... CD

Some of the most home-grown, hard-hitting work of the rockabilly generation – which is maybe no surprise, as the legendary Starday Records had a very unique approach to their music! Starday was both a commercial record label, and a place where obscure talents could go to get their records pressed up – which meant that the Texas company had their ears very close to the ground, and was able to snatch up some of the best work that was bubbling up on the scene! And while the Starday name may be more associated with country over the years, they were a key force in the Texas and Louisiana scenes during the early years of rock and roll – and definitely had plenty of artists who mixed in lots of hillbilly touches too. This killer 33 track set is overflowing with obscure Starday gems – work from Rudy Grazell, Sonny Fisher, Glen Barber, Larry Nolen & His Bandits, Link Davis, Truitt Forse, Lou Walker, Lucky Wray, Bill Browning, Al Runyon, Tommy Castle, and many others! CD

If you've only heard George Jones in later years, when he was the king of the heartbreaking ballad, you'll find plenty here to discover – as his early recordings for Starday Records are something else entirely – and almost have George hitting a rockabilly mode at times! This set's got some of Jones' best early singles for the Texas label, plus some overlooked gems – wrapped together to offer a wonderfully vibrant picture of a superstar in the making – already a singer with a voice that few folks could match, equally well-suited to catchy upbeat numbers and some of the more heartfelt tracks that offset things nicely. Titles include "Accidentally On Purpose", "Tall Tall Trees", "No Money In This Deal", "Too Much Water", "If I Don't Love You", "Why Baby Why", "Eskimo Pie", "How Come It", "Accidentally On Purpose", "Hold Everything", "Maybe Little Baby", "Rock It", "Mexican Boogie", "Gonna Come Get You", "Taggin Along", "That's The Way I Feel", and "You Gotta Be My Baby". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A whole host of killer tracks from the early years of George Jones – material that's much more raw and rocking than his later hits! Titles include the previously unreleased tracks "Don't Stop The Music", "My Sweet Imogene", and "Boogie Woogie Mexican Boy" – plus "Rock It", "White Lightning", "Taggin Along", "Revenooer Man", "I'm Gunna Burn Your Playhouse Down", "Who Shot Sam", and "Play It Cool Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Really great early work from Roger Miller – recorded in the late 50s/early 60s – but issued by Starday on a full album once he hit his bigger fame. The music's got that great mix of wit with an undercurrent of sadness that we love in miller – and titles include "Playboy", "Poor Little John", "I Wish I Could Fall In Love Today", "You're Forgetting Me", "Country Girl", and "I An't Never". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest guitarists in country music – heard here on a nice indie set for Starday! LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Stringbean may look a bit silly on the cover, but he's a dead serious banjo player – one of the greats of his generation, and an artist who's sometimes overlooked on his instrument, because of a penchant for humor in his live performances! And although some of the songs here have a bit of wit at the start, once things get going, Stringbean's in that great mix of old time styles that the Starday Records label was hitting hard in the 60s – one of the few strong outlets for more country-flavored work on banjo, at a time when so many of the folk revival kids wanted things steered a bit more their way! Needless to say, you probably never would have caught Stringbean headlining a club in the Village – but that difference is what makes a record like this so great to discover – as you'll hear on titles that include "Birdie", "Don't Bob Your Hair Girls", "Herdin Cattle", "Keep My Skillet Good & Greasy", "Give Me Back My Five Dollars", and "Wake Up Little Betty". CD

That's a mighty classy truck stop on the cover of this album – and the set's a mighty classy batch of trucker-themed tunes from the catalog of Starday Records! These aren't the shlocky truck country tunes of the 70s, but instead some great material from the postwar years – a time when the interstates were really opening up, and the role of the truck was about to surpass the role of the train. The tunes here all mark the new challenges of the time, sometimes with a good deal of humor – and titles include "Gears" by Johnny Bond, "Man Behind The Wheel" by George Morgan, "Long Haul Weekend" by The Willis Brothers, "Big Footed Dan" by Benny Martin, "Big Rig Guitar" by Joe Maphis, "Truck Driving Buddy" by Frankie Miller, "Sleeper Cab Blues" by Tom O'Neal, and "Pinball Machine" by Lonnie Irving. CD

