Tulsa Sound

Tulsa Sound

The Tulsa Sound is a musical style that originated in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was a mix of Rockabilly, Country, Rock 'n' Roll, and Blues sounds of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Tulsa Sound artists include JJ Cale, Rocky Frisco, Leon Russell, Elvin Bishop, Roger Tillison, Gene Crose, David Gates, The Tractors, Steve Ripley, David Teegarden, Dwight Twilley, The Gap Band, Jim Byfield, Clyde Stacy, John D. Levan, Bill Pair, The Zigs (previously The Notions), Gus Hardin 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. Clyde Stacy was one of the first, if not the first, Tulsa Sound musician to score a nationally charted record, {Hoy Hoy b/w So Young}. This was actually a double sided hit released by Candlelight Records in 1957. Don Wallace, a popular Tulsa disc jockey, was instrumental in landing the recording contract for Clyde. Members of the NiteCaps during that period were John D. Levan, Rick Eilerts and Bill Torbett. 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.www.rockabillyhall.com Another Tulsan, Billy Reynolds Eustise, scored a hit with his 1957 recording of "Cherry Pie."

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. Russell brought many Tulsans out to Los Angeles including Jimmy Karstein, Bill Raffensperger, Tommy Tripplehorn, Carl Radle, and Larry Bell. Russell was later co-owner of the Church Studio in Tulsa and of Shelter Records, which signed a number of significant Tulsa Sound artists.