CHARLIE BROWN
HAVE YOU HEARD THE GOSSIP?

Charlie Brown is a name many associate with the famous Peanuts cartoon. But deep in the heart of Texas, in Eastland County, another Charlie Brown made music history. A cattle rancher and country singer, Brown was among the earliest artists to capture the true spirit of Texas Rockabilly on record. In 1955, together with his much younger guitarist Roy Thackerson, he recorded a small body of work that would later become highly prized by collectors and Rock’n’Roll enthusiasts worldwide.

Songs such as Mean Mean Mama and Have You Heard The Gossip are now regarded as prime examples of raw, early Rockabilly, combining country roots with driving rhythms and an unpolished intensity that set them apart from more commercial recordings of the era. These sides stand as early blueprints of the distinct Texas Rockabilly sound.

This 10” LP brings together the originally released titles with several recordings that remained unreleased at the time. Highlights include a grooving version of Milkcow Blues Boogie and the instrumental Back to B Boogie. Many of these tracks have been unavailable or only sporadically reissued over the past seven decades, making this release particularly significant.

The set is rounded out by a version of the legendary Guitar Boogie, performed by Roy Thackerson, who later became known as the “Fingerless Fiddler.” With this release, Bear Family Records® presents its first exclusive tribute to Charlie Brown, finally giving these historic recordings and their dry, stripped-down Texas Rockabilly sound the recognition they deserve.