Listener's Guide To Billy Lee Riley
by Ken Burke
(From Roctober #25, 1999)
Posted on 08/05/2009 10:09:59 AM PDT by a fool in paradise
The sky grew dimmer on Sunday, as another great ray of light from the Sun Records roster, Billy Lee Riley, died. Riley, who'd been battling cancer since May, died at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro, Ark., after being admitted on Saturday. He was 75.
Although Riley had been diagnosed with stage four colon cancer, which had spread to his bones, his wife, Joyce Riley, said the singer was feeling optimistic. "We weren't thinking the end was coming so soon," said Joyce. "He was actually feeling better lately. So the very end was unexpected. But, he went peacefully."
One of Memphis' truly unique rock and roll characters, Riley is considered by many to be Sun Records' lost giant. A true multi-threat, he possessed the myriad musical gifts of Carl Perkins, the unhinged spirit of Jerry Lee Lewis, and the punkish insouciance of Elvis Presley -- yet fate never rewarded Riley beyond cult acclaim.
Born in Pocahontas, Ark., in 1933 to a poor sharecropping clan, Riley developed a passion for blues and learned to pick guitar watching the older black musicians his family worked alongside.
Although he made some early appearances performing on local radio, Riley's career took shape after he was discharged from the Army in the mid-'50s. Moving to Memphis, Riley soon hooked up with a crew of fledgling country musicians that included "Cowboy" Jack Clement.
Clement and his truck driver partner, Slim Wallace, founded the tiny Fernwood label in a South Memphis garage and cut Riley's debut recordings, "Trouble Bound" and "Think Before Your Go." Clement took the tapes to Sam Phillips over at Sun Records so he could master a single. Impressed by what he heard, Phillips ended up hiring Clement to work at Sun, and signed Riley.
Riley and his group -- which included drummer J.M. Van Eaton and guitarist Roland Janes -- would also become the de facto house band at Sun, providing the backing on numerous hits.
Riley is perhaps best remembered for his classic 1957 single, "Flying Saucers Rock and Roll" -- a novelty rockabilly rave-up inspired by the era's U.F.O. mania -- which proved a hit and prompted him to rename his band the Little Green Men.
Despite this promising start, Riley's commercial fate was sealed after Sun put its promotional efforts behind Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire" -- a song Riley played on -- which zoomed up the charts and past his own follow-up single "Red Hot."
Despite his disappointment, Riley continued to record for Sun and Phillips for several years, before going on to cut sides for Mercury, Atlantic and Crown, as well as his own Nita and Mojo labels, creating a body of work that's been championed by rock critics and notable fans, including Bob Dylan.
In the early 1960s, Riley headed west to California where he became an in-demand studio musician, playing sessions for The Beach Boys, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin, among others. Riley returned to the South in 1966, and was one of the first artists signed to Shelby Singleton's reactivated Sun Records label in 1969.
Although Riley stepped back from music for a time in the 1970s, working in home decorating, he eventually returned to the stage in 1978, riding the rockabilly revival wave in England. He continued to perform and record for the next three decades, releasing several albums of blues-oriented material.
Though he battled numerous health problems in recent years -- including quadruple bypass heart surgery and a trio of hip replacement operations -- Riley remained a staple of the live circuit in Europe and here at home, where he was one of the perennial acts at the annual Beale Street Music Festival. His final performance came in June, where he appeared with his old Sun labelmate Sonny Burgess during an event at Downtown's Rock and Soul Museum.
In recent weeks, after his cancer diagnosis became public, the international rockabilly community rallied around Riley and his wife as the couple struggled to pay mounting medical bills.
Riley is survived by his wife, Joyce, their daughter Angela Johns, and three children from his first marriage, Erin Riley, Wendy Kennedy, and Darron Riley.
Memorial services are pending, but arrangements will be handled by the Dillinger Funeral Home in Newport, Ark. Those wishing to send condolences or contributions directly can contact: Joyce Riley, 723 Crest Drive, Jonesboro, Arkansas, 72401.
Listener's Guide To Billy Lee Riley
by Ken Burke
(From Roctober #25, 1999)
Rest in Peace, Mr. Riley. Your music will be remembered and rediscovered for generations.
RIP Billy Lee. ‘Red Hot’ was a great tune.
My gal is red hot, Your gal ain't diddly squat!
Jerry Lee Lewis played the piano on both Red Hot and Flying Saucer Rock & Roll.
Did not know this. Thanks. First time I heard ‘Red Hot’ was back in the late 50’s. Being from the Bronx NY and being a DooWop fan, my first impression was who the hell is this guy, what a yahoo, but the record just ‘grew’ on me.
RIP.
Damn commercialism doesn’t let most people see the true hereos, the true artists, the true innovators. (Only 11th reply on this thread!)
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