Gene Vincent
Encyclopedia
Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll
and rockabilly
. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula
", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly. He is a member of the Rock and Roll and Rockabilly Halls of Fame.
, Virginia
, on February 11, 1935. His early musical influences included country
, rhythm and blues
and gospel music
. He showed his first real interest in music while his family lived in Munden Point, Princess Anne County (now Virginia Beach), Virginia, near the North Carolina
line, where they ran a country store. He received his first guitar as a gift from a friend at the age of 12.
His father, Ezekiah Jackson Craddock, volunteered to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard
and patrolled American coastal waters to protect Allied shipping against German
U-boat
s during World War II
. His mother, Mary Louise Craddock, maintained a general store at Munden Point. Craddock's parents moved the family and opened a new general store and sailor's tailoring shop in Norfolk.
Having spent his youth in the Norfolk area, Craddock decided to pursue the life of a sailor. He dropped out of school at age 17 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1952. Craddock's parents signed the required forms allowing him to join the Navy. He completed boot camp and joined the fleet as a crewman aboard the fleet oiler USS Chukawan, although he did spend a two week training period on the repair ship USS Amphion
before returning to the Chukawan. He proved to be a good sailor while deployed at sea, but gained a reputation as a trouble-maker while on liberty ashore. Craddock never saw combat, but completed a Korean War deployment. He sailed home from Korean waters aboard battleship USS Wisconsin
, but was not part of the ship's company.
Craddock planned a long career in the U.S. Navy and, in 1955, used his $612 dollar reenlistment bonus to buy a new Triumph motorbike. In July 1955, while in Norfolk, he was involved in a severe motorcycle accident that shattered his left leg. He refused to have it amputated. The leg was saved, but left him with a permanent limp and chronic pain for the rest of his life. Most accounts relate the accident as having been the fault of a drunk male or female driver who struck him, although some have claimed it was Craddock who had been riding his cycle drunk. Years later in some of his professional music bios, there is no mention of any accident, but it was claimed that Gene was wounded in combat in Korea He spent time in the Portsmouth Naval Hospital and was medically discharged from the Navy shortly thereafter.
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
bars in his native Norfolk, Virginia
. There, they won a talent contest organized by local radio DJ "Sheriff Tex" Davis, who became his manager.
", 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. The song was used in the movie Hot Rod Gang for a dance rehearsal scene featuring dancers doing West Coast Swing
.
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
", "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".
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
'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 returned in 1961 to do an extensive tour of the UK in theatres and ballrooms with Chris Wayne and
The Echoes
. Subsequently due to the overwhelming success of this tour Vincent 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.
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
label, (a British label, and not the CBS/Columbia in the U.S.) 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
. 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 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 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
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, 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. 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.
(NB Apart from the first 1957 reissue, this listing omits the very many reissue singles released over the decades)
(NB This listing omits the very many reissue albums released over the decades)
(NB This listing omits the many EPs of album tracks & compilations)
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and rockabilly
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...
. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula
Be-Bop-A-Lula
"Be-Bop-A-Lula" is a rockabilly song first recorded in 1956 by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps.-Origins of the song:The writing of the song is credited to Gene Vincent and his manager, Bill "Sheriff Tex" Davis. There is evidence that the song was started in 1955, when Vincent was recuperating from...
", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly. He is a member of the Rock and Roll and Rockabilly Halls of Fame.
Early life
Vincent Eugene Craddock was born in NorfolkNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, on February 11, 1935. His early musical influences included country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. He showed his first real interest in music while his family lived in Munden Point, Princess Anne County (now Virginia Beach), Virginia, near the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
line, where they ran a country store. He received his first guitar as a gift from a friend at the age of 12.
His father, Ezekiah Jackson Craddock, volunteered to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
and patrolled American coastal waters to protect Allied shipping against German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His mother, Mary Louise Craddock, maintained a general store at Munden Point. Craddock's parents moved the family and opened a new general store and sailor's tailoring shop in Norfolk.
Having spent his youth in the Norfolk area, Craddock decided to pursue the life of a sailor. He dropped out of school at age 17 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1952. Craddock's parents signed the required forms allowing him to join the Navy. He completed boot camp and joined the fleet as a crewman aboard the fleet oiler USS Chukawan, although he did spend a two week training period on the repair ship USS Amphion
USS Amphion (AR-13)
USS Amphion was the lead ship of her class of repair ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. The second U.S. Navy vessel to be named , she was not commissioned until January 1946, five months after the end of the war. She was decommissioned in September 1971 and transferred to...
before returning to the Chukawan. He proved to be a good sailor while deployed at sea, but gained a reputation as a trouble-maker while on liberty ashore. Craddock never saw combat, but completed a Korean War deployment. He sailed home from Korean waters aboard battleship USS Wisconsin
USS Wisconsin (BB-64)
USS Wisconsin , "Wisky" or "WisKy", is an , the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Wisconsin...
