Hoy Hoy: Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight

Liner Note Author: Wayne Russell.
Illustrators: Clyde Stacy; Klaus Kettner; Hans Peter Zdrenka; Nico Feuerbach.
Photographers: Clyde Stacy; Klaus Kettner; Hans Peter Zdrenka; Nico Feuerbach.
A high-school classmate of Buddy Holly's, Clyde Stacy had a similar sunny disposition evident on the six singles he recorded for various Texas labels between 1957 and 1961. Bear Family's 2011 set Hoy Hoy -- part of their ongoing rockabilly series Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight -- gathers those 12 sides and adds ten previously unreleased tracks. Stacy's biggest waves occurred outside of Lubbock. He moved to Pennsylvania and cut records in New York, pivoting to the Great White North as he found a larger reception in Canada than he did in the U.S. Perhaps this was due to his friendly disposition, but unlike other amiable rockabilly cats, Stacy never went whole-hog and recorded saccharine teen pop; he just had an essentially genial nature that shone through on record. This is evident throughout the 22 cuts on Hoy Hoy, most of which are firmly in the Texas/Oklahoma tradition of spare rock & roll, a sound that can withstand such quirks as the heavy tremolo of "I Sure Do Love You Baby." Stacy throws in several twists along the way -- "Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor" contains no country just as "End Up with the Blues" has no blues, his instrumentals with the Four Flames kick up some serious dust, he credibly croons "Return to Me" -- but his calling card is how he can sound affable as his band hits the downbeat very hard. He rocks with a big grin, so it's hard not to smile along and it's hard not to be part of his cult following after hearing Hoy Hoy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine