Biography
A rockabilly devotee might well maintain a faintly upturned lip as an emblem of the swagger, chaos, lawlessness, and purity that render the style so compelling, though the gesture risks seeming excessive when certain performers enter the discussion. Names carrying both rarity and phonetic appeal come to mind, among them Peck Touchton, the birth name of the musician who cut multiple 45s for the Sarg imprint during the 1950s. Texas-based producer Charlie Fitch launched the label in 1954 and, across the ensuing twenty years, issued roughly 150 singles whose collective portrait of the South Texas music community would remain substantial even had selections been made indiscriminately. Earliest recordings by Texas legends Willie Nelson and Doug Sahm appeared on the same roster. Touchton led the group Peck Touchton & the Sunset Wranglers and waxed such numbers as the fanciful “You’ve Changed Your Tune,” the confessional “Then I Found You,” and a cluster of laments that included “Lonely World,” “My Baby Ain’t Around,” and “I’m a Standby.” Specialty country and rockabilly broadcasts often featured his “Walk ’Em Off Blues.” While anthologies contain scattered examples of his work, the complete Sarg output can be obtained via the multi-CD box set The Sarg Records Story.