Eric Grubbs
The Oklahoma City Rockabilly Mainstay Links With The Dallas-Based Genre Legends For A Retro Romp That’ll Have You Itching To Dance And Drink The Night Away.
Welcome to Song of the Day, where we hip you to all the new local releases you should be caring about. By highlighting one new North Texas-sprung tune every week day, our hope is that you’ll find something new to love about the rich and abundant DFW music scene five days a week.
Jimmy Dale Richardson with Reverend Horton Heat — “She’s Wild”
RIYL: putting on some old dancing shoes
What else you should know: With a thorough understanding of the history of rockabilly and punk rock in his voice and veins, Oklahoma City’s Jimmy Dale Richardson has unleashed a new single in which he’s backed by the Dallas-based Reverend Horton Heat trio of genre forebearers Jim Heath, Jimbo Wallace and Arjuna Contreras.
Today, we’re spotlighting the jumpin’ jive of the B-side, “She’s Wild.”
Recorded like it’s 1955 and not 2021, the track sounds like it was recorded on vintage microphones and amplifiers in a large room — all in one take.
The ambiance, the interplay and the joy coming from these four players is immense and immediately recognizable upon first blush. Tracked at Heath’s own studio, the spring of a cut clocks a little over two minutes and stands as a good-time tale in the vein of Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins and Eddie Cochran.
Released on Heath’s Fun-Guy Records — which has technically existed since 1999, but mostly stood as a vanity label until a few years ago — with a retro look for its cover art.
Overall, there’s a timeless quality to this release. Sure, you could see it as kitsch too, but the sentiment behind the presentation is nothing of the sort. Like watching the classic film American Graffiti, the joy one can have from listening to the roots of rock music is evident here.
What else can we say? Hearing this just makes us want to hit up Adair’s Saloon to dance and drink the night away.
Cover photo via Jimmy Dale Richardson’s Facebook page.