Conny & The Bellhops

Conny & The Bellhops were a late '50s / early '60s sixties Kansas rock 'n' roll band. They were elected to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Kansas Music Hall of Fame in 2010. Members were in their teens when the band was organized in 1958 by Conny Conrad of Pittsburg, Kansas. Original members, in addition to Conrad, were Russell Pryer, rhythm guitar, Carl Sipes on keyboard, Tommy Schockley, lead guitar, and Clarence Sharp, drums. Conny & The Bellhops played its own special brand of rockabilly. The band’s first dance was the 1958 Walnut High School prom. The Bellhops also played area clubs, including the Blue Moon at Arma and the Tower Ballroom in Pittsburg. The group traveled in an old hearse that had been painted fire engine red. A highlight of the group’s career was a train trip to Memphis, Tenn., in 1959 to record at Sun Studios, now known as Phillips International. Scotty Moore, lead guitar player for Presley, served as engineer for the Bellhops’ recording of “Shotrod” and “Bopsticks.” The group’s other records included “Fafine,” “Walkin with Max” and “Terrible Tom.” All songs recorded were original. The group also opened for greats such as Porter Waggoner and Frankie Avalon. Pryer and Kennett left the band in 1962, but it continued with other members for several years.