piano andwas releasedon23
rd
January 1957.This looked like the big one and theRiley band
were re-named the Little GreenMen in readiness for the fame and fortune that was sure to
follow.The record itself was a savage, highly commercial slab of up-tempo rock ‘n’ roll and
the fact that it didnot become a national, even international, hit hadmore todowithSun
Records’ limited resources than any flaw in the music itself. It sold well enough in the
South but never received radio playmuch further afield.
1957 shouldhave beenRiley’s year; of that there canbe nodoubt.He followed
Saucers
with the re-working of a 1955 Sun blues record by Billy Emerson.
Red Hot
was just
magnificentnoholdsbarred rock ‘n’ roll andeverybit as goodasSunRecords’ finest releases.
It had to be a smash hit. Riley and the LittleGreenMenwere recalled from a one-nighter
tour of Canada to work on their first
album. Billy was beside himself with
excitement.
ThenSamPhillips changedhismind.
Jerry Lee Lewis had now broken through
with
WholeLottaShakin’Goin’On
and the
follow-up
Great Balls Of Fire
had been
released shortly after
Red Hot
. It was
shapingup tobeamulti-million seller and
Sun just did not have the financial
resources togetbehindboth records at the
same time.Riley’s albumwas aborted and
on one fateful day, he heard Phillips on
thephone to thepressingplant cancelling
orders for
RedHot
so that thepresses could
run flat out with the Lewis disc.
7
