Elroy Dietzel

Elroy Dietzel (* 1936 in Seguin , Texas ; † May 1990 ) was an American rockabilly musician. Dietzel was mainly active in Texas in the 1950s.

Life

Childhood and youth

Elroy Dietzel was born in Seguin, a small town in Texas that was primarily inhabited by German immigrants at the time. Dietzel's mother died when he was four months old; from then on he grew up with his uncle and aunt in Santa Barbara , Texas. At the age of 14 the family moved to Midland . During this time he learned to play the guitar .

Career

In 1955 Dietzel began to appear in public with a few school friends. Influenced by country music and rhythm and blues on both sides, Dietzel called his band The Rhythm Bandits , which next to him (vocals / guitar) consists of Joe Melson ( electric guitar ), Dick Matlock (guitar), Bill Chance ( bass ) and Larry Parks ( Percussion ). The group became very popular in their hometown as they were the only band that played rockabilly. When Dietzel and the Rhythm Bandits were playing in Lubbock , they were discovered by Jessie Smith, owner of Bo-Kay Records, who signed them. The first recording session followed in the winter of 1956 in Norman Petty's studio in Clovis , New Mexico . The resulting titles Teenage Ball / Precious Desires were published on Bo-Kay in early 1957. Teenage Ball was often played on the radio but did not hit the charts.

While on tour, Dietzel met the songwriter Jack Rhodes , who had just written the song Rock-N-Bones . Along with Shang-Hai-Rock , written by Don Carter , Rock-N-Bones was recorded in Norman Petty's studio under Rhodes' supervision in 1957 and published on Bo-Kay. The single gave Dietzel the opportunity to appear on television and make guest appearances in the Louisiana Hayride and the Big D Jamboree . Dietzel and the Rhythm Bandits also went on extensive tours with the Ensemble des Hayrides. They were also members of the KMID Jamborees .

Despite his popularity around Midland, Dietzel failed to make the leap into other musical circles. The Rhythm Bandits split in 1959 and Dietzel joined the US Army in 1960 . His guitarist Joe Melson had success as the composer of some Roy Orbison hits in the early 1960s. Dietzel himself appeared only sporadically in the next few years and worked regularly on the Texan oil fields. He died in 1990.

Discography

year	title	Label #
1957	Teenage Ball / Precious Desires	Bo-Kay K-101
1957	Rock-N-Bones / Shang-Hai-Rock	Bo-Kay K-103

literature

• Rob Finnis: Gene Vincent Cut Our Songs! Primitive Texas Rockabilly and Honky-Tonk (2004), p. 16; Liner Notes, Ace Records

Web links

• Discography with audio samples