Barbara Pittman
Barbara Pittman ( born April 6, 1938 in Memphis, Tennessee, † October 29, 2005 ibid ) was an American rockabilly singer and the only woman who was taken from Sam Phillips under contract.
- 2.1 Singles
- 2.2 albums
Life
Childhood and youth
Barbara Pittman was born in 1938 in Memphis, where she grew up as one of twelve children in poverty. Her mother had Irish ancestry and her father, who played fiddle, Native American. Pittman was influenced in childhood by big bands and singers like Ella Fitzgerald. Even the blues, she coined strong, as her uncle had a pawnshop in Beale Street, where she spent a lot of time. As a child, learned Pittman Elvis Presley know, because her mother was a friend of his mother Gladys. As a teenager she often spent time with Presley.
Career
Even as a teenager, she turned - as well as Presley - at Sun Records before, but was initially rejected by Sam Phillips, because he felt she was too young and do not have enough talent. Her first professional engagement gave her the local DJ Sleepy John Estes in the Eagles Nest. In 1955 she joined the Western show of Lash LaRue. Originally, it was set as a babysitter, but she appeared soon in his shows as a singer on. In that one year, she traveled with LaRue to California.
Early 1956, she returned to Memphis, where she met the musician and songwriter Stan Kesler. She was the singer Snearly Ranch Boys, with whom Kesler also played, and performed with the band regularly at the Cotton Club in West Memphis. Kesler made them in this club a demo tape of his songs Playing for Keeps import because he wanted to give the song to Elvis Presley, who was already at that time at RCA Victor under contract. Sam Phillips heard this band and was immediately impressed by Pittman, although he had previously rejected.
Although some female artists for Phillips' label recordings plates, Pittman was the only one that later got a contract. Your First Session held in April 1956 from the Sun Studio and played their first single I Need a Man / No Matter Who's to Blame, which came on the market incorrectly under the name " Barbara Pitman ". She was accompanied by the Snearly Ranch Boys and the Sun studio musician Marcus Van Story on bass. Although the single sold sluggishly, she was Manager of Bob Neal on tours with other Sun artists. The end of 1956 and beginning of 1957, Pittman made further recordings for Sun, but remained unpublished. Phillips had initially lost interest in cooperation, to Fernwood Records and Hi Records made their offers, whereupon Phillips Pittman committed for his new label Phillips International and took it as the only female artist under contract.
Her first single for the label, Two Young Fools in Love / I'm Getting Better All the Time, became a regional hit, but missed the national charts. 1958 and 1960 followed by two more singles, including Cold Cold Heart and The Eleventh Commandment. The latter title was supported by the Gene Lowery Singers. Pittman made recordings as a member of Stan Kesler group The Sunrays.
However, the great success would not come for Pittman and by the early 1960 's were Phillips' successful times as a producer over. Pittman left Memphis and moved to California where she recorded for numerous movies soundtracks, played with the Righteous Brothers and performed on cruise ships. In 1970 she moved back to Memphis and married the German record collectors Willie Gutt, with whom she in Houston, Texas, settled. In the 1980s, Pittman has been rediscovered due to the rockabilly revival, and was followed by numerous performances in Europe as well as re-releases of their old recordings at Rock House, Bear Family, and Charly.
Barbara Pittman died in 2005 at the age of 67 of a heart attack in her hometown of Memphis.
Discography
Singles
- Playing for Keeps
- No Matter Who's to Blame (version 1)
- No Matter Who's to Blame (Version 2)
- Sentimental Fool (Version 1)
- Sentimental Fool (version 2)
- Sentimental Fool (Version 3)
- Voice of a Fool
- I'm Getting Better All the Time (Version 1)
- I'm Getting Better All the Time (Version 2)
- I'm Getting Better All the Time (Version 3)
- I'm Getting Better All the Time (Version 4)
- Take My Sympathy ( Version 1 )
- Two Young Fools in Love ( alt. version )
- Is not Got a Thing
- Cold Cold Heart (alt. version )
- Everlasting Love (alt. version )
- Just One Day
- I Forgot to Remember to Forget
- I'll Never Let You Go
- The Lonely Hours
- Love Is a Stranger
- Take My Sympathy ( Version 2)
* Some copies of Phillips International 3527 bear the inscription incorrectly Everlasting Heart.