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Dave Stuckey (aka Dave “Pappy” Stuckey)

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Dave Stuckey
Dave Stuckey
Dave Stuckey portrait for Ameripolitan Awards 2020 – ©

He played with the Dave & Deke Combo in the 1990s and was part of the resurgence of American Rockabilly along with other bands like Big Sandy, High Noon, and Go Cat Go. He produced records, including the best album by the Hot Club of Cowtown, and wrote songs with them, too. He played drums with the Untamed Youth and was offered a place in the Cramps. He released the best Western Swing album since the genre’s heyday and won the 2020 Ameripolitan Music Award for Best Western Swing Vocalist. When he’s not leading his hot jazz combo, the Hot House Gang, he continues to play drums with the Lucky Stars. All these achievements — and more — raise the question: who is Dave Stuckey?

Dave Stuckey was born in October 1959 in Kansas City, Missouri. Undoubtedly, the city’s prestigious musical past influenced young Stuckey’s tastes and musical future. “Kansas City is an easy place to get interested in music history… As you know, Kansas City has a terrific music past, from the great jazz clubs at 12th & Vine streets, Joe Turner, Count Basie, and Charlie Parker to the country/rockabilly label Westport Records. They even had a ‘Barn Dance’-type show in the ’30s and ’40s called ‘The Brush Creek Follies’! It was a wide-open, New York type of town back then — during the Prohibition Act in America, Kansas City had more than 300 Speakeasy’s! As a kid, one of the first things I did when I got my driver’s license was head downtown to Union Station, where you could still see the bullet holes from a shootout Pretty Boy Floyd had with Federal Agents when he was trying to spring an accused bootlegger in custody. That gives you a sense of the great ghosts that are floating around in Kansas City.”

Monster Shinding – 1965

But well before discovering Rockabilly, Hillbilly, or Jazz, his tastes were those of someone his age. “The first record I remember getting is ‘Sugar Sugar’ by the Archies — It was a cardboard record cut out of the back of a box of cereal! The first 45 record I bought myself was “Monster Shindig” (which seems logical for someone who later participated in a documentary on Bela Lugosi, developed a friendship with the Cramps, and recorded songs for Roger Corman, but already, I say too much – Ed) on Hanna Barbera Records, a kid’s label. The first LP? Well, there were actually three. There was a department store in Kansas City that sold LPs; I had some money from cutting grass or something and bought ‘Golden Bisquits’ from Three Dog Night, ‘Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy’ by the Who, and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Green River.’” He then began to develop a taste for country music from the mid-60s, thanks to a dinner, The Skyline, which his grandparents frequented. But as he explains, it is the radio that played an essential role in his culture: “the real formative medium for me was listening to Top 40 radio on WHB, one of the first 3 top 40 stations in the US I was pretty well obsessed with the station and would often listen to my little portable under the covers late into the night…”

Around age 10, he received his first guitar (a Harmony Patrician) and, later, in high school, started playing drums when the bands he played in rehearsed at his house. Later, he also tried his hand at bluegrass banjo when he was around 17-18 years old.
He formed his first band in Junior High School. “We didn’t have a bass player… but still, if we set up in the driveway and played Deep Purple cover songs, the girls still hung around.”

The guy at the counter said, ‘You think this stuff is wild — you should try this’. He reached behind the counter and pulled out the ‘Chess Rockabillies’ LP that had just come out… I took it back to the dorm, and it really blew my mind… I mean, really! Rusty York’s ‘Sugaree,’ G.L. Crockett’s ‘Look Out Mabel’ — I was on the ceiling!

A few years later, when Punk emerged, the teenager immediately adopted the genre. “I was in high school when Punk first came around and was completely hooked by it. Kansas City was fairly tapped into it, believe it or not — there was a record store there (Caper’s Corner) owned by the brother of actor Ed Asner, and it was pretty hip. They carried the first punk LP (“The Damned”), the Sex Pistols’ first 45 on EMI, and got the NME paper every week… when the Ramones first came to town in ’77, Capers had an in-store appearance the day of the gig.” Punk led him to discover a genre that would definitively change the course of his life. “In my first year of college (in Denver, Colorado), I discovered an even better store called Wax Trax. It was a treasure trove of new and used records, 45’s, and LP’s. At any rate, in 1978 I was buying some punk 45’s or something one day, and the guy at the counter said, ‘You think this stuff is wild — you should try this’. He reached behind the counter and pulled out the ‘Chess Rockabillies’ LP that had just come out… I took it back to the dorm, and it really blew my mind… I mean, really! Rusty York’s ‘Sugaree,’ G.L. Crockett’s ‘Look Out Mabel’ — I was on the ceiling!”

Lawrence, Kansas
Dave Stuckey continued his studies at Lawrence University of Kansas. There, he joined the Regular Guys, a Power-Pop group. “It was pretty fun for two reasons: it was the first band I ever played bars with (the first show I ever played with them was in a strip club, where we had to share the dressing room with the strippers!), and they let play me Eddie Cochran covers! We got to open shows for a lot of bands who were coming through Kansas City and Lawrence at the time, like Secret Affair and U2!”
In 1981, he made his first trip to California. While in Los Angeles, Stuckey became friends with Lux and Ivy from the Cramps. “I met them at a club when I was in Los Angeles in 1981, and we fast discovered we had the same interests in music, comics, movies, and all that.”

Thumbs No Price On Earth
Thumbs – No Price On Earth – 1982

Eventually, Stuckey returned to Lawrence, where he produced an album for a group called Get Smart (not to be confused with the English group of the same name). Around the same period, he played for a band called Thumbs and appeared on their album No Price On Earth, which was reviewed in Rolling Stone magazine in 1982. Dave also played with a Rockabilly/Rock’n’Roll group called Dalton Howard and the Go-Cats. And for the completist, Pappy also drummed with a band named Start on their Tales Of Glory EP. “Lawrence was an incredibly fun time,” he sums up.

In 1984, Stuckey moved to Los Angeles for good and worked on various documentaries with Mark Gilman, the former singer of the Regular Guys. “That ties into my college degree in radio/TV/Film. When I graduated, I came out to Los Angeles to make documentaries with Gilman, who was a friend back in Kansas. We first did a 3 Stooges documentary called “The Funniest Guys in the World” (released in 1983), sold that, and then did the Lugosi docu (1986). And some other things. They’re pretty hard for me to look at now – I’ve learned a lot more about the production process since then — but we did get to meet and work with old Hollywood legends like John Carradine and Ralph Bellamy”. He also worked on editing video clips for Los Lobos (La Bamba) and Dwight Yoakam.

Callin’ all you cornfed dames
After nearly three years of good and – almost – loyal service as second guitarist, Kid Congo left the Cramps in September 1983 to reunite with his friends from the Gun Club. Lux and Ivy found themselves without a stable lineup for a few months. Following Congo’s departure, the second guitar slot was first occupied by Ike Knox (Nick’s cousin), then Click Mort. Eventually, Lux and Ivy asked Stuckey to join them. “I came out and rehearsed for shows, but ultimately decided not to take up their offer… We remained good friends. Actually, Lux and I used to go record-hunting together at a monthly Swap Meet in Pasadena, CA. I have to say that since he’s heard about everything, Lux turned me on to more fantastic 45s I never would have thought about otherwise. I’ve had some of the best times of my life record hunting with him — he turned me onto many, many great records.” Ultimately, Ike Knox returned for a while before being replaced by Touch Hazard, whose real name is Tim Maag (who will reappear further in this article).

Lux and I used to go record-hunting together at a monthly Swap Meet in Pasadena, CA. I have to say that since he’s heard about everything, Lux turned me on to more fantastic 45s I never would have thought about otherwise. I’ve had some of the best times of my life record hunting with him — he turned me onto many, many great records.

In 1986, in the credits of the excellent album “A Date With Elvis,” the watchful fan could read “‘Cornfed Dames’ based on the Novel by Dave Stuckey” The musician explains “The ‘Cornfed Dames’ thing was a gag — they got the title of the song from a little comic strip I sent them when I still lived in Kansas City, so the note on “A Date with Elvis” was a little thank-you.” Stuckey would participate a few years later in the demos that the Cramps recorded for the film Cry Baby. Although they didn’t appear in the movie (Dave Alvin and James Intveld got the job), the songs appeared on the B-side of the single All Women Are Bad under the title Cry Baby Suite (King Of The Drapes, Teenage Rage, and High School Hellcats). Stuckey concludes, “I really can’t say enough nice things about those guys…”

Meeting Deke Dickerson: the Untamed Youth and the Dave & Deke Combo
Dave Stuckey quickly became a member of the California music community. He played for a time with Russell Scott and met Lloyd “Lucky” Martin, with whom he played in the Bird Dogs with Randy Weeks on guitar. Stuckey also got in touch with Bill Miller of Kicks magazine. Bill’s wife was Miriam Linna, the Cramps’ first drummer. Both Miller and Linna also played in the A-Bones.

