Hear Highlights From the Final Album by Willie Lewis, Colorado's Rockabilly King

Willie Lewis was a wild musical legend, a collector of supernatural talent, a label head of uncompromising values and, by some estimations, the best rockabilly singer of his generation. The Colorado native died earlier this year, and at his funeral, friends were still at a loss for words to capture...

By Kiernan Maletsky

December 1, 2014

Audio By Carbonatix

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Willie Lewis was a wild musical legend, a collector of supernatural talent, a label head of uncompromising values and, by some estimations, the best rockabilly singer of his generation. The Colorado native died earlier this year, and at his funeral, friends were still at a loss for words to capture such a man. "That presence about him, like some hero out of the Old West," says fellow musician Johnny Barber. "He's one of a kind, man."

Jon Solomon tells the story of Lewis and his Rock-a-Billy Record Co. in this week's Backbeat feature. It's a great one -- give it a read if you missed it in the excitement of all that food and family last week. His estate has also given us permission to share with you Lewis's final album: Pulling Time with Willie Lewis, which came out earlier this year. Stream the whole thing below; you can buy it at Wax Trax here in Denver and find more information about the Rock-a-Billy catalog online.

So here it is, a career-spanning retrospective of a few of Lewis's finest recordings with a handful of different bands. This is just a fraction of what you'll find on the actual album -- you'll just have to buy the real thing to hear them all. And please note that it currently lists Westword Music in a confusing way -- we simply uploaded the songs. They're all Willie Lewis. This album is a remarkable testament to one of Colorado's most energetic, prolific and talented musicians.

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Kiernan Maletsky is a former Westword intern.

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