Charlie Rich was a jazz enthusiast who wrote for many legendary country and rock musicians on the Sun Record Label. Rock historian Ed Ward says, for Rich, recording his own, original music was an afterthought. He had a few hits on various Memphis-area labels, but could never break through into the mainstream.
Rock historian Ed Ward says that 1960s bands from Oregon and Washington are often overlooked. Their style was distinctive, featuring distorted guitars and raw, sneered vocals -- a sound that endures today.