Great work from the mighty Sonny Burns – one of the hippest artists recording on the young Starday Records label – at a time when the great Pappy Daily was bringing a lot of his Texas indie genius to the company! Sonny's a singer who often sings country, but with the attitude of a young rocker – maybe that mix of rocka/hillbilly you'd find in the early work of George Jones – who was one of Burns' label mates at the time – although Sonny has maybe more of a honky tonk vibe that comes through especially well on the mellow tunes! CD features 23 tracks in all – including "I'm Not Long for This World", "Powder & Paint", "Girl Of The Streets", "A Place For Girls Like You", "Six Feet Of Earth", "Too Hot To Handle", "Heart Like A Dollar Sign", "Blue Blue Rain", "If You See My Baby", and "Satan's A Waitin". CD

An obscure duo, issued on an obscure subsidiary of Starday/King Records! Titles include "Gone Is The Child", "Pamela", "Showin Me A Way", "You've Been Kind", "Twenty Years Ago", "Philadelphia Girl", and "Sunday Be My Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of vintage Starday recordings, with selections by Truitt Forse, Cousin Arnold, Dave Brockmann, Utah Carl, Cliff Blakely, Carl Trantham, Jimmy Johnson, Sony Burns, Johnny Tyler, Bill Floyd, Lawson Rudd, Larry Nolan, and Dave Woolum. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from the young George Jones – working here at the height of his powers, and in a raw live setting that's a nice change from some of the polish of his studio recordings of the 60s! George's voice is great – already hitting that wider range that marked his Musicor material as a huge step forward from his years on the Mercury and Starday labels – but the live setting also returns some of the grit of those early days, and has Jones working with the very romping Jones Boys combo – who can not only cook on stage, but also bring in some of the searing guitar that made George's initial singles appeal to the young rock market too. The group get a few instrumental moments in the spotlight, too – which makes for a nice addition to the set – and although the material had been issued before, this set goes back to the original tapes, remasters the whole set, and also features titles that include "Who Shot Sam", "White Lightnin", "Jole Blon", "Big Harlan Taylor", "The Window Up Above", "She Thinks I Still Care", and "Aching Breaking Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

Allstar Records was a great Texas indie back in the day – and although not as well-known as Sun or Starday, the company issued some killer singles in the late 50s! As you might guess from their location in Houston, Allstar often has a bit of country in the mix – and this collection is a wonderful illustration of the thin line between hillbilly and rockabilly during the early years of rock and roll – a balance that's covered here in great detail in the notes, which as with the rest of this series, are as illuminating as the music on the CD! There's a whopping 35 tracks in all – including surprising early gems from artists like Link Davis, Eddie Noack, and Johnny Bush – plus lots more from Larry Butler, Daniel James, Tommy Graham, Barney Vardeman, Red Mansel, Smilin Jerry Jericho, and many others. CD

A great live set from this legendary duo – as great here as on their records for King and Starday! CD

Allstar Records was a great Texas indie back in the day – and although not as well-known as Sun or Starday, the company issued some killer singles in the late 50s! As you might guess from their location in Houston, Allstar often has a bit of country in the mix – and this collection is a wonderful illustration of the thin line between hillbilly and rockabilly during the early years of rock and roll – a balance that's covered here in great detail in the notes, which as with the rest of this series, are as illuminating as the music on the CD! There's a whopping 35 tracks in all – including surprising early gems from artists like Link Davis, Eddie Noack, and Johnny Bush – plus lots more from Larry Butler, Daniel James, Tommy Graham, Barney Vardeman, Red Mansel, Smilin Jerry Jericho, and many others. CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

You might know Ace Records as home to a fair bit of jazz, funk, and soul reissues over the years – but right from the start, the label's also had a keen ear for rockabilly – and can boast a decades-long devotion to the music, with releases that have really blown us away! This set digs back over material that Ace has reissued in previous decades – cuts that are both rare original singles, or unissued tracks – from important labels like Starday, Chess, Goldband, and Meteor – all hand-picked by Keb Darge – another British force in turning us on to great music over the years! The vinyl-only collection is full of gems – and titles include "All Dressed Up" by Jimmy Johnson, "Let's Go Bopping Tonight" by Al Ferrier & His Bopping Billies, "Nuthin But A Nuthin" by Jimmy Stewart & His Nighthawks, "Blue Jeans & A Boy's Shirt" by Glen Glenn, "The Woman I Love" by Gene Terry & His Kook Kats, "Jello Sal" by Benny Ingram, "Lonesome Baby Blues" by David Ray, and "Do Me No Wrong" by Pat Cupp & The Flying Saucers. LP, Vinyl record album