VANCOUVER, WA(
Karen Byrd Public Relations) - The iconic Kris Kristofferson-singer, songwriter, actor and consummate wordsmith-will host a 30-minute infomercial introducing Jerry Naylor's "The Rockabilly Legends: A Tribute to My Friends."
A comprehensive, definitive project tracing the roots of rockabilly music and its impact on music history and American culture, "The Rockabilly Legends: A Tribute to My Friends" is a restoration and preservation of an era that changed music forever. The heart of the project is a $1.5 million feature television broadcast documentary produced by Jerry Naylor, former lead singer of The Crickets. The documentary supports a special product collection including:
- A two-DVD set of the three-hour documentary, containing extra footage and features.
- Four newly recorded documentary soundtrack CD's-three featuring Jerry Naylor paying tribute to the Rockabilly Legends, and one honoring the music of the legendary Carl Perkins. Naylor recorded the latter with special duet partner Stan Perkins, son of the late rockabilly icon.
- Eight compilation CD's filled with original master recordings of the best-known Rockabilly Legends' hits, each digitally refurbished and restored by The Naylor Company and Patrick McGuire Recording for this package. Each disc also contains a rare live performance bonus track. The bonus tracks were culled from performances by The Everly Brothers, Bill Haley & The Comets and Gene Vincent.
- A "Live at the Louisiana Hayride" CD featuring Elvis' first recorded live performance on the "Louisiana Hayride" in October 1954, plus live Hayride performances from Johnny Cash, Johnny Horton and Bob Luman, and a very rare 1952 live recording of Hank Williams' last performance at the "Hayride."
- A CD containing interviews with the Rockabilly Legends, conducted by legendary radio and television personality Red Robinson.
"We're absolutely thrilled that Kris has agreed to lead off the campaign for this project," said Naylor. "In addition to being known and respected all over the world for his creative genius, he knew these Rockabilly Legends, and he has a special place in his heart for rockabilly music."
"Jerry sent me a copy of the documentary while I was on tour in Australia and New Zealand," said Kristofferson. "I settled in and watched the entire thing, and I was captivated. It brought back a lot of good memories of a lot of good friends like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Cowboy Jack Clement, Carl Perkins and Charlie Rich. I also learned a few things along the way. The Rockabilly Legends influenced so many of the artists in rock and roll and country who followed, and rockabilly music is a key part of our American musical heritage. I'm happy Jerry Naylor invited me to help preserve the rich rockabilly legacy."
The three-hour feature television documentary, "The Rockabilly Legends: A Tribute to My Friends," hosted by Naylor and Red Robinson, is narrated by game show pioneer and television icon Wink Martindale. "The Rockabilly Legends" is a treasury of never-before-seen performance footage and photographs, as well as exclusive interviews with and about the founding fathers of rockabilly music-Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Buddy Knox, Gene Vincent, Johnny and Dorsey Burnette, Bob Luman, Charlie Rich and Johnny Horton, among others. Woven throughout the documentary is commentary from producers, band members, studio musicians, family members and music historians, including Bill Griggs, telling the story of how rockabilly was created and how its effects were felt not only in the U.S., but around the world. The documentary initially will be broadcast throughout North America, the U.K. and the rest of Europe, before taking it to other international territories.
Over five years in the making, "The Rockabilly Legends: A Tribute to My Friends" was lovingly produced with painstaking attention to detail by Jerry Naylor, with executive producer Molly Sanders and The Jerry Naylor Company. The DVD and CD collection, presented by Legends Marketing and marketed worldwide by Legends Marketing, LLC, will be available for sale in November via the infomercial, produced and media-managed by Hawthorne Direct, with fulfillment handled by National Fulfillment, Inc. Hawthorne is the premier full-service direct response television (DRTV) advertising agency, the creative force behind many of Time-Life's most successful long-form infomercials. National Fulfillment is a leading direct response and retail distribution firm, headquartered in Nashville. After this initial phase, the package will be available worldwide at traditional retail outlets and through additional international direct response television campaigns.
Jerry Naylor, born in Chalk Mountain, Texas, became the lead singer of The Crickets after the untimely death of Buddy Holly. A 51-year veteran of the entertainment business, he is an internationally recognized recording artist, performer, record producer, songwriter, radio and television personality, film and television producer, and Grammy nominated solo recording artist. With The Crickets, he recorded for Liberty/EMI Records and scored several hits including "Please Don't Ever Change," "My Little Girl" and "Teardrops Fall Like Rain."
Jerry began his solo career in 1965, was a regular on the ABC Television music variety series "Shindig" in the mid-'60s and hosted the nationally syndicated television series "Music City USA" from 1967-1968. As a solo artist he toured heavily from 1965-1982, performing 250-300 dates per year with his band in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia. He scored a No 5 pop hit with "But For Love" in 1970 and several country hits in the early '70s, including "Is This All There Is to a Honky Tonk." He also hosted the nationally syndicated country music radio show, "Continental Country," from 1974-1976.
In 1985 he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as a Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Employment Policy, ultimately serving two 3-year terms. He was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2000 and the West Texas Music Hall of Fame in 1998 and is recognized in the prestigious "Who's Who in Entertainment," "Who's Who in Rock 'n' Roll," "Who's Who in Country Music" and "Who's Who in America."
To request review copies and additional information on "The Rockabilly Legends: A Tribute to My Friends" contact: Karen Byrd/Karen Byrd Public Relations, 615-595-1500, [email protected].
