rockintheblues.net Informed by Blues, Boogie Woogie, Jazz, R&B, Hillbilly and Country music, Rock 'n' Roll, Rockabilly became the first music to aim directly at a teenage audience, and it hit. Rock 'n' Roll extended an unparalleled influence around the world.
Updates 29.09.2024 Sun Records - Malcolm Yelvington
Little Willie & The Night Train - Inspiration Blues
Gyan Dookie & Telecaster Combo - Inspiration Blues
Malcolm Yelvington / The Sun Records
Malcolm Yelvington (September 14, 1918 – February 21, 2001) was an American rockabilly and country musician.
Born in Covington, Tennessee, he released a record on Sun Records in 1956, just after Elvis Presley.
Yelvington began performing in local venues at the age of 14, having learned to sing and play guitar as a boy. His voice was a baritone, somewhat comparable to Ernest Tubb (one of Yelvington's major influences). He continued with mostly local engagements into his 20s, and was passed over for military service in World War II because of his health. In the late 1940s, he began playing with Reece Fleming's band, The Tennesseans, at the Memphis Gem Theater. This group disbanded in 1952, and several of its members, including Yelvington, picked up with local troupe the Star Rhythm Boys. They performed daily on local radio and had a steady and popular gig at the Clover Club north of Covington, but family attachments prevented most of the players from traveling or touring with the group. Yelvington began playing side gigs in Memphis whenever he wasn't playing with the Star Rhythm Boys.
Yelvington and guitarist Gordon Mashburn first heard word of Sam Phillips's Sun Records in 1953, and arranged a meeting. Philips was initially unimpressed with Yelvington and the Star Rhythm Boys, because he was not interested in recording straight-ahead country music; however, he thought the band had potential, and had them audition a large number of songs. The first cut he recorded with them was a blues number written by Stick McGhee called "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee". The result was a record with blues roots and a blues feel but a steel guitar that sounded unmistakably country. This recording was issued on Sun Records immediately after Elvis Presley's "That's All Right Mama". Phillips did not give Yelvington promotional backing, and so he and the band self-marketed the record to local stations, to little avail. The record was picked up neither by blues nor by country radio stations, each of which seemed to think it sounded too much like the other.
"Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" was one out of only two records Yelvington cut for Sun. In 1955 he released a single, "Yakety Yak" (not the same tune as "Yakety Yak" by The Coasters), on competitor Meteor Records. The record was released under the name Mac Sales and the Esquire Trio so as to avoid legal action by Phillips, to whom he was still contractually obliged. In 1956, Yelvington recorded again with Sun, releasing the rockabilly track "Rockin' With My Baby".
Little Willie & The Night Train / Inspiration Blues
Little Willie & The Night Train
Ville "Little Willie" Mehto is a bluesman of the new generation, who was bitten by the blues fly even as a child in Rautalammi's keeper. When Ville got excited about the blues harp as a teenager and wanted to get the best possible lessons in playing it, he dared to ask the Finnish harp virtuoso Pepe Ahlqvist. Courage paid off, because Pepe agreed to learn and the consequences can be heard on this record. "Little Willie" was thus guided to the right path right from the start. At least that's what you can conclude from Little Willie's juicy harmonica, which is nicely presented on this first record. Mehto doesn't grope for rock blues, but mostly sticks nicely to the traditional blues interpretation. Sometimes his playing sounds like Sonny Terry, sometimes like Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller).
"Little Willie" also dominates the Dobro like a true country bluesman. He mentioned Bukka White, Robert Johnson and, of course, Muddy Waters from the Chicago blues side. The influence of Howlin Wolf can also be noticed, and it is said that at the gigs even the familiar hauntings from Wolf's performances have been seen.
Gyan Dookie & Telecaster Combo / Inspiration Blues
Gyan Dookie & Telecaster Combo
Gyan Dookie is a singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer, martial artist, educator and actor. He also has a Master of Arts degree (University of Helsinki) in comparative literature. Gyan was born in London, UK, but moved to Finland at the age of five.
Gyan's "updated old school funk" -style integrates funk with elements of rock, psychedelic, blues and jazz music . His influences include Muddy Waters, Elvis, Prince, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Motown & Atlantic Soul, Jimi Hendrix, Charlie Christian and the Beatles. His live funk show, which the City Magazine chose as the Best Act in the City (of Helsinki), is full of feet tapping and booty shaking energetic action. Gyan's intense and uplifting soulful music is accompanied with splits, pirouettes, jumping kicks and sexy funky dancing. In the autumn of 2018 Gyan will be releasing a full length album featuring 9 of his original funky songs. The first recorded and finished song from this coming album will be released as a single in April 2018.
Gyan’s former band Gyan Dookie & Telecastercombo, which specialized in authentic 50’s Chicago Blues, won the Blues News Magazine’s Best Blues Album of the Year (2007) -prize in 2008 with its 20 Years After -album.
