Allen Rankin

The story begins around 1961, at age 8, when I discovered an old 45 rpm record in my parent’s Hi-Fi console stereo of a Cozy Cole tune called Turvey Part I and the flip side, Turvey Part II. The record made the hair stand up on the back of my neck because of Cozy’s slammin’ rimshots and chops that led the band. I entertained my weary family by playing air drums to both sides of the 45 until I had every lick and phrase down perfectly. I had no concept of using my feet or knowing how to play a drumset yet. The next phase was building a tabletop kit out of Maxwell House coffee cans with tin can lids for cymbals. The kit fit on my mother’s wood cutting board and was playable with rolled up sheets of notebook paper. Pencils weren’t long enough and wood spoons were too large. At age 11, while walking down Whitney Road, listening to my older sister’s transistor radio, I heard Love Me Do, by the Beatles. It rocked my world.

Growing up with Elvis’ music, my mother’s opera rehearsals, and very little exposure to pop culture, I was suddenly aware of how dippy my flat top looked and how interesting girls were becoming. I left Howdy Doody, Soupy Sales, Gunsmoke, Combat, and back yard football behind, for sneaking my sister’s records and staying glued to the stereo. I discovered WHBQ AM radio with George Kline spinning the records of many local Memphis bands as much as chart toppers. My sister collected records by Tommy Burk and the The Counts, The Breakers, Flash and the Casuals, Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, and The Gentrys along with The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Zombies and The Beatles. I didn’t realize I cut my teeth on songs by local bands along with chart toppers. My sister dated a local well-known drummer named Richie Simpson. He played for The Village Sound and gave me a dozen or so drum lessons - the only formal training I ever had.

My first drumset was a three-piece set of Sears Silvertone red sparkle drums. By age 14 I was in my first band, The Bitter End, sporting my new Beatle haircut and proudly wearing my Sears version of Beatle Boots. My dad worked for Sears. The Bitter End was a motley group of young boys that were far ahead of their time. We covered The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Animals and The Who. Our set lists were like most garage bands of the time, including Gloria, Louie Louie, House of the Rising Sun, Shout and Little Latin Loopty Lou. Beyond the typical songs, we were pretty sharp kids to include songs by Bob Dylan, The Birds and some blues songs, yet to be discovered by most suburban white boys. The band played our junior high graduation and went on as high school freshmen to land third place in our high school talent show. Music was budding everwhere in the late 1960s. I was very lucky to be exposed to jazz and play with my cousin’s band, The Jimmy Claire Mahannaha Orchestra, starting around age 15. Pop’s band (as everyone knew Jim, Sr.) played big band tunes from the 1930s and 1940s. I was honored to play with Jim and his side men and later with his son’s band, Jim Mahannah, Jr., occasionally over the last 42 years.

The first record I played on was around 1970, produced by John Cook for Blake Records. A tune called Last Glass of Wine, and the flip side, Ballad of Ma and Pa, were the two cuts. I went on to sessions at Air Trans Records, with Jimmy Walker, later that year. My first record with Jimmy was for a country singer named Gail Ayer. The songs were Beans & Cornbread and Graveyard Shift, produced by Bill Glore and Clayton Tully. Doug Cole, a founding member of The Lucy Opry, played on both songs. I played on gospel albums, radio jingles and demos for Jimmy. Recording sessions followed over the next few years at Allied, Shoe Studio and American Sound Studio. I played with a fine band in 1972-73 called Friends & Neighbors Music. I co-founded the band Blue Sky in 1975 and joined The Clyde Stacy Band in 1977. I’ve sat in with great local artists like Joyce Cobb and been fortunate to play gigs with great local players and song writers like Jimmy Arnold, Mike Adams, Niko Lyras, Tony Fant, Steve Newman, John McGrory, Bob & Susie Salley, Maria Spence, Jere Voegeli, Nancy Apple, Kenny Hays, Otis Cole and Dave Crowder.

Currently, I write, record and perform with rockabilly legend Jerry Lee “Smoochy” Smith and singer, Tammi Farrell, in The Smoochy Smith Trio. I occasionally sub and/or gig with various bands like The Stunning Cunning Band, Jim Mahannah Band, Rocket To Euphoria and Maria Spence. I am as obsessed with drumming now as I was when I first listened to that Cozy Cole record almost fifty years ago. I have been blessed to work with great musicians. Music feeds my soul and will always be a major part of my life.

Phone: 901-647-0440
Email: arankin@allenrankin.com