Buddy Knox
Encyclopedia
Buddy Knox was an American
singer and songwriter
, best known for his 1957 rockabilly
hit song, "Party Doll
".
, Texas
and as a boy learned to play the guitar
. In his teens, he and some high school friends formed a band called the "Rhythm Orchids." After performing on the same 1956 radio show as fellow Texan Roy Orbison
and his "Teen Kings" band, Orbison suggested Knox go see record producer
Norman Petty
at his studio in Clovis, New Mexico
, the same studio where Buddy Holly
recorded several of his early hits including "That'll Be the Day
".
Knox recorded three songs at Petty's recording studio
, most notably "Party Doll
" that later was released on the Roulette
label
and went to No.1 on the Cash Box record chart
in 1957. This success was followed by "Rock Your Little Baby To Sleep", a No.17 hit, and "Hula Love", a No.9 hit. While he never achieved the same level of artistic success as Holly or Orbison, Knox enjoyed a long career in music. For his pioneering contribution, Knox was elected to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
. "Party Doll
" was voted one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
In the early 1960s Knox signed with Liberty Records
and released a number of more mainstream pop records, featuring string
arrangement
s and backing vocalist
s. "Lovey Dovey" and "Ling-Ting-Tong" were the most notable recordings from this era. The sound captured on these recordings was a distinct departure from his earlier rockabilly work for Roulette. Liberty and principal record producer
Tommy "Snuff" Garrett, successfully employed the same production techniques for their other mainstream pop artists of the time, which included Johnny Burnette
and Bobby Vee
.
In 1968 Knox, who had been living in semi-retirement in Macon, Georgia
while running his publishing company, moved to Nashville
and signed a new recording contract
with United Artists Records
. Working with producer Bob Montgomery, Knox honed his traditional rockabilly style more toward the modern country
sound of the day. His first album on United Artists earned him the nickname
by which he would be known for the remainder of his life. The title song of the album, "Gypsy Man", written by Sonny Curtis
and featuring Curtis' acoustic guitar work, received airplay
on country
radio station
s.
Several singles recorded by Knox between 1968 and 1974 were notable for the fact he experimented with a variety of sounds and styles and, from a creative and critical standpoint, may have been his most productive era. His version of Delaney Bramlett
's "God Knows I Love You", along with his self-penned "Salt Lake City", placed Knox firmly in the midst of the new pop music genre, being populated by artists such as Delaney & Bonnie, Eric Clapton
, and others who were on the leading edge of the developing Southern rock
style such as Black Oak Arkansas
and the Allman Brothers Band. His cover version of James Hendricks' "Glory Train" was another stylistic stretch and featured a gospel-like chorus of backing vocalists. His cover of the Fleetwoods
' "Come Softly to Me" demonstrated a vocal range not heard on his older recordings. He also reached out to the new generation of songwriters who would become prominent during Nashville's "Outlaw Era
" of the 1970s, as he was one of the first artists to record Mickey Newbury
's "I'm Only Rockin'". Several other major country music artists later recorded this song, but under the alternate title of "T. Total Tommy". Knox also recorded songs by Alex Harvey
, John D. Loudermilk
and Gary Paxton. On several of these recordings, Knox experimented with multi-tracking
, something very few artists had done at that time.
During this same time frame, Knox was also involved in several business ventures in Canada
. One of these was said to be a partnership with Gordon Lightfoot
and involved a chain of Canadian nightclub
s.
In May 1969, Knox appeared at Langley Speedway (British Columbia)
in Langley, British Columbia
, Canada and assisted in handing out trophies to the race winners.
A lifelong cigarette
smoker, Knox died of lung cancer
in 1999 in Bremerton, Washington
. He is interred in Dreamland Cemetery, in Canyon, Texas
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, best known for his 1957 rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
hit song, "Party Doll
Party Doll
"Party Doll" is a 1957 rockabilly song written by Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen. It was performed by Buddy Knox with the Rhythm Orchids and became a hit on the Roulette label....
".
