Boyd Bennett...Tennessee Rock'n'Roll

 

Boyd Byron Bennett (December 7, 1924 – June 2, 2002) was an American rockabilly/rock'n'roll songwriter and singer. His two biggest hit singles, both written with John F Young and performed by him (Boyd) were "Seventeen" with his band, the Rockets (U.S. No. 5), (U.S. Rn'B No.7), as well as No.16 on the UK Singles Chart, and "My Boy, Flat Top" (U.S. No.39). He later became a disc jockey in Kentucky. He also worked with Francis Craig and Moon Mullican.

In 1955, Boyd Bennett and His Rockets recorded "Seventeen". Bennett aimed the song directly at the teenage audience, but producer Syd Nathan dismissed the effort and claimed that teenagers had no money to buy records. Bennett shrewdly waited until Nathan left for a two-week vacation, and prevailed upon Nathan's assistant Henry Glover to release the record.

It reached the Billboard chart on July 9, 1955, and went to the number five by September. Boyd and the Rockets traveled across the nation. The Boyd Bennett disc of "Seventeen" "changed record-producing/buying and marketing forever," wrote musicologist Robert Reynolds: "As Boyd Bennett had predicted, teenagers bought 'Seventeen' in droves and other record companies soon began producing songs aimed specifically at the teen market. The record hung around the Top Ten for five weeks. When all was said and done, [Bennett's] 'Seventeen' had sold three million copies."

Boyd Bennett and his band followed "Seventeen" with "My Boy Flat Top" (almost identical, melodically) which reached the Top 40 for a number of months, although a lesser seller than their earlier effort. Boyd also worked as a disc jockey in 1955 in Louisville, Kentucky. In March 1956, Boyd's group released their cover version of "Blue Suede Shoes".

In 1959, Bennett left King Records and commenced a subsequent brief recording career with Mercury. Noting that he was drifting away from a teenage audience, he left the music industry and built up his business interests, which included owning nightclubs and an air-conditioning parts manufacturer. In the 1970s and 1980s, Bennett had health issues with both lymphoma and pulmonary fibrosis. He retired in Dallas, although he made infrequent concert appearances, often with Ray Price. He also recorded for Dallas-based Christian record label Rainbow, including the 1980s album "Step Into The Sunshine".

Bennett was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame for his contribution to the genre.

 Tennessee Rock'n'Roll