Earl Sinks
| Earl Sinks | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Henry Earl Sinks |
| Also known as | Earl Henry, Sinks Mitchell, Earl Richards, Snake Richards, Sinx Mitchell |
| Born |
January 1, 1940 Whitharral, Texas, U.S. |
| Origin | Amarillo, Texas |
| Genres | Rock, pop, country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1957–1990s |
| Labels | Ace of Hearts, Brunswick, Capitol, Coral, Decca, Dot, Hickory, United Artists, Warner Bros. |
| Associated acts | Tommy Allsup, The Crickets, The Omegas |
Henry Earl Sinks (born January 1, 1940), known professionally as Earl Sinks, is an American singer-songwriter and actor, known by many pseudonyms. He led a prolific musical and acting career from the 1950s to the 1990s before retiring. He is best known for his long music career, including his brief tenure as lead singer of the Crickets from 1958 to 1960, and for his acting roles in numerous low budget movies and TV shows in the 60s.
Sinks was performing with Bob Wills at age 12 before recording publicly in 1957, as a solo artist on Dot Records. He went on tour (backed by Tommy Allsup) supporting Buddy Holly. After Holly split with his band, the Crickets, later that year, Sinks was brought in by Norman Petty to fill his spot, noting a similarity in their singing styles. He recorded and performed with the Crickets after Holly's death in 1959, contributing to the album In Style With the Crickets, singing on songs such as "I Fought the Law," "Love's Made a Fool of You", "Deborah", and "When You Ask About Love". Sinks' association with the Crickets ended in February 1960, citing a disagreement. David Box was later brought in to finish recording and fulfill the band's contract with Coral Records.
Sinks later moved to Nashville, where he continued to release records. He recorded for Decca Records, in addition to Hickory, Capitol, Coral, Brunswick, United Artist, Warner Brothers and Ace of Hearts Records. He and Norro Wilson, along with Bill Fernez, recorded as the band the Omegas [country music]. In October 1958 Tommy Allsup rejoined the Crickets for the "Biggest Show of Stars: Autumn Edition”, after Buddy split from Jerry Allison and Joe Mauldin. The Roses (a vocal backup group) were also on the tour. Needing a new band for the planned “Winter Dance Party Tour”, Buddy asked his pal Waylon Jennings to play bass, with Tommy on guitar and Allsup's pal Carl Bunch for drums. After the tragedy, Tommy Allsup and Earl remained in New York following the end of the “Winter Dance Party Tour” for promotional pictures with J.I. and Joe B. as The Crickets.
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