, but was not part of the ship's company.
Craddock planned a long career in the U.S. Navy and, in 1955, used his $612 dollar reenlistment bonus to buy a new Triumph motorbike. In July 1955, while in Norfolk, he was involved in a severe motorcycle accident that shattered his left leg. He refused to have it amputated. The leg was saved, but left him with a permanent limp and chronic pain for the rest of his life. Most accounts relate the accident as having been the fault of a drunk male or female driver who struck him, although some have claimed it was Craddock who had been riding his cycle drunk. Years later in some of his professional music bios, there is no mention of any accident, but it was claimed that Gene was wounded in combat in Korea He spent time in the Portsmouth Naval Hospital and was medically discharged from the Navy shortly thereafter.
Early music career
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). The band included Willie WilliamsErvin Williams
Ervin L. "Wee Willie" Williams was an American rockabilly pioneer musician.Nicknamed "Wee Willie" as well as "Early," Williams was born in Millinocket, Maine where began playing guitar as a boy. In his teens he became part of The Northern Lights, a band that toured his native Maine and across the...
on rhythm guitar, Jack Neal on upright bass, Dickie Harrell on drums, and the innovative and influential lead guitarist, Cliff Gallup
Cliff Gallup
Clifton E. "Cliff" Gallup was an American electric guitarist, who played rock and roll in the band Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps in the 1950s.-Biography:...
. 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
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
bars in his native Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. There, they won a talent contest organized by local radio DJ "Sheriff Tex" Davis, who became his manager.
Biggest hits
In 1956 he wrote "Be-Bop-A-LulaBe-Bop-A-Lula
"Be-Bop-A-Lula" is a rockabilly song first recorded in 1956 by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps.-Origins of the song:The writing of the song is credited to Gene Vincent and his manager, Bill "Sheriff Tex" Davis. There is evidence that the song was started in 1955, when Vincent was recuperating from...
", 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
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. He signed a publishing contract with Bill Lowery
Bill Lowery
Bill Lowery was an American music entrepreneur.-Early successes:Lowery was born in Leesville, Louisiana. He studied radio dramatics at Taft Junior College and went on to a number of radio-announcing jobs...
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
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
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
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
and Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran , was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the...
, drawing audiences totaling 72,000 to their Sydney Stadium concerts. Vincent also made an appearance in the film, The Girl Can't Help It
The Girl Can't Help It
The Girl Can't Help It is a 1956 comedy musical film starring Jayne Mansfield, Tom Ewell, and Edmond O'Brien. It was produced and directed by Frank Tashlin, with a screenplay adapted by Tashlin and Herbert Baker from an uncredited novel Do Re Me by Garson Kanin...
with Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield was an American actress working both in Hollywood and on the Broadway theatre...
, 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. The song was used in the movie Hot Rod Gang for a dance rehearsal scene featuring dancers doing West Coast Swing
West Coast Swing
West Coast Swing is a partner dance with roots in Lindy Hop. It is characterized by a distinctive elastic look that results from its basic extension-compression technique of partner connection, and is danced primarily in a slotted area on the dance floor...
.
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
Rip It Up (song)
"Rip It Up" is a song written by Robert Blackwell and John Marascalco. It was first released by Bill Haley and his Comets and Little Richard in 1956. The Little Richard version hit number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart for two weeks and peaked at number seventeen on the pop chart.-Cover...
", "Dance To The Bop", "You Win Again", "For Your Precious Love", "Rocky Road Blues", "Pretty Pearly", "High School Confidential", "Over The Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
", "Roll Over Beethoven
Roll Over Beethoven
"Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 hit single by Chuck Berry originally released on Chess Records, with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side. The lyrics of the song mention rock and roll and the desire for rhythm and blues to replace classical music...
" and "She She Little Sheila".
Europe
A dispute with the US tax authoritiesInternal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
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
Jack Good (producer)
Jack Good is a pioneering former TV television producer, musical theatre producer, record producer, musician and painter of icons.-Career:...
'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
Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran , was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the...