One day, Stuckey tried to reach Miller on the phone, but he wasn’t there. Instead, the man who answered was Deke Dickerson. Dickerson was on tour with the Untamed Youth and sleeping at Miller’s house. “Billy wasn’t home, but Deke was there, on a tour with his band The Untamed Youth. I already had their first LP, so we hit it off”. Dave and Deke shared the same interests and musical tastes. When Deke planned to leave Missouri to settle in California, the two future friends had the idea of forming a group. “Deke had suggested over the phone that we start a Hillbilly harmony-type rockabilly band, which sounded great to me. The original plan was to move the Untamed Youth to Los Angeles and have the hillbilly band as a side project, but it didn’t exactly work like that. When he decided to move out to California, he had hoped that the whole band would move out too, but as it turned out, Mace was the only one who made the trip. Once he got here, the Dave & Deke thing took off faster.”

However, even though Deke and Dave laid the groundwork for the Dave and Deke Combo, Dickerson did not give up on his idea of continuing the Untamed Youth with a new lineup.

Deke and Mace recruited Trent Ruane (ex-Mummies, Phantom Surfers) to play the organ and asked Dave if he could help them until they found a permanent drummer. “He asked, as a favor, if I could fill in on drums until he found someone permanent… and I wound up drumming for three years with them! It was great fun, actually. Since we tried hard to keep Dave & Deke ‘traditional’ (not too loud, not too rock), it was nice to be able to ‘blow off some steam’ with the Youth.”

The Untamed Youth, circa 1992, with Mace, Deke Dickerson, Trent Ruane (the Mummies) and Dave Stuckey.
The Untamed Youth, circa 1992, with Mace, Deke Dickerson, Trent Ruane (the Mummies) and Dave Stuckey.

Thus, the Dave and Deke Combo was formed in 1991. The original lineup included Dave, Deke, Lloyd Martin, and Bobby Trimble, who also played with Big Sandy’s Fly-Rite Trio. “Since Dave & Deke and Big Sandy shared Bobby Trimble as a drummer for about a year (before Lance), we would often all pile into Wally Hersom’s van and head down to San Diego or up to San Francisco for shows… What a riot that was!” Lloyd Martin was responsible for programming at the Blue Saloon and played a part in developing the entire Californian “roots” scene. The Blue Saloon became a popular spot for rockabilly and surf music, with different bands performing on different nights of the week. “So there became a point when you could go to the Blue Saloon on any night of the week! Sunday night was Dee Lannon & Her Rhythm Rustlers, Monday was Russell Scott & the Red Hots, Tuesday was Deke’s Untamed Youth spin-off band (called The Beatnik Bandits), Wednesday was Dave & Deke, Thursday was Big Sandy, and Friday & Saturday were usually touring bands like Sleepy LaBeef, Rudy Grayzell, Rose Maddox and Ronnie Dawson! With lineups like that, you can see how the scene was very big in Southern California.”

The Dave and Deke Combo differentiated from other bands by its more pronounced Hillbilly approach: with two singers who could perform solo or in harmony, two songwriters, a formidable guitarist, and a subtle and tight rhythm section, they quickly became a force to be reckoned with. They drew inspiration from artists such as Rusty and Doug, Homer & Jethro, Little Jimmy Dickens, the Farmer Boys, Joe Maphis, the Collins Kids, and various groups of brothers, real or not, such as the Paris or Everly brothers.

In April 1992, the group recorded their first cassette at Wally Hersom’s Wallyphonic Studio, titled Home Brewed Demos, which included the following songs: No More Cryin’ The Blues, Hey Mae, Laurie Ann, Red Headed Woman, Moonshine, This is It, Baby’s Hot Rod, and Wild Woman.

In the middle of the year, Bobby Trimble left the Combo to fully concentrate on the Fly-Rite Trio, as their schedule was becoming increasingly busy (and would later include dates as Morrissey’s opening act in the fall of 1992). Lance Ray Solidays, formerly of The Gigantics, replaced him. This lineup went into the studio on September 26, still under the guidance of Wally Hersom, to record Jimmy Lee and Wayne Walker’s Love Me and Let’s Take A Little Ride, an original song. Together with Baby’s Hot Rod and Wild Woman from the previous session, the result was Hey Cuzzin’, the band’s first EP on No Hit Records (No Hit EP03).

The Dave and Deke Combo – second line-up, with Lucky Martin on upright bass.

In October, the Combo traveled to Europe and performed at the 9th Hemsby Rock’n’Roll Weekender.
In March of the following year, the quartet returned to Wallyphonic Studio, where they recorded Moonshine Melodies. Moonshine Melodies marked the thunderous, smashing, long-distance debut of the Dave and Deke Combo. At less than 28 minutes, with the longest track barely reaching three minutes, it’s a well-rounded affair. With no surprise, the setlist contains Hillbilly with a strong Rockabilly flavor, with a few boogies (talkin’ or not) thrown in for good measure and a good dose of novelty. The songs of Moonshine Melodies maintained the tradition of Hillbilly groups such as Rusty and Doug, Jimmie & Johnny, the Farmer Boys (of whom they cover I’m Just Too Lazy), etc. Even if Stuckey or Dickerson sang solo on some tracks, the emphasis was on vocal harmonies. Perhaps less evident on record, the Dave and Deke Combo also posed as heirs to artists such as Homer and Jethro, Lonzo and Oscar, or Cousin Jody, bringing a touch of humor to a scene that sometimes tended to take it a little too seriously. And like their illustrious predecessors, this apparent relaxation and humorous approach hid a high level from both a musical and artistic point of view. Even if the album contained a majority of covers (Sparkletones, Tommy Cassell, Little Jimmy Dickens, Jim & Rod), Stuckey and Dickerson proved that they were excellent songwriters whose original songs had no reason to be ashamed of the company of their illustrious elders. Better still, they gave the impression of being period pieces because they blended in so well with the selection, like Dickerson’s You Ain’t As Dumb As You Look or Stuckey’s Warm Lips (Big Trouble).

Dickerson’s work on the album positioned him as a successor to the great guitarists of the fifties, drawing clear inspiration from Joe Maphis, Merle Travis, and Grady Martin. However, although less flashy, Stuckey’s rhythm guitar was crucial to the mix, particularly evident in the instrumental Two Guitars No Waitin. The rhythm was impeccable, and Soliday’s drumming is noteworthy for its subtlety and sparing use of cymbals, a rarity among drummers.
A cover of Al Urban’s Lookin’ For Money was recorded at the same session but only saw the light of day years later on the band’s collection of rarities (There’s Nothing Like An Old Hillbilly, Bucket Lid 503).
Like many bands from that period, Dave and Deke tried to keep things period perfect. “One thing Big Sandy and I used to talk about a lot was how important it was to get the music ‘right.’ It’s not just robotic replication — but it was truly fun to write songs like the songwriters you love … and have people sometimes not know which was a cover and which was an original! That is always a great thrill for me because I have such respect for the great old-time writers…” explains Stuckey.
It was more than playing music; it was also paying respect and homage to an almost lost art and doing it well. As he told Isaac Guzman in the Los Angeles Times in 1995: “It’s just music done authentically without making a point of being a museum piece or a carbon copy. My personal hatred is bands who play a ‘50s-influenced kind of music, but they have a heavy metal drummer or a hippie bass player. I like music really pure.”

One thing Big Sandy and I used to talk about a lot was how important it was to get the music ‘right.’ It’s not just robotic replication — but it was truly fun to write songs like the songwriters you love … and have people sometimes not know which was a cover and which was an original! That is always a great thrill for me because I have such respect for the great old-time writers…

The group had no time to rest and left for Europe in May for a mini-tour, including The Rock’ N’ Roll Jamboree at the Casino Wohlen in Switzerland with High Noon, Big Sandy, and the Fly-Rite Trio, Ricky Cool & the Western All-Stars, and Jack Scott. They also returned to the stage of the Hemsby festival to back the Collins Kids. While they were in Great Britain, they took the opportunity to make a detour to Liam Watson’s Toe Rag studio and record a few songs (Hey Baby, Alamo, Made In the Shade). The latter, Cherokee Boogie and Tally Ho were released on the Stateside Rockabilly compilation (NV Records).

After their return, the group continued to play whenever and wherever possible. The live music scene was still lively then, and the Dave & Deke Combo easily found gigs. “We were all just happy to have places to play and people who were excited to come see us. It only lasted for a few years, and kind of drifted apart after Lloyd left the Saloon. It continued in a smaller form at other clubs like Jack’s Sugar Shack and the late, lamented Palomino Club but really petered out in the late ’90s. I think that’s just what happens with music scenes, by the way. Even the good ones never last! ”

In March 1994, the Dave and Deke Combo returned to the studio to record Chrome Dome, Carryin’ On, I’m Gonna Tell, and Laughin’ and Jokin’. Both I’m Gonna Tell and Laughin’ and Jokin’ remained unreleased until their release on There’s Nothing Like An Old Hillbilly. Still, Carryin’ On (by Dave Stuckey) and Chrome Dome (by Deke Dickerson) formed the new single from the group, released on their label Bucket-Lid. The Lucky Stars’ debut single was also released in 1996 on this same label. Stuckey explains the connection: “One of the very early Lucky Stars gigs was opening for the Dave & Deke Combo at the Doll Hut in Anaheim, CA. We loved them and were all friends, so after a while, we thought they should have something out. We had put the ‘Carryin’ On/Chrome Dome’ 45 on Bucket Lid Records, so we thought it might be fun to put the Lucky Stars record on that label.”

Sometime around the end of 1994 or the beginning of 1995, Lucky Martin moved and had to leave the group. Shorty Poole replaced him. The same year, the group recorded songs for a film produced by Roger Corman called Not Like Us. Those songs also appeared on the rarities album.

The Dave and Deke Combo – third line-up with Shorty Poole

The Dave and Deke Combo took advantage of a tour in Finland to record two titles under the supervision of Janne Haavisto (member of Laika and the Cosmonauts and producer of High Noon’s Show and Dance): Chew Tobacco Rag and Twin Guitar Special, the latter with Lester Peabody (Hal Peters, Barnshakers) on second guitar. The single was released on Goofin’ Records (Goofy 552).

The group also recorded a song called Bear Creek Boogie to celebrate the twenty years of the Bear Family label. Yet, of course, the main event was the recording of the group’s second, unfortunately, last, album for Heyday Records.
Tim Mag, also known as Touch Hazard, joined Wally Hersom to help him record the album. As we saw, he had briefly played with the Cramps and was also a member of the Lucky Stars. When you listen to Hollywood Barn Dance, you can tell it sounds more like an extension than a companion to Moonshine Melodies. The sound is slightly cleaner (I said slightly). You can feel that the group has evolved, and the dynamic between each member seems different in Hollywood Barn Dance compared to Moonshine Melodies, which gives the impression of a more collective effort. The differences that led the group to separate shortly after began to appear on Hollywood Barn Dance. In other words, although the album includes moments of symbiosis like on Moonshine Melodies (Let’s Flat Get On It, Going Steady With The Blues, Deke’s Hot Guitar, or their cover of Ray Campi’s Let Go Of Louie), the personalities of the two leaders assert themselves. It seems that each of the two singers has found his way. Stuckey, who takes the lion’s share in terms of songwriting, tries to keep the group in a traditional line, whereas Dickerson, with his guitar sound and some of his compositions (No Good Woman), leads the group toward a more Rock’n’roll style. It’s very subtle, but let’s just say that Stuckey is pre-1956 and Dickerson post-1956. It doesn’t mean Hollywood Barn Dance is less good than Moonshine Melodies; it’s just partially different. All those elements, and probably things that are not our business, led the band to split in 1996.  Dave’s take on the band’s split: “I think the main reason was that Deke wanted to do his own thing – and I understand that… I found that the more I played, the more ‘traditional’ I wanted to get… Deke has always had a deep love of Rock’n’Roll (I mean real, 50’s Rock’n’Roll, of course, not the weird definition that exists today), along with other kinds of music. He wanted to ‘mix it up,’ and I just wanted to get more and more Hillbilly. I understand the conflict, for sure. It was too bad since the band was just beginning to really get some interest after the second CD… but some of us could tour a lot and some of us had day jobs. It was just one of those things. And while I didn’t want it to end at the time (since I felt that we had put a lot of work into it), if it hadn’t broken up, I would have never met Whit Smith, who is a huge influence on me, Elana, and all the other folks in Austin I’ve gotten to play with. Most of all, I’d have never gotten to play with Jeremy Wakefield, which I think is the most fun I’ve ever had.”

Albeit playing for a relatively short time, the Dave and Deke Combo had a lasting influence on the Rockin’ scene. As Bobby Horton perfectly said, “This music wasn’t played that well until three bands came along: Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Trio, the Dave and Deke Combo, and High Noon. I believe those bands have really spearheaded this current scene and deserve a lot of the credit. They were writing original music and had great musicians in their bands.”

The Hot Club Of Cowtown
The Hot Club of Cowtown was formed in the second half of the 1990s. Whit Smith played guitar and sang, Elana Fremerman/James played the fiddle (and later joined on vocals, too), and T.C. Cyran played the double bass. Elana and Whit moved to San Diego around 1997, and it was there that Dave Stuckey met them through Sean Mencher (High Noon). “We got together, hit it off, and, with Shorty and Lance Ray, played the ’97 Greaseball Weekend in San Francisco, where we also backed the Collins Kids. Great fun. However, Whit and Elana were interested in continuing full-time with the Hot Club of Cowtown, so they moved on to Austin…” With Billy Horton (of the Horton Brothers, for whom Stuckey wrote Whole Lotta Nothin’ and I Guess I’m Just In Love) on double bass, the trio recorded their first album for Hightone in 1998.

The Hot Club Of Cowtown (Whith Smith, Elana James, Billy Horton) circa 1998/1999

The following year, Whit, Elana, and Billy called on Stuckey to produce Tall Tales, their second opus. “Man, was that fun! I was flattered that they asked. We all went up to New York and recorded it. I was very happy with the way that one turned out.” Stuckey and Smith co-wrote When I Lost You “over the phone, which isn’t ideal, but not much of a problem…” 

Stuckey’s love for Jazz, which, through his previous formations, had remained in the background, could fully blossom. It shines through in the arrangements and compositions (Emily, which sounds much like Louisiana) and the various guests, including Peter Ecklund (Leon Redbone, Eddy Davis, Marty Grosz, and dozens of others) on the cornet. Stuckey later participated in the trio’s fourth album, writing Sleep and Paradise With You with Smith.

In 1999, “The Hot Guitar of Biller & Wakefield” was released. In addition to brilliant guitar and steel guitar duets, it contains three songs: one excellent tune (Steel Crazy) by Big Sandy and the presence of Dave and Deke on the other two.

Please Pass the Biscuits, Pappy
Stuckey had long dreamed of forming a Western Swing band, and this dream finally started to take shape almost by chance at the turn of the century. “How it happened was an unexpected surprise… I had gone to see Austin’s 8 1/2 Souvenirs in LA. They were a fantastic band, and Kevin Smith was playing bass for them. High Noon was one of those bands who had come out to California in the Blue Saloon days and were very good friends. Anyway, during the break, Kevin says, ‘You know what you and Jeremy Wakefield should do? You should come out to Austin; we’ll get two fiddles, two guitars, a piano, and drums. and record a version of (Bob Wills) ‘Whoa Babe’” I said ‘sounds like a winner to me!’ out there a few months later…We went to Billy Horton’s studio. Kevin and Billy got all the players together: Whit Smith and Dave Biller on guitars, Elana Fremerman and Eamon McLaughlin on fiddles, T. Jarod Bonta on piano, Lisa Pankratz on drums…Billy played a little bass as well. Jeremy and I called it ‘The Austin Dream Band’! We started messing around, and suddenly, we’d recorded five songs in an afternoon! It just clicked! We left with the idea of recording more tracks and putting it out… In the meantime, Hightone Records called me and asked if I wanted to put something out on their HMG label.”

