Janis Martin | Drugstore Rock And Roll [Vinyl] LP

While the names of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis come quickly to mind when thinking of the original rockabilly greats, there were also several girls who were rocking it with the boys, such as the great Wanda Jackson and Janis Martin.

A Virginia native, Martin made a fistful of great rocking records that showed off her excellent voice and spunky enthusiasm to their best advantage. Presley and RCA were so impressed with Martin’s stage presence that they dubbed her “the Female Elvis” for her dance moves on stage. Presley sent a dozen red roses to her when she appeared at the RCA Victor convention in Miami, Florida, and Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ manager, offered to take over her management seeing the potential of a successful double “boygirl” bill, an offer which wasn’t accepted by Martin’s parents.

Her first and biggest hits were “Drugstore Rock and Roll” (selling some 750,000 (copies) and the equally vibrant “My Boy Elvis”