Bobby Poe

Bobby Poe (born Bobby Nelson Poe on April 13, 1933 in Vinita, Oklahoma) has had a long and varied career in the music business. In the mid-1950's he formed Bobby Poe and The Poe Kats, which featured legendary African-American piano player Big Al Downing and well respected lead guitar player Vernon Sandusky. Bobby Poe and The Poe Kats were also Rockabilly Queen Wanda Jackson's first Rock and Roll backing band. They toured with Wanda and also can be found on her early Capitol Records recordings, including the Rockabilly classic "Let's Have A Party". Bobby, Wanda, Big Al and Vernon are all members of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Bobby Poe and The Poe Kats got the attention of Sam Phillips of Sun Records with their first recorded track, "Rock and Roll Record Girl". Based on the music of the old standard "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy", "Rock and Roll Record Girl" was at first blocked from release by Wesley Rose of Acuff-Rose because of that fact. By the time all of the legal hurdles were cleared, Sam Phillips was no longer interested in releasing the track. Instead, legendary Dallas, Texas radio personality Jim Lowe stepped in and released the single on his White Rock Records label. "Rock and Roll Record Girl" b/w Rock and Roll Boogie" became a #1 single in the state of Texas.

After one more single for Jim Lowe's White Rock Records entitled "Piano Nellie", under the name of Bobby Brant and The Rhythm Rockers, Bobby Poe gave up his career as an artist to become an artist manager. His first client was Big Al Downing. In the 1960's, Poe moved to the Washington, D.C. area and expanded his operation. He managed and co-produced The Chartbusters, which featured his old bandmate Vernon Sandusky. The Chartbusters scored a Top 40 hit in 1964 with their recording "She's The One". Poe also co-managed The British Walkers, which featured Bobby Howard and legendary guitarist Roy Buchanan.

In 1968, Poe again switched gears and started several music tip sheets for music industry insiders and radio stations. The most successful tip sheet was Pop Music Survey, which grew significantly when Poe began an annual music convention. After 25 successful conventions, Poe retired in 1996.

References

*Country Music Foundation, The (1998). "Bobby Poe". In "The Encyclopedia of Country Music". Paul Kingsbury, Editor. Publisher: Oxford University Press. See pages 135 and 260.
*Escott, Colin (2002). "Bobby Poe". In "Roadkill on the Three-Chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music". Publisher: Routledge. See page 153.

External links

* [http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/artists/p/poe-1000.htm Bobby Poe discography]