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Rockabilly Pioneer Billy Lee Riley Dies at 75

Rockabilly innovator, songwriter and one-time Sun Records recording artist Billy Lee Riley died Sunday of colon cancer that had spread to the bone. Riley, 75, had been convalescing at a hospital in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

A raucous performer responsible for the 1957 rockabilly numbers 'Flyin' Saucers Rock and Roll' and 'Red Hot' -- both of which featured Jerry Lee Lewis on piano -- Riley also worked as a studio musician for the likes of Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison. Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen have publicly acknowledged Riley, who was introduced to the blues by black sharecroppers as a child, as one of their favorite performers from the era.

Despite being an influential act, he never achieved the stardom of Sun peers. Riley blamed the label's owner Sam Phillips for prioritizing Lewis' 'Great Balls of Fire' over 'Red Hot' in a 2000 San Diego Union-Tribune interview, saying, "After Jerry Lee got on the label, Sam got hung up on him. A singing piano player was something very different, and he thought it could be another Elvis Presley." After being booked on DJ Alan Freed's rock and roll tour, Riley claimed that "Sam got me kicked off the tour and sabotaged my record and called the distributors and canceled all the orders because he only wanted to go with Jerry Lee."

Riley performed for Sun Records for four years with his band, the Little Green Men, and was notable for being the first rockabilly band to incorporate saxophone and piano. In 1962, he had moved to Los Angeles working on sessions by Herb Alpert, Rick Nelson, Dean Martin, the Beach Boys and Sammy Davis Jr. In the early '70s, he quit music altogether and returned home to Arkansas .

A private funeral was held yesterday in Newport, Arkansas. Riley is survived by his fourth wife, four children, three siblings and two grandchildren.

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Jeremy Fletcher, Redferns / Getty Images
Jeremy Fletcher, Redferns / Getty Images

Dearly Departed Musicians

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    Lici Beveridge, Jonesboro Sun / AP

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Mike Licht

August was a rough month for American music.

See

http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/a-rough-month-for-american-music/

August 28 2009 at 10:11 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Sara

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Sara

August 08 2009 at 4:10 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
f i sherman

and the far off voice was heard singing, ' My gal is red hot (background) Your gal ain't diddly squat........" Yhanks for the memories Daddy O.

August 06 2009 at 1:23 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
f i sherman

Oh, she'll just move back to Montana, Barb...... Ya know how these kids are, never stayin in one place too long......

August 05 2009 at 6:48 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
louisiana_sweetie2002

some people can't read!

August 05 2009 at 6:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
johncelvis

thats stupid comment is uncalled for and not funny billy lee riley is the one that died

August 05 2009 at 5:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
michael bartalomy

people of the earth can you hear me,came a voice from the sky on that magical night

Billy Thorpe Children of the sun

August 05 2009 at 5:54 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
flamethrowinmike

All the music greats are leaving us.Soon there will be no good musicians left.

August 05 2009 at 5:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to flamethrowinmike's comment
kw

You need to listen to some CD'S and put up those old 45's. Then maybe you will see that there is a lot of talent out there that is younger than 65 years old.

August 05 2009 at 7:14 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
monica

IT seems that more people are dying of cancer these days. What's wrong with this picture???

August 05 2009 at 5:14 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to monica's comment
Robert J. Cooper

The short answer may be the American diet. According to T.Colin Campbell, author of "The China Study", the most massive nutritional study to date, the Asians in their country get 90 percent less prostate and breast cancer; however, the ones who move to stateside and other western diet areas, soon catch up with the maladies. Check out "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman; "Prevent and Reverse Heart Attacks" by Dr.Caldwell Esselstyn; "The Okinawa Program", "The Kellog Study"

August 05 2009 at 7:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Verne Strickland

Man, the shadows grow long in the history of rock and rollers, don't they? Billy Lee Riley came close to the big spotlight, but didn't get the blessing of Sam Phillips. Many of us heard him, but many didn't. God rest his soul. Gets my heart to recall those old faded years. Rock and roll will never die, but those who kept it alive are passing on.

August 05 2009 at 4:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply