From:   "jean.marc.pezet
Date:  Tue Aug 20, 2002  3:05 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You: Roland Janes
 
ROLAND JANES (By Shaun Mather)

Born 20 August 1933, Brookings, Arkansas

Considering his influence and the number of brilliant
records he played on, Roland Janes is virtually a
forgotten man in rock history. Everyone talks about
James Burton, Scotty Moore, Link Wray, Chet Atkins and
many others, but how often do you hear about Roland
Janes. Listen to his work with Jerry Lee, Billy Lee
Riley or Charlie Rich and then imagine them without him.
His telepathy with Jerry Lee and drummer Jimmy Van Eaton
is particularly stunning - being on the same wavelength
as Jerry Lee, scary!

He grew up the second youngest of seven in the small
North-East Arkansas town, Brookings. Music ran deep in
the family's blood and it was only a matter of time
before Roland's veins were also in tune. His parents
divorced and he moved with his mother to St. Louis 1942,
although he regularly went back to his father. Talking
about his early influences he has said, "So I was not
influenced at all by black music because I wasn't
exposed to it. I came in contact with black music only
when I came to Memphis and I'd already developed my
style. I picked up on their style when the need arose. I
could play blues. In other words, I'm very perceptive, not
bragging, but I'm very perceptive in that I can pick up
on different styles very easily. But, I wasn't infuenced
by it, I was influenced by country and pop. In St. Louis
I listened to people like Patty Page, Joni James and Les
Paul. My father, he was a Pentecostal minister, so they
had music in the church at that time. That was probably
the basis, that's the basis of most country and
rockabilly : the church."

He moved to Memphis in 1953 but soon joined the Marine
Corps, playing country music during his service years.
On his discharge he returned to Memphis and began working
with Doc McQueen. He soon met Jack Clement who was
involved with Slim Wallace who had built a studio in his
garage on Fernwood Street, launching the small record
label Fernwood Records. In 1956 he started his
association with Sun Records, being a key player in the
studio band for the next seven years, playing on hundreds
of tracks, some legendary, some very legendary. He even
cut a session with Eddie Cash on 11th February 1959 which
included the instrumental Rolando.

In 1962 he opened his own Sonic Studios the first of many
such ventures in the '60's and '70's. Sonic closed down
in 1974 with Janes drifting out of the business for a
couple of years. He returned in 1977 as a producer and
engineer at the Sounds of Memphis Recording Studio and as
an instructor of recording techniques at a black
vocational school in South Memphis. In 1982, he retired
from teaching and went back to work for Sam Phillips,
where he remains to this day. Me and Phil met him at
Sam's studio on Maddison Avenue two years ago and he
posed for some photos - although we certainly seemed
more thrilled by it all than he was!

LP (deleted): Guitarville (Bear Family BFX 15340).