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Gene Vincent

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In Timothy White’s anthology, Rock Lives, White re called a 1983 interview with singer/songwriter, Paul Simon. When Simon was asked the smartest thing he had ever heard anybody say in rock-and-roll, his response was simple: "Be-Bop-A-Lula, she’s my baby." With that quote, Simon gave a nod to Gene Vincent and his 1956 hit, "Be-Bop-A-Lula." Whether Simon was sincere about Gene Vincent’sfirst and biggest hit reaching the height of profundity, in 1956, the song did reach the height of popularity. Driven by a rockabilly beat and featuring Vincent’s raw, Presley-esque vocals, "Be-Bop-A-Lula" took Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps to the top of the rock world. Vincent’s stay atthe top, however, was shortened both by his excessive drinking and his addiction to pain pills. The pills were the result of a 1955 motorcycle accident which necessitated the use of a heavy metal leg brace for the rest of his life. Vincent would achieve fame in England during the early 1960s, but to Americans, he was another aging rock-and-roller who sang recycled versions of his old hits with pick-up bands. A final American comeback attempt in the late 60s was stunted by his ill health and the changing music climate. Vincent died in 1971 at the age of 36.

Born Vincent Eugene Craddock February 17, 1935, in Norfolk, Virginia, his birthdate is usually quoted as February 11 th, a result of his mother’s handwriting being misread on his birth certificate application. In 1942, the Craddock family moved to the rural Munden Point, Virginia, where parents Kie and Louise Craddock opened a general store. At this point in young Gene’s life—everyone always called him Gene—he had only heard country music. The racially mixed area of Munden Point, however, initiated him to the sounds of blues and gospel. The mix of Grand Ole Opry music emanating from the family radio with the spiritual sounds of the neighborhood gospel singers proved irresistible to Vincent, and he begged his parents for a guitar and music lessons. Soon, people began to notice the skinny kid with the big guitar on the porch of the Craddock’s store. "There was lots of colored folks around there and they’d sit on the porch and sing and sometimes Gene would play his guitar for them," Vincent’s younger sister Evelyn told Britt Hagarty, author of Vincent’s biography, The Day the World Turned Blue. "That’s where his sound came from."

An Early Passion
When Vincent was 13, the Craddocks sold their store and moved back to Norfolk. Small and thin, Vincent would often be the subject of taunts and teasing at school and would always end up in fights. Frustrated by his size and the fact he wasn’t doing well in his classes, Vincent quit school during the ninth grade and decided to join the

Navy. His father, who’d been in the coast guard during World War II, signed the permission papers to let the seventeen-year-old enlist during the height of the Korean War. Vincent would often sing and play guitar with the other sailors and soon found another interest that would rival his passion for music—motorcycles.

In March of 1955, with a year of service left, Vincent re-enlisted for another sixyears in order to receive are enlistment bonus. With this $612.39 bonus, Vincent bought a big Triumph motorcycle. In July of that year, while on leave in Norfolk, Vincent was hit by a car while riding his Triumph, leaving his left leg crushed. After being rushed to the hospital, doctors decided to amputatethe leg, but Vincent begged his mother not to sign the forms permitting them to do so. Although she granted her son’s request, years later Louise Craddock would admit to Hagarty, "I tell you, when I looked into his eyes, I knew I couldn’t do it…. But now I wish I had." Vincent would spend the next six months in and out of the Portsmouth Naval Hospital and the rest of his life in a heavy metal leg brace.

While in the hospital, Vincent tried his hand at song writing and penned "Race with the Devil" and "Be-Bop-A-Lula," a song inspired by a popular comic strip, "Little Lulu." Following his release, Vincent met and married his first wife, Ruth Ann, and with the encouragement of his new wife and his mother, he auditioned for a local talent show put on by Norfolk’s WCMS radio called Country Showtime. For his audition, Vincent sang Elvis Presley’s current hit, "Heartbreak Hotel" and brought the house down. "I never heard such sweet sounds," "Sheriff Tex" Davis, a WCMS-DJ, talent show judge, and soon-to-be Vincent manager, told Hagarty. "He was great!"

"Be-Bop-A-Lula"
Davis, WCMS station manager Roy Lamear, and booking agent Sy Blumenthal knew record companies were looking for the "new Elvis." They thought Vincent had a chance and formed a band for Gene to play with. Soon, Vincent was rehearsing with rhythm guitarist Willie Williams, bassist Jack Neal, drummer Dickie Harrell, and lead guitarist Cliff Gallup. After the group made a demo recording of "Be-Bop-A-Lula" at the WCMS studios, Davis sent itto producer Ken Nelson of Capitol Records. Less than a month later, in May of 1956, Vincent and the band were signed to the label and found themselves in a real Nashville recording studio. Producer Nelson was unsure of the young musicians from Nor folk and brought in some of Nashville’s finest session musicians to back up Vincent, but that plan was scrapped as soon as they heard Cliff Gallup on lead guitar. Considered one of the greatest guitarists of 50s rock-and-roll, Gallup influenced guitarists such as Jerry Garcia, Jeff Beck, Dave Edmunds, and Bryan Setzer.

