Great rockabilly memories
claymick@santel.net | South Dakota USA | 04/02/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sadly, Buddy Knox passed away on February 14,1999. But this collection captures the timeless music he recorded along with Jimmy Bowen during their stint with Roulette records.The collection includes all the hits and some great unreleased tracks. Kudos to the people at Sequel records for the great selection of tracks(the sound quality is excellent!) and for the very informative insert booklet, which contains a recording discography listing session musicians and dates, and some great photos.I think all fans of Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen will enjoy this collection. Highly recommended!"
Often Overlooked Stars Of The Advent Of R&R
claymick@santel.net | 08/05/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Discuss rock music from 1955-1959 and the names that come up, aside from the obvious like Elvis, Haley, Holly, Berry, Little Richard, Lewis, and the Everly Brothers, will be the likes of Connie Francis, The Platters, Brenda Lee, Ricky Nelson, and maybe even Pat Boone. Seldom, if ever, will anyone think to mention Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen.
And yet, taking turns fronting their group, The Rhythm Orchids, they chalked up, between them, five Top 40 Pop hits, three of which crossed over onto the R&B charts, and added seven more charters that made the mid to lower regions of the Pop charts.
Knox was born in Happy, Texas on July 20, 1933 while Bowen first saw the light of day on November 30, 1937 in Santa Rita, New Mexico. After forming their group in 1956 they cut their first records in Clovis, New Mexico at the famed studio of Norman Petty (where Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly also cut their teeth), and that same year Petty arranged for the release of their first single on their own small Triple-D label.
Party Doll, as by Buddy Knox with The Rhythm Orchids, and the flip, I'm Stickin' With You as by Jimmy Bowen with The Rhythm Orchids, went nowhere. However, after selling the rights to the Blue Moon label, the much larger Roulette soon stepped in and quickly re-released the songs early in 1957 - but on separate discs.
Liberty 4001 was I'm Stickin' With You b/w Ever Lovin' Fingers by Jimmy Bowen with The Rhythm Orchids. The A-side went to # 9 R&B and # 14 Billboard Top 100 in April, while the flip peaked at # 63 Top 100. At the same time Roulette 4002 was Party Doll b/w My Baby's Gone by Buddy Knox with The Rhythm Orchids, and while the B-side failed to chart, Party Doll surged to # 1 Top 100 and # 3 R&B, also in April.
Jimmy's next release in 1957 - Warm Up To Me Baby - didn't fare as well, going to # 57 Top 100 in June b/w I trusted You, but Buddy's subsequent Rock Your Little Baby To Sleep made it to # 17 Top 100 that same month b/w Dpn't Make Me Cry. Later that year Knox did it again with Hula Love b/w Devil Woman, with the A-side making it to # 9 Top 100 and # 13 R&B in October. It's also featured in the 1957 film Jamboree.
In March of 1958 Swingin' Daddy went to # 80 Top 100 for Buddy b/w Whenever I'm Lonely, and in August both did much better with Bowen crunching out a rocked up oldie, By The Light Of The Silvery Moon (#50 Top 100 b/w The Two Step) and Buddy contributing what I consider to be his best, a cover of the 1954 Ruth Brown offering on Atlantic, Somebody Touched Me (# 22 Hot 100 b/w C'mon Baby.).
Then, in 1959, the pickings got a little lean, although both sides of Buddy's Teasable, Pleasable You (# 85 Top 100) b/w That's Why I Cry (# 88 Top 100) charted in January. Then came Buddy's last hit with The Rhythm Orchids in May 1959 when I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself made it to # 55 Top 100 b/w To Be With You.
After leaving The Rhythm Orchids and signing with Liberty, Buddy Knox returned to the charts with Lovey Dovey, a tune first done by The Clovers in 1954 (# 2 R&B), Clyde McPhatter in 1959 (# 12 R&B and # 49 Billboard Hot 100), and which Otis (Redding) & Carla (Thomas) would return once more to the charts in 1968 (# 21 R&B and # 60 Hot 100). Buddy's version (not in this set) reached # 25 Hot 100 in January 1961 b/w I Got You. Also missing is his last charter, which came in April 1961 in the form of another cover, this time of Ling Ting Tong, a 1954/55 hit by both The Charms (# 5 R&B/# 26 Billboard Top 100) and The Five Keys (both # 5) which Buddy took to # 65 Hot 100 b/w The Kisses (They're All Mine).
Although cancer silenced Buddy forever on Valentine's Day 1999, his records will live on in fine compilations like this one. One can only hope that this Sequel album is re-released soon."
Track Listings (30) - Disc #1