Rockabilly artist Johnny Powers' story was one of the more intriguing the genre has to offer. Unlike most of his rockabilly peers, he hailed from the Midwest, and his best music had a tough big-city edge that set him apart, though he could deliver the requisite hiccuping vocals and rollicking guitar as well as any hep cat of the day, and he was a talented songwriter and producer as well. 1993's Long Blond Hair is an excellent overview of his sides from the 1950s and '60s, and 1994's New Spark (For an Old Flame) was the best of the albums he recorded after returning to the stage in the 1970s.