Bio ~
Born in North Carolina, BeeDee got her first start in the noise making business singing in the Baptist choir. From the first time she heard her granddaddy play claw hammer banjo and imitate a train whistle on his harmonica, her soul was captured by the raw sounds of hillbilly music. Then something called rockabilly floated past this gals' ears, add in some old-school rhythm & blues and she was completely smitten. That raucous rhythm found a home deep in her veins, and soon she was a bonafide junkie, for music that is! BeeDee got her first guitar at the age of 13 and started in on it, finding chords to back up her own crooning. Later she picked up the string bass and has played both guitar and string bass in several bands, including rock & roll, bluegrass, old-time country western swing, and honky tonk. Currently, she also plays with GiRL HOWDY and SLIPPERY SNEAKERS. Now fronting her own combo, Li'l BeeDee & the Doo-Rites, she showcases her own songwriting, in addition to mined gems from the deep well of rhythm & blues. Currently BeeDee has an album out on compact disk, ROCKET GIRL, which was released on the El Toro Records label.
In the Doo-Rites camp are ~
Betsy-Dawn Williams, aka BeeDee, vocals, rhythm guitar, & songwriting - playing with the passion & energy of a gal whose dress is on fire, Li'l BeeDee is on a mission to set everything else on fire too, with a commitment to spreading sheer joy through a fusion of big beat rockabilly, rhythm & blues and a promise to "do ya right"!
Records on the El Toro Records label.
Jeff Potter on piano & vocals, who has for the last handful of years been playing piano for Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer Wanda Jackson, as part of the Lustre Kings – a crew of rockabilly cats based in upstate New York. Potter comes with a litany of recordings himself on various respected rockabilly labels including Raucous Records in England and El Toro Records in Spain, as well as having recorded here in the States on the Vanguard and Columbia record labels.
Boston’s own Frankie Blandino is in the lead guitar seat, no stranger to the genre himself, having proved his instrumental prowess in several well-known Boston-based bands such as Frankie & the Fathoms, The Crank-tones and Boston's premier western swing band, The Spurs.
Bassist Brian Rost, an all around journey-man bass player, accomplished in many genres having played with many greats throughout his career, the Tarbox Ramblers, and the late great Rufus Thomas to name a few.
Doug Hinman on drums, spent eleven years as a professional drummer, touring extensively in the US and Europe. Regarded for his versatility and feel for traditional styles of rock 'n' roll, rockabilly, and R&B, his career culminated with a three-year stint with the internationally acclaimed guitarist Duke Robillard. His recording credits with both major and independent labels stretch from the late 1970s to 1992, when he recorded the highly acclaimed CD Tennessee Border with Sun Records artist Sonny Burgess and ex-Blasters member Dave Alvin. He was also featured on Robillard's Turn It Around CD.
From El Toro Records...
Available from:
SOUND SAMPLES
Click on titles to listen:
CONTACT INFO Email -- lilbeedee@rocketmail.com Phone -- 413.695.2141
CD REVIEWS
EL TORO RECORDS - Spain
“This, her first CD, will please both the fans of female rockabilly Wanda Jackson style and the lovers of the Ronnie Dawson and Planet Rockers sound; 12 own compositions and just one cover in which she's backed by rockin' music aces as Graham Tichy (Bones Maki & The Sundodgers), Jeff Potter and Mark Gamsjager (Lustre Kings) to name just a few... Betsy-Dawn Williams will surely become one of the leaders of female rockabilly music in the USA, just give her a few months....” ~ Carlos Diaz, CEO, El Toro Records
NOW DIG THIS MAGAZINE - England
“The rockin’ tracks invite comparison with Wanda Jackson…should appeal to fans of Linda Gail Lewis…this is an entertaining collection and is recommended.” ~ Harry Dodds
FLIPSIDE RECORDS - Norway
Betsy Dawn Williams - Rocket Girl [ETCD 4040]
This is a great CD! Sorta like a female Ronnie Dawson (can't get over that he's left us!) and that says a lot! There’s driving Bo D' rhythms, beautiful country ballads and rockin' and rollin' all the way. We'd love to see you over in Europe Betsy!
ROCKABILLY MONTHLY MAGAZINE - Austin, TX
Betsy-Dawn Williams “Rocket Girl" (El Toro)
Eminently agreeable, and amenably melodic bop bounce that's easy on the ears and sure to move many a foot. On her provocatively strong debut, "BeeDee" sifts her roots and inclinations, interpreting them with infectious, winning personality. This is rollicking fun from beginning to end.
