Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis Reissues Coming on Third Man Records
Jack White‘s Third Man Records label will be reissuing singles by Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and D.A. Hunt, as part of a partnership it has with Sun Records. As with a previous series of re-releases that featured 45s by Johnny Cash, Rufus Thomas and the Prisonaires, White’s label has striven to faithfully replicate each single right down to the inner label’s Sun logo.
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The oldest tune of the batch is Hunt’s “Lonesome Old Jail,” backed with “Greyhound Blues.” The blues singer recorded the songs around March 1953. The only known copy of this single on a 45 sold for more than $10,000 on eBay in 2010, making this the first widespread release of the seven-inch. Orbison recorded his single, “Rockhouse” b/w “You’re My Baby,” in June 1956 with the Teen Kings, singing the rockabilly style that launched his career. The final release is Lewis’s “Great Balls of Fire” b/w “You Win Again,” recorded in October 1957. The Third Man press release teases, “If you don’t already know this, it’s OK . . . you can buy this single now and no one will be the wiser.”
All three 45s are available separately or as a bundle. Third Man will announce “Sun Ray” limited editions of each single, pressed on marbled black and yellow vinyl, later.