Ronnie
Haig
Still Kickin' Butt!!
A
contemporary of both rock-and-roll legends like Chuck
Berry and his own compatriots in the Rockabilly Hall of
Fame, Ronnie Haig has returned from a long, self-imposed
exile. After an initial burst of fame, followed by 20
years of life as a salesman, his self-produced new release,
Still Kickin' Butt!! stays true to his unique combination
of whipsmart rockabilly and twangy rock-and-roll.
The
disc leads with a new version of Haig's 1958 hit, "Don't
You Hear Me Calling Baby," a snappy little rocker
that will live forever for the notoriety of being banned
in Boston for reputedly containing a dirty word (it didn't),
years before the Kingsmen would suffer a similar fate
with "Louie, Louie." The next song, "Million
Dollar Quartet," contains some of Haig's best writing,
detailing not only the famous gathering between Johnny
Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and The King at Sun
Records in Memphis, but also Haig's own love affair with
rockabilly music.
The
remaining 20 songs give a good taste of one of rockabilly's
genuine and original voices, who can still take songs
like "Rockabilly Queen," and "Tattooed
Head to Toe," and give them a hot shuffle. The guy
may have lost his place in history to the Beatles but
he's returned to give us a taste of how rock-and-roll
started in the first place.
S.
Clayton Moore
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