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Bin Rockin Sinse 1974. Welcome! to Wild Cat' Rhythm & Bop. This page was created for all the true blue rockin 50's , cats & Kittens that are dedicated to the wild rockin raucous sounds of the 50's. Also it is especially for the rockin bands all over the world to advertise thier personal gigs & videos, and clubs/pubs to add thier gigs flyers. Also both can interact with each other. e.g. gig reviews, rockin pubs & clubs reviews. Created By! 50's WizeGuy, Maurice Darby, aka MozCat! Time Will Tell , if I Rock In Heaven or I Rock In Hell, wot ever Happens they will Hear Ye Rebel yell...!! Yeeeee,Aaaaaagh. ROCKABILLY RULES OK!!! FROM mOZcAT! http://www.facebook.com/groups/261487007226310/

LEGENDS OF ROCKABILLY/ROCKNROLL . GENE VINCENT




GENE VINCENT




Craddock became involved in the local music scene in Norfolk. He changed his name to Gene Vincent, and formed a rockabilly band called the Blue Caps (a term used in reference to enlisted sailors in the U.S. Navy)Official Gene Vincent Web Site<!-- Bot generated title The band included [[Ervin Williams|Willie Williams]] on rhythm guitar, [[Jack Neal]] on upright bass, [[Dickie Harrell]] on drums, and the innovative and influential lead guitarist, [[Cliff Gallup]].  He and his band are named "Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps", not "...the Blue Caps" as often stated.

Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps soon gained a reputation playing in various [[country music|country]] bars in his native  [[Norfolk, Virginia]]. There, they won a talent contest organized by local radio DJ "Sheriff Tex" Davis, who became his manager.


In 1956 he wrote "[[Be-Bop-A-Lula]]", No. 102 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's "500 Greatest Rock and Roll Songs of All Time" list. Local radio DJ "Sheriff Tex" Davis arranged for this to be demoed and this secured him a contract with [[Capitol Records]]. He signed a publishing contract with [[Bill Lowery]] of [[The Lowery Group]] of music publishers in Atlanta, Georgia.  "Be-Bop-A-Lula" was not on Vincent's first album and was picked by Capitol producer Ken Nelson as the B side of his first single. Prior to the release of the single, Lowery pressed promotional copies of "Be-Bop-A-Lula" and sent them to radio stations throughout the country. By the time Capitol released the single, "Be-Bop-A-Lula" had already gained attention from the public and radio DJs.  The song was picked up and played by other U.S. radio stations (obscuring the original "A-side" song), and became a hit and launched Vincent as a rock 'n' roll star.

After "Be-Bop-A-Lula" became a hit (peaking at No. 7 and spending 20 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Pop Chart), Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps were unable to follow it up with the same level of commercial success, but released critically acclaimed songs like "Race With The Devil" (No. 96 in ''Billboard'') and "[[Bluejean Bop]]" (No. 49). That year, Vincent was reportedly convicted of public obscenity and fined $10,000 by the state of [[Virginia]] for his live performance of the erotic song, "Woman Love", although this is now believed to have been a rumor, possibly started by his manager.




                                               

Cliff Gallup left the band and Johnny Meeks was ushered in as new guitarist for The Blue Caps in 1957. The group had another hit with 1957's "[[Lotta Lovin']]" (highest position No. 13 and spending 19 weeks in the charts). Gene Vincent was awarded Gold Records for 2 million sales of Be-Bop-A-Lula and 1.5 million sales of Lotta Lovin'. The same year he toured the east coast of Australia with [[Little Richard]] and [[Eddie Cochran]], drawing audiences totaling 72,000 to their Sydney Stadium concerts. Vincent also made an appearance in the film, ''[[The Girl Can't Help It]]'' with [[Jayne Mansfield]], performing "Be-Bop-A-Lula with the Blue Caps in a rehearsal room..
                                

"Dance to the Bop" was released by Capitol records on October 28, 1957
On November 17, 1957 Vincent and His Blue Caps performed the song on the nationally-broadcast ''Ed Sullivan Show'' The song spent nine weeks on the charts and peaked at No. 23 on January 23, 1958, and would be Vincent's last American hit single.<ref>[http://www.thevideobeat.com/store/rock-roll-movies/hot-rod-gang-1958.html video

Vincent and His Blue Caps also appeared several times on ''Town Hall Party'', California's largest country music barn dance held at the Town Hall in Compton, California.  ''Town Hall Party'' drew in excess of 2,800 paid admissions each Friday and Saturday with room for 1,200 dancers. The show was also on from 8:30 to 9:30 pm over the NBC Radio network. It was also shown on KTTV, channel 11 from 10 pm to 1 am on Saturday nights. Appearances were on October 25, 1958, as well as July 25 and November 7, 1959. Songs performed were: "Be-Bop-A-Lula", "High Blood Pressure", "[[Rip It Up (song)|Rip It Up]]", "Dance To The Bop", "You Win Again", "For Your Precious Love", "Rocky Road Blues", "Pretty Pearly", "High School Confidential", "[[Over The Rainbow]]", "[[Roll Over Beethoven]]" and "She She Little Sheila".



