Charlie Feathers
(Norton Records)
It's been ten years since the death of Charlie Feathers - the biggest, baddest, and most highly rockin' of the '50s-era greasers - and rockabilly fans are still trying to digest the enormous legacy and wealth of recorded material left behind by this prolific and underrated musician. Born in Mississippi in a farming community, Feathers landed in Memphis in 1950 and, after a short hospital stay where he was exposed to the radical new sounds coming out of the radio, the illiterate son of a sharecropper decided to become a rock ‘n roll star.
Feathers talked his way into Sam Phillips' Sun Studios, working as a studio musician on demos and sessions, eventually recording a few songs of his own for Phillips' Sun Records. Phillips was never convinced of Feathers' rockin' future, however, believing him to be a pure hillbilly crooner. Feathers had the rock ‘n' roll in his soul, however, and writing with lyricist Quentin Claunch, Feathers would bring a melody and vocal direction to songs, the two delivering a handful of minor rockabilly hits for labels like Meteor and King Records during the late-50s.
Feathers continued recording and performing well into the '90s, even laying down songs on tape in the back room of his house when no studio was available or label interested. He recorded for European niche labels, American indies, and even had a major label deal late in life. Throughout it all, Feathers pursued a unique vision of what his music should be...which, simply put, is an eclectic mix of '50s rock, hillbilly twang, country blues, and bluegrass, with echoes of doo-wop and '60s-styled pop music.
Norton Records has done an admirable job of preserving the Charlie Feathers legacy, the independent label releasing two well-received collections of Feathers' music back in the early ‘90s. With the release of three new volumes, though - Wild Side Of Life, Honky Tonk Kind and Long Time Ago - Norton has created an exhaustive document of Feathers' career, the 50 songs collected by these albums comprising rare B-sides, home demos, live tracks, and other obscurities that showcase the talents of this natural born singer, skilled songwriter, and pretty-darn-good rhythm guitarist.
All three of these albums include lengthy, informative liner notes as well as audio interviews with Feathers. Although some songs are included on more than a single album, the versions are so wildly different that they merit inclusion, if only to show the wide range of Feathers' musical vision. The sound across these 50 tracks is inconsistent, given the many varied source recordings, but none of the songs ever fails to raise the roof.
The first volume of the three, Wild Side Of Life, kicks off with a seemingly live version of the rockin' title track, a thrill-a-minute roller-coaster ride with Feathers' trademark hiccupped vocals, a throbbing bassline, and bang-twangin' rhythm guitar. The wonderful "Am I That Easy to Forget" is provided a deep baritone vocal performance, dressed in pathos and accompanied by a lone, lonesome six-string strum. One of Feathers' many collaborations with Claunch, "Wedding Gown Of White," is a real head-turner with divine vocal harmonies, a great tearjerk country storyline, fiery guitarwork, and Feathers' smooth-as-silk lead vocals.
Feathers was a long-time blues music fan, and Wild Side of Life includes a phenomenal duet with North Mississippi Hill Country blues great Junior Kimbrough. "Please Release Me," with Kimbrough's mesmerizing vocals up front and Feathers' steady guitar behind, is a minimalist pairing of rockabilly roots and lonesome blues spirit. Feathers is remembered as a strong arranger and performer of other writer's songs as well, and one spin of his reading of Roy Acuff's "Mound Of Clay" is proof enough of the singer's ability to grab a song and make it his own.
Honky Tonk Kind opens with the energetic "One Good Gal," a classic rockabilly romp with a driving beat and Feathers' spry vocals. The tear-jerkin' Feathers original, "Honky Tonk Kind," benefits from some fine weeping steel guitar and the singer's equally mournful vocals. "I Can't Seem To Remember To Forget" is one of Feathers' signature songs, a country classic gem that is ripe for remake, while "Feel Good Again," another great collaboration with Junior Kimbrough, masterfully blends Feathers' Memphis twang with Kimbrough's hypnotic juke-joint stomp.
Further proving Feathers' undeniable skills as an interpreter, his cover of Hank Locklin's "Send Me The Pillow You Dream On" features the singer's lofty, ethereal vocals soaring above an earthbound, bass-heavy beat. A reading of the Hank Williams' treasure "Cold Cold Heart" is slower-paced and more deliberate than the original, but no less powerful, the song's sparse arrangement featuring a loping rhythm and Feathers' breathless, understated, nearly trembling vocals. "Dinky John," one of Feathers' minor hits and another collaboration with Claunch, is a near-perfect slice of vintage '60s country heaven, a tragic tale told above a slight western beat and featuring a transcendent vocal performance.
Feathers wasn't afraid of doing some good ole-fashioned hillbilly wailing, either, as evidenced by the unreleased "Frankie And Johnny" from Long Time Ago. Above a scratched-out guitar strum and slap-a-billy bassline, Feathers tells the tale of these tragic lovers with a half-yodeled vocal that would do any West Virginny moonshiner proud. Feathers' version of "That's All Right" may not feature the sneering vocals of The King's better-known hit, but it's more soulful, with whoopin'-and-a-hollerin' a plenty, a raucous soundtrack and scattin', boppin', speaking-in-tongues vocal delivery.
The bouncy Buddy Holly dancing pop of "Why Don't You" is simply infectious, with Feathers yelping up a storm and the band laying down one mean locomotive rhythm. The strangely-strange "Jungle Fever" has a slightly funky undercurrent, a completely wired (and manic) guitar breakdown by Charlie's son Bubba, and odd manipulated vocals. His cover of the Johnny Cash gem "Folsom Prison Blues" shakes, rattles and rolls with a desperation and yearning that even the great Man In Black would have to admire.
No matter your musical tastes, the truth is that either you get this stuff, or you don't (in which case, it's your loss, bunkie!). Three volumes of often lo-fi demo recordings and rare 45rpm tracks from an obscure rockabilly artist may seem like overkill, but I promise you that somewhere...whether it's in London, or Tokyo, maybe even Lawrence, Kansas...some young musician is absorbing Charlie Feathers' unique sound with an eye towards stardom. I think that Charlie would be proud....
Standout Tracks: "That's All Right," "Dinky John," "Please Release Me," "Wedding Gown of White" REV. KEITH A. GORDON
