Dick Penner

about

Born Allen Richard Penner, 1936, Chicago, Illinois Dick Penner had two releases on Sun, one solo single and one as half of a duo. However, he is probably best known as the co-writer of "Ooby Dooby", Roy Orbison's immortal rockabilly classic. Born in Chicago, Dick was raised in Dallas, Texas, where the Penner family went to live in 1937. He acquired an early liking for counrtry music and by age 16 he had taken up the guitar. His musical career started in 1953 at the 'Big D' Jamboree in Dallas where Dick and his partner Dave Young performed Johnny & Jack songs and comedy routines. In 1954 Penner enrolled in North Texas State College in Denton where he met Wade Moore. Together they wrote "Ooby Dooby" in February 1955. "Wade and I took a six pack of beer onto the flat roof of the fraternity house and it took us three minutes", Penner told Dominique Anglares. (Fifteen minutes in another version of the story.) The song came to the attention of fellow student Roy Orbison, who recorded a demo of the song with his band, the Wink Westerners, and sent it to Columbia Records. The label was not interested in Orbison, but pitched the song to Sid King and the Five Strings, who recorded it on March 5, 1956, in Dallas. According to most available sources, Roy cut "Ooby Dooby" himself one day earlier, on March 4. If this is correct, the tiny Je-Wel label must have done a real rush job with the record, because by the time Roy rerecorded the song for Sun (March 27, only 23 days later), the reco

top songs

albums

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lux and ivy's favorites vol 3

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Sun Rockabilly Meltdown

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Rockin' Memphis

Your Honey Love / Cindy Lou

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lux and ivy's favorites volume 3

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100 Greatest Rock'n' Roll Hits, Vol. 1

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Lux and Ivy's Favorites Vol. 3

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Essential Sun Rockabillies Vol.4

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Essential Sun Rockabillies Vol.5

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Essential Sun Rockabillies, Vol. 4

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The Sun Records Story

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Essential Sun Rockabillies vol.6

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