Mar 6, 1952-1960
Jimmy and Johnny's "If You Don't Somebody Else Will" was a rare foray into the country field for Chess Records -- one that yielded a surprise Top Three hit in 1954. The duo never charted another record together, but made history on the Louisiana Hayride (Elvis Presley got his break on the Hayride filling in for Jimmy and Johnny, says Tillman Franks) and recorded an array of fine country novelties and weepers, as well as some hot rockabilly sides. If You Don't Somebody Else Will collects 33 cuts made from 1952-60 for Chess, Decca, D, Feature, and Republic, tracing the act's evolution from the original duo of Jimmy Lee (Fautheree) and Johnny "Country" Mathis, to Lee's pairings with his brother Lynn Fautheree and Wayne Walker after Mathis left. Two solo sides Lee made for the Vin label in 1958 are included, since Johnny "Country" Mathis sings harmony on them. Jimmy and Johnny's lone hit, and their handful of rockabilly classics like "Sweet Love on My Mind" and "I Can't Find the Doorknob" have surfaced on compilations, but many of their rarer cuts are equally good -- like "Sweet Singing Daddy," a near-perfect hillbilly bopper that sounds a lot like the Farmer Boys. Where Mathis appears, his Merle Travis-style electric guitar picking is outstanding. This lovingly-assembled, cross-licensed anthology offers excellent sound quality, a 48-page booklet containing a lengthy biography and discography, and is the definitive document of this hillbilly duo that straddled rock and roll in the mid-'50s.