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.
Tracks:
1Running BearHörprobe Track 1: Running Bear2My Heart KnowsHörprobe Track 2: My Heart Knows3Cradle Of LoveHörprobe Track 3: Cradle Of Love4City Of TearsHörprobe Track 4: City Of Tears5Feel So FineHörprobe Track 5: Feel So Fine6I'm Starting To Go SteadyHörprobe Track 6: I'm Starting To Go Steady7Charming BillyHörprobe Track 7: Charming Billy8Up In The AirHörprobe Track 8: Up In The Air9New Baby For ChristmasHörprobe Track 9: New Baby For Christmas10(I Want A) Rock And Roll GuitarHörprobe Track 10: (I Want A) Rock And Roll Guitar11Leave My Kitten AloneHörprobe Track 11: Leave My Kitten Alone12Token Of LoveHörprobe Track 12: Token Of Love13I Feel GoodHörprobe Track 13: I Feel Good14Willy WalkHörprobe Track 14: Willy Walk15Let Them TalkHörprobe Track 15: Let Them Talk16She Once Belonged To MeHörprobe Track 16: She Once Belonged To Me17Free MeHörprobe Track 17: Free Me18Kissin' TreeHörprobe Track 18: Kissin' Tree19Let's Leave It That WayHörprobe Track 19: Let's Leave It That Way20Broken Hearts AnonymousHörprobe Track 20: Broken Hearts AnonymousDisk 2 von 2 (CD)1The Day After Forever2Let The Big Boss Man (Pull You Through)3What Am I Living For4Earth Angel5Guardian Angel6Hearts Of Stone7Chief Heartbreak8The Twist9You'll Never Walk Alone10Pretend11Danny Boy12Dream13Madre De Dios (Mother Of God)14Just Little Boy Blue15That's All I Want16The Angels Gave You To Me17Sitting Here Crying18Do What You Did19Please Believe Me20My Imagination
