July 17–24, 1997

critic pick|rockabilly

In the beginning, Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys were a band half their present size with half their present musical diversity.

In the early days they specialized in reproducing that old roots-of-rock sound, recalls Sandy. They practically played the scratches off those old rockabilly records, they were so reverent. Over the last nine years the band and their repertoire has expanded. They still have a late '40s, early 50s vibe, but are now confidently original, doing what the hot small bands did then, blending country, Western swing and R&B to come up with a signature sound.

Sandy's singing is central to the band's style. It's a sweet, soft voice in conversation. When singing, he works in various styles, from country to Western swing smoothies to jump-blues shouters and loudmouth rockabillies.

The steel and electric guitar players, Lee Jeffriess and Ashley Kingman, make the Fly-Rite Boys' sound. Their specialty is playing off each other in a way that some compare to Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant. If you've followed the Boys this far, don't miss this show, when their new boogie/barrelhouse/stride piano player, Sonny Leyland, makes his area debut.

While Big Sandy's sound is quintessentially American, it's interesting to note that those three are from the UK.

"Originally I was opposed to [hiring the Brits]," says Sandy, who grew up in Orange County, CA. "I felt, this is American music!" But his heart softened when he finally found somebody who could recreate that Speedy West steel guitar sting. In touring, the Boys found that in Europe there is an even bigger, more enthusiastic audience for the music of their favorite era than here. The British folks learned the music the same way Sandy did, ferreting out old discs and then learning them by heart.

"I was lucky enough to be raised in a household that had a lot of old records," says the 32-year-old Sandy. His dad had country and Western swing, mom had R&B and doowop.

Sandy is stubborn in his concept of how the band's ever evolving sound should be presented. The HighTone CD, Feelin' Kinda Lucky, has the band's live sound, exactly as you'll hear it in concert, less the new piano player. Sandy is confident that the band has no flaws needing to be buried in the studio. He's also confident that the band generates energy, "but not the fake way, by cranking up the volume." He knows he's got the music that makes people stop and listen, and best of all, get up and dance.

Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys, Wed., July 23, Rittenhouse Square, 18th and Walnut Sts., free, 563-7400.

— Mary Armstrong