Charlie Bop Trio - Mr. Big Feet

 On this day October 6, 1958 the Charlie Bop Trio recorded "Mr. Big Feet." 


 










 

I don’t know much about the Charlie Bop trio other than that two of the trio are Charles Johnson and lead singer Jimmy Kersey (who sadly passed away January 9, 2012.) The single came out on Capitol in November/December 1958 and was backed by Tokyo Queen. Like most people this side of the Atlantic, I didn’t hear it until the rockabilly revival when it was released on the Capitol Rockabilly Originals vinyl lp in 1977.

What an opening to a record – “Hello there man, what’s your front name?” – “They call me Big Feet”. Eat your heart out Tin Pan Alley, this is hillbilly Leiber and Stoller. According to Bear Family nothing is known about the band other than the record was recorded on 6th October 1958, and if Bear Family drew a blank that’s pretty much it. We might not have the details, but we’ve got the music. This Ken Nelson produced blast is really something. It has a jazz/blues based urgent swing combined with the urgency of Rockabilly, punctuated with a hot solo sax half way through and call-and-response vocals, altogether creating a highly original entry into the Rockabilly world.

If you can’t find a copy of the single or the vinyl album, your best bet is the Bear Family’s 1993 CD, That’ll Flat Git It Volume 3 or the Disky CD, A Rockabilly Party Vol.2 (2000). Go, go, go, Mr Feet – that’s what you hear them hepcats say.
(Info mainly Dave Travis from Rockabilly Party CD)