The Tulsa sound is a popular musical style that originated in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, during the second half of the twentieth century. It is a mix of blues, blues rock,

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

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 a ...

and swamp pop sounds of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Artists considered to have pioneered the Tulsa sound include

J. J. Cale John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and sound engineer. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Mark Knop ...

, Leon Russell, Roger Tillison and Elvin Bishop. After 1980,

Gus Hardin Gus Hardin (born Carolyn Ann Blankenship; April 9, 1945 – February 17, 1996) was a country music singer. Career Hardin was born in 1945 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her rise to country music popularity began in 1983 with her first single for RCA Recor ...

(country), and Jeff Carson(country) released roots music albums. Although

Dwight Twilley Dwight Twilley (born June 6, 1951) is an American pop/rock singer and songwriter, best known for the Top 20 hit singles "I'm on Fire" (1975) and "Girls" (1984). His music is associated with the power pop style. Twilley and Phil Seymour performed ...

is from Tulsa, his

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and c ...

style bears no resemblance to the Tulsa sound; likewise,

David Gates David Ashworth Gates (December 11, 1940 – January 5, 2023) was a American singer-songwriter, guitarist, musician and producer, frontman and co-lead singer (with Jimmy Griffin) of the group Bread, which reached the top of the musical charts ...

' most recognized songs (including his work with Bread) were mostly in the soft rock genre (though some of Gates' solo album cuts show a stronger Tulsa influence).

History

The first appearance of note by a Tulsa sound musician was Rocky Frisco's Columbia Harmony vinyl album, ''The Big Ten'', under the name "Rocky Curtiss and the Harmony Flames". The album was recorded in New York City at Columbia's studio at 33rd Street and 3rd Avenue in 1959, during a time when Frisco lived in Pennsylvania. Rockabilly musician

Clyde Stacy Haskell Clyde Stacy (August 11, 1936 – November 6, 2013) was an American rockabilly singer and guitarist who recorded in the 1950s as the leader of Clyde Stacy & The Nitecaps. He is credited as a founder of the " Tulsa Sound". Biography S ...

was one of the first, if not the first, Tulsa sound musicians to score a nationally charted record, "Hoy Hoy" b/w "So Young". backed by his band the NiteCaps. This was actually a double-sided hit released by Candlelight Records in 1957. Members of the NiteCaps during that period were guitarist John D. Levan and other members. Levan was inducted into 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 ...

in August 2004 along with Tulsa Radio Personality "Rockin" John Henry. Marvin & Johnny recorded "Cherry Pie" in 1954. In 1958, another Tulsan, Billy Reynolds Eustise, and the Tri-Lads scored a hit with "Cherry Pie". Rocky Frisco published blues musician Flash Terry's photo on his website. J.J. Cale's "After Midnight" was covered by Eric Clapton. Leon Russell was the first member of the Tulsa scene to make inroads into the

L.A. Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

music scene, playing for

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

along with

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized ...

. He then joined

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

's Wrecking Crew and then produced Gary Lewis and

Jan & Dean Jan and Dean was an American rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf music styles ...

. He joined Joe Cocker's Mad dogs and Englishmen. Russell performanced "Jumpin' Jack Flash/Young Blood" at Bangladesh concert. Leon Russell wrote "Super Star" and "A Song for You". The Carpenters covered those songs. Russell recorded "Carney" album, and he gained hit "Tight rope" in 1972. He brought many Tulsans out to Los Angeles, including

Carl Radle Carl Dean Radle (June 18, 1942 – May 30, 1980) was an American bassist who toured and recorded with many of the most influential recording artists of the late 1960s and 1970s. He was posthumously inducted to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame i ...

and Larry Bell, and was later co-owner of the historic

The Church Studio The Church Studio is a recording studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma established in 1972 by musician, songwriter, and producer Leon Russell. Located in a converted church building, the studio has since been cited as being the heart of the Tulsa Sound. H ...

in Tulsa and home to

Shelter Records Shelter Records was a U.S. record label started by Leon Russell and Denny Cordell that operated from 1969 to 1981. The company established offices in both Los Angeles and Tulsa, Russell's home town, where the label sought to promote a "workshop ...

, which signed a number of significant Tulsa sound artists including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

was purchased in 2016 by husband and wife Ivan Acosta and Teresa Knox, who have said they intend to renovate the building, seek registration on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

, and use it as a recording studio and community facility. Elvin Bishop gained hit "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" in 1976.

Jesse Ed Davis Jesse Edwin Davis III (September 21, 1944 – June 22, 1988) was a Native American guitarist. He was well regarded as a session artist and solo performer, was a member of Taj Mahal's backing band and played with musicians such as Eric Clapton, J ...

and

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...

were from Oklahoma State.

Influence

Eric Clapton was the most prominent non-Tulsa artist associated with the Tulsa sound. For 10 years, his band consisted of Tulsans Carl Radle (bass), Dick Sims (organ), and Jamie Oldaker (drums). During that time Clapton was a frequent performer at a variety of venues in the Tulsa area. In his review of Clapton's 1978 album ''Backless'', critic Robert Christgau wrote, "Whatever Eric isn't anymore . . . he's certainly king of the Tulsa sound." In addition to Clapton, J.J. Cale's influence has been cited by

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

, among others. His songs have been recorded by many artists, including Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Deep Purple,

the Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guita ...

, Johnny Cash, John Mayer, The Band,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

, Santana, Captain Beefheart,

Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and g ...

, and

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...

. The songs of Tulsan Elvin Bishop have often been covered by other artists, including Starship.

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...

had two Tulsans in his band: Chuck Blackwell and Gary Gillmore, and one Oklahoma City native, Jesse Ed Davis. Music journalist John Wooley and others have noted that the Tulsa sound has directly and indirectly contributed to various other genres of music, including genres outside rock music, such as

alt-country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...

and Red Dirt music, the latter of which also originated in Oklahoma (Red Dirt originated in Stillwater). Leon Russell noted: "I'm not sure what the Tulsa sound is, I suppose it started when we were with Jerry Lee Lewis, we would be playing a shuffle while Jerry Lee played straight eighth notes, if that is what they call the Tulsa sound, that's not a bad thing".https://issuu.com/craftmagok/docs/cmok_aug_2019_digital, p. 10.

References

External links

"Rock of Ages: Tulsa's History of Rock 'n' Roll"
''

Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 20 ...

'' (accessed March 1, 2010).
Tulsa Area Music Archives
{{Eric Clapton Culture of Tulsa, Oklahoma American rock music genres American styles of music Music scenes

History

Influence

See also

References

External links