Hardrock Gunter

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Hardrock Gunter
Background information
Birth nameSidney Louie Gunter Jr.
Also known asSidney Jo Lewis
Born(1925-02-27)February 27, 1925
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
DiedMarch 15, 2013(2013-03-15) (aged 88)
GenresRockabilly, western swing, rock
Occupation(s)Musician, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals
Years active1939–1960s
LabelsBama, Decca, King, Sun, Cross Country, Emperor, Island, Bronjo, GeeGee, Rollercoaster
Websitewww.hardrockgunter.com

Sidney Louie Gunter Jr. (February 27, 1925 – March 15, 2013), known as Hardrock Gunter, was a singer, songwriter and guitarist whose music at the turn of the 1950s prefigured rock and roll and rockabilly music.[1]

Biography

He was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He formed his first group, the Hoot Owl Ramblers, in his teens, and also performed a solo novelty act in talent shows. In 1939, he joined Happy Wilson's Golden River Boys, a country swing group, and acquired his nickname when a van trunk lid fell on him before a show and he never flinched.[2] After wartime service he returned to work with the group, before leaving to become their agent and starting to appear on local TV.

As a popular local personality, he was approached to record by Birmingham's

first rock and roll record, predating "Rocket 88" by a year.[2]

Gunter followed up with "Gonna Dance All Night", one of the first records to feature the actual words "rock'n'roll". When the Bama label folded, Gunter signed to

overdub on his recording of "Boppin' to Grandfather's Clock", released under the name Sidney Jo Lewis.[2][4]

He continued to record with limited success, and in the 1960s left the music business to develop a career in insurance, based in Colorado. He retired to Rio Rancho, New Mexico. In 1995 he began to perform again at festivals in England, Germany and the United States. He died in 2013, from complications of pneumonia,[5] at the age of 88.[2]

References

  1. AMG
    . Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d Matthew Loukes, Obituary, "The Guardian", 28 March 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2013
  3. ^ Joel Whitburn, Top Country Singles 1944-1993, Record Research Inc., 1994, p.120
  4. ^ Hardrock Gunter discography Archived October 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 29, 2013
  5. ^ Hardrock Gunter home page. Retrieved March 29, 2013

External links

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