Rockabilly singer Ralph Joseph “Jody” Reynolds passed away as the result of a bout with liver cancer two weeks ago. Reynolds’ No. 5 hit “Endless Sleep” was notable in that it was the first ’50s pop hit to fall under the rubric of “teen tragedy tracks” that included “Teen Angel” and “Ebony Eyes”; Reynolds claimed that the dreamy, reverbed-out track was written after he’d listened to “Heartbreak Hotel” five times in a row. “Sleep” told the story of a young boy who was searching for his girlfriend after the two had a fight, and it was rejected by a bunch of record labels for being too depressing before he finally found a label that liked it–although a happy ending was tacked on by execs. After “Sleep,” Reynolds wrote songs and ran a Palm Springs music store; among his wares was a guitar that Elvis Presley played on his ‘68 Comeback Special. Reynolds was 75. [LAT / YouTube]
Jody Reynolds, R.I.P.
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Jody Reynolds also wrote “Fire of Love”, which was covered by the Gun Club (and the Panther Burns).
Not to play “my dead guy is more important than your dead guy,” but I believe Idolator (and much of the world) failed to note the recent (Halloween) and far-too-early death of Frank Navetta, the first guitarist for the Descendents (he left after Milo Goes to College).