Brad Suggs


Brad Suggs is a singer and songwriter, but best known as a guitarist that contributed greatly to the legacy of Phillips' Sun and Phillips' International labels. His name is widely unknown although he appeared on more than eight Sun and Phillips International records.

Biography

Early Years

Brad Suggs, born Luther Bradley “Pee Wee” Suggs was born in 1933 in North Carolina. Suggs was one of twelve children born to his parents on their farm near Raleigh, North Carolina.

Career

Suggs first began playing guitar professionally with the Loden Family in North Carolina. Sonny James and Suggs moved to Memphis, Tennessee around 1950. When Suggs wasn't working in the studio he worked full-time at Sears. James wanted Suggs to go on the road touring with him, but Suggs decided not to due to family obligations.
Instead, Suggs began playing with the Slim Rhodes Band. He played with the Rhodes group on all their Sun recordings, as well as on eight tracks recorded in 1950 during the earliest days of the Memphis Recording Service. When Suggs began releasing singles Rockabilly was not a household word yet and the Sun label was still being shaped.
In 1959, Suggs began to work in the semi-official capacity of Sun producer and bandleader. It was at this time that his five singles were issued on the Phillips International label. His other accomplishments include backing up Elvis Presley during the . He also worked with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Suggs’ recordings can be found on The Complete Sun Singles, Volumes 1, 2 and 6, issued by Bear Family Records.
Suggs appeared on more than eight Sun records . Suggs also sang and got label credit on “Don’t Believe”, “Are You Ashamed of Me?”, and “Bad Girl”, which were recorded with the Slim Rhodes' band.

Discography

Singles

Suggs' singles include: “706 Union,” “Low Outside,” “I Walk The Line”, “Ooh Wee,” “Cloudy,” “Sam’s Tune,” “My Gypsy,” and “Elephant Walk.”

Other

It can be confirmed that at least Suggs’ guitar playing appears on the following recordings :