Barbara Pittman

Barbara Pittman stands out as the sole woman granted an official contract by Sam Phillips at Sun Records, even though several others cut sides for the label. During her time there she also delivered the enduring rockabilly gem “I Need a Man.” Born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1943, she grew up as one of twelve siblings. Her mother knew Gladys Presley, and Pittman shared a school with Elvis. Drawn to music from childhood, she tried to audition at Sun before reaching her teens. Turned down on account of her age, she secured a spot with a local group after Elvis put in a word, then joined western performer Lash Larou on tour in 1955. Back in Memphis the following year, she began performing with Clyde Leoppard’s Snearly Ranch Boys and worked as a demo vocalist for Stan Kesler. Kesler hoped her Presley connection would help place his song “Playing for Keeps” with the rising star. The demo succeeded in that goal and also caught Sam Phillips’s ear. Pittman then recorded “I Need a Man,” supported by musicians from Leoppard’s band. The single made little commercial headway, yet she joined Sun package shows and continued taping material for the label, much of it left unreleased. When competing companies showed interest in 1957, Phillips responded by signing her, making her his only female contract artist. Allowed to pick between Sun and his new Phillips International imprint, she chose the latter for its more appealing label artwork. Sessions with Sun regulars Billy Lee Riley and Bill Justis followed, but the resulting tracks leaned toward teen pop and bluesy ballads rather than the rockabilly and rock & roll that later defined her reputation. A single with the vocal group the Sunrays likewise went nowhere, and her last Phillips release appeared in 1960. Some stations refused to play the B-side, “Eleventh Commandment,” labeling it blasphemous and hastening the record’s failure. Pittman moved on to Del-Fi, though nothing from those dates ever surfaced. Throughout the sixties she sang on cruise ships and military bases while contributing to soundtracks for motorcycle films such as Wild Wheels and Wild Angels. In the seventies she married; the rockabilly revival brought fresh attention as her Sun masters reappeared on compilations. By 1983 she had assembled a band in Houston, Texas, and began performing at European rockabilly festivals. Her catalog rests on three or four key performances, yet the missed chances that surrounded this husky-voiced singer remain nearly as compelling as the music itself.