Charlie Feathers

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January 05, 2006

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By BEN RATLIFF Charlie Feathers, one of the great original rockabilly singers, died Aug. 29 at St. Francis Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. He was 66 and lived in Memphis. The cause was complications from a stroke, his wife, Rosemary, said. On his best records of the mid- and late 1950s, released on the Sun, Meteor and King labels, Feathers' voice is completely original -- a trembling, high, humid plaint. He sang classic songs that defined the meeting place of honky-tonk, bluegrass and rockabilly, including "You're Right, I'm Left, She's Gone" (which Elvis Presley recorded for Sun), "Defrost Your Heart," "One Hand Loose" and -- perhaps the most prized record of rockabilly enthusiasts -- "Tongue Tied Jill." That song -- about a "real gone chick" with a speech problem, which Feathers demonstrated in its babbling chorus -- was born from his conversation with a stammering telephone operator. But his records sold poorly, and historians of American music have recounted Feathers' career as a question: Why didn't Feathers, with all his talent, attain any of the fame of Sun records label-mates like Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis? It could have been his voice, which was slightly too hiccupingly and shriekingly radical for mass consumption. It could have been his rudimentary education; he was barely literate. Some thought it was his character, often described as brash and aggressive. Feathers always insisted, contrary to other accounts, that he was intimately involved in many of Presley's early songs, as arranger and sometimes as writer. His only writing credit for a Presley song was a shared one, on "I Forgot to Remember to Forget. There was no question, however, of his talent. "In the blues feeling that he put into a hillbilly song," Sam Phillips, the head of Sun records, has said, "Charlie should have been just a superb top country artist. He could have been the George Jones of his day -- a superb stylist." Feathers was born near Holly Springs, Miss., and grew up in a family of tenant farmers. He took guitar lessons from Junior Kimbrough, the blues singer, who lived on a nearby farm. Having left school by the age of 10, he worked on oil pipelines with his father in Illinois and Texas. He settled in Memphis in 1950, and his first recording, on the Flip label, was "I've Been Deceived," in 1955. By 1960, after about a dozen singles, his career was lagging. He persevered, and eventually European rockabilly fans discovered him. After the broadcast of a British television documentary, he did a concert at the Rainbow Theater in London in 1977 that was recorded by EMI; this raised his stock considerably, but by then he was classified as an oldies performer. In later years, Feathers played locally around Memphis, often in a band with his son and daughter. His final album, self-titled, was recorded in 1991 for Elektra/Nonesuch as part of the label's Explorer series. "Get With It: Essential Recordings 1954-69," a reissue of his greatest moments, was just released by Revenant. In addition to his wife, Feathers is survived by his sons, Charles (Bubba) Jr., and Ricky , both of Memphis; a daughter, Wanda Vanzant of Memphis; five brothers, Olton, of Memphis; V.A., of Pottscamp, Miss.; Herbert, of Holly Spring, Miss.; Lawrence, of Olive Branch, Miss., and Darnell, of South Haven, Miss, and three grandchildren.

Sounds Like:

One hundred Million Angels Singin'

Record Label:

King, Sun, Meteor, Rollin Rock