On tour with the Rhythm Gang

The songs recorded with Kevin Smith include Whoa Babe, Dinah, Twin Guitar Special, and a western swing version of the Dave and Deke Combo’s Did Anybody Mention My Name. These songs remained unreleased until 2009 when Goofin released them on an EP (GREP 213). The remaining three, Nobody’s Sweetheart, Coyote Blues, and Some of These Days, found their place on the album. However, recording the album turned out to be complicated, as everyone was busy with their respective groups. It was not until a year later that Wakefield and Stuckey returned to Austin to finalize the recording. At the time, Kevin Smith was too busy, so Jake Erwin replaced him, and Stan Smith and Bob Stafford joined the lineup on clarinet and trombone, respectively. The album “Get A Load Of This” was finally released in 2000 and is one of the best contemporary Western-Swing albums alongside any Lucky Stars records.

The set list displays the band’s ability to blend the old and the new, featuring covers like Adolph Hofner’s I’ll Keep My Old Guitar, Benny Goodman’s Pick-A-Rib, Johnnie Lee Wills’ Coyote Blues, and standards like Whose Honey Are You, Nobody’s Sweetheart, and Some Of These Days, made famous in Western swing by Leon Selph & the Blue Ridge Playboys, Bob Wills, and Milton Brown. The album also features five originals penned by Stuckey, so good that it’s hard to tell whether they’re from 1946 or 2000. The album showcases the band’s unique sound and ability to keep the Western swing tradition alive, and Billy Horton’s flawless production manages to capture the band’s energy and authenticity in the studio.

Stuckey toured, mainly with Dave Biller, Jeremy Wakefield, Billy Horton on double bass, and Lance LeBeau on drums, to promote the album. He even went to Japan in 2001 for a few concerts, accompanied by the Rollin’ Rocks, a Japanese group.

Drummin’ pappy
However, Dave Stuckey did not remain inactive, even if he was not in front of the stage. Thus, he joined the Lucky Stars in 2002. “Sage was hard up for a drummer! Actually, they did have a vacancy, and he asked a few years later, and I’m still in it. I get to sing a little, play some drums, and have a few laughs.” More than 20 years later, he’s still in the band, having played on two albums with them.

The Bonebrake Syncopators: TK Smith, DJ Bonebrake, Wally Hersom, Dave, Jeremy Wakefield
The Bonebrake Syncopators: TK Smith, DJ Bonebrake, Wally Hersom, Dave Stuckey, Jeremy Wakefield

He also joined the Bonebrake Syncopators, a band formed by DJ Bonebrake (drummer for X, here on vibraphone) with Wally Hersom on double bass, TK Smith on guitar, and Jeremy Wakefield on steel guitar. They played drummerless for a year or so, but when they decided to add drums, it was natural to ask Dave to join. The band’s style was eclectic, mixing traditional Jazz with a touch of Western Swing,  Bop arrangements, and even Hawaiian tunes. Musically, imagine a cross between Red Norvo, Benny Goodman’s small formations, Jimmy Rivers, and a lot of Bop in between, and you will have an idea of ​​the result. The group released That Da Da Strain in 2008. With three soloists, two singers, and a superb rhythm section, this album takes no prisoners. Subsequently, Jonathan Stout replaced TK Smith on guitar. The Bonebrake Syncopators then recorded an EP of songs by Cy Coleman, including The Best Is Yet To Come, described by Stuckey as “[one of] the hardest things I’ve ever tried to sing! Lots of modulations and key changes.”

The Lucky Stars (Wally Hersom, Jeremy Wakefild, Sage Guyton, Dave Stuckey and Russ Blake)
The Lucky Stars (Wally Hersom, Jeremy Wakefild, Sage Guyton, Dave Stuckey and Russ Blake)

When asked about his drumming, Stuckey cites among his influences drummers like Dave Tough (Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Eddie Condon), Ray Bauduc (Bob Crosby and the Bearcats, Jack Teagarden) or George Wettling (Red Norvo, Eddie Condon, Muggsy Spanier). “Well, I haven’t thought about putting it in words until now, but what I like about these guys has as much to do with what they don’t play! The common thread is syncopation and sparse fills played with unique accents. I love it when the fill doesn’t come at the point you think it is going to come; in other words, playing in between and around the rest of the rhythm section. You know, it’s hard to remember that traditional jazz drumming is about dynamics more than pure time-keeping. Bauduc, Wettling, and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Tough have this style, which I find thrilling and adventurous. You can find the same thing on the country side with Muddy Berry (who played with the Tex William’s Caravan) and Smokey Dacus, Bob Wills’ drummer in the 30’s. I can only aspire to this kind of style, but trying to get closer has rejuvenated my interest in drums the last few years.”

The return of the Dave and Deke Combo
Finally, what was supposed to happen happened. In 2005, the Dave and Deke Combo reunited after being urged by different promoters. “I think we all knew at some point we’d do a reunion. Tom Ingram (Viva Las Vegas’ organizer, along with our old friend Barney Koumis) had asked a few times over the years, as had Marc Mencher, the guy who books the Green Bay festival, but it just never seemed like the right time. Mencher got on my case last spring and was really determined to make it happen. When Tom got word, they both ganged up on me until I finally hollered ‘uncle’! No, seriously, it just seemed like it was the right time to do it, and by agreeing to both shows, we get to use both bass players who have done time in the Combo, Shorty Poole in Vegas, and our first bass plucker, Lucky Martin in Green Bay. That way, nobody gets left out.” 
The following year, the group performed on the Rockabilly Rave stage with the two guitarists. These concerts coincided with the release of the band’s rarities CD (There’s Nothing Like An Old Hillbilly), which included a new recording: a hilarious Homer & Jethro-style parody of Elvis’s In the Ghetto, entitled In The Meadow. Since then, the Combo has continued to perform, often with Bobby Trimble on drums, and their Hillbilly Fest at Viva Las Vegas has become almost an institution. Some of these shows saw them back the legendary Doug Kershaw (of Rusty and Doug fame).

The Hot House Gang
But in the back of his mind, the singer had not given up on his idea of ​​forming a Jazz combo. He discovered the genre in high school when he saw Leon Redone on Saturday Night Live. Having talked about it with him during informal discussions, Robert Crumb, whether through his short stories about bluesmen and jazzmen (like the one he did about Kansas City Frank Melrose) or his band, the Cheap Suits Serenaders, also had an essential role in his discovery of the genre.

But, although there are many common points with Western Swing, both scenes seemed impervious to him at the time. In the early 2000s, he even declared, “There are also some traditional jazz bands around southern California that I really like and would love to produce, like the Rhythm Rascals who are a jazz band with John Reynolds, one of the best 30’s style guitarists going and his brother Ralf on washboard, but that’s a whole another scene I don’t really have many connections with.”
But everything changed, thanks, in part, to Wally Hersom. While playing in the Bonebrake Syncopators, Stuckey and Hersom told themselves they would like to do more shows but in a style closer to the swing groups of the pre-Big Band era, such as Muggsy Spanier, Eddie Condon, Wingy Manone, and Fats Waller.
Around the same time, a programmer contacted Stuckey, asking if he would be interested in putting together a band to play at a club. In 2015, he explained to Jonny Whiteside, “I’d been seeing all these cats at the trad jazz festivals that could really play like Eddie Lang or Pee Wee Russell, only I didn’t know any of them. But Wally did, so I called them up, and they’re working musicians, so, sure, they took the gig. It was a solid ball from the get-go.”

The Hot House Gang quickly formed around talented musicians such as Wally Hersom, long Stuckey’s right-hand man before he moved to Europe, Carl Sonny Leyland, Josh Collazo (Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five), Dan Barrett (whose credits read like a Who’s who of traditional Jazz, including Leon Redbone), Corey Gemme (Janet Klein), Nate Ketner, Larry Wright, or Marc Caparone.

With its lively and generous concerts, the group has gained a large and loyal following and is still in high demand on the traditional jazz scene. The lineup fluctuates depending on everyone’s availability, but the quality is systematically there. The band plays “head arrangements” only (instead of reading charts), always trying to keep things surprising and fresh.

Dave Stuckey and the Hot House Gang
Dave Stuckey and the Hot House Gang – from left to right: Wally Hersom, Dave Stuckey, Nate Ketner, Corey Gemme and Dan Barrett
In the background, partially hidden: probably Josh Collazo on drums and Carl Sonny Leyland.
© Dave Stuckey and the Hot House Gang

Those who can’t attend one of their gigs can comfort themselves with How’m I Doin’?!, the band’s debut album recorded in 2015. It comprises twelve songs, half of which are from Stuckey’s pen.
As he did with his previous groups, it’s essential for Stuckey to contribute (he’d probably add ‘modestly,’ but don’t believe him ) to the genre by writing original and keeping this music relevant like any other genre. His songs fit perfectly next to the classics, which are Love Is All Around The Corner, I Never Knew (in a version probably inspired by the KXYZ Novelty Jazz Band), and T’Ain’ t No Use. There is also an adaptation of Maybe It’s The Blues by Georgia Tom Dorsey and the excellent instrumental Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble.

Dave Stuckey’s relaxed (ala Jack Teagarden) voice works wonders throughout, and the musicians compete in daring and creativity in the solos and arrangements. Additionally, the recording perfectly captures the sound and excitement of the band as if they were in their natural element: the stage. Too many good bands fail to convey their energy and vitality in the studio, resulting in a cold and sterile result. This is far from being the case here. It’s romping and swinging and instantly puts a smile on your face (although it can also move you with songs such as I Don’t Stand A Ghost Of A Chance or T’Ain’t No Use). It’s hard to pick a favorite track; this album is perfect from start to finish. Still, if I had to, I’d choose the Oriental-tinged Sister Kate (The Potentate Of Harlem), a distant cousin of Egyptian Ella, featuring excellent horn solos and beautiful arrangements, and Pardon My French. Stuckey has a knack for writing nifty and clever lyrics.

The pandemic period was a challenging time for the musicians who made a living out of live music. During the lockdown, Pappy performed a live show on Facebook each week for 16 weeks called Ten Tunes On Tuesday At Two. But it was more than economical; Stuckey missed the interaction with the audience and the dancers, who are, for him, an integral part of the performance.

Now that period is behind us, Dave Stuckey has resumed his live activities, playing with the Hot House Gang, a new western swing combo called the Four Hoot Owls, a larger band with Hal Smith named Pappy & Junior’s Western swing All Stars, the Dave and Deke Combo and a refurbished lineup of the Lucky Stars. If only he could find time to record some new material with the Hot House Gang!

This concludes the Dave Stuckey story. I tried to be as complete as possible (but I probably forgot a couple of things). Anyway, I hope you’ve learned a thing or two and that this article inspired you to dig into the rich discography of that man of multiple talents.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Dave Stuckey on the web:
Website – https://www.stuckeyville.net/
Bandcamp – https://stuckeyville.bandcamp.com/

Sources
All interviews by Fred Turgis except where noted.
– Liner Notes
The Dave & Deke Combo – There’s Nothing Like An Old Hillbilly– Bucket-Lid (2005)
– Book
Catch That Rockabilly Fever – Sheree Homer, McFarland (2010)
– Websites
https://www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/tn-gnp-dave-stuckey-and-his-hot-house-gang-are-stuck-on-old-school-jazz-20151024-story.html
https://syncopatedtimes.com/dave-stuckey-pass-the-swingin-music-pappy/ (I warmly recommend you to subscribe to the Syncopated Times)
https://www.discogs.com

This article is © Fred Turgis & the Rockabilly Chronicle.
And of course, thanks to Cuzzin’ Dave Stuckey for his time, patience, advices, music and friendship.

Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys

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Big Sandy & his Fly-Rite Boys – Sing and Play the Songs of Freddy Fender

Baldemar Records BR-201 & BR-202 [2020]
Before the Next Teardrop Falls – I Can’t Remember When I Didn’t Love You
Wasted Days and Wasted Nights – Holy One

Freddy Fender, born Baldemar Huerta hence the name of the label, was a versatile singer and songwriter. It’s no surprise to find Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys paying tribute to the man on this superb double 45 set. Like him, the band played Rock’n’roll, Rockabilly, Doo-Wop, and so on, and Fender’s influence can clearly be heard in some of Big Sandy’s intonations.
Each disc contains a hit and a lesser-known gem from the Fender’s early days.
Side A of disc one is Before the Next Teardrop Falls, Fender’s best-known song. It’s a tough job to sing it after Fender, not only because he sings it perfectly (an understatement if there is one) but also because this song is so much associated with him. Despite all that, the result is one of Big Sandy’s best vocal performance, perfectly supported by Ashley Kingman on Spanish guitar.
On side B, I Can’t Remember When I Didn’t Love You sees the band returning to its Rockabilly roots. It’s also the perfect vehicle to hear the skills of Kevin Stewart on bass and Kip Dabbs on drums.
The second 45 features the swamp pop Wasted Days and Wasted Nights. If the vocal is flawless, this is Kingman who steals the show on this one with a fantastic scorching guitar solo.
On the flip, the Doo-Wop Holy One, featuring Uncle Ernie Vargas, Alex Vargas, and Lil’ Ernie Vargas on backing vocals, evokes the best moments of Dedicated to You.
It’s a limited edition of 1000 copies, but it also exists on CD, and Sleazy records licensed it with a different cover.
Whatever the format, grab a copy here!

Big Sandy vs. Deke Dickerson – Jesus & Gravy

Sleazy Records SR142 [2018]
Make A Little Time For Jesus / Get The Gravy Hot

This release is a split single between Big Sandy (side A) and Deke Dickerson (side B).
Fellow Fly Right Boys Ashley Kingman and Kevin Stewart back Big Sandy, helped by Chris Sprague on drums and Ernie Vargas on tambourine. Make A Little Time For Jesus finds him, with no surprise, in full-gospel mode. The man who penned songs like Between Darkness and Dawn, Thru Dreamin’, and many others, has been more inspired in the past.
You’ll find the same musicians backing Deke Dickerson, but Kingman switched to 6-string bass, and Stewart plays electric-bass. The song, a cover of Shotgun Red, is an excellent country rocker that suits Deke’s voice and style to a T.

Big Sandy and his Fly Rite Boys - Fine, Fine, Superfine
Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys – Fine, Fine, Superfine

Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys – Fine, Fine, Superfine / Everytime

Ruby records {2016}
It’s the first release of a brand new label, Ruby records, launched by Ruby Ann and Tom Ingram and it comes in a beautifully designed sleeve. And what a better choice to lauch a label than Big Sandy? Even though it’s only a single and we desperately need a brand new album, it’s always good to have a new release by today’s finest purveyor of Rock’n’roll, the man with the velvet voice himself, Mister Big Sandy. Not to forget the Fly-Rite Boys who are Ashley Kingman on guitar (23 years or so of service), Kevin Stewart and newcomer Ricky McCann on drums.
It was a very good surprise to see that Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Boys had recorded this two sides at Wallyphonic studios with Wally Hersom at the console, like they did for their debut album.
The A side is “Fine, Fine, Superfine” a good rocking’ song with a solid beat. This is not Robert Williams’ most original song but it completely fulfills its goal: make you dance, shake your head and tape your feet. The flip is far more original and is pure Big Sandy. It’s got the same highly melodic hook than song like “How did you love someone like me”, it’s smooth but rocking in the same time. This is a kind of tune that shows why Robert Williams has no equivalent in term of songwriting today. And with a first rate band like the Fly-Rite Boys, it’s a killer.

Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys – What A Dream it’s Been

big-sandy-what-a-dream-its-been
Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys -What A Dream It’s Been

Cow Island CIM022 [2013]
Baby Baby Me – This Ain’t a Good Time – Missouri Gal – Don’t Desert Me – Nothing To Lose – Glad When I’m Gone – Parts Unknown – You Mean Too Much To Me – I Know I’ve Loved You Before – Three Years Blind – If I Knew Now What I Knew Then – What a Dream It’s Been.

When an artist and a fine songwriter like Big Sandy breaks a silence of nearly seven years to release an album of “acoustic and newly arranged versions of old songs” one can reasonably have some fears. But fear not my friends; although it borrows a song from each of his records, -with the exception of the Jake’s Barbershop ep- “What a Dream It’s Been” is not just a quick re-recording of old favourites like it’s too often the case with that kind of project. The reason lies, in part, in the choice of the songs. Big Sandy has dug deep in his discography to select lesser known songs than the one available on the two best-of released by Hightone and Rockbeat for example. And musically it’s an adventurous thing which is more a prolongation of the recent albums than the summary of a career. Thus it sees the band expanding the range of its styles to bring early ska and rocksteady (Baby Baby Me, I know I loved you Before) to the mix as well as bluegrass (This Ain’t A Good Time, Will You Be Glad) with Ashley playing mandolin and Jeff West providing harmonies, Country Soul (Parts Unknown), Mexican tinged stuff ala Marty Robbins (Nothing To Loose) and a jazz duet with guest vocalist Grey Delisle (What A Dream It’s Been). Big Sandy’s voice has never sounded so good and deep, particularly when he’s only backed by a double bass (“Don’t Desert Me”) or a guitar (You Mean Too Much to Me) and the acoustic format reveals the beauty of his song writing. It also puts a new light on Kingman’s skills. His talent shines throughout the album and is in large part responsible of the success of that record.
In the end, what was supposed to be just a celebration of a 25 year career turns out to be a pivotal album in the band history as were “Jumpin’ from 6 to 6” in 1994 or “Night Tide” in 2000.

Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys – Turntable Matinee

Big Sandy and his Fly Rite Boys - Turntable Matinee
Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys – Turntable Matinee

Yep Roc – Yep 2121 [2006]
Power Of The 45 – Love That Man – The Great State Of Misery – Haunted Heels – Ruby Jane – Spanish Dagger – Mad – The Ones You Say You Love – You Don’t Know Me At All – Yes (I Feel Sorry For You) – Lonesome Dollar – Slippin’ Away – I Know I’ve Loved You Before – Power Of The 45 Pt. 2.

I became a Big Sandy fan from the moment the needle of my platter played Hot Water the opening song of Fly Rite With, their first album back in 1990.
In 2000, the dark mood of Nightide marked a turning point in Big Sandy’s recording journey and his songwriting. Having used the rockabilly and the western swing terminology and grammar for years, he freed his writing and went to a new level with no restrictions, creating more than re-creating.
After It’s Time in 2002, Turntable Matinee is a deeper step in that direction. Still built around western swing type of songs like Yes (I Feel Sorry For You) with Lee Jeffriess back behind the double neck steel guitar, it takes that genre further and brings on some of these songs a late 60’s feel (The Great State Of Misery). Straight rockin’ songs make a welcome return in Big Sandy’s set with Ruby Jane and the two parts of Power Of The 45 at the beginning and the end of the record, an ode to the band’s influences (Glen Glenn, Link Wray, Chuck Berry, Janis Martin, Etta James…). Between those two solid anchors you’ll find some latin / bossa nova (Spanish Dagger), a bluegrass inspired tune (Lonesome Dollar) and probably the biggest surprise: a Stax / Memphis soul masterpiece called Slippin’ Away with Cad Kadison on sax. And just when I was thinking Hey this is the first Fly-Rite Boys’ album without an instrumental tune came the hidden track, an instro version of Spanish Dagger. Finally it’s more than logical that after being produced by Dave Alvin for their first two albums as Fly-Rite Boys they now fit perfectly with the Blasters’ definition of American Music.
Since the Fly-Rite Trio days the line-up has seen some changed but that didn’t weaken the band and brought new blood and forced it to be more creative every time. The best example is bassist Jeff West who is now a key member of the band : he wrote three songs (and one of the most beautiful song ever sung by Big Sandy You Don’t Know Me At All) and sings two. The musicianship is, as usual, faultless from Ashley Kingman’s inventive guitar licks and his questions/answers with Lee Jeffriess (especially on Yes(I Feel Sorry For You) to Bobby Trimble subtle drumming (listen to I Know I’ve Loved You Before and pay attention to his brushwork). This album is going to be hard to top but I’ve already said that about It’s Time so I don’t worry that much.

 Big Sandy and his Fly Rite Boys – It’s Time

Big Sandy and his Fly Rite Boys - It's Time
Big Sandy and his Fly Rite Boys – It’s Time

Yep Roc, [2003]

”It’s time” follows the beautiful but dark and sad “NighTide”. The line remains unchanged except for Jimmie Roy (Ray Condo’s Ricochets) who replaces Lee Jeffriess on steel.
Entirely recorded live in the studio to capture the freshness of their first recordings, it’s also a much more varied album. You can find classic Rock’n’roll ala Elvis (Chalk It up To the Blues), followed by the Cajun inspired “Bayou Blue” with Chris Gaffney on accordion and there’s even a surfin’ instrumental written by Ashley Kingman (Strollin’ With Mary-Jane). Of course their usual brand of hillbilly bop/rockabilly is still present with songs like I Hate Loving You on which Jeff West voice blends perfectly with Big Sandy’s. He also takes lead on the jazzy Money Tree which makes you regret he doesn’t sing more. But Big Sandy remains the “real” singer of the band and the excellent “Night Is For the Dreamers” with its doo-wop atmosphere concludes the album in beauty.

Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys – Night Tide

Hightone Records HCD 8123 [2000]
Night Tide – Between Darkness And Dawn – Tequila Calling – When Sleep Won’t Come (Blues For Spade) – If You Only Knew – Give Your Loving To Me – In The Steel Of The Night – A Man Like Me – Hey Lowdown! – My Time Will Come Someday – I Think Of You – Nothing To Lose – South Bay Stomp – Let Her Know

Released in 2000, Night Tide marked a turn in Big Sandy’s musical evolution.
Wally Hersom, former bass player of the band and the last remaining member of the Fly-Rite trio days, had left the group to be replaced by Jeff West (the Sun Demons.) West not only brought his bass, but he also came with his singing abilities, giving Big Sandy a second voice to play with, like a new instrument, hence the presence of harmony vocals on many of the songs.
It was also a change of mood. While previous albums featured dancing tunes and lighthearted lyrics (My Sinful days are over, The Loser’s Blues), Night Tide featured Robert Williams’ more introspective and dark songs. Songs like “When Sleep Won’t Come” written from the pint of view of Spade Cooley in jail, or “Nothing to Lose,” one of Williams’ saddest tune, are perfect examples of that direction. With these songs and others like the title track and Between Darkness And Dawn, Williams seems to throw off the limits of roots music and write songs without restraining himself.
And behind the Latin beat of” Tequila Calling,” one can hear the story of a man fighting with his demons. Even Lee Jeffriess, instrumental, which is usually danceable, is a slow and reflective number.
By comparison, ditties like “I Think of You” or “Give Your Loving” (penned by West) seem out of place and almost break the charm.
But the Fly-Rite Boys also stay true to their roots with rockin’ numbers like their cover of Cliff Bruner’s My Time Will Come Someday featuring Ashley Kingman in full Grady Martin mode as well as Hey Lowdown ( a stage favorite) and Let Her Know.

Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys – Down at Jake’s Barbershop

Big Sandy and his Fly Rite Boys - Down at Jake's Barbershop
Big Sandy and his Fly Rite Boys – Down at Jake’s Barbershop

No-Hit records ‎– EP5
Down at Jake’s Barbershop – You’re No Fun – Fallin’ for You – Snake Dance Boogie

In 1992, steel player Lee Jeffriess joined Big Sandy and the Fly Rite Trio (Big Sandy, TK Smith, Wally Hersom and Bobby Trimble) that became Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys. Shortly after that, Smith left the band. The toured Europe with Malcolm Chapman (Carlos and the Bandidos) on guitar before Ashley Kingman (Red Hot’n’Blue) officially joined the band in early 1993.
In July of that year the new line-up recorded these four tracks at Wally’s studio for No-Hit Records.
These four songs are the missing link between the “On the Go” and “Jumpin’ From 6 to 6“. They show the transformation of a tight rockabilly combo into a western swing machine that will culminate with “Swingin’ West” and “Feelin’ Kinda Lucky.” Here the mood of the day is more hillbilly bop with two originals on side A and two covers, Link Davis’ Fallin for You that features Carl Sonny Leyland on piano and Roy Hogsed’s Snake Dance Boogie.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

https://www.bigsandy.net/

Kim Lenz

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Kim Lenz

Kim LenzKim Lenz

20th Century Rockabilly Meets 21st Century Woman

Take the warm, honeyed tones of a Wanda Jackson ballad. Combine them with the lusty power of Barbara Pittman. Add a liberal helping of Janis Martin’s gritty vocal, and sprinkle generously with the raw, rebellious sounds of rockabilly poster boys Gene Vincent and Billy Lee Riley. The result? A cocktail of rockabilly royalty named Kim Lenz.

by Denise Daliege-Pierce

 

Music has always been a part of Kim Lenz’s life. The offspring of a father who tuned into Wolfman Jack’s radio show and a mother who enjoyed listening to classic country crooners, Kim Lenz was exposed to an eclectic mix of music styles. During her formative years, she sang in choirs and played some guitar and piano, but a lack of support from her family dampened any hopes Kim had of performing.