The band played so loudly in the recording studio that Vincent had to record his vocals in a stairway so he could hear himself over the band. After the recording, Nelson suggested using Vincent instead of Craddock as a surname, and to also find a name forthe band. Drummer Harrell, who’d taken to wearing small hats when he played, suggested "The Blue Caps." One month later, "Be-Bop-A-Lula" was released as the B-side to the single "Woman Love," on Capitol Records by Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps.

For a short while, no one paid much attention to the record until a DJ in Baltimore started playing its B-side. By the end of June, "Be-Bop-A-Lula" had sold 200,000 copies, and Capitol rushed the band into the studio to record four moresongs. Vincent and the Blue Caps were also touring steadily as "Lula" raced up the charts. By September, the song was in the top ten and Capitol released the group’s first album, Blue Jean Bop. Although the album sold well, a second single, "Race with the Devil," faded quickly.

The Beginning of the Descent
By the end of 1956, Blue Jean Bop was still selling well, but Vincent’s marriage was ending, his management team had broken up, and two Blue Caps left the band. Ruth Ann, tired of her husband’s constant traveling and rumors of infidelity, left Vincent during what would bethe height of his career. On the business side, Vincent sided with Davis in a management dispute that left Lamear and Blumenthal out of the picture, although Davis himself was out of the picture a short time later. Guitarist Willie Williams and lead guitarist Cliff Gallup left the band because of the strain of touring on their family lives. Vincent, however, loved to travel, perform, and the money, but he admitted that it all came too fast. "Listen, I never wanted to make money," he’s quoted as saying in Hagarty’s book. "I never wanted it. I’m a singer, man. My only thought was just to make a living singing. But all of a sudden I was getting $1500 a night…. It shouldn’t have happened on thatfirst record. I just didn’t knowhow to handle it."

On stage, however, if there was anything wrong with Vincent and the Blue Caps, no one knew it. Even with his near-crippled leg, Vincent was an exciting, enthusiastic performer who never let an audience down, unless he was drunk. To handle the pain Vincent found refuge in pain pills, which he often washed down with a bottle of whiskey. The changing musical landscape of the late 50s was also a source of pain for Vincent. Although he scored another hit with 1957’s "Lotta Lovin," the rockabilly sound of rock-and-roll had all but disappeared, replaced with new hitmakers like Frankie Avalon, Fabian, and Bobby Rydell. Even Elvis, with songs like "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" began to record songs in a pop vein. Soon, the Blue Caps were gone and Vincent began to tour England where there was still an audience for American rock-and-roll.

By 1960, Vincent and his second wife, Darlene, had a home in Portland, Oregon with Darlene’s daughter from a previous marriage, Debbie, and their own daughter, Melody. But Vincent would often be touring in Europe, once again straining the relationship with his wife. On one tour with fellow American rocker and his best friend, Eddie Cochran, in April of thatyear, Vincent and company were in a car crash. Vincent suffered a broken collar bone and broken ribs, and Cochran was killed. "Gene was really shook up," Darlene told Hagarty. "He and Eddie were very close. He talked a lot about Eddie and sent flowers to the funeral. But he didn’t go because he didn’t think he’d be able to handle it." Six months later Darlene gave birth to their son, Gene Jr., but by the next year, she and the kids were gone. Vincent’s drinking, mood swings, and his erratic life on the road resulted in another divorce.

With no one to go home to in America, Vincent moved to England and toured Europe almost constantly with a variety of backup bands. At one show in Hamburg, Germany in 1962, he was backed up by the then-unknown Beatles when his regular touring band failed to arrive on time. Vincent’s drinking was at an all time high, as was his reliance on pain pills. For the remainder of the decade, he still, he managed to perform to enthusiastic audiences in Europe, while in America he was all but forgotten. Married and divorced two more times during the 1960s, the only relationship Vincent seemed able to sustain was with the audience. By the end of the decade, his health left him in awful shape.

