Billy “Crash” Craddock was born the youngest of 13 children in Greensboro, NC. A good portion of his childhood was spent surrounded by music and love of his family. His father, typical of musicians of his day and time, played harmonica, spoons, washboard and buck danced. His mother and older brothers and sisters regularly sang old gospel standards and folk tunes, harmonizing beautifully amongst themselves. Craddock remembers listening to Little Jimmy Dickens, Lefty Frizzell and Faron Young on the radio, singing as they sang, knowing he would only have to hear a song once or maybe twice before he knew the lyrics and melody by heart. His family was very supportive of his talents and one brother even paid him a nickel for every song he could sing and not miss any words on. But it wasn’t until Elvis Presley stormed into the entertainment field that a young Billy Craddock thought he, too, might be able to combine his love for music and his need for earning a living.
By this time his high school football team had given “Crash”
Craddock his unusual nickname, one that would stick on and off the playing
field for the rest of his life. Crash got his first recording contract with
Colonial Records in Durham, NC shortly after high school and he was on his way.
After high school, Billy, his brother Ronald, and two others formed a group,
the Four Rebels, and came into contact with Fred Koury, who owned the
Greensboro Plantation Supper Club. Koury became Crash's manager, and the first
record, Smacky Mouth, was released as Billy Graddock on a local label, Sky
Castle Records, in September 1957. He then recorded ‘The Millionaire’ as Billy
Craddock for Colonial and went to Date for ‘Ah Poor Little Baby’, an underrated
rock ‘n’ roll song.
The young, handsome
Craddock was signed by Columbia Records to compete with Elvis. Although only
19, Craddock signed for his fourth label, but this time it was a major,
Columbia Records. For his third single, he was billed, for the first time, as
Billy ‘Crash’ Craddock. The a-side, the rocking ‘Boom Boom Baby’, was a hit in
Australia, but it was the ballad b-side, ‘Don’t Destroy Me’, which scraped into
the US Top 100. He toured Australia three times and became one of the earliest
rock ‘n’ roll stars in the country.
During 1959 he had a number one record in Australia and was
greeted by screaming crowds there when he toured that continent with Bobby
Rydell, The Everly Brothers, Santo and Johnny and the Diamonds. Alan Heffernan
(the righthand man of Australian promoter Lee Gordon), saw a film clip of Crash
doing Boom Boom Baby, and showed it on Australian TV. "I was working at
the Plantation Supper Club," Billy told Jimmy Guterman, "and Fred
Koury said, 'How'd ya like to go to Australia for $1000 a week plus expenses?'
I wasn't making any money in Greensboro, so I flew out there. When he landed there
were 5000 kids waiting there. I had the number one record, and I didn't even
know it."
Craddock spent several years out of the music business while
working in a cigarette factory and hanging drywall, but never gave up on his
dream of becoming a Country music singer. His dream would start coming true by
1970.
Alan Mercer: What was growing up in Greensboro, North Carolina like?
Billy ‘Crash” Craddock: Back when I was a little bitty
thing, about the size of Little Jimmy Dickens, we didn’t have a whole lot. I
don’t think anybody had a whole lot back then. There were 13 kids in my family,
but 3 of the babies died when they were small, so that left 10 of us. We were a
close-knit, typical family. We were rowdy with each other at times too. If we
went anywhere, we had to walk. I’d go see shows when I was 15 and 16 and I had
to walk to everything. It was kind of rough, but we never starved or anything.
Mom and dad worked in a cotton mill. At one time there were 7 of us living in a
4-room house. We didn’t have electricity back then. We lived way out in the
country.
AM: You were the
youngest, correct?
BCC: Oh yeah, I was
the youngest and a spoiled brat. Everybody said they spoiled me, but I don’t
think wearing hand me downs is spoiled, do you? (Laughter)
AM: Probably not. So,
you had siblings living away from home by the time you came around?
BCC: Oh yeah. I was
the youngest and we had 7 of us including mom and dad. Eventually my 2 sisters
got married and moved out. We would have to sleep at the foot of the bed. I had
to build an outhouse when I got a little older. I was talking to Dolly Parton
about that one time, and she said she had a 2 holer. I told her she must
have been rich, because ours only had 1 hole. (Laughter)
AM: I know you were
already enjoying singing as a young kid, but how did you first get on stage?
