While others may suggest that this Western swing/rockabilly outfit's second Hightone release, Swingin' West, is a more definitive representation of the band's potential and brilliance, it is more likely that those who have watched Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys' development will stand by this debut project as the group's defining work. Much in the same way that Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. gave Dwight Yoakam his calling card, Jumping from 6 to 6 gives Big Sandy and the band their   [ read more ]

CD $17.08

The follow-up to a strong 1994 debut, Swingin' West continues the Western swing and rockin' hillbilly assault that first endeared the California-based Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys to fans and critics alike. While many rockabilly outfits derive their sound primarily from artists from the 1950s, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys are a more accurate take on the style, venturing back into the '30 and '40s to tap the influences for legends such as Elvis Presley and Gene Vincent. With the lead g   [ read more ]

CD $13.28

Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys come from the Land of Retro, and it's a happening place. Their bag is small-combo Western swing, and the refreshing thing is their lack of irony, even with the matching yoke shirts, white scarves, and greasy kid stuff. The band's spartan instrumentation leaves nothing for a weak vocalist to hide behind; luckily, Big Sandy has a rich, cultivated tenor that harks back to the glory days of Tommy Duncan while also invoking some of Hank Williams' haunted edginess. He    [ read more ]

CD $17.08

Rockabilly group Big Sandy & the Fly Rite Boys, who play a style of music popularized over four decades ago, certainly aren't trying to reinvent the wheel -- they're just trying to help it keep rollin'. That having been said, the '90s revivals of genres such as swing and ska have taught us that it's one thing to approximate the sounds of a stylish era, but it's a whole different thing to play traditional music really well. This releases attests to the fact that Big Sandy and company do just t   [ read more ]

CD $10.43

On this, their fourth full-length album, Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys continue to ply their unique brand of small-group rockabilly and western swing, and the combination of Sandy's sweet, rich baritone voice and his band's effortless and pitch-perfect vintage virtuosity continues to be a joy. But this time out there's a distinct lack of party anthems: no cute wordplay, no steel-guitar wolf whistles, no ebullient loverman lyrics. Instead, you have song titles like "In the Steel of the Night" and    [ read more ]

CD $17.08

Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys have added a stronger dose of rockabilly rhythm to a few cuts on their seventh album, It's Time!, but otherwise they haven't changed much -- and there's nothing wrong with that. Big Sandy and company have earned a richly deserved reputation as one of the best retro-country acts on the current scene, and It's Time! boasts 14 more examples of what makes them so much fun. Big Sandy has a big, warm voice that's well suited to vintage styles without ever soundin   [ read more ]

CD $16.13

If Robert Williams, aka Big Sandy, has ever made a bad record, he's done a fine job of keeping it under wraps, and whether it's vintage country & western, Western swing, R&B, rockabilly, or one of several stops in between, Big Sandy can belt it out sweet and hot and his band the Fly-Rite Boys know how to play it like they were born to it. Rockin' Big Sandy compiles 15 cuts from six albums he cut for the Hightone label (including his solo album devoted to R&B and doo wop c   [ read more ]

CD $17.08

Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys' Turntable Matinee couldn't be more aptly named: it's the kind of album that belongs on vinyl, deserving years of the same love scratches, crackles, and pops as have been inflicted on cherished Stax or Sun classics. It's truly a matinee, a relaxing visit to another time and place, ideal for a hot summer afternoon. "Spanish Dagger"'s seductive bossa nova beats and the Byrds-esque "Ruby Jane" conjure up the image of relaxing poolside -- the taste of a cold   [ read more ]

CD $16.13