Carl “Sonny” Leyland – Hot Rhythm Blue Love
Rock-A-Billy R 113
Hot Rhythm, Blue Love – Beat Up Ford /Air Conditioner Blues
This superb single from Carl Sonny Leyland was recorded in 1989 for Rock-A-Billy Records, Willie Lewis’ label. Leyland is accompanied by Joey Torres (drums) and Brad Smith (double bass).
Hot Rhythm Blue Love is a different version from the one that appears on I Like Boogie Woogie. While the album version had a country blues touch, this one is a raw Rock’ n’ Roll that Jerry Lee Lewis would not have denied during his Sun period.
Beat Up Ford is just as Rock’ n’ Roll but closer to Chuck Berry, somewhere between Maybelline and You Can’t Catch Me with a great dose of Johnny Johnson in it. Great art.
As its name suggests, Air Conditioner Blues is a superb blues that lasts over four minutes and leaves Leyland’s subtle pianistic touch plenty of room to expand.
Carl “Sonny” Leyland – I Like Boogie Woogie
On The Hill
Carl “Sonny” Leyland likes BoogieWoogie and plays it like no one else today, but not only, this is what this cd proves. It features the many sides of the english piano player : hillbilly, rockabilly, rural and city blues, and of course some boogie-woogie too.
Ten of the tracks included here have been previously released on Willie Lewis’ Rock-A-Billy records, which proves that Leyland is a serious cat about his music.
You’ll find Leyland playing harmonica, guitar and piano. The other musicians listed are Walter Leyland (Carl’s father), Ashley Kingman, Joey Torres, and some tracks are from the Krewmen, when they played the meanest rocking blues you could hear in 1985, before Carl left and their psychobilly era.
Historical (you’ll find some of Carl’s early sides) and musical value.
Carl “Sonny” Leyland – From Boogie to Rock’n’Roll
Honky Tonk Productions HT104 [1995]
Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie – Cat And Mouse Boogie – The Axe Is Falling – New Yancey Stomp – Back To The Boogie – Beat Me Daddy Eight To The Bar – Jook It Jook It – End Of The Road – Rock And Roll Ruby – Gulf Stream Special – Night Time Is The Right Time – Tuesday Struggle – Drinkin’ Wine Spodee-Odee – Pig Foot Pete – Jimmy’s Stuff – Brown Skin Girls – Couscous Boogie – Chattanoogie – What’d I Say
The name of this album says it all. Leyland recorded this platter in France on a grand Steinway, either alone or with Matt Radford on bass and Brian Nevill on drums. He plays classics from the boogie-woogie era (Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie, Pig Foot Pete), Rock’n’roll (Jerry Lee Lewis’ End of the Road, Drinkin’ Wine Spodee-Odee, Rock’ n’ Roll Ruby) with plenty of blues in between (Big Bill Broonzy’s Brown Skin Girls, Leyland’s the Axe is Falling.) Ray Charles’ What’d I Say ends the selection. Among the 19 tracks, seven are Leyland originals that proudly stand near the classics.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis
