Johnny Carroll (born John Lewis Carrell; October 23, 1937January 13, 1995) was an American

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 ...

musician.

Biography

Born John Lewis Carrell in

Cleburne, Texas Cleburne is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 29,337. The city is named in honor of Patrick Cleburne, a Confederate general. Lake Pat Cleburne, the reservoir that pro ...

, Carrell's last name was printed incorrectly as Carroll in his first recording with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

and he thereafter used that spelling of his name professionally. Carroll began recording for Decca in the middle of the 1950s. He released several singles, none of which saw significant success, though they are now critically acclaimed.

Johnny Carroll Johnny Carroll (born John Lewis Carrell; October 23, 1937January 13, 1995) was an American rockabilly musician. Biography Born John Lewis Carrell in Cleburne, Texas, Carrell's last name was printed incorrectly as Carroll in his first recording ...

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 ...

His records were eclipsed by the success of other rockabilly and early

rock & 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 ...

musicians such as

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 ...

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

, and

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

. His career ended toward the end of the 1950s, but he made a comeback in 1974 with a

Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rockabilly and rock and roll. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, " Be-Bop-a-Lula ...

tribute song. He continued to record well into the 1980s. For many years he was connected with the Cellar Club in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

and other Cellar Clubs around the state. He died of liver failure on January 13, 1995, and is buried in his hometown of Godley, Texas. In 1996 a 33-track reissue of his early recordings was released as ''Rock Baby Rock It: 1955-1960''.

Discography

;Early recordings ;Later recordings * "Gene Vincent Rock" (or "The Black Leather Rebel") – 1974 * "Rock, Baby, Rock It" –

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 ...

, 1975 * ''Texabilly'' – Rollin' Rock, 1977 * ''First Time All Over Again'' (with Judy Lindsey) – Gypsy Records, 1980 * "The Telephone Man" (with Judy Lindsey) – Merit Records, 1982 * "Rattle My Bones" – Seville Records, 1983 * ''Still Satin Sheets'' (with Judy Lindsey) – Gypsy Records, 1983 * ''Screamin' Demon Heatwave'' (feat. Judy Lindsey) – Seville Records, 1983 * ''Crazy Hot Rock'' –

Charly Records Charly Records is a British record label that specialises in reissued material. Among the labels whose original releases are reissued by Charly are Vee-Jay, Sun, Immediate, BYG, Tomato, and Fania. History Charly Records was founded in Franc ...

, 1985 * ''Shades of Vincent'' (with Judy Lindsey) – Charly Records, 1986

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carroll, Johnny American rockabilly musicians American bandleaders American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American country singer-songwriters American rock singers American rock songwriters American rockabilly guitarists American male guitarists Singer-songwriters from Texas People from Cleburne, Texas Sun Records artists Phillips International Records artists Charly Records artists Decca Records artists Warner Records artists Musicians from Dallas 1937 births 1995 deaths Deaths from kidney failure 20th-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Texas Country musicians from Texas 20th-century American male singers Johnny Kidd & the Pirates members