, and songwriter Sharon Sheeley
Sharon Sheeley
Sharon Sheeley was an American songwriter, born in California, who wrote songs for Glen Campbell, Ricky Nelson, Brenda Lee, and Sheeley's former fiancé, Eddie Cochran.-Life:...
were involved in a high-speed traffic accident in a private hire taxi in Chippenham
Chippenham
Chippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. 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
Don Arden
Don Arden , born Harry Levy, was an English music manager, agent and businessman, best known for overseeing the careers of rock groups Small Faces, Electric Light Orchestra and Black Sabbath....
had Vincent returned in 1961 to do an extensive tour of the UK in theatres and ballrooms with Chris Wayne and
The Echoes
The Echoes
The Echoes were formed in London England in early 1960 by singer Chris Wayne for the Conway Twitty, Johnny Preston and Freddy Cannon tour of Great Britain. The Echoes were originally made up from “The Spacemen skiffle group” which were Joe Browns skiffle group. Joe was a regular on Boy Meets Girls...
. Subsequently due to the overwhelming success of this tour Vincent moved to England in 1963. The accompanying band, Sounds Incorporated
Sounds Incorporated
Sounds Incorporated, later known as Sounds Inc., were a British instrumental pop group who recorded extensively in the 1960s.-Career:The group formed in 1961, in Dartford, Kent, and gained a local reputation in nearby South London for the fullness of their saxophone-led instrumental sound...
, a six-piece outfit which included three saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s, guitar, bass and drums, later went on to play with The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
at their Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
concert.
Later career
Vincent's attempts to re-establish his American career recording in folk rockFolk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
and country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
genres proved unsuccessful; he is best remembered today for his recordings of the 1950s and early 1960s which originally appeared on the Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
label. He also put out some tracks on EMI's Columbia
Columbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...
label, (a British label, and not the CBS/Columbia in the U.S.) including a cover of Arthur Alexander
Arthur Alexander
Arthur Alexander was an American country soul singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for Allmusic, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and though largely unknown, "his music is the stuff of genius, a poignant and deeply intimate body of work on par with the best of his...
'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
Challenge Records (1950s)
Challenge Records was founded in Los Angeles in 1957 by cowboy singer Gene Autry and former Columbia Records A & R representative Joe Johnson. Autry's involvement with the label was short lived as he sold his interest to the remaining partners in October 1958. The label's first success came with...
. On these, he was backed by ex-members of The Champs
The Champs
The Champs were an American rock and roll band, most famous for their Latin-tinged instrumental "Tequila". Formed by studio executives at Gene Autry's Challenge Records to record a B-Side for the Dave Burgess single, the intended throwaway track became more famous than its A-Side, "Train to...
and Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
. Challenge released a single in the US and the UK 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
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's Dandelion label
Dandelion Records
Dandelion Records was a British record label started in 1969 by the British DJ John Peel as a way to get the music he liked onto record. Peel was responsible for "artistic direction" and the commercial side was handled by Clive Selwood of Elektra Records and his wife Shurely...
, which was produced by maverick Kim Fowley
Kim Fowley
Kim Vincent Fowley is an American record producer, impresario, songwriter, musician, film maker, and radio actor. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult rock pop singles in the 1960s, and for managing The Runaways in the 1970s...
with arrangements by The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
' Skip Battin
Skip Battin
Clyde "Skip" Battin was an American singer–songwriter, performer and recording artist. He is best remembered as a member of The Byrds, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Flying Burrito Brothers...
and boasted backing vocals by Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
. He later recorded two other albums for the Kama Sutra
Kama Sutra Records
Kama Sutra Records was started in 1964 by Arthur "Artie" Ripp, Hy Mizrahi and Phil Steinberg as Kama Sutra Productions, a production house. The word "Kama Sutra" is a Sanskrit terminology....
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, a British band who had previously worked at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
with Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
and Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy
Duane 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"...
. Because of pressure from his ex-wife, the Inland Revenue
Inland Revenue
The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
and promoter Don Arden
Don Arden
Don Arden , born Harry Levy, was an English music manager, agent and businessman, best known for overseeing the careers of rock groups Small Faces, Electric Light Orchestra and Black Sabbath....
, 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
Newhall, California
Newhall is the southernmost and oldest district of Santa Clarita, California. Prior to the 1987 consolidation of Valencia, Canyon Country, Saugus, Newhall, and other geographically proximate settlements into the conglomerate city of Santa Clarita, it was an independent but unincorporated town...
