Uploaded March 2018 | Updated September 2026, 20 minutes ago
"Drugstore Rock 'n' Roll", by American rockabilly and country music singer Janis Martin in 1956, was a success on the country and pop charts. Martin composed the song herself, and at the age of 15, it became the biggest hit of her career selling 750,000 copies at the time. She began playing the guitar at the age of 4, and by 6, she mastered the basic chords and began singing. At age 11, she began her career as a member of a Barndance show in Danville, Virginia. Eventually, by her mid-teens, Martin grew tired of the slow country music ballads and wanted to get into rock and roll. Although she only encountered Elvis Presley briefly a couple of times while on tour, Martin earned the nickname of "The Female Elvis" because of her dance moves on stage. A label that would come to haunt her. She once said "I wasn’t all that impressed with Elvis at first. I’ve always liked Carl Perkins better". Martin was one of the few women working in the male-dominated rock and roll music field during the 1950's, and one of country music's early female innovators. With all of her early success, She was never able to sustain a rock and roll career, because gender and changing times hindered her success. Her stage moves and lusty delivery appeared unseemly vulgar to a lot of people. Additionally, the country shows on which she was booked usually put her on bills, and in front of audiences, that weren’t overly enamored of rock and roll to begin with.
"Drugstore Rock 'n' Roll", by American rockabilly and country music singer Janis Martin in 1956, was a success on the country and pop charts. Martin composed the song herself, and at the age of 15, it became the biggest hit of her career selling 750,000 copies at the time. She began playing the guitar at the age of 4, and by 6, she mastered the basic chords and began singing. At age 11, she began her career as a member of a Barndance show in Danville, Virginia. Eventually, by her mid-teens, Martin grew tired of the slow country music ballads and wanted to get into rock and roll. Although she only encountered Elvis Presley briefly a couple of times while on tour, Martin earned the nickname of "The Female Elvis" because of her dance moves on stage. A label that would come to haunt her. She once said "I wasn’t all that impressed with Elvis at first. I’ve always liked Carl Perkins better". Martin was one of the few women working in the male-dominated rock and roll music field during the 1950's, and one of country music's early female innovators. With all of her early success, She was never able to sustain a rock and roll career, because gender and changing times hindered her success. Her stage moves and lusty delivery appeared unseemly vulgar to a lot of people. Additionally, the country shows on which she was booked usually put her on bills, and in front of audiences, that weren’t overly enamored of rock and roll to begin with.
