Just how many rockabilly acts were stomping the stages of America's honky tonks and high school gymnasiums back in the '50s? Probably more than any sane person could count, but the folks at Norton Records keep uncovering more and more recorded evidence of little-known boppers with their Kicksville series, and
Kicksville, Vol. 4 collects 21 studio acetates from Dallas-based rockabilly acts. Gene Rambo and the Flames dominate this disc with eight tunes, and sound fine indeed on spirited covers of "Dance to the Bop" and "Shake, Rattle and Roll," while getting suitably lascivious on "Hot Lips and Swivel Hips." (Another Rambo, first name Bobby, contributes three tunes including "The Bony Moronie Twist," though thankfully Sylvester Stallone's invite must have gotten lost in the mail.) Meanwhile, Vince Murphy and the Catalinas rock on out with "Evil Eye" (and go for some enjoyably lowbrow laughs on "Smooth Move"),
Gene Vincent and
Ronnie Dawson team up to add some star power with an unissued recording of "Hey Mama," and Scotty McKay offers high-powered spiritual advice with "Don't Wait." While not every artist here falls into the category of neglected genius, this is consistently fun stuff (even the sloppier acts have a high level of teenage energy and attitude to spare), and the sound quality is fine for the most part (though some of these discs show a lot more wear than others).
Kicksville, Vol. 4 is a valuable record of what the kids were grooving to in the Big D back in the day, and worthwhile listening for vintage rockabilly obsessives. ~ Mark Deming