302:" the bitterest book ever written about how rock'n'roll came to be and what it turned into; its theme is racism....hat really interests Smith is how a rich version of American black culture is transformed into a horrible, enormously profitable white parody of itself: as white labels sign black artists only to ensure their oblivion and keep those blacks they can't control penned up in the ghetto of the black charts; as white America, faced with something good, responds with a poison that will ultimately ruin even honest men... There is no question that much of what Smith describes took place.... But.. driven by its bitterness, Smith's story runs away from itself..."
189:; Milburn recorded the song in 1954. Another source suggests that Smith actively sought a recording contract himself, at the behest of a girlfriend. In any event, Aladdin offered him a recording contract, and, using the pseudonym Sonny Knight that he invented himself, released two singles on the label, including "But, Officer," later recorded by
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label, and in 1964 his song "If You Want This Love" reached no.71 on the pop chart; its follow-up "Love Me As Though There Were No
Tomorrow" reached no.100. He gave up his recording career in the mid 1960s, moving in the 1970s to live in Hawaii, where he continued to sing in
288:. It was based on his own experiences in the music business in the 1950s, and received generally good reviews, remaining in print for over 25 years. Rock critic
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intending to pursue an academic career, but became interested in the music business and, according to one source, visited the Mesner brothers at
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of "Jail Bird", the record was flipped by radio DJs. After initial local success, the record was licensed to the larger
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153:, was an American singer, songwriter and author. His biggest hit was "Confidential", which reached the pop and
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Knight was unable to follow it up successfully, although he continued to record for Dot. He also worked as a
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charts in 1956, and he continued to record into the 1960s. In 1981, using his real name, he wrote
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Knight died in Hawaii in 1998 at the age of 64, following a stroke two years earlier.
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After a couple more unsuccessful singles, recorded again as Sonny Knight, producer
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to sell them a song, "Vicious, Vicious Vodka", that he had written for his idol,
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501:'Confidential' – Sonny Knight hit single from 1956 (YouTube)
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and others, and recorded for small labels including
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343:Biography by Dik de Heer at Black Cat Rockabilly
280:In 1981, credited as Joseph C. Smith, his novel
395:Dead Elvis: a chronicle of a cultural obsession
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309:A compilation CD of Sonny Knight's recordings,
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378:Biography by Rovi at Allmusic.com
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440:. Retrieved April 20, 2013
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345:. Retrieved April 20, 2013
454:Top Pop Singles 1955–2002
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179:Los Angeles State College
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195:Joe Smith
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