Now, in the two TOMMY PEDIGO singles pictured above, the main feature is the
presence of THREE guitar breaks in three songs out of four ('Memphis Town
Blues' containing only two breaks) !! Thus, those highly distinctive
latter-day Country Rockers find their place in any Rockabilly collection.
They're also definitely distinctive because of Tommy's very nasal and laid
back vocals (certainly Bob Dylan's influence can be felt there) and thanks
to the lead guitarist's clear, treble and slightly echoey sound (I bet he
used a Fender Telecaster).
The songs, four Pedigo originals very similar in sound and structure, might
have been cut at one same session but they were issued on two different labels,
OLO and ANA (hey, that's three letters each !), both based at the same address
(Box 7831 - Nashville, Tennessee) and distributed by Sound Of Nashville. Olo
103 sees Tommy backed up by The Ridge Runners whereas Ana 106 credits The
Barren River Boys as backing band ; they're obviously the same outfit. Unless
Tommy plays one of the instruments, the band is comprised of an electric lead
guitar, an acoustic rhythm guitar, an electric bass and a snare drum (beaten
with brushes).
'Red
Headed Woman' (Olo 103) is probably the pick of the bunch among Rockabilly
lovers but the flip, 'Memphis Town Blues', grows on you with each new spin.
'Trouble' (Ana 106) is my own favorite (by a hair, really) ; the other side,
'Whiskey, Women & Wild Living', is the most 'Countryfied' of the four.
There's a date written in the dead wax of Olo 103 : '4/27/66', proving to
the most rabid collectors that the Sixties did not ring the knell of Rockabilly.
Just who Tommy Pedigo was, remains a total mystery. His full name was Tommy
W. Pedigo (as shown on Ana 106) ; I'd like to know if he was one of the Pedigo
Brothers who had a brilliant Rockabilly '45 on another Tennessee label, Atwell
(#100, 'She's Gone'). Let's hope that the magic of the Internet will work
again and bring us some fresh info on a very unique stylist.
| OLO 103 | SON
32571 Red Headed Woman SON 32572 Memphis Town Blues |
| ANA 106 | SON
66782 Trouble SON 66781 Whiskey, Women & Wild Living |