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|  Mac Curtis' Blog Rockabilly
A view of Rockabilly music from Mac Curtis..an artist who was one of the originals. He'll talk about the Rock and the Billy
Monday, March 10, 2008
Rockabilly
Session Four
I recently moved back to Weatherford, Texas. It is a great feeling to be here. I have a lot of roots in this town. It is where all this Rockabilly business started for me and the first band I was ever with.
Jimmy and Ken Galbreaith and I practiced in their Dad’s Workshop and Storage space. Jim and I were in the same class in Weatherford High School. It was school in daytime and music practice at night.
We were basically a Billy Band. But it wasn’t long until we discovered we could do Rhythm and Blues and Boogie and Bop. One of the upbeat Billy songs was a Marty Robins recording of That’s All right Mama. Then one day we discovered a record on the jukebox at the Dairy Queen. An old friend of mine, Billy Cagle, actually called it to our attention. He thought it was the band and me. Wrong! Elvis Presley on Sun Records of course.
Most people didn’t know the difference between the two versions, but, man we did. The Elvis record was the kind of music we wanted to make. And so, we did.
Every Friday night in nearby Fort Worth there was a variety show. It turned out to be a cool place to meet and get to know other young and foolish musicians like ourselves. It was a major building ground for all of us. Young hopefuls don’t have those kinds of springboards in America today.
It sometime seems that we grew up together with Sid King and the Five Strings and Johnny Carroll. They were at the Friday night shows just about every time we were.
Sid and the guys were really cool. They were all decked out in their best Western Swing outfits. But, they were beginning to phase in some Hillbilly Bop( later known as Rockabilly). And it was great and they had some comedy in the act too. I do remember it was their drummer Davie Lee who broke the news one night that Elvis had been sold by Sun to RCA. And had signed with Col. Tom Parker. And you, and all of us, know the rest of that story.
In later years I had the pleasure of working together with ‘Ole Davie Lee at a radio station in Dallas.
Johnny Carroll on the other hand is another story for another day. Maybe, next time.
Meanwhile:
Keep on Rockin
Tell your friends about our website to order a copy of our video.
http://www.maccurtislivedvd.com/Posted by Mac Curtis Blogs at 4:11 PM1 commentsLinks to this post  Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Rockabilly
Session Three
 Mac Curtis Glen Glenn Ray Campi
It is always great to get work!
I’m late with this blog because I’ve been busy putting the final touches on a short tour to Los Angeles. My pal Phil Friendly has done all the heavy lifting to get it arranged. He and his group The Phil Friendly Trio will provide backing:
May 15th (with Mac Curtis) - Doll Hut, Anaheim, CA
http://www.dollhutbooking.htm
May 16th (with Mac Curtis) - Spike's, Rosemead, CA
http://www.spikes_bar.htm
http:May 17th (with Glen Glenn & Mac Curtis) - Safari Sam's, Hollywood, CA
http://www.safarisams.htm
It will be my first time to play L.A. for a while. I lived there during most of the 1970’s.
We are happy to be able to sooth your hangover from hanging out at VLV in April.
I’m looking forward to working with Phil Friendly again. He has moved to L.A since we recorded my latest DVD.(actually it is the only one ever!). We filmed it in the Amsterdam, Holland area in October 2006. The folks at the Cruise Inn there were really cool and treated us like a part of the family. It’s titled: Mac Curtis Live at Cruise Inn. With special guests Phil Friendly and his Loners (excellent musicians and super fun to be around).
The American NTSC version of the project is available on line at:
http://www.maccurtislivedvd.com
And, we’ll have it at the L.A. and future appearances.
Ole Buddy Glen Glenn will join us as Co-Star at the Safari Sam’s show. We spent a lot of time talking over old times while at the Green Bay 50’s festival last year. Glen and I first met in 1959 in Korea. We were both in the U.S. Army then. I was with a G.I. Country
Band competing in a All-Army talent contest. Glen and Gary Lambert showed up in another category representing Hawaii.
