He was born Sidney Louis Gunter Jr. in 1925 in Birmingham, Alabama and recorded under the names of Sidney Jo Louis and also Hardrock Gunter.
His nickname
"Hardrock" came before the rock'n'roll era. He once hit his head very hard (on something) and the other band members marvelled that he hadn't been knocked out. They said his head must be as hard as a rock - hence "Hardrock".
In the early days of rock'n'roll producers occasionally recorded singers in a closet or some other confined space in order to get an "echo effect" on their voice.
This song by Hardrock Gunter (using the name Sidney Jo Louis) is a good example of the extremes to which producers went in the 1950s. There is enough echo here to make the song almost unintelligible (and that's why I love it).
Original video here:
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Probably one of the most famous 1950s example of the echo chamber's use was Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley - a song mercilessly parodied by Stan Freberg.
Original video here:
And here's the Freberg parody:
Original video here:
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