Larry Dowd
Loren “Larry” Dowd (born January 27, 1940 in Iowa City , Iowa , † January 26, 2006 in Acworth , Georgia ) was an American rockabilly musician .
Life
Larry Dowd founded the Rock-a-Tones in the late 1950s. At the end of 1958, alongside Dowd ( vocals / guitar ), Ivan Rosseau ( electric guitar ), Don Archer ( bass ), Ron Fiscel ( drums ) and Michael "Mickey" Montgomery ( piano ) were members of the band. In the spring of 1959, the group took part in a talent competition at the Vail Air Ballroom in Des Moines , which was organized by the radio station KIOA and promised a record deal as first prize. Dowd and the Rock-a-Tones won the contract and were signed to Chicago-based Spinning Records .
The first session of Dowd and his band took place in Vic Blacketer's studio. Four of Dowd's many compositions were recorded, including Pink Cadillac / Blue Swingin 'Mama , which was released as a single on Spinning in April 1959. During the annual DJ convention in Miami , Pink Cadillac reached number one and Blue Swingin 'Mama number two on the local charts. In total, the single sold 800,000 times. Shortly thereafter, Forbidden Love / Why, Oh Why was released as a follow-up .
The success of Dowd and the Rock-a-Tones brought her to tour with Frankie Ford , Santo and Johnny , Troy Shondell and Preston Epps . Further tours followed until 1960, but the success of their first single could not be repeated. In 1960, the Rock-a-Tones split as the members went in different musical directions. Dowd was inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Music Association's Hall of Fame in 2005. He died in 2006 at the age of 66.
Discography
The catalog numbers of the singles are not chronological. It is possible that Spinning Records already assigned a certain number during production, so that these were no longer chronological when released. Spinning HM6009 was rated by Billboard in June 1959 , Spinning HM-6004 only in August.
| year | title | Label # |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Pink Cadillac / Blue Swingin 'Mama | Spinning HM6009 |
| 1959 | Forbidden Love / Why, Oh Why | Spinning HM-6004 |
Individual evidence
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dowd, Larry |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Dowd, Loren |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rockabilly musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 27, 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Iowa City , Iowa |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 26, 2006 |
| Place of death | Acworth (Georgia) |