Out side of the contest, my band and I were playing at a little club in Seoul. Glen and Gary sat in where I think we must have jammed all night long. It was a fun happening that neither of us has, or will, ever forget.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this gig turns out to be an All-nighter as well!
I hope you will be a witness.
Keep on Rockin’
Posted by Mac Curtis Blogs at 3:30 PM1 commentsLinks to this post Monday, February 18, 2008
Rockabilly
Session Two
For years I have been asked the question "How do you define Rockabilly?" I always reply, "I just know it when I hear it."
The Forties and Fifties were special times for me. I fell in love with music and eventually found I could actually carry a tune. And, there were a ton of tunes I heard that have influenced my music since I was a wee children.
The Big Band Era played a lot in my musical tastes. My Uncle Bill introduced me to the genre. He would always find it on the radio when he came home to visit. He knew all the hit songs; all the names of the bands; their musicians; and the lyrics to what I thought to be a thousand tunes. He always wanted to be a vocalist in one of the bands.
All of that was on my mind today. I heard The Dorsey Brothers Band mentioned on a Big Band station. One of my all-time favorites is a Tommy Dorsey instrumental: TD’s Boogie Woogie. If you never heard it, take a listen:
http://www.tuxjunction.net/td-boogiewoogie.htmI don’t believe I have ever heard a Boogie I didn’t like. There is even a Gospel boogie song that I used to sing at the Gospel Music Festivals. Pat Boone and I may be the only Rock n Rollers to ever record it. The real title of the song is A Wonderful Time Up There.
And yes, I liked and sang all of Tennessee Ernie Ford’s boogies. Then there were boogies from the Andrews Sisters, Hank Williams, Moon Mulligan and on and on. Never heard a bad one.
Moon told me a funny story once. I have to premise this by telling you that he imbibed from time to time…aw hell, he drank like a fish. So be it, Moon was a friend of Jimmy Davis, the late Governor of Louisiana. The Gov. was quite free with his musician cronies when it came to appointing jobs at State Offices. You may have guessed it by now.
Moon was appointed to the State Alcohol,Tax and Tobacco Bureau. He laughed as he told the story and ended with the fact , “I was only there at the office one time…the day I was appointed."
I fondly remember those old songs. Just one facet of great music that I drew on when I started with the band and began appearing in public around Weatherford. We were just doing the kind of music that we liked and knew how to play.
No, we didn’t have a clue that we were eventually to be classified as …Rockabillies.
See you next time.
Keep on Rockin’
Mac Curtis
Visit:
http://www.maccurtislivedvd.com/Posted by Mac Curtis Blogs at 12:00 PM2 commentsLinks to this post Monday, February 11, 2008
Rockabilly
Session One
Come on in!!
I have thought about starting this blog for quite awhile. Today is the day to do it. It is my pleasure to have you here. Hope is that you will share it with your Rockabilly friends.
This will be a series of sessions that will be totally from my point of view. But, I would like to hear yours as well. And I am well aware that there are plenty of views to go around about the topic of this blog; ROCKABILLY. Actually, that's TWO words.
There has been a lot of discussion about the ROCK...but not so much about the BILLY. I first saw the term in a Cash Box Magazine record review around 1956. Back then the term described most of us 'ole country boys (Hillbillies) whose music was, for the most part, R&B songs with rockin arrangements by a three or four piece band...lead guitar... slap bass...a vocalist playing accoustic guitar...and eventually a drummer added. A lot of that was controlled by economics. The fewer the players, the easier it was to split the $30 or $40.
That's it for the opening I will see you later. Until then (probably a week) please check out my WebSite. And...
Keep On Rockin
Mac Curtis
http://www.maccurtislivedvd.com/Posted by Mac Curtis Blogs at 2:30 PM0 commentsLinks to this post Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
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 About Me
Mac Curtis
Weatherford, Texas, United States
Country Music Singer/Songwriter; 50's Rockabilly OriginalLINK TO THE BLOG OF MARC CURTIShttp://www.maccurtisblogs.blogspot.com/ |
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