Ralph Gean

Tracklist

1. Diggin' The Boogie (with The Blue Jeans)
2. That's My Little Suzy
3. Hey Mae
4. Peggy Sue (live with The Rubio Band)
5. One Ugly Child (live)
6. His Latest Flame
7. Midget (with The Volts)
8. Hank (live with The Boulders)
9. Hot Dog
10. Straightliner
11. Lone Star Ranger
12. The Asshole Song (with John Spencer)
13. Cowboy Convention
14. Psycho (live)
15. All My Clothes Are Uncomfortable
16. What'd I Say
17. Wearin' That Loved On Look (with Sharon Shumway)
18. Three Song Medley (live)
19. Houston

Info

This is a digital album of 19 cover songs performed by Ralph Gean, both solo and with various backing bands. Gean has been writing, performing, and recording his own unique variety of off-beat Rock, Rockabilly, and Country songs since the late 1950s. As an early '60s contemporary of first-wave Rock n' Roll acts like Roy Orbison and Glenn Campbell, Gean achieved a measure of regional success in Texas, cutting several 45s and receiving vigorous support from local radio. In the mid-'90s Gean was "discovered" by noted countercultural figures interested in "incredibly strange music"; this lead to a comeback for Gean in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

These cover song recordings were made between the late 1970s and the mid-2010s. Tracks 3, 6, 9, 11, 13, 16, and 19 were recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Tracks 5, 14, and 18 were recorded at Monkey Mania in Denver, Colorado. Most other songs were recorded at various locations in and around Salt Lake City, Utah.

Digital audio restoration from analog cassette tapes and digital mastering by Howard Karp in Los Angeles, California, 2026. Production and cover image design by Brian M. Clark.

Reviews

"Ralph Gean Is Denver's Greatest Unknown Rock Star."
      - Westword

"Gean is a vestige of the days of the Old West and the birth of rock 'n roll. In his heyday he opened for artists like Roy Orbison. At the age of 67 he hasn't lost the fire he once had as a young rockabilly singer."
      - The Denver Post

"[Ralph Gean] veers from psychotic shit-kicking to bent rock n' roll, parodisitc plodding heavy rock, scary Casio nuttiness worthy of latter-day 'beat of the Traps.'... [Gean] doesn't need any 'bonus' respect points for his age."
      - Maximum Rocknroll

"The man has presence, the man has a sound, and both come across with power."
      - Exotica/Etcetera

"Ralph Gean lived through the birth of rock and continues to adore it. ... Currently, only those who are heavily involved in underground rockabilly attend his concerts, but the authentic rock cowboy continues to play in Denver, Colorado, manifesting the 'spirit of rock n roll'."
      - Vice España

"[Gean's] problem has always been that he was ahead of his time. It took ten years for The Rev. Horton Heat and the psychobillies to catch up with Ralph Gean."
      - Rock & Blues News

"He's a rip snortin' dandy!"
      - The Legendary Stardust Cowboy