High Geared Daddy - Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight

Webb Pierce was flashy. Godfather of rockabilly and king of the honky tonks, Webb Pierce was the biggest country star of the 1950s. His look alone defined hillbilly glitz and glamor. A Louisiana Hayride star, he replaced Hank Williams on the Grand Ole Opry in 1952. Of his 96 charted singles, 13 were #1's and 39 others were Top Tens. While living the hard-boozing honky tonk life he sang about, Pierce also made a fortune publishing songs and owning radio stations. But his scorched earth business style made enemies, and consequently, he didn't enter the Country Music Hall of Fame until 2001, ten years after he died.

The whole story is here together with some of the shakin'est music that Webb Pierce ever recorded. The 32 performances on this Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight collection cover eleven years (1949-1959) and three labels, Four Star, Pacemaker and Decca. Highlights include Pierce's rarely-heard rockabilly version of Teen Age Boogie, with a rawer arrangement, previously only issued in England in 1956. This set also features a new essay written by Rich Kienzle.