Reece Shipley

Reece Dodson Shipley (born April 19, 1921 in Whitesburg , Tennessee , † May 8, 1998 ) was an American country musician . His most famous track was Hillbilly Jive with a Boogie Beat , which was recorded with the Burleson Sisters.

Life

Childhood and youth

Born in Tennessee in 1921, Reece (also "Reese" Shipley) was significantly influenced by the "Singing Cowboy" Gene Autry and Bob Wills . In the mid-1930s, Shipley played guitar in a band called The Carolina Pals . He has performed with this group at local events around Kingsport , Tennessee.

Career

Shipley was drafted into the army and had to interrupt his musical career. During his military service, however, he continued to perform for the entertainment of the soldiers and when Shipley was transferred to California , he met his great idol Gene Autry , who was serving in the army at the same time. After his release, he returned to Kingsport and made appearances on the local radio stations WKPT in Kingsport and WOPI in Bristol . Shipley made his first recordings in the early 1950s. His Milk Bucket Boogie was later recorded by Red Foley and became a hit. Shipley himself published his single Hillbilly Jive with a Boogie Beat on the small Kingsport label in 1952 , which he recorded with the Burleson Sisters and the Rainbow Valley Boys . The title would become his most famous song and is still used today on Hillbilly Boogie compilations.

A year later Shipley recorded the Catfish Boogie on Valley Records . In the next few years he recorded more pieces for Arcade and Spot. In his later years Shipley was represented with Mal Cooper in various fiddle competitions. In 1995 he produced the album Tennessee Swing in his Johnson City home , which was released in the same year on Patuxent Records and finally again in 2006 on Ochard.

Reece Shipley died on May 8, 1998 at the age of 77.

Discography

Singles

year	title	Record company
1952	Reece Shipley and The Rainbow Valley Boys	Milk Bucket Boogie / Will Good Times Last Forever	Kingsport Records 104
1952	Reece Shipley and The Rainbow Valley Boys	Hillbilly Jive with a Boogie Beat / Memory Prison	Kingsport Records 106
1952	Slim Stuart and Reece Shipley's Rainbow Valley Boys	Asleep At The Wheel / You're Out Of Step With The Beat Of My Heart	Arcade Records 104
1953	Reese Shipley	Catfish Boogie / Middle-Age Spread	Valley Records 106
1952	Slim Stuart and Reece Shipley's Rainbow Valley Boys	Asleep At The Wheel / You're Out Of Step With The Beat Of My Heart	Arcade Records 104
1962	Reece Shipley	Too Big To Cry / I Counted The Raindrops	Spot Records 1108
196?	Reece Shipley	I Hear Me Talking To Myself / World Of Broken Hearts	Bonus Records 102

LPs

• 1995: Tennessee Swing
• 2006: Tennessee Swing

Web links

• biography
• Audio sample