Biography
Though Roland Janes never matched Carl Perkins in commercial success or Scotty Moore in lasting critical acclaim, he played an equally vital role in shaping the landmark rockabilly guitar sound at Sun Studios. His contributions on the now-iconic recordings fronted by Jerry Lee Lewis and Billy Lee Riley combined exacting precision with explosive drive, matching the unrestrained vitality that powered Sun's defining early rock & roll releases.
Janes entered the world in Brookings, Arkansas, during 1933 as part of a musically inclined household; his father worked days as a lumberjack yet performed on guitar in his spare time, while brothers, sisters, and cousins all took up various instruments. Following his parents' separation, he divided his teenage years between Brookings and his mother's residence in St. Louis. At roughly thirteen he began with the mandolin before switching to guitar and joining his cousins in country-music performances. He moved to Memphis in 1953; when steady employment proved difficult to find, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Throughout his service he performed in military clubs, and after discharge he returned to Memphis to accompany pianist Doc McQueen. Through McQueen he encountered guitarist and engineer Jack Clement, who introduced him to Sam Phillips and Sun Records.
From 1956 through 1963 Janes functioned as the central guitarist of the Sun house band. In that span he appeared on landmark Lewis tracks including "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "High School Confidential," co-founded Riley's tight ensemble the Little Green Men, and contributed to sessions led by artists ranging from Charlie Rich to Sonny Burgess. On February 11, 1959, his Roland Janes Band—essentially the Little Green Men augmented by Riley on second guitar and Eddie Cash on vocals—recorded five songs for Sun, none of which saw official release until 1987. For Jud Phillips's own label Janes issued the 1959 instrumental "Guitarville"; still on the Sun roster, he and Riley launched Rita Records in 1960 and scored a major success with Harold Dorman's "Mountain of Love."
Janes subsequently established the short-lived independents Rolando, Rey, and Renay. He departed Sun in 1963 to launch his Memphis studio Sonic, producing dates for Jerry Jaye, Travis Wammack, and additional artists. When Sonic shut its doors in 1974, Janes stepped away from music for several years before reemerging in 1977 as producer and engineer at Sounds of Memphis Recording Studio and as an instructor of recording methods at a local vocational school. He rejoined Sam Phillips in 1982, extending his studio work into the following century; in 1998 he contributed guitar to Mudhoney's album Tomorrow Hit Today.
Janes entered the world in Brookings, Arkansas, during 1933 as part of a musically inclined household; his father worked days as a lumberjack yet performed on guitar in his spare time, while brothers, sisters, and cousins all took up various instruments. Following his parents' separation, he divided his teenage years between Brookings and his mother's residence in St. Louis. At roughly thirteen he began with the mandolin before switching to guitar and joining his cousins in country-music performances. He moved to Memphis in 1953; when steady employment proved difficult to find, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Throughout his service he performed in military clubs, and after discharge he returned to Memphis to accompany pianist Doc McQueen. Through McQueen he encountered guitarist and engineer Jack Clement, who introduced him to Sam Phillips and Sun Records.
From 1956 through 1963 Janes functioned as the central guitarist of the Sun house band. In that span he appeared on landmark Lewis tracks including "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "High School Confidential," co-founded Riley's tight ensemble the Little Green Men, and contributed to sessions led by artists ranging from Charlie Rich to Sonny Burgess. On February 11, 1959, his Roland Janes Band—essentially the Little Green Men augmented by Riley on second guitar and Eddie Cash on vocals—recorded five songs for Sun, none of which saw official release until 1987. For Jud Phillips's own label Janes issued the 1959 instrumental "Guitarville"; still on the Sun roster, he and Riley launched Rita Records in 1960 and scored a major success with Harold Dorman's "Mountain of Love."
Janes subsequently established the short-lived independents Rolando, Rey, and Renay. He departed Sun in 1963 to launch his Memphis studio Sonic, producing dates for Jerry Jaye, Travis Wammack, and additional artists. When Sonic shut its doors in 1974, Janes stepped away from music for several years before reemerging in 1977 as producer and engineer at Sounds of Memphis Recording Studio and as an instructor of recording methods at a local vocational school. He rejoined Sam Phillips in 1982, extending his studio work into the following century; in 1998 he contributed guitar to Mudhoney's album Tomorrow Hit Today.