 
 


A dispute with the [[Internal Revenue Service|US tax authorities]] and The American Musicians' Union over payments to his band and his having sold the band's equipment to pay a tax bill led him to leave the US and try his hand in Europe.

On 15 December 1959, Vincent appeared on [[Jack Good (producer)|Jack Good]]'s TV show "Boy Meets Girl", his first appearance in England. He wore black leather, gloves, and a medallion stood in a hunched posture.  Good is credited with the transformation of Vincent's image. After the TV appearance he toured France, Holland, Germany, and the UK performing in his US stage clothes.  When joined by Eddie Cochran and a month long extension of the tour, he resumed the maximum leather state dynamics.
                                   

On 16 April 1960, while on tour in the UK, Vincent, [[Eddie Cochran]], and songwriter [[Sharon Sheeley]] were involved in a high-speed traffic accident in a private hire taxi in [[Chippenham]], [[Wiltshire]].  Vincent broke his ribs and collarbone and further damaged his weakened leg. Sheeley suffered a broken pelvis.  Cochran, who had been thrown from the vehicle, suffered serious brain injuries and died the next day.  Vincent returned to the States after the accident.

Promoter [[Don Arden]] had Vincent return to the UK in 1961 to do an extensive tour in theatres and ballrooms with Chris Wayne and
[[The Echoes]].  Due to the overwhelming success of this tour, Vincent subsequently moved to England in 1963.  The accompanying band, [[Sounds Incorporated]], a six-piece outfit which included three [[saxophone]]s, guitar, bass and drums, later went on to play with [[The Beatles]] at their [[Shea Stadium]] concert.


  




Vincent's attempts to re-establish his American career recording in [[folk rock]] and [[country rock]] genres proved unsuccessful; he is best remembered today for his recordings of the 1950s and early 1960s which originally appeared on the [[Capitol Records]] label. He also put out some tracks on EMI's [[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia]] label (the British label, not the U.S. CBS/Columbia) in the including a cover of [[Arthur Alexander]]'s "Where Have You Been All My Life". A new backing band called The Shouts joined him at this time.

In 1966 and 1967, back in the States, he recorded tracks for [[Challenge Records (1950s)|Challenge Records]]. On these, he was backed by ex-members of [[The Champs]] and [[Glen Campbell]]. Challenge released a single in the US and the UK [[London Records|London]] label released two singles and collected all the recordings onto an LP ''Gene Vincent'' on the UK London label in 1967. Although critically well received, none of these releases sold well.   









In 1969, he recorded the album ''I'm Back and I'm Proud'' for long-time fan [[John Peel]]'s [[Dandelion Records|Dandelion label]], which was produced by maverick [[Kim Fowley]] with arrangements by [[The Byrds]]' [[Skip Battin]] and boasted backing vocals by [[Linda Ronstadt]]. He later recorded two other albums for the [[Kama Sutra Records|Kama Sutra]] label, reissued on one CD by Rev-Ola in March 2008.

On his final tour of the UK, he was backed by [[The Wild Angels (band)|The Wild Angels]], a British band who had previously worked at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] with [[Bill Haley & His Comets]] and [[Duane Eddy]]. Because of pressure from his ex-wife, the [[Inland Revenue]] and promoter [[Don Arden]], Vincent had to return swiftly to the US.

His final US recordings were four tracks for Rockin' Ronny Weiser's Rolling Rock label, a few weeks before his death. These tracks were later released on a compilation album of tribute songs, including a version of "Say Mama" by his daughter Melody Jean Vincent (accompanied by Johnny Meeks on guitar). He later recorded four tracks (released years later as ''The Last Session'') in Britain in October 1971.

Vincent died on October 12, 1971 from a ruptured [[stomach ulcer]] while visiting his father in California, and is interred in the Eternal Valley Memorial Park, [[Newhall, California]].


He was the first inductee into the [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]] upon its formation in 1997.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}} The following year he was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]. Vincent has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 1749 N. Vine Street.  In 2012, his band, the Blue Caps, would be retroactively inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] by a special committee, alongside Vincent.


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