From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sat Jun 8, 2002  2:20 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Rudy Grayzell
 
RUDY GRAYZELL (By Jean-Marc Pezet)

Born Rudy Jiminez Grayzell, 8 June 1933, Saspamco, Texas

Rudy grew up in San Antonio and formed his first band "The Silver
Buckles" (who evolved into "The Texas Kool Kats" later) while still in High
School (the Kool Kats included later star Doug Sahm and fellow rocker
Eddie Dugosh).
Rudy had a somewhat chaotic recording career, starting back as early as
1953 with country music on Abbott and 1954 on no-less than Capitol for a
more rockin' single, "There's Gonna Be A Ball".
He toured with Elvis around 1955-1956, gaining his nickname "Tutti" from
the Hillbilly Cat himself in the process.
It was in 1956 that Rudy cut his most famous sides for Starday, among
them the favorites "Let's Get Wild" and "Ducktail" (the latter being covered
by Joe Clay on Vik) but with no real commercial success.
1958 saw a release on Sam Phillips' Sun label, "Judy", before cutting a
novelty record about ol' J. Edgar Hoover in "FBI Story" on Award.
Rudy got out of his golden Las Vegas lounges in 1986 with a new version
of "Ducktail" and finally made it to the UK in 1990, still doin' "the Chinese
mambo and the Cuban cha-cha-cha"!
Back on the scene, he recorded a very good EP with New York's A-
Bones on Norton Records in 1991 and a new rockin' CD in 1998, on the
Sideburn label.

Recommended listening:
Not much has been reissued, it's about time that Bear Family gets some
interest in Rudy!

Starday-Dixie Rockabillys (sic) LPs on Gusto, late 1970's
"There's Gonna Be A Ball" is on That'll Flat Get It Vol 3 CD, Bear Family
"Let's Get Wild" is on Starday Dixie Rockabilly Vol 1 CD, ACE
"Judy" is to be found on several VA SUN compilations
Rudy "Tutti" Grayzell "Let's Get Wild" CD SIDEBURN 1001, 1998
Rudy "Tutti" Grayzell with the A-Bones "Texas Kool Kat" 4 tracks EP, Norton
EP-011, 1991
More info: http://www.rockabillyhall.com/RudyGrayzell.html

(I saw Rudy in Eindhoven in 1997, backed by the Tin Stars. He looked
incredibly young for his age and put on a great show. - Dik)