A teenage guitar player who helped shape early rock and roll before his death at 21.
For a quick sense of his sound, put on 'Summertime Blues' and 'C'mon Everybody.' They still have that raw, driving feel.
He wrote 'Summertime Blues' in 1956, a song that became an anthem for a generation of teenagers feeling restless. That track, along with 'C'mon Everybody' and 'Somethin' Else,' captured the energy of the rockabilly scene just as it was taking off in California. Years later, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones would point to him as an early influence.
His family moved from Minnesota to California in 1954, where he started playing guitar in his teens. 'Summertime Blues' broke through in 1956, followed by other singles like 'Dark Lonely Street' and 'Completely Sweet.' He died in a car accident in England in 1959.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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