Joining singer/rhythm guitarist Williams are lead picker Graham Tichy (son of Commander Cody guitarman John Tichy), bassman Jim Haggerty and drummer Jeff Potter. Accompanied at times by various guests these three acquit themselves impressively and instill "Rocket Girl's" already solid songs with potent OOMPH. All but one track here is a BeeDee original. And her playful sense of humor makes this CD stand out.
BLACK CAT ROCKABILLY - Europe
Rocket Girl - Betsy-Dawn WilliamsEl Toro Records ETCD 4040
A luscious feline singing and screamin' her head off with a voice that is quite different and standing out from the rest of the crowd. Betsy-Dawn Williams writes and sings her own music, ranging from hillbilly, rockabilly, plain ol' rock 'n' roll and rhythm & blues. In fact, with the exception of Kenny Parchman's "Get It Off Your Mind", she wrote all the tracks herself, and she did a real fine job too.From the rockabilly stomper "Too Many Words", with great guitar licks by Graham Tichy, to a spacey "Lurlene Can't Read" with wild drums by Jeff Potter, a sensitive part-accoustic "This Feelin' Called Love", to a raving rhythm & blues rhythm on "Outerspace Motorspace Scooter Machine", this is all rock 'n' roll. The hard knocking piano/guitar rocker "Can't You See" will set your neck hairs straight up. The CD has a lot of variety, hence the long list of musicians that contributed to this album, and the many instuments used. A superb release by El Toro Records.
ROCKABILLY BABY MAGAZINE - Online Publication
Betsy-Dawn Williams - Rocket Girl
"Put your lyrics in a jar they all sound fake, it's gone too far and I've got a headache - now I need a break". That is the fading verse in the rockabilly kicker Too Many Words, from BetsyDawn Williams' latest release, Rocket Girl. Rocket Girl is a kick-ass album from a rockabilly girl with humble North Carolina roots. To quote her label's website, "BeeDee"
got her first start in music singing in the Baptist choir, but from the first time she heard her grand-daddy play clawhammer banjo and imitate a train whistle on his harmonica, her soul was captured by the raw sounds of hillbilly music". It's been many years (like a long, long time ago) since a female musician has commanded such respect on the rockabilly scene. She's not just another pretty face. She writes her own songs, from honky tonk to rockabilly, Betsy-Dawn is a talented musician and hell on a scooter.
The Rocket Girl flies into another toe-stomper Lurlene Can't Read, a flash into the past of childhood remembrance. From there the tempo drops to the ultra-swing of This Feeling Called Love, a slow running flame of passion. Wrong Again pops up as a retro-piano backed, punk-fueled idea of never being right.
I'm sure she's heard this before, but Betsy-Dawn's angelic voice carries a heavy resemblance to the great Wanda Jackson with more twang. Plus, Betsy-Dawn has a host of very talented musicians on Rocket Girl, including a few mainstays like Graham Tichy on guitars, Jeff Potter on drums and Jim Haggerty on the stand-up bass. These guys keep it tight and keep you in the glorious time zone of yesteryear. Moving on to my favorite track is a spoof off of the album title called Outerspace Motorspace Scooter Machine. This honk-a-bill~ ditty is a head-bobbing masterpiece. "It's a mean screamin' green scootin' gravity Iiar," Ms. Williams pleads.
Get It Off Your Mind is the only cover on the CD, but it gels right in wit~ Betsy-Dawn's retro sound. Walkin' & Talkin' is a mid-tempo downer, cheating with a quiet blend of Patsy and old skool country.
I can go on and on about the sheer greatness of Rocket Girl, but I have to leave something for you to engulf for yourself. This album is worth its weight in space dust. Pick up your copy of Rocket Girl at www.eltororecords.com ~Mark
“Nothing can really prepare you for an explosion of talent like this. Williams not only has a great hillbilly voice in sort of a Jean Shepard, Paulette Carlson (Highway 101) sort of way, but is an excellent songwriter…She does display quite a range…As far as I’m concerned this is flawless, truly exciting, and very aptly named! Highest recommendation – don’t miss it!"
~ Marc Bristol BLUE SUEDE NEWS MAGAZINE – Duvall, WA
CONTACT INFO Email -- lilbeedee@rocketmail.com Phone -- 413.695.2141
