THE SUN RECORDS SOUND
 

One of rockabilly's toughest, edgiest singers, legendary Sun recording artist Billy Lee Riley is best remembered for his hot-footed, wild-eyed rock & roll classics like “Red Hot” and “Flying Saucers Rock & Roll”. He was also one of the great forgotten American performers of the ‘50s era. His music was explosive, unchecked, rebellious and hard-edged. In addition to his vocals he played the electric guitar, drums, harmonica and several other instruments. His style mixed blues, jump R&B and country, putting a laid-back, funky beat to hillbilly music and creating “the Sun Sound” with his group The Little Green Men. Billy Riley also thumped the upright bass on Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls Of Fire”, “Breathless” and on numerous other records.
This key-collection compiles a variety of the great rock & roll/rockabilly recordings he made for Sun Records between 1956 and 1960, including Riley’s biggest hits as well as a host of tunes that missed the charts but match his signature songs for infectious energy. Every effort has been made to replicate the incredible vibrancy of the original Sun records.

“My hero.” - Bob Dylan
“Billy Riley’s voice at times had a cadence similar to Elvis Presley’s, but early on he sang with more of a growl.”- The New York Times
"Artists that didn't have a band would use the Sun house band, which was in essence, Billy Lee Riley's band." - Mark Bell, Sun Studio Director.

16-PAGE BOOKLET- RARE PHOTOS - VINTAGE MEMORABILIA - DETAILED LINER NOTES

BILLY LEE RILEY, lead vocal and guitar, plus:

Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich (piano), Roland Janes, J.B. Perkins (guitar),
Marvin Pepper, Clayton Perkins, Brad Suggs, Pat O’Neill (bass), Jimmy Van
Eaton, W.S. Holland (drums), Martin Willis (saxophone), among others.
Further personnel information is detailed inside.
Produced by Jack Clement.

Recorded at Sun Studio, Memphis (Tennessee), between 1956 and 1960.

TRACKS:
01 BETTY AND DUPREE 2:15
02 FLYIN’ SAUCERS ROCK ‘N’ ROLL 2:04
03 RED HOT 2:33
04 GOT THE WATER BOILING 2:10
05 THAT’S RIGHT 2:04
06 NO NAME GIRL 1:55
07 ROCK WITH ME BABY 2:15
08 PEARLY LEE 2:39
09 BABY, PLEASE DON’T GO 2:10
10 DARK MUDDY BOTTOM 2:27
11 WHEN A MAN GETS THE BLUES 3:39
12 DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE 2:18
13 YOUR CASH AIN’T NOTHIN’ BUT TRASH 1:01
14 COME BACK BABY (ONE MORE TIME) 2:16
15 TROUBLE BOUND 2:46
16 SWEET WILLIAM 1:57
17 OPEN THE DOOR RICHARD 2:23
18 SEARCHIN’ 2:36
19 SATURDAY NIGHT FISH FRY 1:37
20 BILLY’S BLUES 1:34
21 FOLSOM PRISON BLUES 0:42
22 COLLEGE MAN 2:42
23 LET’S TALK ABOUT US 2:32
24 I WANT YOU BABY 1:55
25 WOULDN’T YOU KNOW 3:17
26 SWANEE RIVER ROCK 2:18

TOTAL TIME: 58:02