Glenn Honeycutt, a vocalist and guitarist who arrived in Memphis from Mississippi, followed the same route taken by a younger cousin, Elvis Presley—linked through grandmothers who were sisters—though the pair never met. Born near Belzoni, MS in 1933, he grew up in Memphis after losing his father. Always drawn to music, he completed a two-year military hitch after the draft and then resolved to pursue a performing career. By 1954 he was appearing around Memphis and auditioned for Sam Phillips at Sun Records, offering country-style material that led to rejection despite his ballad inclinations. The following year he fronted Glenn Honeycutt & His Rhythmaires, a unit that included guitarist Jack Clement. Once Clement joined Sun, he urged Phillips to record Honeycutt again, producing “Rock All Night,” one of the strongest sides Sun never released; the track had been scheduled but was withdrawn because of its risqué lyric. Honeycutt’s lone Sun single instead became “I’ll Be Around”/“I’ll Wait Forever.” Across roughly a dozen sides, most stayed in the vault. He later cut “Right Gal Right Place Right Time” b/w “You’ll Die of Loneliness” for Black Gold and “Tombigbee Queen” b/w “Campus Love” for Fernwood, none of them bringing notable or lasting success. He held his day job at the United States Postal Service in Memphis and might have stayed a footnote until country artist Randy Rich recommended him to London’s Rhythm Bomb Records, a rockabilly revival label. The association led to a tour of Germany and Sweden, where Honeycutt showed he could still perform effectively, and to his first album, Mr. All Night Rock, released forty years after he entered the business and containing eleven original songs out of twelve tracks.
