Bop Baby Bop - Meteor Rockabilly

Hoping to give Sun a run for its money, Meteor kicked off promisingly in 1952 with the R&B hit I Believe by Elmore James recorded in Chicago. Though worthy, subsequent R&B releases proved less successful. However, a second hit, this time in the country field, Daydreamin’ by Bud Deckelman in late 1954, gave Meteor a new lease of life and piqued Lester’s interest in recording rockabilly artists, especially now that newcomer Elvis Presley was breaking through on Sun. Soon they came calling: local honky-tonk bawlers like Bill Bowen and Brad Suggs, out-of-State rockabillies (Junior Thompson, Steve Carl), determined amateurs (Jess Hooper and Wayne McGuiness) and a smattering of Sun renegades (Charlie Feathers and Malcolm Yelvington). Each and every one had something cool to say and laid it down for posterity at Meteor, among the most collectable of post-war labels since few releases were distributed beyond Memphis and the surrounding area.

The sign on the awning out front boasted ‘The Supreme Achievement in Recorded Sound’ but in truth the sound was quite the opposite – woolly, dark and mysterious, governed by whoever was closest to the mike in Meteor’s illequipped studio housed in a backroom with poor acoustics. Meteor’s studio was made to keep its secrets and herein lay the magic. No-one was ever paid and no-one was invited back for a second session. At some point in summer 1957, Lester Bihari turned off the lights, locked up Meteor’s storefront for the last time and walked away without bothering to take the masters and any documentation, mythologising the label with that last turn of the key.

Tracklist:

1. Tongue-tied Jill – Charlie Feathers With Jody & Jerry
2. Raw Deal - Junior Thompson With The Meteors
3. Don't Shoot Me Baby (I'm Not Ready To Die) - Bill Bowen With The Rockets
4. Yakety Yak - Mac & Jake With The Esquire Trio
5. Latch On To Your Baby – Jimmy Lamberth With The Saxons
6. Curfew - Steve Carl With The Jags
7. Charcoal Suit - Brad Suggs With The Swingsters
8. Sleepy Time Blues – Jess Hooper With The Daydreamers
9. Gonna Shut You Off Baby – Jimmy Haggett With The Daydreamers
10. Mama's Little Baby – Junior Thompson With The Meteors
11. Have Myself A Ball – Bill Bowen With The Rockets
12. Rock, Roll And Rhythm – Wayne Mcginnis With The Swing Teens
13. Bop, Baby, Bop - Brad Suggs With The Swingsters
14. 18 Year Old Blues - Steve Carl With The Jags
15. Get With It - Charlie Feathers With Jody & Jerry
16. All Messed Up – Jess Hooper With The Daydreamers
17. Brother, That's All - "Red" Hadley's Wranglers
18. Lonesome Rhythm Blues - Wayne Mcginnis With The Swing Teens