Simon Frith, in a 1970 Rolling Stone article heralding the release of two greatest hits packages and an American comeback album, I’m Back and I’m Proud, recalled a then recent performance by Vincent. "He was in pain throughout and sang kneeling, his bad leg stretched out straight behind him…. He was fat, ugly, and greasier than Joe Cocker. There were no girls in the audience but for the assembled rockers he was the ultimate in rock and roll—offering nothing but music and sacrificing everything to that music, their music. I’ve never seen another rock star so worshipped and held in such awe by an audience." In talking about the albums, Frith held the most enthusiasm for the vintage recordings of the 1950s. "Nobody makes records like that anymore," Frith declared, "not even Gene Vincent."

The next year, Vincent died in his parents’ home after a fall caused a seizure brought on by a bleeding ulcer. He was 36 years old. Though to some he’s just the guy who sang "Be-Bop-A-Lula, she’s my baby," hisimprint on the early days of rock-and-roll goes far beyond that, even though that particular tune had sold nearly nine million copies by the time of his death. A number of later musicians named him as a primary influence, and British rock guitarist Jeff Beck recorded an entire album of Vincent and the Blue Caps songs on his 1993 album, Crazy Legs. Additionally, the resurgence of rockabilly in the 1980s with bands like the Blasters and the Stray Cats introduced new fans to the style of Vincent and his contemporaries. Members of the Blue Caps still get together to celebrate the music they made forty years earlier with the skinny kid from Norfolk. Though not every detail of his legacy remains impressive, Vincent’s awareness of the impact of the music secures him a prominent place in the history of rock-and-roll.

Selected discography
Blue Jean Bop, Capitol, 1957.
Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps, Capitol, 1957.
Gene Vincent Rocks and the Blue Caps Roll, Capitol, 1958.
A Gene Vincent Record Date, Capitol, 1958.
The Best of Gene Vincent, Capitol, 1970.
I’m Back and I’m Proud, Dandelion/Elektra, 1970.
If Only You Could See Me Today, Kama Sutra, 1970.
The Day the World Turned Blue, 1971.
Capitol Collectors Series, Capitol, 1990.
Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, Curb, 1993.
Screaming End: The Best of Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, Razor and Tie Music, 1997.

Sources
Books
Encyclopedia of Rock, edited by Tony Russell, Crescent Books, 1983.
Encyclopedia of Rock, edited by Phil Hardy and Dave Laing, Schirmer Books, 1988.
Hagarty, Britt, The Day the World Turned Blue: A Biography of Gene Vincent, Talonbooks, 1983.
The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll, edited by Patricia Romanowski and Holly George-Warren, Rolling Stone Press, 1995.
Perkins, Carl and David McGee, The Life and Times of Carl Perkins, Hyperion, 1996.

Periodicals
Rolling Stone, March 7, 1970, p. 52; November 11, 1971. Los Angeles Times, August 17, 1996, p. F2.
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Gene Vincent

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Biography

Gene Vincent only had one really big hit, "Be-Bop-a-Lula," which epitomized rockabilly at its prime in 1956 with its sharp guitar breaks, spare snare drums, fluttering echo, and Vincent's breathless, sexy vocals. Yet his place as one of the great early rock & roll singers is secure, backed up by a wealth of fine smaller hits and non-hits that rate among the best rockabilly of all time. The leather-clad, limping, greasy-haired singer was also one of rock's original bad boys, lionized by romanticists of past and present generations attracted to his primitive, sometimes savage style and indomitable spirit.

Vincent was bucking the odds by entering professional music in the first place. As a 20-year-old in the Navy, he suffered a severe motorcycle accident that almost resulted in the amputation of his leg, and left him with a permanent limp and considerable chronic pain for the rest of his life. After the accident he began to concentrate on building a musical career, playing with country bands around the Norfolk, VA, area. Demos cut at a local radio station, fronting a band assembled around Gene by his management, landed Gene Vincent & the Blue Caps a contract at Capitol, which hoped they'd found competition for Elvis Presley.

Indeed it had, as by this time Vincent had plunged into all-out rockabilly, capable of both fast-paced exuberance and whispery, almost sensitive ballads. The Blue Caps were one of the greatest rock bands of the '50s, anchored at first by the stunning silvery, faster-than-light guitar leads of Cliff Gallup. The slap-back echo of "Be-Bop-a-Lula," combined with Gene's swooping vocals, led many to mistake the singer for Elvis when the record first hit the airwaves in mid-1956, on its way to the Top Ten. The Elvis comparison wasn't entirely fair; Vincent had a gentler, less melodramatic style, capable of both whipping up a storm or winding down to a hush.

