Billy Lee Riley (born October 5, 1933 - August 2, 2009 ) was a first genera… Read Full Bio ↴Billy Lee Riley (born October 5, 1933 - August 2, 2009 ) was a first generation Rockabilly musician, singer, record producer and songwriter who died in Jonesboro Arkansas.
Born in Pocahontas, Arkansas, the son of a sharecropper, Riley learned to play guitar from black farm workers. After 4 years in the Army, Riley first recorded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1955 before being lured to Sun Studios by Sam Phillips. He recorded "Trouble Bound" for Jack Clement and Slim Wallace. Sam Phillips obtained the rights and he released "Trouble Bound" b/w ""Rock With Me Baby" September 1,1956 (Sun 245). His first hit was "Flyin' Saucers Rock and Roll" b/w "I Want You Baby" released February 23,1957 (Sun 260) after which he recorded ""Red Hot" b/w "Pearly Lee" released September 30,1957 (Sun 277) both with backing piano by Jerry Lee Lewis.
Riley was drawn to the Memphis area in 1954 on the heels of Elvis Presley's success. Riley began performing on KWEM Radio Station in West Memphis, Arkansas along with another Arkansas native, Johnny Cash, who had his own show on KWEM in 1955.
"Red Hot" was showing a lot of promise as a big hit record, but Sam Phillips pulled the promotion and switched it to "Great Balls Of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis. The record was pulled without a lot of sales. He had other Sun recordings and they, likewise, did not have a lot of sales as his promotion had stopped.
Considered good looking and with wild stage moves, Riley had a brief solo career with his backing band "The Little Green Men". Riley and his Little Green Men were the main Sun studio band. They were Riley, Roland Janes, J.M. Van Eaton, Marvin Pepper, and Jimmy Wilson, later joined by Martin Willis.
In 1960, he left Sun, and started Rita Record label with Roland Janes. They produced the national hit record "Mountain Of Love" by Harold Dorman. He later started two other labels Nita and Mojo.
In 1962, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a session musician with Dean Martin, the Beach Boys, Herb Alpert, Sammy Davis Jr. and others, as well as recording under various aliases.
In the early seventies, Riley quit music to return to Arkansas to begin his own construction business. In 1978 "Red Hot" and "Flyin' Saucers Rock 'n' Roll" were covered by Robert Gordon and Link Wray respectively, which led to a one-off performance in Memphis in 1979, the success of which led to further recording at Sun Studio and a full-time return to performing.
Rediscovered by Bob Dylan in 1992, who had been a fan since 1956, Riley plays Rock and Roll, Blues and Country-Blues.
His album Hot Damn! (Capricorn, 1997) was nominated for the Grammy.
He was injured falling on a slippery department store floor in 2005 and that has required two surgeries, but he still is performing successfully worldwide in 2007. In 2006, he released a country CD, Hillbilly Rockin' Man.
The sky grew dimmer on Sunday, as another great ray of light from the Sun Records roster, Billy Lee Riley, died. Riley, who'd been battling cancer since May, died August 2, 2009, at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro, Ark., after being admitted on Saturday. He was 75.
Born in Pocahontas, Arkansas, the son of a sharecropper, Riley learned to play guitar from black farm workers. After 4 years in the Army, Riley first recorded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1955 before being lured to Sun Studios by Sam Phillips. He recorded "Trouble Bound" for Jack Clement and Slim Wallace. Sam Phillips obtained the rights and he released "Trouble Bound" b/w ""Rock With Me Baby" September 1,1956 (Sun 245). His first hit was "Flyin' Saucers Rock and Roll" b/w "I Want You Baby" released February 23,1957 (Sun 260) after which he recorded ""Red Hot" b/w "Pearly Lee" released September 30,1957 (Sun 277) both with backing piano by Jerry Lee Lewis.
Riley was drawn to the Memphis area in 1954 on the heels of Elvis Presley's success. Riley began performing on KWEM Radio Station in West Memphis, Arkansas along with another Arkansas native, Johnny Cash, who had his own show on KWEM in 1955.
"Red Hot" was showing a lot of promise as a big hit record, but Sam Phillips pulled the promotion and switched it to "Great Balls Of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis. The record was pulled without a lot of sales. He had other Sun recordings and they, likewise, did not have a lot of sales as his promotion had stopped.
Considered good looking and with wild stage moves, Riley had a brief solo career with his backing band "The Little Green Men". Riley and his Little Green Men were the main Sun studio band. They were Riley, Roland Janes, J.M. Van Eaton, Marvin Pepper, and Jimmy Wilson, later joined by Martin Willis.
In 1960, he left Sun, and started Rita Record label with Roland Janes. They produced the national hit record "Mountain Of Love" by Harold Dorman. He later started two other labels Nita and Mojo.
In 1962, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a session musician with Dean Martin, the Beach Boys, Herb Alpert, Sammy Davis Jr. and others, as well as recording under various aliases.
In the early seventies, Riley quit music to return to Arkansas to begin his own construction business. In 1978 "Red Hot" and "Flyin' Saucers Rock 'n' Roll" were covered by Robert Gordon and Link Wray respectively, which led to a one-off performance in Memphis in 1979, the success of which led to further recording at Sun Studio and a full-time return to performing.
