The Tulsa Sound

The Tulsa Sound is a musical style that originated in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was a mix of Rockabilly, Rock 'n' Roll, and Blues sounds of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Tulsa Sound artists include J. J. Cale, Rocky Frisco, Leon Russell, Elvin Bishop, Roger Tillison, Gene Crose, David Gates, Dwight Twilley, The Gap Band, Jim Byfield, Clyde Stacy, John D. Levan, Bill Pair, and Don White.

The first appearance of note by a Tulsa Sound musician was Rocky Frisco's Columbia Harmony vinyl album "The Big Ten" under the name "Rocky Curtiss and the Harmony Flames." The album was recorded in New York at Columbia's studio at 33rd and 3rd Street in 1959 during a time when Rocky lived in Pennsylvania. Leon Russell was the first member of the Tulsa scene to make inroads into the L.A. music scene, playing for Ricky Nelson along with James Burton. He then joined Phil Spector's Wrecking Crew and then produced Garry Lewis and Jan & Dean. Leon brought many Tulsans out to L.A. including Jimmy Karstein, Bill Raffensperger, Tommy Tripplehorn, Carl Radle, and Larry Bell . Taj Mahal had two Tulsans in his band: Chuck Blackwell and Gary Gillmore, and one Oklahoma City Native, Jesse Ed Davis .

Eric Clapton was perhaps the most prolific artist to promulgate the Tulsa sound. For ten years, Clapton's band consisted of Tulsans Carl Radle on bass, organist Dick Sims and drummer Jamie Oldaker. During that time, Clapton was a frequent performer at a variety of venues in the Tulsa area. John D. Levan was one of the first Tulsa lead guitarist having played for both Clyde Stacy in 1955, and Gene Crose 1956, then again with Stacy in 1957. Levan was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in Aug. 2004 along with Tulsa Radio Personality "rockin' John Henry.

Influence of the Tulsa Sound on other musicians

Perhaps the most influential songwriter and guitarist of the Tulsa scene was J. J. Cale. His influence has been cited by British guitarists Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler, among others. His songs have been recorded by many artists, including Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Deep Purple, The Allman Brothers Band, Johnny Cash, The Band, Santana, Captain Beefheart, and Bryan Ferry. Likewise the songs of Tulsan Elvin Bishop have often been covered by artists, including Starship. Music journalist John Wooley and others have noted that the Tulsa Sound has directly and indirectly contributed to various other genres of music, including genres outside of rock music like alt-country and Red Dirt music.