Eddie Bond Rocks!

Very few singers had a better rocking pedigree than Eddie Bond. He was born in Memphis, so when he made his first discs in 1955 and 1956 he was at the epicentre of the new rockabilly sounds. He became identified as the ‘rockin' daddy from ding dong Tennessee’ described in his best-selling disc. Through 1956 to 1959, Bond was hot stuff, playing shows with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and all the other singers from Memphis whose music spoke to a whole new generation. Eddie Bond (1933-2013) started and ended as a country singer, but his bands always contained musicians who could play rockabilly with the best of them. From his first sessions to his last Eddie always chose to record some rocking songs. His Mercury discs with Reggie Young on guitar were classics of the rockabilly style. Later, Eddie became a Memphis disc jockey, night club owner, record label owner, and more.

This rocking 35-track CD contains the very essence of Memphis rockabilly. Here are 14 recordings from Eddie Bond's 1950s career (recorded by Ekko, Mercury and Sun/PI), 15 tracks recorded for his own and other local labels (Millionaire, Stomper Time etc.) in the 1960s, and 6 recordings from his rockabilly revival years of the 1970s when he became a favourite visitor to Europe. These are all high- quality rocking performances. The booklet contains a detailed biography by Martin Hawkins based on interviews with Eddie Bond and others, full session details and some phenomenal period photos. His obituary in the ‘Memphis Commercial Appeal’ said: ‘Mr. Bond was many things: a sharp wheeler-dealer with a silver tongue; a canny trend-watcher with a keen eye for talent, a slicked-back rockabilly cat with a country heart.’ So, in other words, Eddie Bond rocks!