Sonny West’s "The Clovis Sessions"
(Assembled, Signed and Dated by the Man himself)
Sonny West may not be a household name as a result of his novel rockabilly efforts as an artist during the late ‘50s, but two of the many songs that he composed are so classic, they stand out among the best rock ‘n’ roll tunes ever written. Covered by a number of artists throughout the decades of rock, "Oh Boy" and "Rave On" were written by West solely for himself, but little did he know that these compositions would wind up being a perfect fit for Buddy Holly’s unprecedented style of musical expression.
Was Sonny upset that Holly made these songs huge hits and not him? "Scores of artists have done my songs," says West. "But I still owe Buddy for getting people's attention and for having so many fans."
West’s ‘50s life as a musician and songwriter was not easy, especially because of his parents’ frequent relocations in the Southwest. But that didn’t dissuade him from his artistic expression. It only made him more determined, and even though West experienced frequent, rock-ribbed painful moments of discouragement, he had the strength and exceptional talent to meet that powerful negative head on and come away a winner. Without a doubt, Sonny West has earned his due as a major historic contributor during the maturation of rock ‘n’ roll while it was in its early infancy.
Dick Stewart – Editor, The Lance Monthly
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Tracks and Contributors:
(Recorded at Norman Petty Studios, Clovis, New Mexico)
"Sweet Rockin’ Baby"
Recorded July 1956 with Buddy Smith, Doc McKay and Jim Metze from the original master tapes."Rock-Ola Ruby"
same as above"Oh Boy (All My Love)"
Recorded February 1957 (The Original) with Glen D Hardin, McKay and Metze (from an acetate)"Come Back Baby"
Recorded March 1957 with Vi Petty, Jack Vaughn, Doc Mckay, Jim Metze, Betty Beck, Betty Tilghman, Sandra Tyler (from a well-worn acetate record)"Dreamboat"
Recorded November 1957 with Trini Lopez and the Big Beats"Rave On"
(The original) same musicians as above"Call on Cupid"
same as above"Baby Bessie Lee"
Recorded April 1958 with Vi Petty, George Atwood, Sonny Curtis, Bo Clark, The Roses"Doll Britches"
same as above"Linda Loves a Hula Hoop
Recorded September 1958 with above musiciansThis special autographed-and-dated collector’s CDR (packaged by West himself) is a very limited release, making it an immediate collectors’ item! Own a piece of Sonny West music history for just a regular CD price!
To order this CDR by snail mail, please send check, money order, or well-hidden cash in the amount of $13.90 (U.S.) or $15.90 (outside of U.S.) to: RvStewart, P.O. Box 613, Sandia Park, NM 87047 U.S.A. and make check or money order payable to RvStewart.
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