With iconic garage-punk trio the Oblivians, with the Parting Gifts (his collaboration with the Ettes’ Coco Hames and Jem Cohen), with a legion of other one-offs and defunct projects, and, for the past 13 years with driving rock ‘n’ soul revue the Reigning Sound, Greg Cartwright has chased various traces of American rock and pop to arrive at something singularly his. Still, with his legacy perfectly well cemented among garage-rock aficionados and discerning vinyl-heads, Cartwright is still chasing the unexpected. The Reigning Sound’s latest album, Shattered, is the band’s sixth proper full-length, a follow-up to 2009’s Love And Curses, and its debut for Merge. Cartwright will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on him.
Cartwright: Many of you are acquainted with fabled Memphis labels and studios like Sun and Stax. If you’ve taken more than a casual interest, you’ve also likely heard of Chips Moman, who started American Sound Studios, Quinton Claunch of Goldwax Records, or perhaps you’re a fan of Willie Mitchell, the man behind the sound of those Al Green 45s. They all produced top hits on radio stations across the country in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. All these producers, engineers and session men really took a backseat to the artist back then though. They had no way of knowing today’s musical millennials would know their names, admire their work and imitate their methods. Especially where R&B is concerned, sampling and the search for “that” sound keeps their names and the legacy of their work alive. But what about the guy who didn’t produce a slew of hits or mold a would-be idol into the image of super stardom? What about Roland Janes? Though he has earned his place in the history of rock ‘n’ roll, few outside of Memphis music obsessives and rockabilly record collectors know his name or are aware of his accomplishments as a guitarist and recording engineer. Beginning in 1953, Janes was a session guitarist at Sam Phillips‘ Sun Studios and played on many rockabilly recordings that were hits even though his contribution at the time was largely unknown. Many that weren’t outright hits have nevertheless become classics of the genre. Jerry Lee Lewis, Sonny Burgess, Billy Lee Riley, Charlie Rich … all of them benefited from the sparkling guitar talent of Janes. But it doesn’t end there. He started his own label in 1960 and, shortly after, his own studio. This is where Janes made the biggest mark on me. His recordings of Travis Wammack, a young local guitarist with a peculiar style, were full of wild frenetic guitar lines, dive-bombing tremolo, backward tape effects and an altogether insanely raunchy vibe. Many Memphis groups got their first shot at recording in a real studio at his Sonic Studios at the corner of Madison and Belvedere. He did earn some national traction when he recorded and self-released “Mountain Of Love” by Harold Dorman for his RITA label, but by the mid-to-late-’60s, bigger labels were looking to get away from gritty-sounding local productions and were licensing more and more with artists who recorded in the industry’s hub cities like Nashville, NYC and L.A. Recordings with high production value and less local flavor, that mirrored the qualities found in those of their signed stable of artists. Mind you, Janes was not exclusively recording wild rock ‘n’ roll or young garage bands. He was looking for pop hits just like everyone else, but even in his pop productions there is a genuine local sound that is unmistakable. Thanks, Roland Janes. See you somewhere down the line.
Check out Travis Wammack’s “Scratchy” after the jump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dxVex-iCyY
