Hank Mizell

Bill Mizell came into the world in Asheville, North Carolina. A minor figure in rockabilly, he earned lasting notice for cutting the 1957 track “Jungle Rock.” After enlisting in the United States Navy in 1947 and completing his service, he took up both singing and preaching. Early in the following decade he traveled with his five-piece country ensemble to Montgomery, Alabama, for a recording session. A local disc jockey promptly dubbed him Hank in tribute to the recently departed Hank Williams, and the moniker remained in use. During 1957 Mizell assembled guitarist Jim Bobo, drummer Bill Collins, and pianist Eddie Boyd in Chicago to lay down “Jungle Rock” for the independent EKO imprint. Although King Records later handled wider distribution, sales proved disappointing and Mizell abandoned any professional performing ambitions. He entered the ministry and spent the ensuing years shifting among Chicago, Mississippi, and Nashville. A handful of country singles appeared throughout the 1960s and 1970s, yet he stayed virtually invisible to the wider public until European rockabilly enthusiasts unearthed the King release in 1976. The rediscovered “Jungle Rock” climbed into the UK Top 10, moving beyond niche appreciation and spurring Charly Records to issue additional Mizell sides that had come to light. He returned to the studio for scattered rockabilly and country sessions in the 1980s, but his audience never extended past dedicated rockabilly enthusiasts.