Rediscovered by Bob Dylan in 1992, who had been a fan since 1956, Riley plays Rock and Roll, Blues and Country-Blues.
His album Hot Damn! (Capricorn, 1997) was nominated for the Grammy.
He was injured falling on a slippery department store floor in 2005 and that has required two surgeries, but he still is performing successfully worldwide in 2007. In 2006, he released a country CD, Hillbilly Rockin' Man.
The sky grew dimmer on Sunday, as another great ray of light from the Sun Records roster, Billy Lee Riley, died. Riley, who'd been battling cancer since May, died August 2, 2009, at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro, Ark., after being admitted on Saturday. He was 75.
Flying Saucers Rock 'n' Roll
Billy Lee Riley Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Billy Lee Riley:
Baby Please Don't Go Baby please don't go, baby please don't go Baby please don't…
Baby Please Don't Go (Live) Baby please don't go, baby please don't go Baby please don't…
Down By The Riverside I'm gonna lay down my burden, down by the riverside,…
Flyin' Saucers Rock 'n' Roll Well the news of the saucer been a-flyin' around Having a…
Flying Saucer Rock 'n' Roll Well, the news of the saucer been a-flyin′ around I'm the…
Flying Saucer Rock n Roll Well, the news of the saucer been a-flyin′ around I'm the…
Flying Saucer Rock'n Roll Well, the news of the saucer been a-flyin′ around I'm the…
I I've got something to tell you That I think you ought…
I Want You I've got something to tell you That I think you ought…
My Gal Is Red Hot My gal is red hot Your gal ain't doodly squat Yeah, my…
No Name Girl My gal is red hot (Your gal ain't doodly-squat) Yeah, my gal…
Red Hot My gal is red hot Your gal ain't doodly squat Yeah, my…
Rock With Me Baby Well rock bop-a-lu-bop, bop-a-lu-bop Well rock bop-a-lu-bop,…
Your Cash Ain [Spoken:] Your cash ain't nothing but trash. Here we go. …
Your Cash Ain't Nothing but Trash [Spoken:] Your cash ain't nothing but trash. Here we go. …
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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herr brucvald
Well, the news of the saucer been a-flyin' around
I'm the only one that seen it on the ground
First thing I seen when I saw it land
Cats jumped out and they formed a band.
[Chorus]:
Flyin' saucer rock and roll, flyin' saucer rock and roll
I couldn't understand the things they said
But that crazy beat just a stopped me dead
Well the little green men, they were real hep-cats
Rockin' and a-rollin' to the crazy flats
They brought out a sax and they started to blow
They brought out the drums and they started to roll.
[Chorus]
Well, I come out a-hidin' and I started to rock
Little green men tought me how to do the bop
They were three foot high, hit a few bars
Started rock and roll all the way from mars.
[Chorus]
Marakesh7
One of the greatest rock 'n' roll records ever made.
Vic 45
I saw a rock group playing this years ago it was so loud and people dancing it must have lasted about three half minutes loved it
herr brucvald
The heavenly guitar work here is by Roland E. Janes, a true all-time god of rockabilly gods. ---Roland Janes on his early work w/ Sam Phillips at Sun Records:
“He was the type of guy, he wasn't afraid for a mistake being on a record and I got my first taste of that one time when we cut a record. And I made a mistake on the record ... I was shy back then and didn't talk very much so I said ‘Mr. Phillips, I hit a wrong note on that solo.’ He said, ‘Don't worry about it, that's got the feel, that's the feel I want, no one will ever hear that. I learned a lot from that one thing... that's when I learned what he was looking for was the overall sound and the overall feel and delivery. The little side things, like Elvis forgetting the words and starting to hiccup or something, Sam immediately saw something in that where most people, I'd say 99% of the people in the business back then, would stop the tape, correct it and make sure he was right on pitch and all that kind of thing. Then there wouldn't have been an Elvis Presley.” He died on 18 Oct 2013 (aged 80) in Memphis, Tennessee, and is buried in the New Hope Cemetery in Pollard, Arkansas.
Moz Quiff
That crazy beat STILL stops me dead. God rest you Billy Lee <3
Big Jim Davis
I had the great fortune to be mentored by Roland Janes at Sonic Recording when I was 16-18 years old. I just knew him as Roland and had no idea of his background with Sun Records and Jerry Lee Lewis. Reconnected with him about a year before he passed away. What a legend.
mutleybird
Glad you checked out one of my videos!
vegasniceguy
A great song! The late Jim Wunderle and the Symptons from Springfield, MO covered this song and "Red Hot" in their live performances. Fantastic guitar work from Lou Whitney and Donnie Thompson. Billy Lee Riley should have been a star.
Rockin Daddy
Wahnsinn, ein genialer Rockabilly Song !! 👍✨🧡
kacema70
Flying Saucers and Rock 'n Roll, a real 1950´s combination!!
MikeTheBarber63
So great! I love this song and what a brilliant tribute! More please!