Billy "Crash" Craddock "Boom Boom Baby" (Bear Family Records, 1992)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Crash's Smashes: The Hits Of Billy 'Crash' Craddock" (Razor & Tie Records, 1997)
A superior collection of one of the more amiable lesser lights of the early '70s country scene... Craddock was an ex-rockabilly singer who retired from show biz for most of the 1960s, then came to Nashville in the early '70s and slowly ramped up to a pretty successful career. He liberally dipped into the past for many of his initial hits, covering old pop and R&B tunes, along with the occasional new tune designed to raise an eyebrow or two. This disc has a lot of his best material, including the sleazy #1 novelty hit (and big Pop crossover), "Rub It In," and similarly salacious numbers like the sequel, "You Rubbed It In All Wrong" and the surprisingly raunchy " 'Till The Water Stops Runnin'." Fun stuff... no big philosophical points or life-changing revelations, but a few fun tunes to hum along to. It belongs to an earlier era when outright dopiness was much more welcome and commonplace... a time that in many ways is sorely missed in today's stuffy all-business atmosphere.
Billy "Crash" Craddock "The Best Of Billy Crash Craddock" (Chart Records, 1973) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Greatest Hits Volume One" (ABC Records, 1974) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "16 Favorite Hits" (Starday Records, 1977) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "The Best Of..." (MCA Records, 1982) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Greatest Hits" (Capitol Records, 1983)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Crash's Greatest Hits" (Colonial Records, 1986)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "I'm Tore Up" (King Records, 1964) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Knock Three Times" (Cartwheel Records, 1971) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "You Better Move On" (Cartwheel Records, 1972) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Two Sides Of Crash" (ABC Records, 1973) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Billy Crash Craddock" (Columbia-Harmony Records, 1973) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Mr. Country Rock" (ABC Records, 1973) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Rub It In" (ABC Records, 1974) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Still Thinkin' 'Bout You" (ABC-Dot Records, 1975) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Easy As Pie" (ABC-Dot Records, 1976) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Crash" (ABC-Dot Records, 1976) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Live!" (ABC-Dot Records, 1977) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "The First Time" (ABC-Dot Records, 1977) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Singing Is Believing" (ABC-Dot Records, 1978) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Sings His Greatest Hits" (ABC-Dot Records, 1978) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Billy Crash Craddock" (Capitol Records, 1978) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Turning Up And Turning On" (Capitol Records, 1978) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Laughing And Crying, Living And Dying" (Capitol Records, 1979) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Changes" (Capitol Records, 1980) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Crash Craddock" (Capitol Records, 1981) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "The New Will Never Wear Off Of You" (Capitol Records, 1982) (LP)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Crash Craddock Live!" (Cee Cee Records, 1985)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Crash Craddock" (MCA-Dot Records, 1986)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Back On Track" (Atlantic Records, 1989)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Christmas Favorites" (Cee Cee Records, 2006)
Billy "Crash" Craddock "Live -N- Kickin' " (2009)
Billy "Crash" Craddock was one of several ex-rockabilly singers -- Jerry Lee Lewis, Bob Luman, et al -- who made a go of it in the Country charts. He had several big hits in the early '70s, including the notorious novelty number, "Rub It In." Craddock teetered between novelty and uptempo material, and gooier countrypolitan crooning, a blend that didn't always work as well as you might hope, and Craddock struggled to maintain his fame as time went on, and the hits started to slip away. Here's a quick look at his work...
