Articles

On "Jackson Was Jumpin'" CD

He proves he should have been in the same league with the big ones at Sun. His voice somewhere between Johnny Cash and Warren Smith, stylistically close to Carl Mann and sometimes Carl Perkins .’
Blue Suede News USA.

Beautifully displays his abilities as a songwriter as well as his superb capabilities as a vocalist.’
Blackcat Rockabilly, Netherlands   

The whole cd is great
Del Richardson, Radio Caroline  

It’s pure gold- I was captivated by his voice
D.Phisel Rock’n’Roll Revue, France

On his country style

Rayburn Anthony is a walking jukebox who knows how to entertain with both ballads and novelties. He is as witty as Shel Silverstein on “Eveything’s Bigger In Texas.”
I love that song “She Loves My Troubles Away” as it is packed with feeling ‘
Spencer Leigh- Country Music People U.K.

I have enjoyed Rayburn’s rich voice for years – if you enjoy good and proper country music like it should be told and played then grab a copy
Brian Ahearn , Country Music & More , U.K. reviewing “Something Out Of The Ordinary.”

Rayburn is a great talent, singer, songwriter, musician and entertainer. It was a great honour for me to have played on some of his earlier Sun recordings like “St Louis Blues.”
Carl Mann

One of the big highlights of Saturday was undoubtedly Rayburn Anthony, who performed on the Maverick stage with the help of Last Train Home, who were serving as his backing band.

Rayburn Anthony is something of a legend, 'the original Sun Records recording artist whose songs have been covered by the likes of Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride and Jerry Lee Lewis' as the Maverick program read. We were reliably informed by the man himself (Rayburn that is, not Elvis) that Mr Presley reworked his song 'there's no tomorrow', which then became a little tune called 'it's now or never'. Maybe you've heard of it.

It's really old school, up-tempo country based rockabilly and it's absolutely awesome. It's perhaps surprising then to see how modest Anthony is; often shying away from applause and instead choosing to share around the praise by drawing the audience's attention to the talent around him. This guy is the star though, like Johnny Cash on Prozac. He has so much personality and is so relaxed on stage, he quickly has the crowd laughing and singing along.

His voice is incredible; deep and emotive with that dirty southern drawl. He has great range and can hold a note for an unfeasibly long time without so much as a quiver. It's not just his singing voice either – when he speaks you just melt into his words. If my RE teacher had sounded like this I'd probably be doing missionary work someplace by now.

The Johnny Cash comparisons are overwhelming, so it's perhaps better to highlight some important differences. There are no sad songs in his set (as summed up in his song 'I don't sing Hank Williams anymore') and I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that his voice is even better. It's extremely powerful, carries beautifully and is so bassy that there were Jurassic Parkesque ripples in my coffee at times. Ok, so I'm exaggerating but impressive indeed.
Basically, if Johnny Cash had decided one sunny day, whilst stroking a puppy that yellow would better suit his complexion, he would have sounded like Rayburn Anthony.

Maverick Festival