.
He was the first inductee into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Rockabilly Hall of Fame
The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on the internet on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering American music genre....
upon its formation in 1997. The following year he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
. Vincent has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 1749 N. Vine Street.
Singles
- "Woman Love"/"Be-Bop-A-LulaBe-Bop-A-Lula"Be-Bop-A-Lula" is a rockabilly song first recorded in 1956 by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps.-Origins of the song:The writing of the song is credited to Gene Vincent and his manager, Bill "Sheriff Tex" Davis. There is evidence that the song was started in 1955, when Vincent was recuperating from...
" (Capitol F 3450 US) (6/4/56) (Capitol 45-CL 14599 UK) - "Race With the Devil"/"Gonna Back Up Baby" (Capitol F3530 US) (9/10/56) (Capitol 45-CL 14628 UK)
- "Blue Jean Bop"/"Who Slapped John" (Capitol F3558 US) (10/56) (Capitol 45-CL 14637 UK)
- "Jumps, Giggles And Shouts"/"Wedding Bells" (Capitol 14681 UK)
- "Crazy Legs"/"Important Words" (Capitol F3617 US) (1/7/57) (Capitol 45-CL 14693 UK)
- "Five Days"/"Bi Bickey Bi Bo Bo Go" (Capitol F3678 US) (3/25/57) (Capitol 45-CL 14722 UK)
- "Lotta Lovin'"/"Wear My Ring" (Capitol F3763 US) (7/22/57) (Capitol 45-CL 14763 UK)
- "Dance to the Bop"/"I Got It" (Capitol F3839 US) (11/18/57) (Capitol 45-CL 14808)
- "Lotta Lovin'"/Be Bop A Lula" (Capitol F3871 US) (11/20/57) (Re-issue)
- "I Got a Baby"/"Walking Home From School" (Capitol F3874 US) (1/58) (Capitol 45-CL 14830)
- "Baby Blue"/"True to You" (Capitol F3959 US) (5/58) (Capitol 45-CL 14868 UK)
- "Rocky Road Blues"/"Yes I Love You Baby" (Capitol F4010 US) (7/58) (Capitol 45-CL 14908 UK)
- "Git It"/"Little Lover" (Capitol F4051 US) (9/58) (Capitol 5-CL 14935 UK)
- "Say Mama"/"Be Bop Boogie Boy" (Capitol F4105 US) (11/58) (Capitol 45-CL 14974 UK)
- "Over the Rainbow"/"Who's Pushing Your Swing" (Capitol F4153 US) (1/59) (Capitol 45-CL 15000 UK)
- "Summertime"/"Frankie And Johnnie" (Capitol 45-CL 15035 UK)
- "The Night is So Lonely"/"Right Now" (Capitol F4237 US) (6/59) (Capitol 45-CL 15053 UK)
- "Wild Cat"/"Right Here on Earth" (Capitol F4313 US) (11/59) (Capitol 45-CL 15099 UK)
- "My Heart"/"I Got To Get To You Yet" (Capitol 45-CL 15115 UK)
- "Anna Annabelle"/"Pistol Packin' Mama" (Capitol F4442 US) (9/60)
- "Anna Annabelle"/"Accentuate The Positive" (Capitol 45-CL 15169 UK) (60)
- "Jezebel"/"Maybe" (Capitol 45-CL 15179 UK) (61)
- "If You Want My Lovin'"/"Mister Loneliness" (Capitol F4525 US) (61) (Capitol 45-CL 15185 UK)
- "She She Little Sheila"/"Hot Dollar" (Capitol 45-CL 15202 UK) (61)
- "I'm Going Home (To See My Baby)"/"Love Of A Man" (Capitol 45-CL 15215 UK) (61)
- "Brand New Beat"/"Unchained Melody" (Capitol 45-CL 15231 UK) (61)
- "Lucky Star"/"Baby Don't Believe Him" (Capitol F4665 US) (61) (Capitol 45-CL 15243 UK (62)
- "King Of Fools"/"Be-Bop-A-Lula '62" (Capitol 45-CL 15264 UK) (62)
- "Held For Questioning"/"You're Still In My Heart" (Capitol 45-CL 15290 UK) (63)
- "Crazy Beat"/"High Blood Pressure" (Capitol 45-CL 15307 UK) (63)
- "Where Have You Been All My Life"/"Temptation Baby" (Columbia DB 7174 UK) (63)
- "Humpity Dumpity"/"A Love 'Em And Leave 'Em Kinda Guy" (Columbia DB 7218 UK) (64)
- "La Den Da Den Da Da"/"The Beginning Of The End" (Columbia DB 7293 UK) (64)
- "Private Detective"/"You Are My Sunshine" (Columbia DB 7343 UK) (64)
