Charles Arthur Feathers (June 12, 1932 – August 29, 1998)
was an American musician most associated with the
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...
scene of the 1950s. Although not initially recognized for his contributions to rockabilly, over time his presence would become greatly elevated and he has been cited as an influence by a number of musicians.
Biography
Feathers was born in
Holly Springs, Mississippi
Holly Springs is a city in, and the county seat of, Marshall County, Mississippi, United States, near the southern border of Tennessee. Near the Mississippi Delta, the area was developed by European Americans for cotton plantations and was dep ...
, United States.
He started out as a session musician at
Sun Studios
Sun Studio is a recording studio opened by rock-and-roll pioneer Sam Phillips at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 3, 1950. It was originally called Memphis Recording Service, sharing the same building with the Sun Records label ...
, playing any side instrument he could in the hopes of someday making his own music there.
He eventually played on a small label started by
Sam Phillips
Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, ...
called Flip records which got him enough attention to record a couple of singles for
Sun Records
Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny C ...
and
Holiday Inn Records
Holiday Inn Records was an American record label founded by Wayne Foster in 1961. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for Foster and Kemmons Wilson, as an independent business venture. Foster ran the label between 1961 and 1963. Sam Ph ...
. By all accounts the singer was not held in much regard by Phillips, but Feathers often made the audacious claim that he had arranged "
That's All Right
"That's All Right" is a song written and originally performed by blues singer Arthur Crudup and recorded in 1946. The song was rereleased in early March 1949 under the title "That's All Right, Mama", which was issued as RCA's first rhythm and bl ...
" and "
Blue Moon of Kentucky
"Blue Moon of Kentucky" is a waltz written in 1945 by bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and recorded by his band, the Blue Grass Boys. The song has since been recorded by many artists, including Elvis Presley and Paul McCartney. "Blue Moon of Kentu ...
" for
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
. He also claimed that his "We're Getting Closer (To Being Apart)" had been intended to be Elvis' sixth single for Sun. He did, however, get his name on one of Elvis' Sun records, "
I Forgot To Remember To Forget
"I Forgot to Remember to Forget" is a 1955 rockabilly and country song, first recorded by Elvis Presley written by Stan Kesler and Charlie Feathers. It was Elvis' first no. 1 record nationally. The single was the fifth and final single released ...
" when the writer Stan Kesler asked him to record a demo of the song.
[ Charlie Feathers biographyat ]AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
He then moved on to
Meteor Records
Meteor Records was a Memphis-based R&B record label ran by Lester Bihari, one of the Bihari brothers, owners of Modern Records in Los Angeles. Founded in 1952, the label was a bold experiment to broaden the talent base by focusing on signing and r ...
and then
King Records where he recorded his best-known work. His 1950s singles included "Peepin' Eyes", "Defrost Your Heart", "Tongue-Tied Jill" and "Bottle to the Baby". When his King contract ran out he still continued to perform, although Feathers—perhaps typically—thought there was a conspiracy to keep his music from gaining the popularity it deserved.
[
In the mid-1980s, he performed at times at new music nightclubs like the Antenna Club in ]Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
, sharing the bill with rock-and-roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
bands like Tav Falco's Panther Burns
Tav Falco's Panther Burns, sometimes shortened to (The) Panther Burns, is a rock band originally from Memphis, Tennessee, United States, led by Tav Falco. They are best known for having been part of a set of bands emerging in the late 1970s and ...
, who, as devoted fans of Feathers, had introduced him to their label's president.
He released his ''New Jungle Fever'' album in 1987 and ''Honkey Tonk Man'' in 1988, featuring the lead guitar work of his son, Bubba Feathers. These later albums of original songs penned by Feathers were released on the French label New Rose Records, whose other 1980s releases included albums by Johnny Thunders
John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played with ...
, Alex Chilton
William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s ...
, Roky Erickson
Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson (July 15, 1947 – May 31, 2019) was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was a founding member and the leader of the 13th Floor Elevators and a pioneer of the psychedelic rock genre.
Biography
Erickso ...
, The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. T ...
, The Gun Club
The Gun Club were an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which existed from 1979 to 1996. It was formed and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce.
History Early days (1979–1980)
The Gun Club w ...
, and others.
He died on August 29, 1998, of complications from a stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
-induced coma. He was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery South in Memphis.
Style and influences
Charlie Feathers studied and recorded several songs with Junior Kimbrough
David "Junior" Kimbrough (July 28, 1930 – January 17, 1998) was an American blues musician. His best-known works are "Keep Your Hands off Her" and "All Night Long".
Early life
Kimbrough was born in Hudsonville, Mississippi, and lived in the no ...
, whom he called "the beginning and end of all music". His childhood influences were reflected in his later music of the 1970s and 1980s, which had an easy-paced, sometimes sinister, country-blues tempo, as opposed to the frenetic fast-paced style favored by some of his rockabilly colleagues of the 1950s. Feathers was known for being a master of shifting emotional and sonic dynamics in his songs. His theatrical, hiccup-styled, energetic, rockabilly vocal style inspired a later generation of rock vocalists, including Lux Interior
Erick Lee Purkhiser (October 21, 1946 – February 4, 2009), better known by the stage name Lux Interior, was an American singer and a founding member of the American rock band the Cramps from 1972 until his death in 2009 at age 62.
Early life
B ...
of The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. T ...
.
Feathers' song, "That Certain Female" was featured on the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...
's 2003 film, '' Kill Bill: Volume 1''. His "Can't Hardly Stand It" was featured on the follow-up '' Volume 2">Kill Bill: Volume 2'' soundtrack, as well as the highly successful video game ''Grand Theft Auto V
''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...
''. A brief bit of "Can't Hardly Stand It" was also featured in the 2013 film ''Only Lovers Left Alive
''Only Lovers Left Alive'' is a 2013 fantasy comedy-drama film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, starring Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright, Slimane Dazi and John Hurt. An international co-producti ...
''.
Charlie Feathers' pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
The Rockabilly Hall of Fame is an organization and website launched on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relating to the artists and personalities involved in rockabilly.
Headquartered in Nashville, Tennesse ...
. Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
has featured Charlie Feathers on the second season of his XM satellite radio
XM Satellite Radio (XM) was one of the three satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable television. Its s ...
show Theme Time Radio Hour
''Theme Time Radio Hour'' (''TTRH'') was a weekly one-hour satellite radio show hosted by Bob Dylan that originally aired from May 2006 to April 2009. Each episode had a freeform mix of music, centered on a theme (such as "Weather", "Money" or "F ...
, playing Feathers' records "One Hand Loose" (on the "Countdown" show, Dec. 12, 2007) and "Defrost Your Heart" (on the "Cold" show, April 2, 2008). His song "Can't Hardly Stand It" is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto V
''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...
on the game's radio station, Rebel Radio. Feathers is an inductee in the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame
The Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame, headquartered in Clinton, Mississippi, honors Mississippi's famous musicians. It is a "Who's Who" of the blues, rock and roll, and jazz from their beginnings to present day. The organization's museum is loca ...
.
Discography
Albums
* ''Good Rockin' Tonight'' (recorded in 1973, released in 1974)
* ''Live in Memphis'' (recorded in 1973, released in 1976)
* ''That Rockabilly Cat'' (recorded 1968, released 1979)
* ''Rockabilly – Charlie Feathers Vol. 1'' (1979)
* ''Charlie Feathers Vol. 2'' (1979)
* ''Rockabilly Rhythm'' (recorded 1973, released 1981)
* ''Original TV Soundtrack NBC 1979'' (1981)
* ''New Jungle Fever'' (1987)
* ''Honky Tonk Man'' (1988)
* '' Charlie Feathers'' (1991)
* ''I Ain't Done Yet'' (1993)
* Tip Top Daddy (demos recorded 1958–1973, released 1995)
* ''Live in London'' (recorded 1990, released 2000)
* ''Live in Paris '87'' (recorded 1987, released 2002)
Compilations
* ''Get With It: Essential Recordings'' (early singles and unreleased tracks, 2 CDs, 1998)
* ''Wild Side of Life'' (rare and unreleased tracks, 2008)
* ''Honky Tonk Kind'' (rare and unreleased tracks, 2008)
* ''Long Time Ago'' (rare and unreleased tracks, 2008)
Singles
* Flip 503 - I've Been Deceived / Peepin' Eyes (April 1955)
* Sun 231 - Defrost Your Heart / Wedding Gown of White (January 1956)
* Meteor 5032 - Get With It / Tongue-Tied Jill (June 1956)
* King 4971 - Can't Hardly Stand It / Everybody's Lovin' My Baby (October 1956)
* King 4997 - One Hand Loose / Bottle to the Baby (December 1956)
* King 5022 - When You Decide / Nobody's Woman (February 1957)
* King 5043 - Too Much Alike / When You Come Around (April 1957)
* Kay 1001 - Jungle Fever / Why Don't You (June 1960)
* Wal-May 101 - Dinky John / South of Chicago (as "Charlie Morgan", July 1960)
* Memphis 103 - Wild Wild Party / Today and Tomorrow (December 1961)
* Holiday Inn 114 - Nobody's Darlin' / Deep Elm Blues (April 1963)
* Philwood P-223 - Tear It Up / Stutterin' Cindy (1968)
* Pompadour 231 - Uh Huh Honey / Wedding Gown of White (1973)
* Rollin' Rock 45-025 - That Certain Female / She Set Me Free (1974)
* Vetco 921 - Will You Be Satisfied That Way / It's Just That Song (1976)
* Vetco 922 - We're Getting Closer to Being Apart / You Make It Look So Easy (1976)
* Feathers 791104 - Blue Suede Shoes / We're Getting Closer (1979)
* Feathers 791105 - Ooby Dooby / If You Were Mine to Lose (1979)
* Feathers 3 - Cold Dark Night / Blame It on Time (early 1980s)
* Feathers 4 - Today I Started Loving You Again / Folsom Prison Blues
"Folsom Prison Blues" is a song by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. Written in 1953, it was first recorded in 1955 for his debut studio album '' Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!'' (1957), appearing as the album's eleventh track. T ...
(early 1980s)
* Feathers 5 - Jungle Fever / Jewel Here on Earth (early 1980s)
* Feathers 6 - He'll Have to Go / Will the Circle Be Unbroken (early 1980s)
* Feathers 7 - Honky Tonk Man / That's Alright, Mama (early 1980s)
* Feathers 8 - Roll Over Beethoven / Swinging Doors (early 1980s)
* Feathers 9 - In the Pines / I Must Move On (early 1980s)
* Feathers 10 - One Black Rat / Dig Myself a Hole (early 1980s)
* Feathers 11 - Lonesome Whistle / Cockroach (early 1980s)
* Feathers 12 - Who Da Say / Roll Over Beethoven – diff. version (early 1980s)
* Feathers 13 - Working on a Building / You Believe Everyone but Me (early 1980s)
Note: the Feathers 45s were private releases, sold at Charlie Feathers' concerts.
References
External links
The Official Charlie Feathers Homepage
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Feathers, Charlie
1932 births
1998 deaths
People from Holly Springs, Mississippi
American country singer-songwriters
American male singer-songwriters
Singer-songwriters from Mississippi
Norton Records artists
American rockabilly musicians
Sun Records artists
King Records artists
Meteor Records artists
Charly Records artists
20th-century American singers
Country musicians from Mississippi
20th-century American male singers