VA - It's Saturday Night! Starday-Dixie Rockabilly 1955-1961 (2012)

Following the phenomenal success of the Fantastic Voyage George Jones set, Ragged But Right: The Starday Years Plus... (FVTD107), we now offer It s Saturday Night!, an exciting collection of rockabilly recordings from the same label. Starday Records was launched in Beaumont, Texas, in the early 1950s, with perfect timing to catch the first wave of the rockabilly tsunami that would sweep the Southern states of America between 1954 and 1958...and the Texas teenagers with their distinctive cat music were just as ready to rock as those being captured by Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Tennessee. A cult label for rockabilly collectors worldwide - if not the holy grail of all rockabilly record labels - Starday embraced the new teenage music enthusiastically, introducing the likes of Sonny Fisher and Sleepy LaBeef, as well as revitalising the careers of veterans such as Link Davis, Bill Mack and Leon Payne. In addition, household-names-in-waiting such as George Jones, Big Bopper and Link Wray would also cut their teeth with the little Texas label. Following the 1970s rockabilly revival, even more of these artists were to become internationally famous with their renown being directly attributable to their time with Starday/Dixie; Fisher, LaBeef, Rudy Grayzell, Glenn Barber and Joe Poovey, all enjoyed extended musical careers courtesy of their insatiable European fans, while those that were unable to tour became absent heroes whose 1950s recordings could still fill dance floors decades after they were laid down. It's Saturday Night!: Starday - Dixie Rockabilly 1955-1961 presents over one hundred examples of these enduring sounds; arguably the most exciting rockabilly tracks you will ever hear and, certainly, the most impressive set of tracks recorded by any Southern indie label except legendary Sun Records (and there are many record collectors who would argue that that statement is still four words too long!)