Amazing Crowns
Encyclopedia
The Amazing Crowns are a rockabilly
band that began in Providence, Rhode Island
in 1994. It was composed of vocalist Jason "King" Kendall
, bassist
Jack "the Swinger" Hanlon, guitarist J.D. Burgess, and drummer Judd Williams.
in Boston
, the band was forced to change their name mid-tour in response to pressure from lawyer
s representing Royal Crown Revue
.
During the quartet's heyday, they were nominated for seven Kahlua Boston Music Awards
, toured extensively with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, signed with Velvel Records and released a 1998 album entitled The Amazing Royal Crowns.
The band's song, "Mr. Fix-it" is featured as a playable track in the hit video game Guitar Hero II
.
magazine described their personal style
in the following passage:
According to an Allmusic reviewer:
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
band that began in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
in 1994. It was composed of vocalist Jason "King" Kendall
Jason "King" Kendall
Jason "King" Kendall is an American vocalist and videogame designer associated with two bands from Providence, Rhode Island. An online zine published by his employer Harmonix Music Systems refers to Kendall as a "local legend."-Early career:Kendall was a member of the Amazing Royal Crowns...
, bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Jack "the Swinger" Hanlon, guitarist J.D. Burgess, and drummer Judd Williams.
Career
In 1999, two years after gaining notoriety by winning the WBCN Rock & Roll RumbleWBCN Rock & Roll Rumble
The WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble, begun in 1979, is a Greater Boston "battle of the bands" competition co-sponsored by WBCN-FM and its local music show Boston Emissions....
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, the band was forced to change their name mid-tour in response to pressure from lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
s representing Royal Crown Revue
Royal Crown Revue
The Royal Crown Revue is a band formed in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. They are often credited with starting the Swing Revival movement. Live, RCR has been extremely successful: They participated in 1998's Vans Warped Tour, opened for the B-52s and The Pretenders and played at major US Jazz...
.
During the quartet's heyday, they were nominated for seven Kahlua Boston Music Awards
Kahlua Boston Music Awards
The Boston Music Awards is an annual set of music awards that showcase talent in the Boston, Massachusetts area. The awards were founded in 1987 and were presented as part of the annual NEMO Music Showcase and Conference until that event's final presentation in 2006...
, toured extensively with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, signed with Velvel Records and released a 1998 album entitled The Amazing Royal Crowns.
The band's song, "Mr. Fix-it" is featured as a playable track in the hit video game Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero II is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane. It is the second installment in the Guitar Hero series and is the sequel to Guitar Hero...
.
Reviews
Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine described their personal style
Style (fiction)
In fiction, style is the manner in which the author tells the story. Along with plot, character, theme, and setting, style is considered one of the fundamental components of fiction.-Fiction-writing modes:...
in the following passage:
King and the Swinger saunter into the exalted Middle East nightclubThe Middle East (nightclub)The Middle East is a live music venue, bar and restaurant in the Central Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Having featured a huge variety of musicians since 1987, the establishment, with its upstairs and downstairs rooms, "is the nexus of metro Boston's rock-club scene for local and touring...
, their gabardineGabardineGabardine is a tough, tightly woven fabric used to make suits, overcoats, trousers, uniforms, windbreakers, and other garments. The fibre used to make the fabric is traditionally worsted wool, but may also be cotton, texturized polyester, or a blend. Gabardine is woven as a warp-faced steep or...
shirtsleeves creased and their coiffures slightly greasePomadePomade is a greasy or waxy substance that is used to style hair. Pomade makes hair look slick and shiny. Unlike hair spray and hair gel, pomade does not dry and often takes several washes to remove...
d. One part retroRetroRetro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
and three parts cool...
According to an Allmusic reviewer:
If you can't get enough of retro sounds and styles, the self-titled debut by Rhode Island's Amazing Royal Crowns is for you. Equal parts punk (a la X), rockabilly (Reverend Horton Heat), and swing (Brian Setzer Orchestra), the Crowns successfully capture the excitement of their live act on their debut, undoubtedly due to the fact that it was recorded in only two days. And impressively, not one overdub was used during the debut's recording. The only criticism is that the songs tend to sound similar after a while, but it doesn't spell disaster for the group, since their energetic, party-hearty performances save the day. Highlights include the guitar-fest instrumental "Gretschy" (named after Johnny Maguire's GretschGretschThe Gretsch Company was founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch, a twenty-seven year old German immigrant recently arrived in the US. Friedrich Gretsch manufactured banjos, tambourines, and drums, until his death in 1895. His son, Fred, moved operations to Brooklyn, New York in 1916...
guitar), the "dedicated to Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
" "Rollercoaster," and the opening rocker "Shiverin' In the Corner." Horns are used to great effect on "Do the Devil," while the music included in "Scene of the Crime" is pure Duane EddyDuane EddyDuane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...
. The Amazing Royal Crowns should have no problem breaking through in the retro-heavy '90s.