Years later, music would once again seductively weave its way into Kim’s life—and this time, she would heed its siren call. At the age of 20, Kim Lenz moved to Los Angeles, where she worked in music copyright and publishing. California was ground zero for the burgeoning West Coast rockabilly scene, and Kim attended shows at The Palomino and King King, immersing herself in the music of Big Sandy, Dave & Deke and The Paladins. The rockabilly bug had bitten—hard—but it would take a marriage and a move to Texas before the musician inside of Kim Lenz would emerge.

The University of North Texas would be the catalyst to Kim Lenz’s rockabilly coming out party. Renowned for its jazz program, UNT was where Kim—who was working towards a degree in psychology—recruited members for her first band, Rocket Rocket. “I guess I was 26 or 27. There was seven of us and, I think, only five people showed up,” Kim reminisced during a recent telephone interview, describing the group’s first gig at a local coffeehouse. “I think I sang ‘Cool Love’ and ‘The KGB (Made a Man Out of Me)’.”

Despite the meager turnout, Kim was euphoric. “I couldn’t sleep that night—for a couple of nights—like I had been given heroin or something, and was really addicted to it,” she confided.

Although Rocket Rocket disbanded after a handful of shows, Kim was not dissuaded from performing. “All I wanted to do was get a gig at Bar of Soap,” she laughed, referring to a combination laundry mat/bar that featured live music. Her goal achieved, Kim—after some trial and error—had a new backing band, The Jaguars, and the quartet began performing in earnest. “I started writing music, and I liked that,” she remarked. “A lot of the joy that I felt on stage is I can’t believe people are letting me do this. I do it for the love of the music. Money, I think, can be a hindrance to creativity.”

Kim Lenz and the Jaguars
Kim Lenz and the Jaguars (Nick Curran, guitar – Shawn Supra, upright bass – Scotty Tecce, drums), circa 1999.

In 1997, the group, with an assist from roots music mainstay Deke Dickerson, released an EP on the tiny Wormtone Records label. It wasn’t long before Larry Sloven, co-founder of Hightone Records, came calling—literally—and Kim Lenz and The Jaguars were on their way to becoming flag bearers of rockabilly music’s revival. Wally Hersom, then bassist for Big Sandy’s Fly-Rite Boys, took to the producer’s chair for Kim’s first Hightone release, 1998’s Kim Lenz and Her Jaguars; The One and Only quickly followed in 1999. The albums were a tribute to Kim’s ability as a songstress—“[On] all of my records, I write most of the songs,” she told me—but they also placed a firm spotlight on some obscure rockabilly gems, such as The Miller Sisters’ “Ten Cats Down”. “I think it was on a Sun Records compilation I had,” Kim replied when asked how she discovered the oft-forgotten tune.

Kim’s sophomore effort continued her tradition of combining fresh rockabilly songs with homages to her music mentors. The album would also provide a unique link to Gene Vincent—more so than any reworking of “Be-Bop-a-Lula” or “Dance to the Bop” ever could—courtesy of Don Carter.
Don Carter’s name may be unfamiliar to some, but his body of work certainly isn’t. The man behind Ronnie Dawson’s “Rockin’ Bones” also penned a pair of songs that Gene Vincent intended to record; one was “B-I-Bickey-Bi, Bo-Bo-Go”, the instantly recognizable classic. The other, “If You Don’t Like My Peaches (Don’t Shake My Tree)”, for reasons unclear, never received the studio treatment… until some forty-plus years later, when Carter offered the neglected number to Kim Lenz. “Don Carter lived in Dallas,” Kim recalled. “I got into contact with him through a mutual friend. I met him, and he was such a sweetheart. We were just kinda, like, ‘Try it’. [It was] such a cool honor to do a song written for Gene.”

After two successful albums, in 2000, Kim stepped off of the stage to undertake an entirely new project: motherhood. Was trading her microphone for a diaper bag a difficult decision to make? “You know, the timing was right,” she responded. “I just spent three-and-a-half to four years on the road; did 200 shows a year—pretty much did everything I could do. I didn’t have a goal of making mainstream music; I didn’t have a goal of breaking out. My goal was to make rockabilly music. I was just burned out. “I think I thought, ‘Oh yeah, I’ll have a kid. I’ll just strap it to my back and I’ll live my life’,” Kim divulged. “Well, it didn’t happen that way. [During the pregnancy] I got really sick—had to cancel my last two tours. I just laid around.”

As her son grew, so did Kim’s free time—and with that, her re-emergence into the rockabilly scene. Hightone released a greatest hits collection, Up to My Old Tricks Again, in 2005, and Kim Lenz made the occasional compilation album contribution. “I recorded for Bloodshot [Records]; I did ‘Cool Love’ [for the album Hard-Headed Woman: A Celebration of Wanda Jackson] and ‘Down on the Farm’ for the kids record [The Bottle Let Me Down: Songs for Bumpy Wagon Rides].” Kim also resumed performing on a limited basis, appearing at a Spanish rockabilly festival in alternating years and making one-off performances in the States. “I never really gave it up,” Kim acknowledged. “Now, the challenge for me is, I’ve never been very good at balance. I go one way or the other way.”

Balancing motherhood and music wasn’t a success for some of her predecessors. Sparkle Moore had recorded a handful of tracks for Fraternity Records in the mid-1950s before walking away from the music business to raise a family. The budding career of one of Kim’s musical influences, Janis Martin, suffered a similar fate. “Janis got pregnant, and then she was never really able to come back,” Kim remarked. “I think that’s definitely a hindrance unless you can balance.”

Rockabilly’s renaissance during the 1980s and 1990s encouraged some of the genre’s pioneers to return to the stage. Janis was one of them. “The Female Elvis”, prior to her death in 2007, had returned to performing on the rockabilly festival circuit, and was planning to record a new album. According to Kim, Janis, despite her years, hadn’t lost a step. “[Janis had] such an amazing, strong voice,” she enthused. “Seeing original artist from the fifties can be hit and miss. Her voice was amazing. She just has [sic] such an amazingly true, warm voice. She never lost it.”

Kim remembers performing with Janis at 1999’s Viva Las Vegas event. “The promoter put a band together for her—amazing musicians; all the best,” she recollected. “They want the band to learn the song exactly on the record. She wanted to get up there and rock.” Janis, disappointed that the musicians were not tearing up the stage in true rockabilly spirit, admonished the group. “You guys aren’t rockin’,” she told them. “She had that wild streak in her,” laughed Kim.

Kim Lenz

Hightone Records had folded. With her son now in school, Kim, having re-relocated to Los Angeles some years earlier, decided to return to doing what she loved best: making music. She formed Open Ranch Studios in her home, with the intention of recording music for television and film scores. What soon emerged was a new album, 2009’s It’s All True!. The disc, released on Kim’s newly formed Riley Records label, features the singer’s distinctive voice and usual mix of material both old and new; it’s also the first album that Kim herself has produced.
Kim described the reasons for the change. “So many costs with a label…you have so many costs; not really have any control, either. I talked to a few people at some smaller labels. Labels are, pretty much, dinosaurs—they’re really not necessary. I wanted to have total control. [With previous albums] there was too much time pressure. There are some songs I’m really proud of; other songs, I didn’t get to finesse them as much as I wanted to.”
As a producer, Kim Lenz dedicated herself to crafting the perfect album, much as she did to penning the ultimate toe-tapping rockabilly number. She took a year to record the vocals, and received a helping hand from a few friends: Fly-Rite Boy Carl Sonny Leyland played piano on the disc, while respected roots musician Billy Horton mixed the record.
Another colleague to lend his talents to the project was Kim’s longtime friend, the versatile Big Sandy. Known for his distinctive mellow voice and ability to perform a variety of music styles—from western swing to rhythm and blues to rockabilly—Big Sandy had provided songs for and produced The One and Only, and played several roles in the completion of It’s All True!. He was session guitarist for the majority of the album, and contributed the song, “He’s All Mine”, a duet to which he also supplied his vocal skills.
Kim Lenz has the utmost respect for Big Sandy. “He is just a consummate musician; professional—such an amazing songwriter,” she marveled. The pair seemed to share a certain synergy, too. While living in Dallas, Kim, armed with a songbook containing a few partially written tunes, joined Big Sandy at a diner. In quick order, he turned the works in progress into completed songs. The finished products received Kim’s approval.
“He’s such an inspiration,” praised Kim. “He lives and breathes it [music]. He lives it. He’s on the road all the time. I think, more than anything, he’s an inspiration to me. If I have a problem….He’s my mentor. There’s nobody else like him. He’s kept it up all these years.
“Each song is such a great work of art,” she continued. “A lot of bands that people think are rockabilly aren’t. It’s all about bowling, flames and cherries—really boring stuff. Big Sandy brings real songwriting to his stuff….He can do anything, rootswise. Thank God for Big Sandy.”