- "Bird Doggin'"/"Ain't That Too Much" (Challenge 59337 US) (66) (London HLH 10079 UK)
- "Lonely Street"/"I've Got My Eyes On You" (Challenge 59347 US) (66) (London HLH 10099 UK)
- "Be-Bop-A-Lula '69"/"Ruby Baby" (Dandelion S 4596 UK) (69)
- "White Lightning"/"Scarlet Ribbons" (Dandelion S 4974 UK) (70)
- "Story Of The Rockers"/"Pickin' Poppies" (Forever FR6001 US) (70) (Spark SRL 1091 UK) (73)
- "Sunshine"/"Geese" (Kama Sutra KA514 US) (70)
- "The Day The World Turned Blue"/"How I Love Them Old Songs" (Kama Sutra KA518 US) (70)
- "The Day The World Turned Blue"/"High On Life" (Kama Sutra KS2013018 UK) (71)
- "Roll Over Beethoven"/"Say Mama"/"Be-Bop-A-Lula" (Beeb 001 UK) (74)
- "Hound Dog"(live)/"Be-Bop-A-Lula"(live) (Norton 45-114 US) (04)
(NB Apart from the first 1957 reissue, this listing omits the very many reissue singles released over the decades)
Albums
- Bluejean Bop (Capitol T764 US & UK) (8/13/56)
- Gene Vincent And The Blue Caps (Capitol T811 US & UK) (1957)
- Gene Vincent Rocks! And The Blue Caps Roll (Capitol T970 US & UK) (3/58)
- A Gene Vincent Record Date (Capitol T1059 US & UK) (11/58)
- Sounds Like Gene Vincent (Capitol T1207 US & UK) (6/59)
- Crazy Times (Capitol T1342 US & UK mono) (Capitol ST1342 US & UK stereo) (3/60)
- The Crazy Beat Of Gene Vincent (Capitol T 20453 UK) (63)
- Shakin' Up A Storm (Columbia 33-OSX 1646 UK) (64)
- Gene Vincent (London HAH 8333 UK) (67)
- I'm Back And I'm Proud (Dandelion D9 102 US)(69) (Dandelion 63754 UK) (70)
- Gene Vincent (Kama Sutra KSBS 2019 US) (70) retitled If Only You Could See Me Today (Kama Sutra 2361009 UK) (71)
- The Day The World Turned Blue (Kama Sutra KSBS 2027 US) (70) (Kama Sutra 2316005 (UK) (71)
- Rhythm In Blue (bootleg) (Bluecap Records BC2-11-35 Canada) (79)
- Be-Bop-A-Lula (bootleg) (Koala KOA 14617 US) (80)
- Forever Gene Vincent (Rolling Rock LP 022 US) (80) (contains 4 rare recordings by Gene Vincent)
- Dressed In Black (Magnum Force MFLP 016 UK) (82)
- Gene Vincent With Interview By Red Robinson (bootleg) (The Great Northwest Music Company GNW 4016 US) (82)
- From LA To Frisco (Magnum Force MFLP 1023 UK) (82)
- For Collectors Only (Magnum Force MFLP 020 UK) (84)
- Rareties (sic) (bootleg) (Dr Kollector CRA 001 France) (86)
- Rarities Vol 2" (bootleg) (Doktor Kollector DK 005 France) (85)
- Important Words (Rockstar RSR LP 1020 UK) (90)
- Hey Mama! (Rollercoaster ROLL 2012 UK) (98)
(NB This listing omits the very many reissue albums released over the decades)
EPs
- Hot Rod Gang (Capitol EAP 1-985 US & UK) (9/58)
- Be-Bop-A-Lula '62 (Capitol EAP 1-20448 France) (62)
- Live And Rockin' (Fan club issue UK) (69)
- The Screamin' Kid Live! (bootleg) (no label 20240 France) (69)
- The Screaming Kid (bootleg) (no label 20.266 France) (69)
- Rainyday Sunshine (Rollin' Danny RD1 UK) (80)
- On Tour With Gene Vincent & Eddie Cochran (Rockstar RSR-EP 2013 UK) (86) (contains 2 ultra rare Gene Vincent recordings)
- In Concert Vol 1 (bootleg) (Savas SA 178305 France) (88)
- The Last Session (Strange Fruit SFNT 001 UK) (88)
- Hey Mama! (Rollercoaster CDEP 123 UK) (98)
- Blue Gene (Norton EP-076 US) (99)
(NB This listing omits the many EPs of album tracks & compilations)
Film appearances
- The Girl Can't Help ItThe Girl Can't Help ItThe Girl Can't Help It is a 1956 comedy musical film starring Jayne Mansfield, Tom Ewell, and Edmond O'Brien. It was produced and directed by Frank Tashlin, with a screenplay adapted by Tashlin and Herbert Baker from an uncredited novel Do Re Me by Garson Kanin...
