Bill Haley is the neglected hero of early rock & roll. Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly are ensconced in the heavens, transformed into veritable constellations in the rock music firmament, their music respected by writers and scholars as well as the record-buying public, virtually every note of music they ever recorded theoretically eligible for... [+] Read More

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Country singer Bobby Barnett was born in Cushing, OK, in 1936, and moved to El Paso after graduating from high school in 1953. He'd long been interested in country music, and his singing career took off in 1960 thanks to a cover of Eddie Miller's "This Old Heart" that made the national Top 30. He signed briefly with Republic, which dropped him... [+] Read More

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Buddy Holly is perhaps the most anomalous legend of '50s rock & roll -- he had his share of hits, and he achieved major rock & roll stardom, but his importance transcends any sales figures or even the particulars of any one song (or group of songs) that he wrote or recorded. Holly was unique, his legendary status and his impact on popular music... [+] Read More

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Buddy Knox was the first artist of the rock & roll era to write and record his own number one hit, 1957's million-selling classic "Party Doll" -- a pioneer of the Lone Star State rockabilly sound that would later earn the name "Tex-Mex," the arc of his career anticipated that of fellow Texan Buddy Holly, yet while Holly is now enshrined in the... [+] Read More

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A distinctive pianist whose unique, slip-note playing style came to typify the pop-oriented Nashville sound of the late '50s and early '60s, session and solo musician Floyd Cramer was born October 27, 1933, in Louisiana. After a childhood spent largely in Arkansas, he returned to his home state in 1951 and began appearing on the radio program... [+] Read More

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One-hit-wonder Jeanne Black scored a Top Ten pop and country hit in 1960 with an answer song to Jim Reeves's "He'll Have to Go" called, logically enough, "He'll Have to Stay." The California-born Black began her career in 1956, appearing as a singer on Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree TV show. After leaving Jamboree in 1959, she performed in... [+] Read More

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Singer/songwriter Leroy Van Dyke was best known for penning the country novelty standard "The Auctioneer" and the country-pop smash "Walk on By," his biggest hit. Born in Missouri, Van Dyke originally wanted to be a farmer. He earned a degree in agriculture and journalism at the University of Missouri, where he first began playing guitar. His... [+] Read More

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Charismatic singer/songwriter T. Texas Tyler was a successful figure from the late '40s through the mid-'50s, often credited with helping to popularize the sentimental country "recitation" -- a storytelling composition partly or completely spoken by the performer -- with his massive 1948 hit "Deck of Cards." He was born David Luke Myrick in... [+] Read More

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Of the assorted Texas rockabillies who plied their wares in Norman Petty's Clovis, NM, studio, the least heralded is Terry Noland. Much of this has to do with Noland jumping ship early in the ball game from Petty's direction to head to New York City with teen stardom waiting in the wings. He cut sides there with Tonight Show musical director... [+] Read More

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Born Wilma Lee Leary, songwriter and singer Wilma Cooper was raised in a well-known musical group that sang at local churches and festivals, billing themselves as the Leary Family. At one point, the Leary's were even invited by Eleanor Roosevelt to perform at a national folk festival. Upon graduating high school Wilma obtained a degree in... [+] Read More

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