Colin Escott Collection

ArchivalResource

Colin Escott Collection

1940-2000

This collection consists of materials, mostly photographs, collected by Colin Escott for his various books, articles, and research. The collection chiefly covers subjects toward the country, rock, pop, blues, R&B, and pop artists Escott worked with primarily on reissues.

5 linear feet, in 13 document boxes

eng, Latn

Related Entities

There are 12 Entities related to this resource.

King, B. B., 1925-2015

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bh3g58 (person)

B.B. King was born Riley B. King Sept. 16, 1925 in Itta Bena, MS. He got the nickname "Beale Street Blues Boy", later shortened to "Blues Boy", and finally to B.B. while working as a disc jokey. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, King was a part of the blues scene on Beale Street and by the 1950s he became one of the most important names in R&B music. He died May 14, 2015 in Las Vegas, NV.B.B. King was born Riley B. King in Itta Bena, Mississippi on September 16, 1925. His parents, Nora Ella and...

Horton, Johnny, 1925-1960

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6dg04qf (person)

John LaGale Horton (April 30, 1925 – November 5, 1960) was an American country, honky tonk and rockabilly musician during the 1950s. He is best known for a series of history-inspired narrative country saga songs that became international hits. His 1959 single "The Battle of New Orleans" was awarded the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording.[1] The song was awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award and in 2001 ranked No. 333 of the Recording Industry Association of America's "Songs o...

Cash, Johnny, 1932-2003

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6204tpv (person)

Johnny Cash was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He was known for his deep, calm bass-baritone voice, the train-like chugging guitar rhythms, free prison concerts, and a trademark all-black stage wardrobe which earned him the nickname "The Man in Black". Born to poor cotton farmers in Kingsland, Arkansas, Cash rose to fame in the burgeoning rockabilly scene in Memphis, Tennessee, after four years in the Air Force. Cash is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, ...

Escott, Colin, 1949-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6t54m4r (person)

Colin Escott (born 31 August 1949) is a British music historian and author specializing in early U.S. rock and roll and country music. His works include a biography of Hank Williams, histories of Sun Records and The Grand Ole Opry, liner notes for more than 500 albums and compilations, and major contributions to stage and television productions. Honors include multiple Grammy Awards and a Tony Award nomination....

Sun Records

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w651910j (corporateBody)

Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee on February 1, 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. Prior to that, Sun had concentrated mainly on African-American musicians because Phillips loved rhythm and blues and wanted to bring it to a white audience. On January 28, 2021, Sun Records was acquired by Primary Wave for $30 million....

Miller, Roger, 1936-1992

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64b40ts (person)

Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping country hits "King of the Road", "Dang Me", and "England Swings". After growing up in Oklahoma and serving in the U.S. Army, Miller began his musical career as a songwriter in the late 1950s, writing such hits as "Billy Bayou" and "Home" for Jim Reeves and "Invitation to the Blues" for Ray Price. He later began a recording...

Lewis, Jerry Lee, 1935-2022

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6cn76zg (person)

Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935 – October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock 'n' roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made his first recordings in 1952 at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studio in New Orleans, Louisiana, and early recordings in 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. "Crazy Arms" sold 300,000 copies in the Southern United States, but it was his 1957 hit "Whole Lot...

Orbison, Roy, 1936-1988

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6x0700v (person)

Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as operatic, earning him the nicknames "The Caruso of Rock" and "The Big O". Many of Orbison's songs conveyed vulnerability at a time when most male rock-and-roll performers chose to project machismo. He performed while standing motionless and wearing black clothes ...

Singleton, Shelby S., 1931-2009

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6tg59jw (person)

Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. (December 16, 1931 – October 7, 2009) was an American record producer and record label owner. After his military discharge he worked in a munitions company, based in Shreveport, Louisiana for five years before being hired to promote Starday Records country music catalog. When a marketing arrangement between Starday and Mercury Records was terminated, Singleton was hired by Mercury to do promotional work. He rose in the company to become a record producer and e...

Williams, Hank, 1923-1953

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6xj0j61 (person)

Hank Williams (b. September 17, 1923, Mt. Olive, AL–d. January 1, 1953, Oak Hill, WV) was an American singer-songwriter. Williams recorded 35 singles (five released posthumously). Born in Mount Olive, Butler County, Alabama, Williams relocated to Georgiana with his family, where he met Rufus Payne. Payne had a major influence on Williams' later musical style, along with Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb. The songs he wrote and recorded have been covered by numerous artists and have been hits in vari...

Perkins, Carl, 1932-1998

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6086jz1 (person)

Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, beginning in 1954. Among his best-known songs are "Blue Suede Shoes", "Honey Don't", "Matchbox" and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby". According to fellow musician Charlie Daniels, "Carl Perkins' songs personified the rockabilly era, and Carl Perkins' sound personifies the rockabilly...

Phillips, Sam, 1923-2003

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6p56sqz (person)

Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Howlin' Wolf. Phillips played a major role in the development of rock and roll during the 1950s, launching the career of Presley. In 1969, he sold Sun to Shelby Singleton. Phillips was the owner and operator of radio station...