Another great ray of light from the Sun Records roster, Billy Lee Riley, died.
Riley, who'd been battling cancer since May, died at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro, Ark., after being admitted on Saturday.
He was 75.
One of Memphis' truly unique rock and roll characters, Riley is considered by many to be Sun Records' lost giant.
A true multi-threat, he possessed the myriad musical gifts of Carl Perkins, the unhinged spirit of Jerry Lee Lewis, and the punkish insouciance of Elvis Presley -- yet fate never rewarded Riley beyond cult acclaim.
Riley is perhaps best remembered for his classic 1957 single, "Flying Saucers Rock and Roll" -- a novelty rockabilly rave-up inspired by the era's U.F.O. mania --which proved a hit and prompted him to rename his band the Little Green Men.
Despite this promising start, Riley's commercial fate was sealed after Sun put its promotional efforts behind Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire" -- a song Riley played on -- which zoomed up the charts and past his own follow-up single "Red Hot."
Source: ElvisMatters, august 3rd 2009
