GLENN REEVES
ROCK-A-BOOGIE / BETTY'S BOUNCE

Glenn Reeves. Born in Shamrock, Texas, on December 29, 1932. Died in Jacksonville, Florida, on November 19, 1998. Despite an interesting bunch of recordings that show his good manners as singer and relevant songwriter, Glenn’s place in History was firmly secured when he cut a raw demo of a slow-paced track titled “Heartbreak Hotel”. Written by Mae Boren Axton – with whom he co-wrote some of his own sides -, little did he know that the hypnotic song would be Elvis Presley’s first number-one hit and one of the best-selling records during 1956. Reeves had developed his country roots while being a High School student and by the time he changed his Texas home for Florida after a short stint in the Marine Corps, he was absolutely convinced to pursue a career in music. Two solid rockers released on March 1958, none of them got Glenn’s recording career off the ground and by 1959 he returned to work as DJ, promoter and even launching his own country music TV show in the sixties. He remained quite active until the end of his life and finally, after all, he found the success he long deserved. Although he did so behind the scenes instead of taking the stage as a singer, his TNT, Republic, Atco and Decca recordings can be considered as a fantastic musical legacy. No doubt about that!