Biography
Buddy Wayne Knox was born in the tiny farming community of HappyHappy, Texas
Happy is a town in Randall and Swisher counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 647 at the 2000 census. The Randall County portion of Happy is part of the Amarillo, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and as a boy learned to play the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. In his teens, he and some high school friends formed a band called the "Rhythm Orchids." After performing on the same 1956 radio show as fellow Texan Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
and his "Teen Kings" band, Orbison suggested Knox go see record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Norman Petty
Norman Petty
Norman Petty was an American musician, songwriter, and pioneer record producer who helped shape modern popular music, including pop and rock....
at his studio in Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis is the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 32,667 at the 2000 census; according to 2010 Census Bureau estimates, the population had risen to 37,775....
, the same studio where Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
recorded several of his early hits including "That'll Be the Day
That'll Be the Day
"That'll Be the Day" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison and recorded by various artists including The Crickets and Linda Ronstadt. It was also the first song to be recorded by The Quarrymen, the skiffle group that subsequently became The Beatles...
".
Knox recorded three songs at Petty's recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
, most notably "Party Doll
Party Doll
"Party Doll" is a 1957 rockabilly song written by Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen. It was performed by Buddy Knox with the Rhythm Orchids and became a hit on the Roulette label....
" that later was released on the Roulette
Roulette Records
Roulette Records is an American record label, which was founded in late 1956, by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed as director...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and went to No.1 on the Cash Box record chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in 1957. This success was followed by "Rock Your Little Baby To Sleep", a No.17 hit, and "Hula Love", a No.9 hit. While he never achieved the same level of artistic success as Holly or Orbison, Knox enjoyed a long career in music. For his pioneering contribution, Knox was elected to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Rockabilly Hall of Fame
The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on the internet on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering American music genre....
. "Party Doll
Party Doll
"Party Doll" is a 1957 rockabilly song written by Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen. It was performed by Buddy Knox with the Rhythm Orchids and became a hit on the Roulette label....
" was voted one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
In the early 1960s Knox signed with Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
and released a number of more mainstream pop records, featuring string
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s and backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
s. "Lovey Dovey" and "Ling-Ting-Tong" were the most notable recordings from this era. The sound captured on these recordings was a distinct departure from his earlier rockabilly work for Roulette. Liberty and principal record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Tommy "Snuff" Garrett, successfully employed the same production techniques for their other mainstream pop artists of the time, which included Johnny Burnette
Johnny Burnette
John Joseph "Johnny" Burnette was an American rockabilly musician. Along with his older brother Dorsey Burnette, and also a friend named Paul Burlison, Burnette was a founding member of The Rock and Roll Trio. He was the father of 1980s rockabilly singer Rocky Burnette.-Early life:Johnny Burnette...
and Bobby Vee
Bobby Vee
Robert Thomas Velline , known as Bobby Vee, is an American pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine, Vee has had 38 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.-Career:...
.
In 1968 Knox, who had been living in semi-retirement in Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
while running his publishing company, moved to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and signed a new recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with United Artists Records
United Artists Records
United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
. Working with producer Bob Montgomery, Knox honed his traditional rockabilly style more toward the modern country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
sound of the day. His first album on United Artists earned him the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
by which he would be known for the remainder of his life. The title song of the album, "Gypsy Man", written by Sonny Curtis
Sonny Curtis
Sonny Curtis is an American singer and songwriter. Most of his work falls into the Pop and Country genres. He was a teenage pal and band member with Buddy Holly in Lubbock, Texas...
and featuring Curtis' acoustic guitar work, received airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
on country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s.
Several singles recorded by Knox between 1968 and 1974 were notable for the fact he experimented with a variety of sounds and styles and, from a creative and critical standpoint, may have been his most productive era. His version of Delaney Bramlett
Delaney Bramlett
Delaney Bramlett was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. Bramlett's five decade career reached peaks in creativity, performance, and notoriety in partnership with his then wife Bonnie Bramlett, in a revolving troupe of professional musicians and Rock superstars dubbed Delaney...
's "God Knows I Love You", along with his self-penned "Salt Lake City", placed Knox firmly in the midst of the new pop music genre, being populated by artists such as Delaney & Bonnie, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, and others who were on the leading edge of the developing Southern rock
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...
style such as Black Oak Arkansas
Black Oak Arkansas
Black Oak Arkansas is an American Southern rock band named after the band's hometown of Black Oak, Arkansas. The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970s with ten charting albums released in that decade...
and the Allman Brothers Band. His cover version of James Hendricks' "Glory Train" was another stylistic stretch and featured a gospel-like chorus of backing vocalists. His cover of the Fleetwoods
The Fleetwoods
The Fleetwoods were a singing trio from Olympia, Washington, United States; formed in the late 1950s. They were responsible for eleven hit songs, beginning with "Come Softly to Me"...
' "Come Softly to Me" demonstrated a vocal range not heard on his older recordings. He also reached out to the new generation of songwriters who would become prominent during Nashville's "Outlaw Era
Outlaw country
Outlaw country is a subgenre of country music, most popular during the late 1960s and the 1970s , sometimes referred to as the outlaw movement or simply outlaw music...
" of the 1970s, as he was one of the first artists to record Mickey Newbury
Mickey Newbury
Mickey Newbury was an American songwriter, a critically acclaimed recording artist, and a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
's "I'm Only Rockin'". Several other major country music artists later recorded this song, but under the alternate title of "T. Total Tommy". Knox also recorded songs by Alex Harvey
Alex Harvey (musician)
Alex Harvey was a Scottish rock musician. With The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, he built a reputation as an exciting live performer during the 1970s glam rock era.-Biography:...
, John D. Loudermilk
John D. Loudermilk
John D. Loudermilk is an American singer and songwriter.-Biography:Born in Durham, North Carolina, Loudermilk grew up in a family who were members of the Salvation Army faith and was influenced by the church singing. His cousins Ira and Charlie Loudermilk were known professionally as the Louvin...
and Gary Paxton. On several of these recordings, Knox experimented with multi-tracking
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
, something very few artists had done at that time.
During this same time frame, Knox was also involved in several business ventures in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. One of these was said to be a partnership with Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
and involved a chain of Canadian nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s.
In May 1969, Knox appeared at Langley Speedway (British Columbia)
Langley Speedway (British Columbia)
Langley Speedway was a 1/4-mile paved oval track used for stock car racing located in Langley, British Columbia. The track opened in either 1963 or 1965 , and closed in 1984...
in Langley, British Columbia
Langley, British Columbia (city)
The City of Langley is a municipality in Metro Vancouver. It lies directly east of the City of Surrey, adjacent to Cloverdale, and surrounded on the north, east and south by Township of Langley.-History:...
, Canada and assisted in handing out trophies to the race winners.
A lifelong cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
smoker, Knox died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in 1999 in Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
. He is interred in Dreamland Cemetery, in Canyon, Texas
Canyon, Texas
Canyon is a city in Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,875 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randall County. It is the home of West Texas A&M University and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is some twelve miles east of Canyon...
.
Compilation albums
Buddy Knox - Greatest Hits - all the Roulette and Liberty recordings- "Party DollParty Doll"Party Doll" is a 1957 rockabilly song written by Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen. It was performed by Buddy Knox with the Rhythm Orchids and became a hit on the Roulette label....
" - "Storm Clouds"
- "That’s Why I Cry"
- "Hula Love"
- "C’mon Baby"
- "All For You"
- "I Think I’m Gonna Kill Myself"
- "Lovey Dovey"
- "Ling-Ting-Tong"
- "Somebody Touched Me"
- "Rock Your Little Baby to Sleep"
- "Cause I’m In Love"
- "Swinging Daddy"
- "The Girl With the Golden Hair"
- "Devil Woman"
- "Mary Lou"
- "Rock House"
- "Maybellinne"
- "Rock Around The Clock"
- "She’s Gone"
- "Slippin’ and Slidin’"
- "Chi-Hua-Hua"
- "Open"
- "Dear Abby"
- "Three Eyed Man"
- "Tomorrow Is A Comin’"
- "Hitch Hike Back To Georgia"
- "I Got You"
- "I Ain’t Sharin’ Sharon"
- "I’m in Love With You"
- "Long Lonely Nights"
- "Good Time Girl"
- "Livin’ In a House Full of Love"
- "Love Has Many Ways"
- "Teasable, Pleasable You"
External links
- Rockabilly Hall page
- [ Allmusic]