Dom Flemons is a featured actor on the Sun Records TV Show which originally aired on CMT and is now available for streaming on Paramount +. His character Joe Hill Louis “The Bebop Boy” is on episode one and he is amongst an all star cast which includes Chad Michael Murray, Drake Milligan, Margaret Anne Florence, Keir O’Donnell, Darius Rucker, Pokey LaFarge and more!
Dom Flemons: Joe Hill Louis “ The Bebop Boy”
On the TV series Sun Records, I am an actor in the role of “The Be-Bop Boy”, Joe Hill Louis. His record, “Gotta Let You Go” recorded in late July 1950 was the first record produced by Sam Phillips with the intention of selling to the regional market. He felt he had a hit and he was not alone. Along with his dear friend, eccentric WHPQ DJ Dewey Phillips (no relation), Sam put all of his heart and soul into making this record a sure-fire hit. When I was given the chance to recreate the sound of this record along with an original number I play in Joe Hill’s style, I jumped at the chance. Joe Hill Louis is an enigma in the transitional period that connects country blues, R&B, Soul and Rock ‘N’ Roll. The audience for his music is small but the fans are all die-hards. I hope that this role will create awareness for Joe Hill Louis and showcase his place as a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer. Thanks to Chuck Mead for hiring me. Thanks to Pokey LaFarge, who plays Hank Snow, for passing me the lead to make the connection. Congrats to all of the cast who did a bang up job!
Joe Hill Louis was a one-man band who was a regular on Beale Street. He was a foundational musician in the music scenes of Western Tennessee and Eastern Arkansas in the 1940’s and 50’s. Born Lester Hill in 1921 in Whitehaven, on the outskirts of Memphis, he began hanging around W.C. Handy’s Park after running away from home as a young man. He was adopted by a wealthy white family, The Canales, who supported him as he grew up. He was known for his ability to fight which led him to be compared to the first black middleweight champion of the world, Joe Louis. The nickname stuck with him for the rest of his life.
Here’s a behind the scenes look at the series: