Fat Daddy Holmes - Chicken Rock
Chicken Rock / Where Yo Is
Jet JET 505 (1960)
Just a few lines on this 45 as I can't find much information on the artist, the recording details or the label.
Fat Daddy is listed as being William Allan Holmes and this 45 on the Californian Jet label appears to be his one and only 45 release. It was also released in 1960 on the Canadian Apex label. A fairly rare record, my copy here is a 1980s repro/bootleg copy.
Although I haven't yet been able to confirm it 100%, William (Bill) Holmes could have been the owner of All-American label which ran from the mid to late 60s.
B. Bartlett is credited as the songwriter with some web pages listing it as the English born Bill Bartlett who formed The Lemon Pipers and later Ram Jam. At least one web page states that Chicken Rock is played by (Wild) Bill Bartlett although credited to Fat Daddy. Not finding any information as to when Bill was born I can't really confirm that this is/could be the same Bartlett.
If you have any other information please drop it in the comments.
Thanks for this feature, which I found out about from your recent post over at Twilight Zone. The instrumental "Chicken Rock" has been one of my favorites for decades. Back around 1980, when I was about 20 years of age, I was friends with a rockabilly collector named Gerry Bridges (RIP) who used to play me his JET label copy, and I later tracked down both sides on a now-classic compilation from Eagle Records. Over the years, I guess I've only been able to find out as much about this single as you've mentioned above (with the additional detail that the recordings seem to have taken place at Paul Bluff's PAL a/k/a Original Sound studio).
ReplyDeleteHowever, let me also mention, just in case you haven't yet run into it, this extremely interesting albeit somewhat confusing page about Bill Bartlett. To be sure, the musician in question is the "English" one -- the guitarist from the Lemon Pipers and Ram Jam. Yet up in the top right corner is a photo of someone (holding a double-neck Mosrite guitar) whom I very much suspect to be the OTHER guy, the Wild Bill Bartlett who was reportedly behind this fantastic "Chicken Rock." Anyway, you might wish to take a look and see what you think:
https://www.bobsyouruncle.net/TNM_Guitars/News/NewsExtra.htm
Thank you for the feedback. Yes I saw that picture and wondered who he was and as you said he might be the "other" guy. Guess we'll have to keep digging to find more information but in the meanwhile keeping spinning the 45!
ReplyDelete