Boyd Bennett
| Boyd Bennett | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Boyd Byron Bennett |
| Born |
December 7, 1924 Muscle Shoals, Alabama, United States |
| Died | June 2, 2002 (aged 77) |
| Genres | Rockabilly, Christian pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1950s, 1980s |
| Labels | King, Mercury, Rainbow |
Boyd Byron Bennett (December 7, 1924 – June 2, 2002) was an American rockabilly songwriter and singer.
His two biggest hit singles, both written and performed by him, were "Seventeen" with his band, the Rockets (U.S. No. 5); and "My Boy, Flat Top" (U.S. No. 39). "Seventeen" reached No. 16 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1955. He later became a disc jockey in Kentucky. He also worked with Francis Craig and Moon Mullican.
Bennett was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame for his contribution to the genre.
Bennett was born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, United States, but attended high school in Tennessee and formed his first band there. He grew up in North Davidson, Tennessee, just outside Nashville. His family was musically oriented and talented. His grandfather taught members of churches within the community how to read music. He also taught Boyd by the age of four years how to read the notes in music, before Boyd could actually read song lyrics. Growing up during the Great Depression, Bennett did anything he could to make money. He sang in quartets and played guitar and sang outside of bars for extra funds. At the age of 16, however, his career was interrupted by World War II in which he served for four years; and in his free time perfected his playing of the guitar. During the early 1950s, Boyd Bennett and his Southlanders performed at local dances and on variety TV shows.
In 1952, while working at WAVE (TV), Boyd came up with the idea of a musical variety show called Boyd Bennett and His Space Buddies. For Foster Brooks, this was his first break in show business. The show was a take off of the Gene Autry Show. Instead of singing cowboys, it was singing space cadets. The humor, music, and originality made the show a hit with local fans. The owner of the station was not so far-sighted and the show was canceled after seven editions. The next couple of years they performed at numerous dances and shows in the Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio area.
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