JOHNNY DOLLAR, ROCKABILLY SINGER AND MUSICIAN – For many people, “Johnny Dollar” will always put them in mind of the old radio show Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. That detective series about an insurance investigator described Johnny with the tagline “The man with the action packed expense account,” prompting the nickname “Mr. Action Packed” for the later rockabilly performer who used Johnny Dollar as his stage name.
(Personally, I always think his early effort Action Packed led to that nickname. Maybe it was both elements.)
Born John Washington Dollar Jr. in Kilgore, TX on March 8th, 1933, this future guitarist and singer-songwriter did a stint in the Marine Corps before working as a truck driver, a hand in the Texas oil fields, and as foreman in a Dallas lumber yard while pursuing his dream of stardom.
In 1952, Johnny cut a single – Walking Away – with Shelby Singleton’s music label D Records, but it failed to make an impression (See what I did there?). Staying in the music field, Dollar became a DJ in Louisiana and New Mexico.
On the side he formed a band called the Texas Sons, which eventually became a regular act on Louisiana Hayride, a radio and television show broadcast from Shreveport. (“Way up north, around Shreveport” for you Justin Wilson fans.) Continue reading
“UP AND AT ‘EM, ADAM ANT!” … Had to be said. Balladeer’s Blog continues with its “Give Them A Shoutout Before They’re Dead” policy with another quick treat from the neglected Adam Ant (Stuart Leslie Goddard). 
The singer and musician Prince is dead. Since I like to be different I figured I would post a pic of his work titled Dirty Mind instead of the bigger hits that everyone else is featuring. 
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