PROGRAM #8
Rockin'
Bones
ON THIS PROGRAM, we’ll explore some of the lesser known rockabilly artists, who often had one hit song then disappeared from the scene. We’ll tell the story of “Suzie Q,” a national hit for Louisiana singer Dale Hawkins, who was then working as a record store clerk. We’ll also meet another artist from the Bayou State, Joe Clay, who appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show before Elvis. He initially failed to make it big on the national scene and ended up driving a school bus. But in the 1980s, he was rediscovered and found new popularity in Europe, like many rockabilly artists from the Fifties.
The Kansas rockabilly band Bobby Poe & The Poe Kats were one of the first interracial groups in rock history and featured African American pianist “Big Al” Downing. Travel was arduous for African-Americans during segregation, so the band often had to sneak Downing into whites-only hotels with a blanket over his head. They later toured the world as the backing band for “Rockabilly Queen” Wanda Jackson. (Publicity Photo)
