is an unknown name, but , his installment in 's ongoing Honky Tonk Heroes series, proves that he deserved a better fate. Perhaps this 2012 compilation will give him the credit he deserves. The biggest feather in 's cap is that he recorded the original version of "He'll Have to Go," a country standard popularized by , but that shouldn't suggest that was merely a countrypolitan crooner. Certainly, he had a smooth, easy touch, sliding into ballads with nary a ruffle, sounding similar to his idol , but he could also tear it up, as the relentless opening rocker "Flip Out" amply illustrates. "Flip Out" and a handful of similarly minded rockers like "Did We Have a Party" show that unlike some country singers, was ready to jump on 's coattails -- a move that produced some great singles if no hits. Chart success always eluded but it surely wasn't for lack of trying, either from him or his label , who gave him many bites at the apple. That all ended once discovered cut "He'll Have to Go," thereby undercutting 's version, a situation he put entirely at the label's feet. They parted ways afterward and wound up on , where he abandoned the rollicking rock & roll of his latter-day sides in favor of a smooth touch not so dissimilar from , but he did a bit of / -styled boogie on "Lost Weekend," another failed single, and he then turned to religion for a number of years before surfacing at the end of the '60s on , recording some modern-sounding country with a slight pop tint. He kept going throughout the '70s, but stops there, offering his '50s and '60s prime, the sides that show the range of his talent. The non-chronological sequencing of does suggest he backslid from rockabilly into crooning, but this makes for a more dynamic listen, pulling listeners in with his immediate rock & roll then opening up to the cheerful cowboy shuffles of "Tight Wad," barroom weepers of "Drunk, Drunk Again," and occasional incident of bandwagon hopping ("Echo Mountain," a rewrite of "Wolverton Mountain." According to ' excellent liner notes, suffered from drink and temper, afflictions that derailed his career, but judged strictly on music as he is here, he is a country singer with range, depth, and a pretty impressive, albeit largely unheard, body of work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine