Jun 1, 2007

Rockabilly musician chronicles genre

Paul Freeman / Daily News Entertainment Writer

Today, rockabilly music retains a fervent cult following. But when it began in the '50s, the electrifying musical melting pot exploded across the globe.

A new book, which includes a one-hour DVD sampler, celebrates the genre's pioneers, including Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison. Filled with compelling personal stories and wonderful photos, the publication captures a sense of time and place.

Jerry Naylor is the driving force behind not only this, but also an expansive DVD documentary (shown in edited form on PBS stations), containing a wealth of interview and performance footage. Naylor has also released tribute and soundtrack CDs.

For Naylor, these larger-than-life musicians are not just heroes, but peers and pals. Naylor made his mark in rockabilly and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject. The project, which will be a centerpiece of a permanent exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was conceived decades ago and was seven years in production.

"I was focused on my grandchildren," said Naylor, rationalizing his drive to have this project see the light of day. "On a personal level, I wanted them to know what a massive impact this music had."

At 14, Naylor worked at a local radio station, selling advertising. He went into a segregated part of town and met black musician Robert Smith. "The next thing I knew, I was singing with his band. I just loved it! I would go out to the juke joint dates with them. It was a great education. ..."

Like fellow Texans Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, Naylor melded a variety of influences into a new form.
"You pull together all those influences - Delta blues, hillbilly music, Bill Monroe's bluegrass, African-American spirituals, Southern gospel - then all of a sudden, it gets an identity, on the fifth of July, 1954, when Elvis Presley accidentally records 'That's All Right, Mama,' the Arthur Crudup blues song. It's played on all radio stations, white and black. It was called rockabilly.

"Suddenly, we felt the freedom to play that without sneaking around," Naylor chuckles. "Elvis opened this door for us, with this great accident, 'the Big Bang,' they call it."

Despite their strong religious backgrounds, these musicians were assailed for playing devil music. "In the book, I go into how Jerry Lee Lewis suffered from that. He was called to be a minister, like his cousin Jimmy Swaggart. But he was thrown out of Bible school for playing the songs too spirited, too secular. He fought that demon all of his life. He felt that he was sinning, yet he had this drive to make this music."

Also compelled to rock, Naylor was carving out a singing career when, in 1960, the Crickets asked him to become their new vocalist. Initially, he turned the offer down. "I was scared to death. Nobody could replace Buddy Holly. I thought I'd be up there singing 'Peggy Sue' or 'That'll Be The Day' and somebody would leap out of the audience and thrust a spear through me."

Eddie Cochran's manager convinced Naylor he was up to the challenge. After recording a huge album titled "Bobby Vee Meets The Crickets," the group scored a hit with "Please Don't Ever Change." Penned by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, the song was particularly popular in the U.K.

"We were able to bring forward Buddy's great legacy and at the same time, have our own identity."

Naylor reports that fascination with rockabilly is again on the rise. "In Europe, two years ago, when Milan introduced the new fashions, it had a rockabilly theme. Somebody sent me a copy of Elle magazine and I thought, 'Boy, I'm on the right track at the right time.' There's a generation out there waiting."

For information on purchasing the book, visit musicdispatch.com. To order Naylor's tribute CDs, soundtrack CDs or the DVD documentary, go to rockabillylegends.com.