CRB Executive Director Unveils
Narvel Felts Portrait
Aug 8, 2006
Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.
Executive Director Ed Salamon officiated at the unveiling of a life-size portrait of
Narvel Felts during Felt's performance at The International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame
concert at The Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, Tennessee on Saturday, August 5th. As
well as being one of the most programmed artists on Country radio during the 70s, Felts
has amassed a cult following based on his earlier rockabilly recordings. The portrait will
be on permanent display, along with those of Elvis, Carl Perkins, Brenda Lee and others at
the International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame in Jackson.
As reported by Tonya Smith-King in the August 6, 2006 edition of The Jackson Sun; "Ed
Salamon, a friend and fan of Felts, presented a brief talk about Felts before the
unveiling. Salamon met Felts while program director of WHN, a country music station in New
York. In 1981, Salamon formed the United Stations Radio Network with Dick Clark and did
interviews with Felts that were broadcast nationally on network radio shows. 'Narvel Felts
was ranked as one of the top artists in country music,' Salamon told festival fans. 'He
also has the distinction of hitting charts in each of the first five decades of his
career.' Felts' painting will hang with the others at the International Rockabilly Hall of
Fame."
Used with permission. Copyright 2006 Country
Radio Broadcasters, Inc., all rights reserved. Visit www.crb.org
Remarks at Narvel Felts’
International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame Portrait Unveiling
Saturday, August 5, 2006 at Carl Perkins Civic Center, Jackson, Tennessee
It is fitting that we honor one of the original rock and roll artists, Narvel Felts,
tonight at The Carl Perkins Civic Center, because it all began for Narvel at a high school
talent contest where he sang Carl Perkins’ hit “Blue Suede Shoes”.
It’s also fitting that we are in Jackson, Tennessee geographically located between
Memphis, where at seventeen Narvel made his first studio recordings at Sun studios for
Jack Clement under the eyes of Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty and Johnny
Cash, ……and Nashville, the center of Country music where Narvel has had such
great commercial success.
Like many of you, I first became a fan of Narvel’s rockabilly music and bought songs
like “Kiss-a-me Baby” on Mercury, “Honey Love” on Pink and
“Mountain of Love” on Groove.
In the early 70s, I became Program Director of Country Music station WEEP in Pittsburgh
and recognized Narvel’s name on a Country version of “Drift Away”. We
played it, as did many other Country stations, and it became the first in a streak of
Country hits for Narvel. We called him “Narvel The Marvel” because he had been
in the business for seventeen years and on a dozen record labels before making it big.
A couple years later I became Program Director of WHN, the Country station in New York and
Narvel and I became friends. I saw Narvel win over New York audiences as his list of hits
grew to include “Lonely Teardrops”, “Funny How Time Slips Away”
“Somebody Hold Me Until She Passes By” and the number one Country record of the
year for 1975, “Reconsider Me”
Along the way, he gave up his original band, and was for a time backed by a young group
called Wild Country. They have told me that they learned a lot from working with this
seasoned entertainer and Country star..
In 1981, I formed the United Stations Radio Network with Dick Clark, and I was able to do
interviews with Narvel which were broadcast nationally on network radio shows including
“The Weekly Country Music Countdown” and “Solid Gold Country”.
Narvel then went on to gain an international fan base with overseas audiences, especially
at England’s Wembley festival. And his back up band, Wild Country, did all right for
themselves too….once they changed their name to ALABAMA!
Narvel Felts is ranked as one of the top artists in Country music. He also has the
distinction of hitting the charts in each of the first five decades of his career.
It is now my honor – as a fan and a friend- to unveil the life-size portrait that
will hang on permanent display in the International Rockabilly Hall of Fame. The portraits
of other original rock and roll and rockabilly heroes Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry
Lee Lewis, Brenda Lee, The Jordanaires, W.S. Holland, Charlie Rich, Sonny Burgess, Carl
Mann and Sam Phillips will be now joined by NARVEL FELTS
Ed Salamon
Executive Director
Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.
