Buddy McNeil

William "Buddy" McNeil (born April 27, 1931) is an American rockabilly musician and songwriter who participated in the foundation of rockabilly music.

Biography

McNeil was born on April 27, 1931, in Fort Worth, Texas where he spent the first 3 years of his life. His family moved to Tiptonville Tennessee in 1934 to work as sharecroppers. His father, Robert McNeil, bought him his first instrument with the profits of the selling of his old one to the soon-to-become-famous Carl Perkins.

McNeil's mother died in 1939 and his father joined the US Army in 1942 for Second World War where he lost one arm during training and was demobilized.

At the age of 13, McNeil left Tennessee with his father to go live with his uncle on a farm in Arkansas. He then started writing songs and would go on to perform what could be considered rockabilly music in Arkansas, Texas and Tennessee.

McNeil met Sam Philips at Sun Records in 1952, a few months after the opening of the studio, and recorded his first and only album, the eponymous Buddy McNeil. A few weeks later, McNeil fought with Philips for an unknown reason and decided to leave his career as a musician. According to a recent version of the story told by McNeil, Philips thought he was a good musician and songwriter but was not a proper singer.

In 1952, McNeil decided to go back to his uncle's farm, where he stayed until 1957 when he received his draft notice. After being demobilized, McNeil became a carpenter for a few years before he left for Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He was married, but he and his wife had no children.