Wild, wild women of rockabilly

January 27, 4:07 PMLA Vinyl Records ExaminerJason Gelt

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Janis Martin in her heyday. 

Why should Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and their other ducktailed brethren reap all the glory in the history of rockabilly? There were plenty of women who helped make the genre what it was in the '50s, who could yelp and holler and simmer with sexuality with the best of the fellas.

While the six musicians listed below are on the radars of any serious student of rockabilly music, they've been largely relegated to footnote status in the popular histories. Their records are hard to come by. Their original seven-inches go for big bucks on eBay. Wanda Jackson and Janis Martin were re-issued on vinyl by European record companies such as Bear Family Records in the '80s, which show up for relatively reasonable prices occasionally. Rounder Records put out an excellent compilation LP "Wild, Wild Young Women," that features killer cuts from several other ladies of rockabilly not included below, such as Jean Chapel, the Nettles Sisters and the Davis Sisters.

If you like what you read and hear, by all means search out these wild women's recordings.

Janis Martin. Nicknamed "The Female Elvis" because of her gyrating stage moves, Martin sold many a record in her all-too-brief heyday, although her popularity swiftly faded after her label dropped her for becoming a teen mother. Singing and playing music as early as the age of six, she was signed -- at the tender age of 15 -- to RCA Records, just two months after Elvis. Her song "Will You Willyum" was a top 40 pop hit. Listen to one of her best cuts, "Let's Elope Baby," HERE.

Sparkle Moore. My personal favorite in the female rockabilly arena, Sparkle Moore cultivated a dangerous, greaseball presence -- accentuated by an Elvis-influenced pompadour and leather men's clothing -- and had a hiccupy, quavery vocal delivery that is pure rockabilly to the core. "Skull and Crossbones" ("You should be labeled with a skull and crossbones") is one of her best recordings but you can listen to another single "Killer," HERE.

Rose Maddox. Along with her big brothers, Rose Maddox is more often associated with fiddlin' hillbilly music than rockabilly, but she recorded a slew of rockin' songs that deserve attention from rockabilly admirers. As the liner notes from "Wild, Wild Young Women" says "when Rose began performing rockabilly numbers...in 1954 and 1955 she was really simply throwing her honky-tonk singing style into overdrive..." Listen to "Stop Whistlin' Wolf" HERE.

Collins Kids. This juvenile rockabilly duo from Oklahoma featured Larry Collins (who at the age of 10 rocked out on a double-neck Mosrite guitar) and his older sister Lorrie, whose sultry delivery surely made many a teenage boy tingle and sweat. They did a lot of covers like "Shake Rattle and Roll" and "Chantilly Lace," and garnered a following through live television appearances on shows like Tex Ritter’s "Town Hall Party," but originals like "Hop Skip and Jump" and "Whistle Bait" are what they'll be remembered for. Watch them perform "Rock Boppin' Baby" HERE.

Wanda Jackson. The most celebrated female rockabilly of the 1950s, Jackson has also had the longest career of any of the ladies listed here. In fact, she still performs today, even as a septuagenarian, and will be inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame on April 4 of this year. Discovered by country music great Hank Thompson in 1954, she was soon recording an energetic hybrid of country and rockabilly that was at first only regionally successfully. She peaked with a top 40 hit with a cover of Elvis' "Let's Have a Party." As rockabilly's popularity waned, Jackson moved on to a successful second career as a straight country and gospel artist. Watch her sultry performance of "Hard Headed Woman" HERE.

Barbara Pittman. One of the few female singers to record at world-famous Sun Studios, Pittman's most well-known song was "I Need a Man," which was under promoted by Sam Philips' Sun subsidiary, International, and thus died and ignominious death before it could become a big hit. Covered in the '90s by Japanese garage girls the 5678's, it's a rough, raw, primal plea for love in the best rockabilly tradition. Listen for yourself HERE.