Rockabilly Rarities Volume Two picks up where Volume One (“Spotlight,” June ’99) left off and features 30 tracks of rockin’, shakin’, foot-stompin’ music. Great/obscure labels like Bakers-field, Sure, Rebel, Cherry, Jan, Fox, Testa, Note, and Meteor are represented along with plenty of fun artists/groups including Larry Terry, Bill Woods, Wayne Williams and The Sure Shots, Ronnie Haig and Parker Cunningham. In the primarily hillbilly category I’m real partial to “Six White Horses” (ca. ’56 from Stan Johnson and The Blue Chips – a fine cover of Clyde Moody’s classic tune, check out the significant volume increase during the guitar solo, which has a bit of a Joe Maphis tone/vibe), “Hepcat Boogie” (a definite Hank Williams vibe on this one from Fletcher Hanna With Red “Joe” Rayner & His Ozark Playboys) and “Be My Baby” (some Atkins licks in this one).

More rockin’ than hillbilly is the late Bill Woods’ “Phone Me Baby” (rockin’ guitar, gnarly vocal). “Woodpecker Rock” (complete with Woody Woodpecker laugh) is plenty of fun, as is “Dancing Doll” (plenty of rockin’ guitar). For a rockin’ rhythm and blues sound, a la Little Richard, check out “Rocking With The Rhythm And Blues” from Ronnie Haig (cool rhythm guitar work and a tasty solo).