BCC: As I got into my
teen years, my brother-in-law introduced me and my brother to a club owner who
had a beautiful club and he told us he could get us a spot playing there. We
went out there and the guy put us on stage that night. He didn’t even audition
us. He just threw us up on the stage, so I started professionally that way.
Before then, I was doing talent shows around the area. My brother Clarence
taught me how to play the guitar and that’s where it all started.
AM: I bet you were
into that.
BCC: I really loved
it. I’d get up in the morning and the first thing I’d do is play the guitar.
I’d come home at night and the first thing I’d do is pick it up and play. On
the weekend, after all my chores were done, I’d go out in the barn in the hay
loft with a broom and pretend I was playing at the Grand Ole Opry. If I did a
Carl Smith song, I’d be Carl Smith and I’d say thank you very much, and then I
would introduce the next act, so here is Little Jimmy Dickens and I’d be Jimmy
Dickens. I was having a ball all by myself up there in that barn.
AM: You were
visualizing your future.
BCC: I had no idea
that I would ever be in the business. I’ll be honest with you, if it hadn’t
been for Fred Koury, I probably wouldn’t have ever made it in the business. I
sure didn’t have any money or anything to get started.
AM: Where did you
record those first records?
BCC: We went up to
Ohio and recorded in a Mercury Records studio.
AM: You really didn't think you would have a hit?
BCC: Back in 1960 I
cut a song called ‘Boom Boom Baby’ with Columbia records. I would go into the
studio and record and pray that I had a hit record, but I didn’t really think I
would ever have a hit. So, I recorded the song and the next thing I knew, my
manager asked me if I wanted to go to Australia and work for $1,000.00 a week.
Boy, I jumped on that because I was working with sheetrock and not making any
money at all. Someone sent a tape of me to Australia and a guy who had a TV show
over there, like Dick Clark had over here, played it and he got so many
requests, he had to play it again and again. The song became Number One in
Australia, along with ‘One Last Kiss’ and ‘Don’t Destroy Me’. We had 3 Number
One records in 1960.
AM: You went with
some other popular musicians, didn’t you?
BCC: Yes, I went with Bobby Rydell, The Everly Brothers, and
some others. I was so green that when I went over there, I’d see all the other
entertainers getting up and going to the lavatory and shaving and cleaning up,
I thought to myself, what are they doing? I said, I’ll
get by without doing that. We landed and opened the door, and I heard all these
kids screaming for the artists getting off the plane and when I got on the ramp
the fans tore the fence down and started running towards me. I didn’t know what
was going on. I didn’t know I had the Number One record. That guy with the TV
Show is the one who made me over there by playing my songs.
AM: That is such an
incredible story.
BCC: God has been so
good to me. He made it happen right in front of my eyes and I didn’t even know
it.
AM: Where did you
record that video of you singing ‘Boom Boom Baby’ that we can all see on
YouTube now?
BCC: That was done in
Toledo, Ohio I believe. I may be wrong about that, though.
AM: What was
Australia like for you?
BCC: They were a
little behind the times with music. That’s why ‘Boom Boom Baby’ hit. Before I
went to Australia, I used to tell my wife I wish somebody would tear my clothes
off like they did with Elvis. When I got on stage in Australia for the first
show, I didn’t have nothing left but half a shirt. (Laughter) When I got back
home, I told my wife, honey I don’t ever want anyone to tear my clothes off
again. They don’t stop with your clothes. They pull your hair, your watches and
your rings. They don’t care. They were so wild over there and it was beautiful.
AM: How did that
experience change you?
BCC: It scared the hell out of me. (Laughter) I was twenty
years old and it made me want to get into show business more than I ever
thought I wanted to be, but from those 3 hits in 1960, it took me another 12
years to have another hit record.
AM: You were marketed
as a teen idol back then.
BCC: Oh yeah, the
bookers and promoters were looking for somebody to take the place of Elvis
while he was in the military.