(1956) - Hot Rod Gang (aka Fury Unleashed) (1958)
- Live It Up!Live It Up! (film)Live It Up! is a British music-film released in 1963. It was filmed at Pinewood Film Studios in London, England and featured Gene Vincent, Jenny Moss, The Outlaws, Patsy Ann Noble, The Saints and Heinz Burt among others...
(aka Sing And Swing) (1960) - It's Trad, Dad!It's Trad, Dad!It's Trad, Dad! , known in the U.S. as Ring-A-Ding Rhythm, is a musical comedy. The film was one of the first films put out by predominantly horror company Amicus Productions, and one of director Richard Lester's first films.-Plot:...
(aka Ring A Ding Rhythm) (1962) - Vincent was played by Carl BarâtCarl BarâtCarl Ashley Raphael Barât is an English musician, actor and author. He was the frontman and lead guitarist of Dirty Pretty Things, and recently debuted a solo album, but is best known for being the co-frontman with Peter Doherty of the garage rock band The Libertines.-Early life:Carl Barât was...
in the 2009 movie, TelstarTelstar (film)Telstar is a film adaptation of James Hicks' play of the same name. It stars Con O'Neill as Joe Meek and Kevin Spacey as Meek's business advisor, Major Banks...
Music
- Ian DuryIan DuryIan Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
- "Sweet Gene VincentSweet Gene Vincent"Sweet Gene Vincent" is a song and single by Ian Dury. Taken from his first solo album New Boots and Panties!! it was his second solo single and third solo release and is a tribute to Rock 'n' Roll singer Gene Vincent...
", from New Boots and Panties!! (1977) - Havana 3 a.m. - "Blue Gene Vincent"
- Johnny CarrollJohnny CarrollJohnny Carroll was an American rockabilly musician.-Biography:Born John Lewis Carrell , Carroll began recording for Decca Records in the middle of the 1950s. He released several singles, but none of them saw significant success, though they are now critically acclaimed...
- "Black Leather Rebel" - Robert GordonRobert Gordon (musician)Robert Gordon is an American rockabilly musician. Gordon rose to fame performing in several genres including alternative rock, punk rock, and rock and roll.- Early days:...
- "The Catman" on his album Rock Billy Boogie - Stray CatsStray CatsStray Cats are an American Rockabilly band formed in 1980 by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer , upright bassist Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in the UK, Australia and the U.S...
- "Gene and Eddie" on their album Blast Off!.
Movies
- Early in the movieFilmA film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, QuadropheniaQuadrophenia (film)Quadrophenia is a 1979 British film, loosely based around the 1973 rock opera of the same name by The Who. The film stars Phil Daniels as a Mod named Jimmy. It was directed by Franc Roddam in his feature directing debut...
, Kevin, played by Ray WinstoneRay WinstoneRaymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
, sings "Be-Bop-A-Lula" in the bathtub. - In the 2003 movieFilmA film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, The Singing DetectiveThe Singing Detective (film)The Singing Detective is a 2003 film based on the BBC serial The Singing Detective, a work by Dennis Potter. It stars Robert Downey, Jr...
, Robert Downey Jr, sings "In My Dreams" , "Important Words" and "Woman Love" - "Be-Bop-A-Lula" appears in the 1990 movieFilmA film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Wild at HeartWild at Heart (film)Wild at Heart is a 1990 American film written and directed by David Lynch, and based on Barry Gifford's 1989 novel Wild at Heart: The Story of Sailor and Lula. Both the book and the film revolve around Sailor Ripley and Lula Pace Fortune , a young couple from Cape Fear, North Carolina who go on...
; one of the main characters is named Lula.
External links
- Official Gene Vincent website from Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
- Derek Henderson's Gene Vincent website
- Gene Vincent Fan club & website