WORDS BY BILL DAHL
Precious few 1950s rockabillies possessed pipes as powerful as those of Narvel Felts. That became apparent during the 70s, when Felts crashed the US country hit parade again and again (he just missed topping the charts in 1975 with his soaring revival of Johnny Adams’ soul ballad Reconsider Me). That same vocal confidence was also there during his early career, as confirmed by Narvel Felts Rocks, Bear Family’s new CD overview of the singer’s rockabilly exploits.
Felts has never disguised his rock and roll roots. “I do the occasional rockabilly festival,” he says. “I did Viva Las Vegas last year, and I did Hemsby in 2017… and I also did that Nashville Boogie last year, too. I always thought the business would retire me, that sometime I’d look out there and there wouldn’t be anything. But it hasn’t happened so far!”