RUDY GRAYZELL Duck Tail /You're Gone US Starday 241 DJ Promo Plastic 78 RPM
£
145
$
192
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Description
Rudy "Tutti" Grayzell was an influential Texas-born performer who stood as one of the earliest Hispanic innovators of early rock and roll music. Released in May 1956, "Duck Tail" represents a frantic, quintessential rockabilly anthem themed around mid-century grease culture, while the flipside, "You're Gone," highlights his deeper country roots. This particular US release on Starday Records (catalogue number 241) is a rarely encountered 10" promotional variant, pressed using a heavy, flexible plastic-vinylite compound distributed directly to radio stations instead of the fragile shellac formulas used for retail distribution.
The mid-1950s signaled a huge shift in the domestic record manufacturing landscape, mirroring technical modernization across post-war industries. As regional independent labels rushed to break new sounds into the mainstream, getting airplay from influential radio disc jockeys became the lifeblood of marketing. Shipping brittle shellac to radio stations meant a high risk of damage before a track could ever be broadcast. This plastic promotional 78 pressing represents a technological bridge, showing how independent operations utilized advanced, durable petroleum polymers specifically for the radio circuit right before the 7" 45 RPM format permanently took over the commercial market.
• Rudy Grayzell was given his famous nickname "Tutti" directly by Elvis Presley after they toured together across the southern United States circuit.
• Independent operations like Starday utilized these rare plastic composites for select promotional territory distributions, making survivors highly prized compared to their easily broken retail counterparts.
Condition Report
• Run-Out Matrix Info: Features the genuine ST-2434 #241 master identification cleanly scratched into the run-out dead wax area.
• Playing Surface: Very Good (VG). The heavy promotional plastic composite displays some visible light surface paper marks, minor sleeve storage scuffs, and small handling hairlines, but completely avoids deep grooves or structural cracks.
• Audio Play Grade: Excellent (E). Because this is pressed on a quiet promotional plastic compound rather than abrasive retail shellac, it plays through with surprising acoustic clarity, strong vocal presence, and minimal ambient surface background click.
• Labels: Highly presentable yellow-and-black star design with completely legible print typography and light handling wear near the center hole.
Postage & Packing Info
We treat historical pressings with the highest level of care. Due to the vintage nature of 78 RPM records, standard mailers are never used. The record will be placed in a protective sleeve, then safely housed inside a doubleskin box sandwiched between thick card stiffeners and wrapped in multiple layers of heavy-duty bubble wrap to prevent shock or flexing during transit, ensuring it is carefully packed and promptly dispatched.
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