Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Some birthdays today: Billy Lee Riley, 1933, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, 1958
Billy Lee Riley
Billy Lee Riley (October 5, 1933 – August 2, 2009) was an American rockabilly musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. His most memorable recordings include "Rock With Me Baby", "Flyin' Saucers Rock & Roll" and "Red Hot".
Biography
Riley was born in Pocahontas, Arkansas, the son of a sharecropper. He learned to play the guitar from black farm workers. After four years in the Army, he first recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1955, before being persuaded by Sam Phillips to record for Sun Studios. He then recorded "Trouble Bound", produced by Jack Clement and Slim Wallace. Phillips obtained the rights and released "Trouble Bound" backed with "Rock with Me Baby" on September 1, 1956 (Sun 245). Riley’s first hit was "Flyin' Saucers Rock and Roll", backed with "I Want You Baby", released February 23, 1957 (Sun 260), with backing piano by Jerry Lee Lewis. Riley then recorded "Red Hot", backed with "Pearly Lee", released September 30, 1957 (Sun 277).
"Red Hot" was showing promise as a hit record, but Phillips stopped promoting it so as to promote "Great Balls of Fire", by Jerry Lee Lewis. Riley felt that his chances of chart success were compromised when Phillips diverted resources to Lewis's career.[1] He had made other recordings for Sun, and they likewise did not have a lot of sales, as Phillips did not promote them. Like other artists, such as Sonny Burgess, Hayden Thompson, Ray Harris, and Warren Smith, chart success largely eluded him.
Considered good looking and with wild stage moves, Riley had a brief solo career with his backing band, the Little Green Men. Riley and his Little Green Men were the main Sun studio band. The band consisted of Riley, the guitarist Roland Janes, the drummer J. M. Van Eaton, the bassist Marvin Monroe Peppers, and Jimmy Wilson, later joined by Martin Willis.
In 1960, Riley left Sun and started Rita Records with Roland Janes. They produced the national hit "Mountain of Love", by Harold Dorman. Riley later started two other labels, Nita and Mojo.
In 1962, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a session musician with Dean Martin, the Beach Boys, Herb Alpert, and Sammy Davis Jr., among others, and also recorded under various aliases.
Riley appeared in a Scopitone performing the song “High Heel Sneakers”, filmed live at the Whiskey a Go Go, in Hollywood, in 1965. That same year Mercury Records released the LP Whiskey a Go Go Presents Billy Lee Riley, recorded live at the Whiskey a Go Go.
In the early 1970s, Riley quit music to return to Arkansas and started his own construction business. In 1978 "Red Hot" and "Flyin' Saucers Rock 'n' Roll" were covered by Robert Gordon and Link Wray, which led to a one-off performance in Memphis in 1979, the success of which led to further recording at Sun Studio and a full-time return to performing.
Rediscovered in 1992 by Bob Dylan, who had been a fan since 1956, Riley played rock and roll, blues, and country blues.
Billy Lee Riley (October 5, 1933 – August 2, 2009) was an American rockabilly musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. His most memorable recordings include "Rock With Me Baby", "Flyin' Saucers Rock & Roll" and "Red Hot".
Biography
Riley was born in Pocahontas, Arkansas, the son of a sharecropper. He learned to play the guitar from black farm workers. After four years in the Army, he first recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1955, before being persuaded by Sam Phillips to record for Sun Studios. He then recorded "Trouble Bound", produced by Jack Clement and Slim Wallace. Phillips obtained the rights and released "Trouble Bound" backed with "Rock with Me Baby" on September 1, 1956 (Sun 245). Riley’s first hit was "Flyin' Saucers Rock and Roll", backed with "I Want You Baby", released February 23, 1957 (Sun 260), with backing piano by Jerry Lee Lewis. Riley then recorded "Red Hot", backed with "Pearly Lee", released September 30, 1957 (Sun 277).
"Red Hot" was showing promise as a hit record, but Phillips stopped promoting it so as to promote "Great Balls of Fire", by Jerry Lee Lewis. Riley felt that his chances of chart success were compromised when Phillips diverted resources to Lewis's career.[1] He had made other recordings for Sun, and they likewise did not have a lot of sales, as Phillips did not promote them. Like other artists, such as Sonny Burgess, Hayden Thompson, Ray Harris, and Warren Smith, chart success largely eluded him.
Considered good looking and with wild stage moves, Riley had a brief solo career with his backing band, the Little Green Men. Riley and his Little Green Men were the main Sun studio band. The band consisted of Riley, the guitarist Roland Janes, the drummer J. M. Van Eaton, the bassist Marvin Monroe Peppers, and Jimmy Wilson, later joined by Martin Willis.
In 1960, Riley left Sun and started Rita Records with Roland Janes. They produced the national hit "Mountain of Love", by Harold Dorman. Riley later started two other labels, Nita and Mojo.
In 1962, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a session musician with Dean Martin, the Beach Boys, Herb Alpert, and Sammy Davis Jr., among others, and also recorded under various aliases.
Riley appeared in a Scopitone performing the song “High Heel Sneakers”, filmed live at the Whiskey a Go Go, in Hollywood, in 1965. That same year Mercury Records released the LP Whiskey a Go Go Presents Billy Lee Riley, recorded live at the Whiskey a Go Go.
In the early 1970s, Riley quit music to return to Arkansas and started his own construction business. In 1978 "Red Hot" and "Flyin' Saucers Rock 'n' Roll" were covered by Robert Gordon and Link Wray, which led to a one-off performance in Memphis in 1979, the success of which led to further recording at Sun Studio and a full-time return to performing.
Rediscovered in 1992 by Bob Dylan, who had been a fan since 1956, Riley played rock and roll, blues, and country blues.
He's got some mighty flexible fingers.
You know the tune:
Bonus: watch the Trump Hotel DC get blown up at 0:14. The first minute and last thirty seconds of footageare from Ray Harryhausen's Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Tyson in 2017 receiving Stephen Hawking's Science Award
Neil deGrasse Tyson (/dəˈɡræs/; born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysicist, author, and science communicator. Since 1996, he has been the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City. The center is part of the American Museum of Natural History, where Tyson founded the Department of Astrophysics in 1997 and has been a research associate in the department since 2003.
Tyson in 2017 receiving Stephen Hawking's Science Award
Neil deGrasse Tyson (/dəˈɡræs/; born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysicist, author, and science communicator. Since 1996, he has been the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City. The center is part of the American Museum of Natural History, where Tyson founded the Department of Astrophysics in 1997 and has been a research associate in the department since 2003.
Here he is on a recent episode of Stephen Colbert. Colbert has a beard, which lets you know this is from September.