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.
No Name Girl
Billy Lee Riley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Your gal ain't doodly-squat)
Yeah, my gal is red hot
(Your gal ain't doodly-squat)
Well, she ain't got no money
But man, she's a-really got a lot
Well, I got a gal, six feet four
My gal is red hot
(Your gal ain't doodly-squat)
Yeah, my gal is red hot
(Your gal ain't doodly-squat)
Well, she ain't got no money
But man, she's a-really got a lot
Well, she walks all night, talks all day
She's the kinda woman who'll have her way, but...
My gal is red hot
(Your gal ain't doodly-squat)
Yeah, my gal is red hot
(Your gal ain't doodly-squat)
Well, she ain't got no money
But man, she's a-really got a lot
Well, she's the kinda woman who louds around
Spreadin' my business all over town, but...
My gal is red hot
(Your gal ain't doodly-squat)
Yeah, my gal is red hot
(Your gal ain't doodly-squat)
Well, she ain't got no money
But man, she's a-really got a lot
Well, she's a one man's woman, that's what I like
But I wish she wasn't gonna change her mind everynight, but...
My gal is red hot
(Your gal ain't doodly-squat)
Yeah, my gal is red hot
(Your gal ain't doodly-squat)
Well, she ain't got no money
But man, she's a-really got a lot
The song "My Gal is Red Hot" performed by Billy Lee Riley is an upbeat and lively tune that revolves around a man bragging about his attractive girlfriend while ridiculing the girlfriends of other men. The song has a simple structure and repetitive lyrics that make it catchy and enjoyable.
The first verse of the song starts with the man boasting about how hot his girlfriend is, and how other men's girlfriends do not compare. He emphasizes the point that despite her lack of money, she still has a lot of appeal. The second verse is about the woman's physical appearance, mentioning that she is tall and sleeps with her feet out the door. The third verse attributes certain personality traits to the woman, describing her as someone who walks all night and talks all day, and who always gets what she wants.
The fourth verse is slightly critical of the woman, as it suggests that she talks about the man's business to other people. However, the chorus remains the same throughout the song, with the man repeatedly stating that his girlfriend is red hot and the best compared to other women. The last verse adds that the man wishes his girlfriend did not change her mind frequently, but he still loves her regardless.
Overall, the song portrays the common theme of male boasting about his girlfriend and their relationship, which was a common theme in rock and roll music during the 1950s. The song is upbeat and lively, with simple yet catchy lyrics that make it a classic rock and roll tune.
Line by Line Meaning
My gal is red hot
My girlfriend is very attractive and desirable.
(Your gal ain't doodly-squat)
Your girlfriend is not even close to being as desirable as mine.
Well, she ain't got no money
My girlfriend doesn't have much money.
But man, she's a-really got a lot
However, she has many other good qualities that make up for it.
Well, I got a gal, six feet four
I have a very tall girlfriend.
Sleeps in the kitchen with her feet out the door, but...
She has a strange sleeping arrangement, but it doesn't matter because...
Well, she walks all night, talks all day
My girlfriend is very active and energetic.
She's the kinda woman who'll have her way, but...
She's also very assertive and determined.
Well, she's the kinda woman who louds around
My girlfriend is also quite talkative.
Spreadin' my business all over town, but...
She tends to share my personal information with others, but...
Well, she's a one man's woman, that's what I like
Despite her flaws, she is faithful to me and I appreciate that.
But I wish she wasn't gonna change her mind everynight, but...
However, I do wish she was more consistent and didn't change her mind so often.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BILLY RILEY, JACK CLEMENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@graemesmellie5223
Brilliant 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
@alainzilka1018
Excellent 👍