12/24/2023 0 Comments They called it the hillbilly rock![]() In addition to singing numerous covers, the Maddox Brothers and Rose recorded original songs that would be considered controversial even today. Oldest brother and mandolin player Cliff died in 1949 and was replaced by 21-year old Henry, the youngest of the Maddox children. The majority of the Maddox men were drafted into service during World War II, putting the band on hiatus, but returned in 1946 and picked up right where they left off, performing rowdy country music dressed in retina-searing stage attire, punctuating lyrics with bits of yokel humor, laughter, and the occasionally bawdy comment. Rose, barely 11 years old, was the band’s requisite “girl singer”, singing that hillbilly music with a raw voice that sounded as though it belonged to a grown woman. By 1937, the trio of Rose, Fred, and Cal had finagled a furniture store sponsorship and an early morning radio show. In 1933 the Maddox family (two sharecropper parents and their children Cliff, Cal, Fred, Don, Rose, and Henry) migrated from their Alabama home to California, attempting to eke out a living as fruit pickers during the Depression. While these inductees are extremely talented, they’ve not had anywhere near the monumental influence on multiple genres (country, rockabilly, and rock ‘n’ roll) that the Maddoxes have. Yet they’ve been ignored by the Country Music Hall of Fame in favor of inducted artists like Vince Gill and Alabama. “America’s Most Colorful Hillbilly Band” not only produced some of the best music this country has ever seen, but were also one of the progenitors of rockabilly. There are other rough-cut gems tucked away on this compilation and they're worth seeking out, but it's not entirely improbable that a listener will find the duds just as memorable as the corkers.What’s the greatest sin perpetrated by the country music monolith? Hank Williams’ dismissal from the Grand Ole Opry? Columbia Records dropping Johnny Cash? Giving Rascal Flatts a record deal at all? These are all egregious, yes, but pale in comparison to the industry’s continued ignorance of the Maddox Brothers and Rose. Usually, the covers feel a bit wobbly ( Johnnie & Jack's stab at doo wop on "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" in particular), but they're overshadowed by such rowdy rockabilly boogies as George "Thumper" Jones' "How Come It," Johnny Horton's "I'm Coming Home," and "You're Humbuggin' Me," where Lefty Frizzell proves himself an adept rocker. Case in point is the Stanley Brothers' strange rendition of Hank Ballard's "Finger Poppin' Time" - the cover can be explained away by the fact that they were both on King Records - which is simultaneously carefree and stilted it's clear the duo doesn't particularly care for the song, but there's a joy to the recording anyway that comes from both the tune and performance. Naturally, this crass blend of opportunism and confusion wasn't entirely successful, but that's the appeal of this collection and its cousin: the misfires are as fun as the successes. Nobody - not the singers, not the producers, not the labels - had any idea whether rock & roll was here to stay but they knew it was selling, so they tried to cash in on the trend. The Hillbillies: They Tried to Rock does have a few sides that date a bit earlier than 1956 - there's Bill Haley's 1952 "Rock the Joint," a rough draft of "Rock Around the Clock" where guitarist Danny Cedrone plays the exact same solo he'd lay down on "Clock " there are the Carlisles gamely attacking the Drifters' "Honey Love" - but nearly all of this 31-track compilation dates from that initial gold rush when rock & roll seemed to be a fad, not an institution. Plenty of the early rock & rollers came up through some manner of country circuit - the Sun stable in particular was riddled with these types - but once Elvis Presley started a streak of monster hits in 1956, major country stars and upstart hillbillies alike tried to ride that wave. At times, the line between country and rock & roll was very thin indeed, but Bear Family's two-volume, 2014 set The Hillbillies: They Tried to Rock presents a familiar story from a different angle: it showcases country singers trying to combat the rising tide of rock & roll.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |