South of Chicago (as Charlie Morgan) | Walmay Records |
| 1961 | Wild Wild Party / Today and Tomorrow | Memphis Records |
| 1962 | Nobody's Darling / Deep Elm Blues | Holiday Inn Records |
| 1968 | Tear It Up / Stutterin 'Cindy | Philwood Records |
| 1973 | Uh Huh Honey / A Wedding Gown Of White | Pompadour Records |
| 1973 | Crazy Heart / When You Decide | Pompadour Records |
| 1974 | That Certain Female / She Sets Me Free | Rollin 'Rock Records |
| 1975 | Tongue-Tied Jill / Gone Gone Gone | Red Neck Records |
| 1976 | Will You Be Satisfied This Way? / It's Just That Song | Vetco Records |
| 1976 | We're Getting Closer To Being Apart / You Make It Look So Easy | Vetco Records |
| 1977 | We're Getting Closer To Being Apart / Blue Suede Shoes | Feathers Records |
| 1977 | If You Were Mine To Lose / Ooby Dooby | Feathers Records |
| 1980 | Blue Suede Shoes / We're Getting Closer To Being Apart | Rockabilly Jukebox Records |
| 1980 | Ooby Dooby / If You Were Mine To Lose | Rockabilly Jukebox Records |
| 1980 | Cold Dark Night / Blame It On Time | Rockabilly Jukebox Records |
| 1980 | Today I Started Loving You Again / Folsom Prison Blues | Rockabilly Jukebox Records |
| 1980 | Jungle Fever / Jewel Here On Earth | Rockabilly Jukebox Records |
| 1980 | He'll Have To Go / Will The Circle Be Unbroken | Rockabilly Jukebox Records |
| 1980 | Honky Tonk Man / That's Allright Mama | Rockabilly Jukebox Records |
| 1980 | Roll Over Beethoven / Swinging Doors | Rockabilly Jukebox Records |
| 1980 | In The Pines / I Must Move On | Rockabilly Jukebox Records |
| 1980 | One Black / Dig Myself A Hole | Rockabilly Jukebox Records |
| 1980 | Lonesome Whistle / Cockroach | Rockabilly Jukebox Records |
| 1980 | Who De Say / Roll Over Beethoven # 2 | Rockabilly Jukebox Records |
| 1984 | Dig Myself A Hole / Blue Moon Of Kentucky | Renegade Records |
| 1993 | Rain / Way In The Night | Norton Records |
| 1994 | Dig Myself A Hole / Let's Live A Little | Norton Records |
| Unpublished titles | ||
| 1955-1956 |
|
Sun Records |
|
Memphis Records | |
|
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Albums (selection)
- 1974: Good Rockin 'Tonight
- 1976: Live In Good Old Memphis, Tennessee
- 1979: Charlie Feathers Vol.1
- 1979: Charlie Feathers Vol.2
- 1979: That Rockabilly Cat
- 1980: Original TV NBC soundtrack
- 1981: Rockabilly Rhythm
- 1986: The Legendary 1956 Demo Session
- 1987: Wild Wild Party
- 1990: New Jungle Fever
- 1990: Honky Tonk Man
- 1991: Rock-A-Billy Man
- 1993: All Tore Up
- 1995: Tip Top Daddy
- 2000: Live in London
- 2002: I Ain't Done Yet
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ For the recordings for Sun Records see: Escott, Colin / Hawkins, Martin: Good Rockin 'Tonight. Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll . St. Martin's Press, New York 1991, pp. 116-119
- ^ Adam Komorowski: Classic Rockabilly - Charlie Feathers . Proper Records, 2007, p. 53 ff.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Feathers, Charlie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Feathers, Arthur Lyndbergh (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country and rockabilly singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 12, 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Slayden , Mississippi |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 29, 1998 |
| Place of death | Memphis |