Biography
Born Joseph Pennington on January 15, 1928, in Plant City, Florida, the future rockabilly performer later known as Joe Penny received his first guitar lessons from his mother. At sixteen he entered the Sons of the South as his initial band, then moved after graduation to San Angelo, Texas, where he performed with Dub Adams & the K-Bar Ranch Hands. A shared acquaintance introduced him to Hank Williams, who added the guitarist to the Drifting Cowboys in 1947 at seven dollars per performance; Williams dubbed him “Little Joe Pennington” on account of his stature, prompting the musician to adopt the professional name Joe Penny.
He parted from Williams in 1949 for U.S. Navy service, during which he continued playing at military dances. Upon discharge he backed Lefty Frizzell and Little Jimmy Dickens on the road while also writing songs, one of which, “Don’t Fall in Love With a Married Man,” was cut by Jean Shepard in 1954. Shifting toward rockabilly by 1955, Penny traveled to Memphis to offer material to Sun Records chief Sam Phillips, yet the songs—intended for Elvis Presley—were turned down. He settled instead in Evansville, Indiana, where he became a regular on WEHT-TV’s Hoosier Hoedown and worked part-time as a disc jockey before being chosen in 1957 to host the station’s new Hoosier Jamboree.
In 1958 he and his band traveled to King Studios in Cincinnati to cut the rockabilly staple “Bip a Little, Bop a Lot” for the Federal label, though the single attracted little notice at the time. Returning to Florida in 1960, Penny resumed radio work and scored a modest country success with “Frosty Window Pane.” A serious car crash soon afterward turned his attention to faith, leading him to concentrate on gospel music and to record the album Growing Old With God. The Rockabilly Hall of Fame inducted him in 2001; two years later the NBM label issued Large Economy Size, combining unreleased 1950s demos with fresh recordings. In later years he also completed the memoir Lookin’ Back on Hank, recounting his time traveling with Williams.
He parted from Williams in 1949 for U.S. Navy service, during which he continued playing at military dances. Upon discharge he backed Lefty Frizzell and Little Jimmy Dickens on the road while also writing songs, one of which, “Don’t Fall in Love With a Married Man,” was cut by Jean Shepard in 1954. Shifting toward rockabilly by 1955, Penny traveled to Memphis to offer material to Sun Records chief Sam Phillips, yet the songs—intended for Elvis Presley—were turned down. He settled instead in Evansville, Indiana, where he became a regular on WEHT-TV’s Hoosier Hoedown and worked part-time as a disc jockey before being chosen in 1957 to host the station’s new Hoosier Jamboree.
In 1958 he and his band traveled to King Studios in Cincinnati to cut the rockabilly staple “Bip a Little, Bop a Lot” for the Federal label, though the single attracted little notice at the time. Returning to Florida in 1960, Penny resumed radio work and scored a modest country success with “Frosty Window Pane.” A serious car crash soon afterward turned his attention to faith, leading him to concentrate on gospel music and to record the album Growing Old With God. The Rockabilly Hall of Fame inducted him in 2001; two years later the NBM label issued Large Economy Size, combining unreleased 1950s demos with fresh recordings. In later years he also completed the memoir Lookin’ Back on Hank, recounting his time traveling with Williams.
Albums
