Jimmy Reagan & The Rhythm Rockers, "Lonely, Lonely Heart" c/w "Can't You See It In My Eyes," G&G 128 (rel. 4/1959)
California teen rockabilly is in today's menu. (No ride on the great train ferry boat is included, alas.) Jimmy Reagan & The Rhythm Rockers made this one single and vamoosed into the fog of history. Some musicos suggest he came from the Texas-Louisiana area, but that's just a guess based on the sound of this 1959 single.
Those who aren't fans of Elvis Presley imitations may be put off by this rugged twin-spin. Reagan was an excellent mimic of the Memphis boy's vocal style, as were many young rockabilly hopefuls in the 1950s. It's arguable that any teenager from the South with the desire to sing rhythm and blues material, at this time, is going to sound like Elvis. Reagan has a great rasp to his voice and sings with confidence and feeling. "Lonely Lonely Heart" is a great swamp pop-adjacent torch song reminiscent of "One Night of Sin," the 1956 New Orleans hit by Black singer Smiley Lewis which Elvis sang as the less suggestive but just-as-guilt-wracked "One Night" (with cleaner lyrics penned by Anita Steiman) after RCA-Victor rejected a straightforward cover of the Lewis original. Both versions are infamous for the use of a triple negative in the line "I ain't never done no wrong." If two negatives make a positive, what does the third one do...?
Back to our record, 'cos that's all we have here. No Cash Box review, no photos, no bio. The Rhythm Rockers do their job as backup well: some twangy asides from their lead guitarist but otherwise they provide a solid chonk of sound in support of Reagan's earthy vocal stand on his own composition. No need to be fussy over the soundalike angle: just enjoy the home-baked angst of song and performance, as well-recorded by this mom and pop label out of Benicia, CA.
"Can't You See It In My Eyes" is an affecting rockaballad with an eerie feeling. Reagan's vibrato gets a bit much in spots, as if he's standing atop a paint shaker in a Benicia hardware store. The song lasts just long enough to state its thesis, ruminate on the theme and make a graceful exit.
In the hands of a major record label, this could've been ruined in so many ways. The Dread Chorus would be first in line: mooing professional background singers' invasion of genuine ground-level vernacular music. An arranger might write a part for a melodramatic trumpet in an ostinato that vies with Reagan's voice for top-dog status. Let us be thankful this is just a hole-in-the-wall record produced by folks who didn't wish to interfere. There aren't enough rockabilly records like this one.
Tomorrow: Johnny Bragg and The Marigolds, featuring Jukebox hero Robert S. Riley, on their last and most sought after single--an Excello Records platter of note from 1956.
Love these! Like yesterday's Ray Stanley songs, these feel fresh and simple. They're not over produced, no tricks, just good rock-a-billy musicianship.
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