Endless Sleep

Had I known where he was, I would have visited his record store!

PALM DESERT, California (AP) -- Ralph Joseph "Jody" Reynolds, the rockabilly singer and songwriter whose lone hit "Endless Sleep" in the 1950s ushered in a wave of tragic teen pop songs, has died. He was 75.

Reynolds, who was inducted into Nashville's Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1999, died November 7 in Palm Desert, said his musician friend Alan Clark, who toured with Reynolds in the 1980s.

"Endless Sleep," which sold more than a million copies in 1958, kicked off the melodramatic teen tragedy genre, including Mark Dinning's "Teen Angel," Ray Peterson's "Tell Laura I Love Her," Dickey Lee's "Patches" and the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack."

Reynolds continued to write and record his songs while supporting his family by running a Palm Springs music store and eventually selling desert real estate. He also occasionally toured the rock oldies circuit.

Marc Bolan doing "Endless Sleep." You've been warned!