Sleepy LaBeef
Sleepy LaBeef ( born July 20, 1935 in Smackover, Arkansas, as Thomas Paulsley LaBeff ) is an American rockabilly musician. LaBeef started his career in the mid -1950s and still stands on stage regularly. His repertoire ranged in his career of country music and rockabilly through blues to gospel. Since the 1980s LaBeef is seen in the rockabilly community as a living legend.
- 2.1 Singles
- 2.2 albums
- 3.1 Notes and references
- 3.2 External links
Life
Childhood and youth
LaBeef was born in the French-born community Smackover, Arkansas. He grew up on the melon farm of his parents, where he was particularly influenced by country and blues. Another strong influence was the Gospel, the LaBeef later stated repeatedly in interviews as inspiration. Saturday evening he heard regularly the Grand Ole Opry, which was from Nashville, Tennessee, broadcast live on WSM. His nickname " Sleepy " he got as his eyelids hang down heavily and he looks as if he would fall asleep.
Career
Beginnings as a Rockabilly
1953 moved LaBeef with 18 years of Arkansas to Houston, Texas. After he made his way with odd jobs, he started performing as a gospel musician in local radio. He quickly began to play with his own band in bars and honky tonks. Shortly thereafter LaBeef gave first performances in the shows Houston Hometown Jamboree from Houston and the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Starting in 1954, the " rockabilly boom" began to spread in the South. LaBeef remembers when he heard Elvis Presley's cover of Blue Moon of Kentucky for the first time: " [ I] heard did old southern gospel beat. They just put secular lyrics to did same beat. And even without the gospel lyrics, it still had so much power, it just overwhelmed people. " LaBeefs voluminous and deep voice seemed perfect for this new style to fit and in 1956 made LaBeef first demo recordings at Gold Star Studio. The first track, which he recorded, were the gospel pieces I Will not Have to Cross Jordan Alone and Just a Closer Walk with Thee by Bill Quinn at the organ. Towards the end of the year he took with Charlie Busby ( electric guitar ) and Wendall Clayton ( bass) on the song All the Time, which was not published until almost a year later. With his new guitarist and manager Hal Harris he took I'm Through and All Alone, which was released in May 1957 as his first single at Pappy Daileys Starday Records.
After his second single was released on Starday in September 1957 LaBeef began for some time at Dixie Records current country hits for their " hit parade EPs to" play. Between 1960 and 1964 he worked for various small labels such as Gulf Records, Port Crescent Records, Wayside Records, Finn and Picture Records.
1964-1968: Nashville Sound
In 1964 LaBeef in the pub Wayside Inn a call from Don Law contrary, who offered him a contract with the big major label Columbia Records. LaBeef signed in 1965 and moved to Nashville. There, his first recording session at Columbia Recording Studio took place on March 5 of that year. The backing band was on this day from the experienced session musicians Ray Edenton (guitar), Deam Needham (guitar / bass ), Joseph Zinkan ( bass), Hargus " Pig" Robbins (piano) and Virgil Hammer ( drums). Of the four rehearsed songs of this session, only the ballad Completely Destroyed was released two years later. His first single for Columbia was You Can not Catch Me / Everybody 's Got to Have Somebody, published in 1965. Was only his sixth single on Columbia Every Day in 1968 made it into the charts at number 73
LaBeefs repertoire at Columbia consisted mainly of contemporary country - pieces and some old rhythm-and - blues numbers from which a whole series of Columbia were not disclosed. While LaBeef played before 1964 mainly straight rock'n'roll, his style changed in this period towards Country. This mix of rock'n'roll, country and pop was bad marketing. LaBeef said in an interview that later as follows: '. We do not know how to market you, we do not know what to call you ' " [ ..] But so many times, I've had people say, " Because of the low success prolonged Columbia LaBeefs not contract.
1969-1980: Plantation and Sun - era
After LaBeef was changed to Shelby Singleton's Plantation label Records, he made it with the Frankie Miller song Blackland Farmer at No. 67 on the country charts. It should be his biggest hit.
The mid- 1970s changed LaBeef to label Sun Records, Shelby Singleton that now also belonged. Sun did in the 1950s with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and other singers out style-defining plates and had thus established the rockabilly. LaBeef came here back to his rockabilly roots and had songs like Thunder Road, There Is not Much After Taxes or Boogie Woogie Country Girl more small hits. These songs formed the basis for later LaBeefs fame within the rockabilly scene. At Sun LaBeef also had far more artistic freedom than at Columbia a decade earlier. He was finally allowed to play on his recordings again yourself guitar and could take some gospel songs, even if they were not released.
Rockabilly Revival
The Rockabilly Revival, which slowly came up from 1977, LaBeef gave a new audience, especially in Europe. Although he previously used an intensive tour activity, it was now his energetic performances that made him popular. He played at events in the U.S. and Europe as the Hemsby Rock'n'Roll Weekend 1981 and signed a contract with Rounder Records. There he released his album It Is not What You Eat, followed by the live album Nothin 'But The Truth that gave the listener a sense of his stage presence.
In the 1990s, followed by other albums like Strange Things Happening ( 1994) I'll Never Lay My Guitar Down ( 1996) and Tomorrow Never Comes (2000), which was recorded with Maria Muldaur. In the same year LaBeef managed with Detour back into the charts.
Presence
LaBeef continues to be an integral part of the international rockabilly scene and gives concerts all over the world. More recently, he played on well-known events such as the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Festival, the Rockabilly Rave ( in the U.S. and UK) as well as on the Rocker's Reunion. Nevertheless LaBeef is less known to the general public, but also applies in the rockabilly community as a " living legend ".
In March 2009 LaBeef released his first studio album in four years, titled Roots. Contrary to his usual style, he interpreted here songs that have influenced him in some way. He took off his hard rockabilly style and worked a lot with acoustic instruments.
On April 21, 2013, the Premerie the documentary Sleepy LaBeef Rides Again Festival took place on the Nashville movie. Produced by bassist Dave Pomery and commented on by music journalist Peter Guralnick, the film LaBeefs career as well as excerpts from a concert recorded in Nashville and a recording session at RCA Studio B. The film was released along with a CD with Earwave Records on DVD.
Discography
Singles
- Ballad of a Teenage Queen
- Eskimo Pie ( George Jones )
- Oh, Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again ( by Dee Mullins )
- One Week Later ( by Pat and Dee )
- She's No Angel ( by Patsy Timmons )
- Truly I Love You ( Wes Holly)
- Guess Things Happen That Way
- Crying Over You ( Country Johnny Mathis )
- It's a Little More Like Heaven (from " Country" Johnny Mathis )
- Color of the Blues ( George Jones )
- What This Old World Needs ( Jimmy Dean )
- Nothing Can Stop Me ( George Jones )
- Baby, Let's Play House
- Do not Make Me Go
- I Is not Gonna Take It
- Little Bit More (version 1)
- Little Bit More (Version 2)
- Somebody 's Been Beating My Time
- Shame, Shame, Shame