Rollin' The Rock - Texas Rockabilly Vol. 2 - El Toro

Rollin' The Rock - Texas Rockabilly Vol. 2
Various Artists
El Toro Records ETCD 1024

1 Ray Campi & The Snappers - Give That Love To Me
2 Mac Curtis - Goosebumps
3 Alvis Wayne with Tony Wayne & his Rhythm Wranglers - Sleep Rock-A-Roll Rock-A-Baby
4 Sid King & The Five Strings - When My Baby Left Me
5 Johnny Carroll & his Hot Rocks - Tryin' To Get To You
6 Ray Campi with John & Henry - Play It Cool
7 Sid King & The Five Strings - Let 'Er Roll
8 Mac Curtis - Just So You Call Me
9 Ray Campi with John & Henry - Catapillar
10 Johnny Carroll & his Hot Rocks - Corrine, Corrina
11 Mac Curtis - You Ain't Treatin' Me Right
12 Mac Curtis - If I Had Me A Woman
13 Sid King & The Five Strings - Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight
14 Johnny Carroll & his Hot Rocks - Hot Rock
15 Alvis Wayne - Don't Mean Maybe, Baby
16 Sid King & The Five Strings - Booger Red
17 Mac Curtis - Half Hearted Love
18 Alvis Wayne - Lay Your Head On My Shoulder
19 Ray Campi & The Snappers - It Ain't Me
20 Sid King & The Five Strings - Good Rockin' Baby
21 Alvis Wayne - I Gottum
22 Ray Campi & The Snappers - The Crossing
23 Mac Curtis - Grandaddy's Rockin'
24 Alvis Wayne with Tony Wayne & his Rhythm Wranglers - Swing Bop Boogie
25 Sid King & The Five Strings - It's True, I'm Blue
26 Ray Campi & The Snappers - I Didn't Mean To Be Mean
27 Mac Curtis - That Ain't Nothin' But Right
28 Johnny Carroll & his Hot Rocks - Rock 'n' Roll Ruby
29 Sid King & The Five Strings - I've Got The Blues
30 Ray Campi & The Snappers - You Can't Catch Me
31 Alvis Wayne - I'd Rather Be With You
32 Johnny Carroll & his Hot Rocks - Crazy, Crazy Lovin' (from "Rock, Baby, Rock It!")
33 Johnny Carroll & his Hot Rocks - Wild, Wild Women (from "Rock, Baby, Rock It!")

Three years ago El Toro issued Real Cool Cats (ETCD 1010), a 35 track CD of prime Texas rockabilly. This is a follow-up of sorts in that all the artists come from the great state of Texas. What's makes this release such a novel idea is that the five featured artists all went on to record for Ronny Weiser's Rollin' Rock label in the 70's.

There's probably nothing here that most of you haven't got, but the idea and the presentation make it a damn near essential purchase.

The odd man out here is Ray Campi who although he'll forever be associated with Texas was actually born in New York. I'll be honest with you here and admit that I'm not a massive fan of his early stuff. He's also the odd man out in that I prefer his Rollin' Rock stuff to his 50's stuff on labels like TNT and Dot. His tracks here are okay but give me Rockin' At The Ritz anyday.

The other four are a different kettle of fish and the numbers on show here are brilliant. Mac Curtis on Decca was as good as our music gets with Goosebumps being one of my desert island discs. Johnny Carroll was one of those regular visitors that I never got around to seeing, something I deeply regret. We get his Decca recordings here, but if you haven't heard them, get the Bear Family CD to hear The Swing and Sugar from his Warner Brothers stint.

I was later in the day getting into Alvis Wayne, but have made up for lost time in the past few years. His Westport recordings are nothing short of wonderful and when me and Phil met him a few years ago he seemed to be a great bloke. Unfortunately he's suffered a lot of ill health in the last couple of years - I hope this release gives him some much needed good cheer.

Sid King and the Five Strings are another band that when you listen, you can't believe that they never made it bigger. How Columbia couldn't get a hit record out of numbers like Let 'er Roll and When My Baby Left Me beggers belief. I've Got The Blues is a peach.

This is a cracking release, the latest in a long line from El Toro.

Ray Campi v Jimmie Skinner

I was listening to Jimmie Skinner late last night and when I heard How Low Can You Feel I thought of Ray Campi. The rockabilly bass man is a massive fan of Skinner and his much had a profound effect on him. It was actually via Ray Campi that I got into Jimmie Skinner. My introduction to Campi was courtesy of his wonderful stage act on the Blue Suede Shoes video of many moons ago.

Ray Campi told Now Dig This once that “I must have recorded more Jimmie Skinner tunes than anyone except Jimmie himself.” The ones I know him doing are Doin' My Time, Don't Give Your Heart to a Rambler, Baby You Don't Know My Mind and How Low Can You Feel but I’m sure there’s probably others.

There career’s and styles were completely different but nowadays I can’t think of one without the other. In my job we deal with ramblers and every time someone mentions ramblers I always hum in my head “keep it away from rambling’ Ray”. It’s weird what goes on in your head, unless it’s just me and my buddy in there.

A man of many trades within the industry, Jimmie Skinner tried his hand as a DJ, songwriter, performer, label owner, and record salesman. His first successful composition was Doin My Time in 1941 but he had to wait until 1957 before he had a hit record himself. On Mercury Records he scored with I Found My Girl in the U.S.A. and Dark Hollow, but he never managed to repeat the trick. He tried his luck with loads of labels before his death in 1979.

Everyone reading this page will know the story of Ray Campi. Basically he had a couple of no-hit singles in the 50’s the best known being Caterpillar (I’ll be honest here and say I don’t think much of his early work) before being a key figure in the rockabilly revival of the 70’s, thanks to his sterling work for Ronnie Weiser’s great Rollin’ Rock label.



My favourite songs of the ones both Campi and Skinner recorded are Don't Give Your Heart To A Rambler and How Low Can You Feel. On Rambler I prefer the Skinner original, it’s so well sung and the music has a haunting sound that is perfect. Ray does a fine cover and I love his oh-so country voice and the final flourish “keep it away from rambling’ Ray”.

How Low Can You Feel is another matter. Ray Campi’s version is brilliant and blows Jimmie’s outta the water. The bass sound is so rounded and I love the acoustic rockabilly treatment. The addition of the “thump thump thump” is inspired. Jimmie Skinner’s is a lovely rendition, but it doesn’t have the thump thump thump factor.