Al Downing (musician): Difference between revisions

Al Downing (born in Oklahoma on January 9, 1940 - died in Massachussets on July 4, 2005), later known as Big Al Downing was a true entertainer, singer, songwriter, pianist and Rockabilly Hall of Famer. A recipient of Billboard's New Artist of the Year and Single of the Year Awards in 1979, a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, was frequent performer at the Grand Ole Opry, once was nominated as Best New Artist by the Academy of Country Music and has appeared on Hee Haw, Nashville Now, and Dick Clark's American Band Stand televisions programs.

Big Al Downing built a five-decade career around his powerful singing voice and his hard-driving rockabilly-style piano. Downing's compilations of earlier work has been released around the world. For European territory, Crazy Music [1] obtained exclusive rights for original Team recordings and released these in the form of a 2-CD box "Classic Collection", contained his earlier hits incl. Mr. Jones. In 2003, Downing released his first new album, titled "One of A Kind." This album has received favorable radio and print reviews world-wide, e.g. 3rd rank on American Roots Country and features 14 memorable tracks. He gave his regular performances at the Grand Ole Opry. He has been elected to several music hall-of-fames, most notable the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2000, and the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. A beloved entertainer, Downing has continued to perform over 75 key dates per year, and recently appeared at Ontario's prestigious Havelock Country Jamboree with Kenny Rogers and Roy Clark. The veteran singer Big Al Downing has postponed plans for a European tour that was due to kick off July 1, 2005 in Austria since he was hospitalized and recently diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and began chemotherapy treatment.

DISCOGRAPHY - MAIN ALBUMS

• 1971 "Big Al Downing and His Friends" (LP) Label: Collector
• 1982 "Big Al Downing" (LP) Label: Team
• 1987 "Big Al Downing & The Poe Cats" (LP) Label: Jumble
• 1988 "Rockin' 'n' Rollin" (LP) Label: Rollercoaster
• 1994 "Back to My Roots" (CD) Label: Orchard/reissued: Rollercoaster/Tug Boat
• 1994 "Rockin' Down The Farm" (CD) Label: Eagle
• 1996 "Rockin' & Rollin'"' (CD) Label: Schoolkids
• 1997 "Classic Collection" 2 CD-Box (2CD) Label: Crazy Music[2]
• 1998 " Rockin' Down The Farm", Vol. 2 (CD) - The Poe Kats feat. Big Al Downing" Label: Eagle
• 2003 "US Greatest Hits, Vol.1 (CD) Label: Orchard
• 2003 "One of a Kind" (CD) Label: Hayden's Ferry