Welcome to the Club: Early Female Rockabilly

by Welcome To The Club: Early Female / Various

Overview

While the major stars of the first era of rockabilly were almost exclusively male, that's not because there weren't plenty of cool boppin' women making the rounds, and this compilation from the Spanish El Toro label makes a convincing case that the gals were making as much good music (and getting just as wild) as the guys back in the day. One consistent theme in these 33 sides is that the women of rockabilly had lovin' on their minds and weren't shy about it, and Rose Maddox's "Wild Wild Young Men," Barbara Pittman's "I Need a Man," Wanda Jackson's "Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad," and Dottie Jones' "Honey Honey Honey" display a healthy, red-blooded sensual appetite that was hardly common for women in music in the '50s. Sparkle Moore's "Skull & Crossbones," the Collins Kids' "I'm in My Teens," and Janis Martin's "Let's Elope Baby" are a bit more subdued, but still celebrate edgier attitudes and behaviors than one might expect -- it's no wonder radio didn't embrace most of these tunes at the time. A few well-known names pop up on this disc, most notably Patsy Cline (with her proto- rockabilly "Stop, Look and Listen") and Brenda Lee ("Little Miss Dynamite" belts out the classic "Bigelow 6200"), but lesser-known names dominate this collection and there are more than a few red-hot obscurities here, ranging from straight-up rockabilly to country boogie to early white blues workouts. While many of these tracks have been sourced from vinyl and the sound quality is variable, most of the material sounds just fine, and the music is red hot fun from beginning to end; anyone looking for greater gender parity in their rockabilly collection will do well to pick this up and bop with these belles. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	01/08/2008
Label:	El Toro
UPC:	8437003699689
Rank:	217519

Tracks

1. He's a Real Gone Guy  - Anita Carter
2. Sweet Talk  - Bunny Paul
3. Hello Baby  - Charline Arthur
4. Sentimental Fool  - Barbara Pittman
5. It'd Surprise You  - Jan Smith
6. Stop, Look and Listen  - Patsy Cline
7. Let's Elope Baby  - Janis Martin
8. Honey, Honey, Honey  - Dottie Jones
9. Baby Loves Him  - Wanda Jackson
10. I'm in My Teens  -  Collins Kids
11. Everlovin'  -  Davis Sisters
12. Wild Wild Young Men  - Rose Maddox
13. Skull and Crossbones  - Sparkle Moore
14. Bigelow 6200  - Brenda Lee
15. Little Lovin'  - Mimi Roman
16. Drugstore Rock 'N' Roll  - Janis Martin
17. Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad  - Wanda Jackson
18. Watch Dog  - Patsy Ruth Elshire
19. I Won't Be Rockin' Tonight  - Jean Chapel
20. Welcome to the Club  - Charline Arthur
21. Long Sideburns  - Bolean Barry
22. Real Gone Jive  -  Nettles Sisters
23. Rockin' Robert  -  LaDell Sisters
24. I Need a Man  - Barbara Pittman
25. History  - Bunny Paul
26. Rock-A-Bop  - Sparkle Moore
27. Hey Little Dreamboat  - Rose Maddox
28. I'll Take Back That Heartache  -  Brant  -  Neal
29. We're Gonna Bop  -  Coker
30. What Would You Do?  - Betty Barnes
31. Boogie Rock  -  Connie & the Cytations  - Pee Wee Crayton
32. Sugar Lump  - Patsy Ruth Elshire
33. Move a Little Closer  -  Collins Kids

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rose Maddox   Primary Artist
Mimi Roman   Primary Artist
Abbie Neal & The Ranch Girls   Primary Artist
Bunny Paul   Primary Artist
The Collins Kids   Primary Artist
The Davis Sisters   Primary Artist
Wanda Jackson   Primary Artist
Anita Carter   Primary Artist
Brenda Lee   Primary Artist
Jan Smith   Primary Artist
Patsy Ruth Elshire   Primary Artist
LaDell Sisters   Primary Artist
Betty Brant   Primary Artist
Nettles Sisters   Primary Artist
Connie & the Cytations   Primary Artist
Betty Barnes   Primary Artist
Alvadean Coker & The Cokers   Primary Artist
Bolean Barry   Primary Artist
Sparkle Moore   Primary Artist
Patsy Cline   Primary Artist
Charline Arthur   Primary Artist
Barbara Pittman   Primary Artist
Dottie Jones   Primary Artist
Jean Chapel   Primary Artist
Janis Martin   Primary Artist
Pee Wee Crayton   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Dave Penny   Liner Notes