Rudy Grayzell

Born on June 8, 1933, in the modest Texas community of Saspamco, pioneering rockabilly musician Rudy “Tutti” Grayzell absorbed the country and Tex-Mex sounds then prevalent throughout the San Antonio area. Though his initial goal had been a baseball career, he took up the guitar at age 13 and thereby redirected his path. While still attending high school, he assembled the country outfit the Silver Buckles alongside schoolmates; the group later evolved into the Texas Kool Kats and secured a daily broadcast slot on San Antonio’s KMAC. Station disc jockey Charlie Walker spotted Grayzell’s ability and introduced him to Fabor Robinson, who placed the artist on his Abbott Records roster. Grayzell cut three country-oriented singles there and appeared on prominent country stages such as The Grand Ole Opry and Louisiana Hayride. Once he encountered rockabilly, however, he sought an outlet for the style, which Capitol Records soon provided. Three vintage rockabilly singles appeared on that label before he shifted to Starday Records and laid down his most vivid, high-energy sides, among them the signature 1956 release “Duck Tail,” whose chart performance led to tours alongside Elvis Presley. After departing Starday in 1957, he joined the historic Memphis imprint Sun Records in early 1958 and issued the lone single “Judy” b/w “I Think of You.” Relocating to California, he next recorded for Award Records and delivered the striking novelty “F-B-I Story,” which proved to be his final rock & roll effort. Managers urged him to soften his approach and aim for broader mainstream appeal, a move he followed yet later regretted. In 1960 he settled in Oregon, which served as his professional base thereafter. Although none of his releases reached the Top 40, his rockabilly recordings in particular sustained steady engagements in Las Vegas and on the nightclub circuit.