Born John Courville in Texas in 1939, he was of Cajun ancestry, and started singing at an early age, forming a rock ‘n’ roll band in his teens called The Shades, who were seen by local DJ J.P.
Richardson, better known as The Big Bopper.
Richardson offered Johnny the chance to record a teenage tragedy song he had written called “Running Bear” – the ‘Indian’ sounds on the record were performed by Richardson and country singer George Jones.
The record went to No.
1 on both sides of the Atlantic after Richardson was killed in the same plane crash as Buddy Holly.
Preston had another top 10 hit and a few more hits through to 1961 as well as recording two albums.
This 40-track 2-CD set comprises all his A & B sides on Mercury, and all the tracks from his albums from these years “Running Bear” and “Come Rock With Me” not otherwise released on singles.
It features his US and UK No.
1 “Running Bear” and his Top 20 hits “Cradle Of Love” and “Feel So Fine” plus his other career hits “I’m Starting to Go Steady”, “Charming Billy”, “Leave My Kitten Alone” and “Free Me”.
It’s as substantial an overview as can be achieved from this key era of his career, and a worthy showcase of this particular brand of pop/rock.
