Hard rock Gunter

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Hardrock Gunter (* 27. February 1925 in Birmingham , Alabama as Sidney Louis Gunter, Jr. , † 15. March 2013 ) was an American country - and Rockabilly singer. Even if he did not achieve great popularity like some other rockabilly pioneers, he is still considered one of the style-defining musicians of country and rockabilly music.

Life

Childhood and youth

Hard rock Gunter grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. There are different statements about the origin of his "nickname". One story goes that he was dubbed “hard rock” when a bonnet fell on his head due to an unfortunate circumstance, but the incident did little damage. So his friends said his head had to be as hard as a rock. Other sources state that Gunter was a miner in the 1930s, commonly referred to as "hard rockers" because of their hard work.

When he was 13 he formed his first band, the Hoot Owl Ramblers . One of his early idols was country singer Hank Penny .

Career

In 1939 he became a member of the band Happy Wilson and his Golden River Boys . After he and the other members were drafted into the army during the Second World War , he re-founded the group in 1946. During the war he was a German prisoner of war from 1944 to 1945. In 1949 he appeared on local television for the first time, and a year later he signed with the Bama label. His first record there, Birmingham Bounce , is considered by some today's critics to be one of the first rockabilly songs. The title, written by Gunter himself, became a hit in the version by Red Foley .

In 1951 he moved to Decca Records, where he had his first success with the duet with Roberta Lee Sixty Minute Man . Two years later he released his three most famous songs, Gonna Dance All Night , Fallen Angel and Juke Box, Help Me Find My Baby, on MGM Records and Sun Records . After his relatively successful years in the mid-1950s, he released a few insignificant singles until he retired completely from the music business in 1964 and founded an insurance agency.

In 1996 Gunter traveled to Europe for the first time to perform at the International Rock 'n' Roll / Rockabilly Meeting in Munich .

Discography

Singles

year title Record company
1950 Birmingham Bounce / How Can I Believe You Love Me Bama Records
1950 Gonna Dance All Night / Why Don't You Show Me That You Care Bama Records
1950 My Bucket's Been Fixed / The Little Things That You Do Bullet Records
1951 Boogie Woogie On A Saturday Night / I've Done Gone Hog Wild Decca Records
1951 Sixty Minute Man / Tennessee Blues (with Roberta Lee) Decca Records
1951 Hesitation Boogie / If I Could Only Live My Dreams Decca Records
1952 Silver and Gold / Senator From Tennessee Decca Records
1952 Honky Tonk Baby / I'm Looking For Another You Decca Records
1953 Perfect Woman / You Played On My Piano Decca Records
1953 Where Have You Been / Like Lovers Do MGM Records
1954 Gonna Dance All Night / Fallen Angel Sun Records
1954 First Last And Always Game Of Love / I Won't Tell Who's To Blame King Records
1955 I'll Give 'Em Rhythm / I Put My Britches On Just Like Everybody Else King Records
1956 Juke Box, Help Me Find My Baby / Fiddle Bop Cross Country Records
1956 Juke Box, Help Me Find My Baby / Fiddle Bop Sun Records
1957 Whoo! Mean Whee! / We Three Emperor Records
1958 Boppin To Grandfather's Clock / Beggars Can't Be Choosers Island Records
1959 Traveling / jumping mule D records
1959 If You Want To Be A Queen / Is It Too Late Cullman Records
1961 Spring Has Sprung / The Summer Gee Gee Records
1962 Hillbilly Twist / As Long As You're Happy Emperor Records
1962 Hillbilly Twist / As Long As You're Happy Starday Records
1958 WWVA Jamboree Special (EP)
  • Rock-a-bop baby hard rock Gunter
  • Birmingham Bounce Hard Rock Gunter
  • Ida Red Rock Buddy Durham
  • You're Just A Baby Buddy Durham
  • Gonna Be A Fire Bill Browning
  • Down In The Holler Where Sally Lives Bill Browning
  • Juke Boys, Play For Me The Cook Brothers
  • You Gotta Go The Cook Brothers
 Island Records

Albums

  • I'll give 'em rhythm
  • Boogie Woogie On A Saturday Night
  • Gonna rock and roll
  • Gonna dance all night

literature

  • Nick Tosches: Unsung Heroes of Rock'n'Roll. The birth of Rock in the wild years before Elvis . DaCapo Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-306-80891-9 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Nick Tosches: Unsung Heroes of Rock'n'Roll. The birth of Rock in the wild years before Elvis . DaCapo Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-306-80891-9 , p. 115
personal data
SURNAME Hard rock Gunter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gunter, Sidney Louis Jr. (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American country and rockabilly singer
DATE OF BIRTH February 27, 1925
PLACE OF BIRTH Birmingham , Alabama
DATE OF DEATH 15 March 2013