Kim’s approach to It’s All True! was different from the one she perceived Hightone Records had taken with her previous albums. “What I wanted it to be was not what I thought was good enough, but good,”, she commented. “If you’re gonna make something good or something you’re proud of, you need that tenacity….When I’m done, I want to be able to listen to and enjoy it.”

The music industry continues to evolve. The days of popping into the local record store to snare the latest vinyl album or cassette or CD are rapidly dwindling. The advent of the internet and digital media have made music of all categories and cultures more accessible—and more economical. It’s a change that hasn’t been lost to Kim. “There’s a new paradigm happening in the music industry,” she stated. “You buy one or two songs off of iTunes. It’s different selling. Nobody really knows what the new paradigm is.”

Kim Lenz appears prepared to tackle the challenge of marketing her own work in such a tumultuous environment. “There wasn’t a record label that I would give up ownership of the record [to]. I got a really good U.S. distributor.
“The rockabilly crowd is amazing,” she raved. “Once they like you, they like you forever.”
“I learned a lot of lessons,” the singer admitted. “I really do appreciate now a lot of what Hightone did…I really love owning it [the record] and having all the control to myself. Nowadays, if you’re a subgenre musician, you really have to write, play your own instrument; do your own P.R.”

With inexpensive marketing tools such as YouTube and Facebook readily available—and the increased costs of fuel and other assorted travel expenses—the once necessary task of touring in support of an album has become less than profitable. “People don’t realize what it takes to get there for that one-hour performance,” Kim lamented.

kim1Recording a new album may not have been Kim’s initial intention for her studio digs, but it achieved the desired result: the use of her music on television. True Blood, the popular vampire-themed HBO show, has utilized Kim’s material before. “The first time they used one of my songs in True Blood was Season One on the first show,” she related. “I didn’t know anything about the show at that point, and didn’t even have HBO. Since Hightone Records had sold to Shout Factory and nobody there seemed to have my contact info, I was never notified of the use. So, it started playing back east earlier than where I live, in L.A., and I started getting e-mail messages, phone calls and MySpace messages. I called up the cable company, had them turn on HBO and watched Sookie listening to ‘Dang Good Stuff’ out of her iPod. That was cool. The second time they used one of my songs was in the season finale of Season Two. This time, they used a song off my new record, ‘Zombie For Your Love’, which I own, so they contacted me directly for licensing. This was also very exciting, because I didn’t have another label or publishing company deciding about my music.”
Recording for one’s own label can be a costly investment. Even with the distinction of having her music featured in a television series, Kim Lenz has not fully recouped the costs associated with the making of It’s All True!. Nonetheless, making the album has not caused any regrets. “All those recording costs—it costs money to do it right. We’re not living the high life—we’re doing what we love to do. I don’t get wrapped up in the moneymaking part of it. If they wanna have subgenre music, the fans have to be part of it.”
“I think,” continued Kim, “what I’m gonna do next is start working on one song at a time; really start crafting one song at a time. I’m really, really proud of the record. I really don’t have any sour grapes.”

Although Wanda Jackson’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 cemented her status as “The Queen of Rockabilly”, women rockabilly artists are, in general, an unknown commodity. Connoisseurs of the genre can rattle off a nearly endless list of male rockabilly performers, but most would be hard-pressed to name even a smattering of their female counterparts. It’s a conundrum that I’ve never quite understood. I asked Kim if she felt that women’s contributions to rockabilly music have been overlooked. “That’s a complicated question. Back in the fifties, few women were given the chance. Women were supposed to stay home and have babies. A few women were brave enough; brazen enough. That’s just how it was. It’s so titillating—they [the fans] would love it. I don’t understand why there aren’t more women doing it.”

Being a musician of the female gender presents another unique set of problems. “There’s benefits, and there’s a good side and bad side,” Kim disclosed. While the band welcomes publicity, a becoming photo of Kim appearing in a magazine would raise a rare complaint. There’s also the occasional misconception to deal with. “Sometime, sound guys don’t think I know what I’m talking about, and I do,” the singer bemoaned.
Our discussion returned to rockabilly’s founding mothers. “Most roots music, the women were pretty tame. There was Rose Maddox and someone here and there, but women weren’t allowed to get in your face,” Kim added.

Women’s roles in rockabilly—in all styles of music—have grown. The days of record companies shunning a pregnant Janis Martin or reducing Barbara Pittman’s recordings to little more than a wallflower, hovering on the edges of the Elvis Presley/Carl Perkins crowd, are gone. Society’s standards may have changed, but thank goodness the raw sound and so-dirty-you-need-a-shower emotion evoked by rockabilly music haven’t. Kim Lenz is living proof of rockabilly’s continued ability to connect one generation of performers and fans to another. “I feel so appreciative of all the great people I’ve gotten to perform with, and the fan base,” she shared. “I feel about the luckiest person in the world to do what I love. I’m really glad that you and others are keeping roots music alive.”

And Kim Lenz is one of them.

Website: http://kimlenz.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialKimLenz/

Reviews: http://www.the-rockabilly-chronicle.com/kim-lenz-reviews/

Dave Stuckey & the Rhythm Gang

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Dave Stuckey - Get A Load of This - HMG
Dave Stuckey – Get A Load of This – HMG

Dave Stuckey & the Rhythm Gang – Get a Load of This!

HMG 3010 [2000]
Brand New Love ~ You Better Wake Up Baby ~ They Did The Boogie ~ Nobody’s Sweetheart ~ I’ll Take My Old Guitar ~ Pick-A-Rib ~ Whose Honey Are You ~ Coyote Blues ~ You Shoulda Thought Of That ~ Lookin’ Around ~ Kansas City Kitty ~ Hitch My Wagon ~ Some Of These Days ~ Beauty Is As Beauty Does

This album is as close to any Western swing band from the golden era as you can get today. As a true lover and connoisseur, Dave Stuckey (formerly of the Dave and Deke Combo) gathered an impressive ten-piece band featuring Jeremy Wakefield on steel, Whit Smith and Dave Biller on guitars, T. Bonta on piano, Elana Fremerman and Eamon McLoughlin on twin fiddles, Stanley Smith on clarinet, Bob Stafford on trombone, Lisa Pankratz on drums and either Kevin Smith or Jake Erwin on bass. Together or separately, this fine aggregation have played with Wayne Hancock, Dale Watson, the Lucky Stars, Kim Lenz, the Hot Club Of Cowtown, the Asylum Street Spankers, High Noon, andRonnie Dawson (and more). Impressive, isn’t it? Needless to say, they swing like hell. This is the perfect vehicle for Dave Stuckey’s effortless and relaxed vocals (à la Jack Teagarden).

The set list displays the band’s ability to blend the old and the new. It features covers like Adolph Hofner’s I’ll Keep My Old Guitar, Benny Goodman’s Pick-A-Rib, Johnnie Lee Wills’ Coyotte Blues, and standards like Whose Honey Are You, Nobody’s Sweetheart and Some Of These Days, made popular in Western swing by Leon Selph, Bob Wills and Milton Brown. But it doesn’t stop there. The album also boasts five of Stuckey’s originals that are so good it’s hard to tell whether they’re from 1946 or 2000, showcasing the band’s unique sound and ability to keep the Western swing tradition alive.

Billy Horton’s flawless production is the cherry on top, adding to the confusion (there’s no need to say it’s been recorded live in the studio). His meticulous attention to detail and commitment to capturing the band’s energy and authenticity in the studio are evident in every track.

If you don’t dance to this record, you must be dead!

davestuckey_dinahDave Stuckey & the Rhythm Gang – Dinah ep

Goofin records GREP213
Woah Babe – Dinah – Twin Guitar Special – Did Anybody Mention My Name?

The songs of this ep were recorded during the same sessions that gave “Get A Load Of This”. Woah Babe! and Dinah are first rate western swing. Biller, Smith and Wakefield have plenty of room to express themselves on Bob Wills’ Twin Guitar Special. The last song is a swingin / rural bop version of Dave and Deke’s Did Anybody Mention My Name with superb twin fiddles reminiscent of Spade Cooley. Great.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Read the interview with Dave Stuckey here.