Jody Reynolds

Jody Reynolds (* 3. December 1932 in Denver , † 7. November 2008 in California ) was an American rockabilly - singer , guitarist and songwriter .

Career

Reynolds grew up in Oklahoma , later his family moved to Arizona . He was influenced by the country and western music popular there and founded his first band in the early 1950s. With the advent of rockabilly, he changed his style. Inspired by Elvis Presley's title Heartbreak Hotel , he wrote Endless Sleep as early as 1956 . He sent demo recordings to various record companies , but they all rejected the title about the tragic death of a young girl. Demon Records only accepted the title after changing the lyrics to a happy ending . In 1958, the single reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the first in a series of titles about teenage loves overshadowed by tragedy (including Tell Laura I Love Her by Ray Peterson , Ebony Eyes by the Everly Brothers or Leader of the Pack by the Shangri-Las ). The next single Fire of Love reached the Top 100, but Reynolds did not achieve any further chart successes. Endless Sleep was later recorded as a cover version by artists such as Vince Taylor , John Fogerty , Marc Bolan and Billy Idol .

After a few years, Reynolds switched to songwriting and also ran a guitar trade. His clients included Elvis Presley, for whom he wrote some titles in the mid-1970s at the instigation of Colonel Tom Parker , which the latter could no longer record before his death.

1999 Reynolds was a star on the Walk of Fame in Palm Springs next to Ricky Nelson honored and Elvis Presley. In the same year he was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame .

Discography (excerpt)

Singles

• 1958: Endless Sleep (US: # 5)
• 1958: Fire of Love (US: # 66)
• 1959: Golden Idol
• 1960: Stone Cold
• 1962: Dusty Skies
• 1963: A Tear For Jesse

Web links

• Jody Reynolds in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame (English)
• Obituary in the LA Times (English)
• Obituary in the LA Weekly (English)