Rockabilly Live at The Louisiana Hayride. Tommy changed from hillbilly to rockabilly after watching one of Elvis early Louisiana Hayride performances.Tommy was born in Dallas, Texas in 1931. His life ended in tragedy when he was murdered by his wife in 1985.
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Tommy Blake was one of the more curious characters of the Big Beat era. He was a man with talent, but seemed unable to channel his talent in the right direction. Instead of harvesting the rewards he should have received for his genuine songwriting ability, he burnt too many fingers and rubbed too many people the wrong way. Bill Millar has said of Blake, "The records of Tommy Blake afford a glimpse of a man of considerable imagination as well as flights of indiscipline". He continued, saying Blake was a "headlong troublemaker" and concluded with the lugubrious summary of his life being "-a psychodrama far cheaper than any he wrote about". Noted musicologist Colin Escott similarly opined, "Tommy Blake's life was a How-Not-To-Do-It manual", elaborating with the unfavorable retrospection ... "He was one of the guys who never really made it but got close enough to know what 'making it' was all about. Close enough to know that he wanted it badly. Some guys can give it a shot, accept that the public doesn't want to buy what they have to sell, then move on, happy that they at least tried. Not Tommy Blake. He couldn't accept the public's verdict with good grace".
Rockabilly Live at The Louisiana Hayride.
ReplyDeleteTommy changed from hillbilly to rockabilly after watching one of Elvis early Louisiana Hayride performances.Tommy was born in Dallas, Texas in 1931. His life ended in tragedy when he was murdered by his wife in 1985.
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Tommy Blake was one of the more curious characters of the Big Beat era. He was a man with talent, but seemed unable to channel his talent in the right direction. Instead of harvesting the rewards he should have received for his genuine songwriting ability, he burnt too many fingers and rubbed too many people the wrong way. Bill Millar has said of Blake, "The records of Tommy Blake afford a glimpse of a man of considerable imagination as well as flights of indiscipline". He continued, saying Blake was a "headlong troublemaker" and concluded with the lugubrious summary of his life being "-a psychodrama far cheaper than any he wrote about". Noted musicologist Colin Escott similarly opined, "Tommy Blake's life was a How-Not-To-Do-It manual", elaborating with the unfavorable retrospection ...
"He was one of the guys who never really made it but got close enough to know what 'making it' was all about. Close enough to know that he wanted it badly. Some guys can give it a shot, accept that the public doesn't want to buy what they have to sell, then move on, happy that they at least tried. Not Tommy Blake. He couldn't accept the public's verdict with good grace".
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