Charles Arthur Feathers (June 12, 1932 – August 29, 1998)[1] was an American musician most associated with the rockabilly scene of the 1950s. Although not initially recognized for his contributions to rockabilly, over time his presence would become greatly elevated and he has been cited as an influence by a number of musicians.
He started out as a session musician at Sun Studios, playing any side instrument he could in the hopes of someday making his own music there.[3] He eventually played on a small label started by Sam Phillips called Flip records which got him enough attention to record a couple of singles for Sun Records and Holiday Inn Records. By all accounts the singer was not held in much regard by Phillips, but Feathers often made the audacious claim that he had arranged "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" for Elvis Presley. He also claimed that his "We're Getting Closer (To Being Apart)" had been intended to be Elvis' sixth single for Sun. He did, however, get his name on one of Elvis' Sun records, "I Forgot To Remember To Forget" when the writer Stan Kesler asked him to record a demo of the song.[1][4]
He then moved on to Meteor Records and then King Records where he recorded his best-known work. His 1950s singles included "Peepin' Eyes", "Defrost Your Heart", "Tongue-Tied Jill" and "Bottle to the Baby". When his King contract ran out he still continued to perform, although Feathers thought there was a conspiracy to keep his music from gaining the popularity it deserved.[4]
In the mid-1980s, he performed at times at new music nightclubs like the Antenna Club in Memphis, Tennessee, sharing the bill with rock-and-roll bands like Tav Falco's Panther Burns, who, as devoted fans of Feathers, had introduced him to their label's president.[5]
He released his New Jungle Fever album in 1987 and Honkey Tonk Man in 1988, featuring the lead guitar work of his son, Bubba Feathers. These later albums of original songs penned by Feathers were released on the French label New Rose Records, whose other 1980s releases included albums by Johnny Thunders, Alex Chilton, Roky Erickson, The Cramps, The Gun Club, and others.
Charlie Feathers studied and recorded several songs with Junior Kimbrough, whom he called "the beginning and end of all music".[7] His childhood influences were reflected in his later music of the 1970s and 1980s, which had an easy-paced, sometimes sinister, country-blues tempo, as opposed to the frenetic fast-paced style favored by some of his rockabilly colleagues of the 1950s.[citation needed] Feathers was known for being a master of shifting emotional and sonic dynamics in his songs.[citation needed] His theatrical, hiccup-styled, energetic, rockabilly vocal style inspired a later generation of rock vocalists, including Lux Interior of The Cramps.[8]
Charlie Feathers' pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Bob Dylan has featured Charlie Feathers on the second season of his XM satellite radio show Theme Time Radio Hour, playing Feathers' records "One Hand Loose" (on the "Countdown" show, Dec. 12, 2007) and "Defrost Your Heart" (on the "Cold" show, April 2, 2008). His song "Can't Hardly Stand It" is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto V on the game's radio station, Rebel Radio. Feathers is an inductee in the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame.[9]
