Cat. No. BCD 17645: BENNY JOY ~ ROCKS. BEAR FAMILY BCD 17645.
BENNY JOY (BENJAMIN JOY EIDSON) WAS BORN IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA OF GERMAN DESCENT. HIS FAMILY WAS VERY RELIGIOUS AND THE YOUNG BENJAMIN STARTED SINGING IN THE LOCAL FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH CHOIR. BENNY WAS GIVEN HIS FIRST GUITAR AT THE AGE OF TWELVE. BENNY PROVED TO BE A NATURAL AND PROGRESSED QUICKLY AND BECAME PRESIDENT OF THE "GUITAR CLUB" AT PLANT CITY HIGH SCHOOL. IT WAS AROUND THIS TIME THAT BENNY MET JOHN WILKIE TAYLOR, AKA BIG JOHN, AND THEY BECAME CLOSE FRIENDS. AT THE TIME BOTH LISTENED TO COUNTRY MUSIC.
LIKE MANY OF THE SINGERS OF THAT TIME BENNY JOY CLAIMS HE DID NOT COPY ELVIS AND MORPHED INTO WHAT WAS LATER LABELLED ROCKABILLY NATURALLY. ONCE HE BECAME AWARE OF PRESLEY'S RECORDS, HE RECOGNIZED THE KINDRED SPIRIT. BENNY TOOK THE PILGRIMAGE TO MEMPHIS AND AUDITIONED FOR SAM PHILLIPS, WHO TOLD HIM TO RETURN AS SOON AS HE HAD WRITTEN MORE ORIGINAL SONGS. BENNY TOOK SAM AT HIS WORD AND RETURNED WITH FULL HANDS. JACK CLEMENT AGREED TO SIGN THE TAMPA ROCKER UNDER THE CONDITION THAT BENNY WOULD MOVE TO MEMPHIS. BENNY' S HEART WAS IN TAMPA AND HE DECLINED THE OFFER, WHICH HE LATER REGRETTED, AND REMAINED IN TAMPA TO RECORD FOR THE TRI-DEC LABEL.
BENNY AND BIG JOHN TAYLOR'S FIRST OFFICIAL SESSION OCCURRED ON JULY 30, 1957 AT THE TINY WGTO STUDIO WHICH RESULTED IN THEIR FIRST RELEASE "HEY...HIGH SCHOOL BABY!" / "SPIN THE BOTTLE" WHICH WAS SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE IN SEPTEMBER, 1957. THE SESSION ALSO PRODUCED BIG JOHN TAYLOR'S BRILLIANT INSTRUMENTAL "STOMPIN'" AND BENNY'S "STEADY WITH BETTY". WHICH HE CO-WROTE WITH THE NOTORIOUS SHELBY SINGLETON, WHO SCOUTED THE BOYS AND RELEASED "SPIN THE BOTTLE" / "STEADY WITH BETTY" ON PAPPY DAILY'S STARDAY SUBSIDIARY DIXIE. HOWEVER, PURISTS WILL NOTE THAT THE TRI-DEC VERSION OF "STEADY WITH BETTY" HAD A DRUM OVERDUB AND THE DIXIE RELEASE WAS THE BARE INITIAL RECORDING. IT IS SPECULATED THAT SHELBY SINGLETON WAS GIVEN THE WRONG TAKE, IN ERROR, WHICH WAS LATER RELEASED ON DIXIE AND FAILED TO CAPTURE THE ROCK'N'ROLL WORLD. BENNY DIED FROM CANCER ON OCTOBER 24, 1988 AGED 52 BUT HE LEFT A SMALL LEGACY OF SOME OF THE FINEST ROCKABILLY TO COME OUT OF THE '50s.
TRACK LISTING: Crash The Party (Antler 4011) / I'm Gonna Move / Ittie Bittie Everything / Money Money (Big John Taylor) / 'Hey'... High School Baby! / Little Red Book / Gossip Gossip Gossip / Dark Angel / Miss Bobby Sox / I Need A Whole Lotta You / Love Zone / Nosey Nosey Neighbors / Cold Cold Woman / Spin The Bottle (Tri-Dec 8667) / (What'll I Do) Call The Zoo / Rebel Rock (Big John Taylor) / Little Girl, Little Girl / Rollin' To The Juke Box Rock / Bundle Of Love / Steady With Betty / Indian Giver / Talking About It (Big John Taylor) / Touchdown / Crash The Party (un-Edited version) / Spin The Bottle (Nashville version) / Button Nose / In The Study Hall / Wild Wild Lover / I'm Doubtful Of Your Love / Come Back.
CD DIGI-PAK (ECO-PAK) NEW