Brilliant follow-ups like "Race With the Devil," "Bluejean Bop," and "B-I-Bickey, Bi, Bo-Bo-Go" failed to click in nearly as big a way, although these too are emblematic of rockabilly at its most exuberant and powerful. By the end of 1956, the Blue Caps were beginning to undergo the first of constant personnel changes that would continue throughout the '50s, the most crucial loss being the departure of Gallup. The 35 or so tracks he cut with the band -- many of which showed up only on albums or b-sides -- were unquestionably Vincent's greatest work, as his subsequent recordings would never again capture their pristine clarity and uninhibited spontaneity.

Vincent had his second and final Top Twenty hit in 1957 with "Lotta Lovin'," which reflected his increasingly tamer approach to production and vocals, the wildness and live atmosphere toned down in favor of poppier material, more subdued guitars, and conventional-sounding backup singers. He recorded often for Capitol throughout the rest of the '50s, and it's unfair to dismiss those sides out of hand; they were respectable, occasionally exciting rockabilly, only a marked disappointment in comparison with his earliest work. His act was captured for posterity in one of the best scenes of one of the first Hollywood films to feature rock & roll stars, The Girl Can't Help It.

Live, Vincent continued to rock the house with reckless intensity and showmanship, and he became particularly popular overseas. A 1960 tour of Britain, though, brought tragedy when his friend Eddie Cochran, who shared the bill on Vincent's U.K. shows, died in a car accident that he was also involved in, though Vincent survived. By the early '60s, his recordings had become much more sporadic and lower in quality, and his chief audience was in Europe, particularly in England (where he lived for a while) and France.

His Capitol contract expired in 1963, and he spent the rest of his life recording for several other labels, none of which got him close to that comeback hit. Vincent never stopped trying to resurrect his career, appearing at a 1969 Toronto rock festival on the same bill as John Lennon, though his medical, drinking, and marital problems were making his life a mess, and diminishing his stage presence as well. He died at the age of 36 from a ruptured stomach ulcer, one of rock's first mythic figures. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi
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Gene Vincent
Background information
Birth name Vincent Eugene Craddock
Born February 11, 1935(1935-02-11)
Norfolk, Virginia, United States
Died October 12, 1971(1971-10-12) (aged 36)
Genres Rockabilly, rock and roll
Occupations Singer, musician
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 1955–1971

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.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Vincent Eugene Craddock was born in Norfolk, 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-boats 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.[1] 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[2] 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).[3] The band included 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 bars in his native Norfolk, Virginia. There, they won a talent contest organized by local radio DJ "Sheriff Tex" Davis, who became his manager.[4]

Biggest hits

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. 5 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.[5] On November 17, 1957 Vincent and His Blue Caps performed the song on the nationally-broadcast Ed Sullivan Show.[6] 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.[7] The song was used in the movie Hot Rod Gang for a dance rehearsal scene featuring dancers doing West Coast Swing.[8]

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.[9] 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".[10]

Europe

A dispute with the 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's TV show "Boy Meets Girl", his first appearance in England.[11] He wore black leather, gloves, and a medallion, and 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.[12]

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 saxophones, guitar, bass and drums, later went on to play with The Beatles at their Shea Stadium concert.

Later career

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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 label (the British label, not the U.S. CBS/Columbia), 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 three singles 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,[2] 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] 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.

Discography

Singles

  • "Woman Love"/"Be-Bop-A-Lula" (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)
  • "Pistol Packin' Mama"/"Weeping Willow" (Capitol 45-CL 15136 UK) (6/60)
  • "Pistol Packin' Mama"/"Anna Annabelle" (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)
  • "Born To Be A Rolling Stone"/"Hurtin' For You Baby" (Challenge 59365 US) (67)
  • "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 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)
  • 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

See also

Portal icon Biography portal

Music

Movies

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Bibliography

  • Britt Hagarty: The Day The World Turned Blue Blandford Press (1984) ISBN 07137153316
  • Susan Vanhecke: Race With the Devil: Gene Vincent's Life in the Fast Lane. Saint Martin's Press (2000) ISBN 0-312-26222-1
  • Steven Mandich: Sweet Gene Vincent (The Bitter End) Orange Syringe Publications. (2002) 1000 Printed. ISBN 0-9537626-0-2
  • Mick Farren: Gene Vincent. There's One In Every Town The Do-Not Press (2004) ISBN 1-904316-37-9
  • John Collis: Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, Rock 'N' Roll Revolutionaries Virgin Books (2004) ISBN 1-85227-193-0
  • Derek Henderson: Gene Vincent, A Companion Spent Brothers Productions (2005) ISBN 0-9519416-7-4 (NB contains an extensive Bibliography on Gene Vincent)

References

  1. ^ Vincentpapers
  2. ^ a b Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 231. CN 5585. 
  3. ^ Official Gene Vincent Web Site
  4. ^ "Sheriff Tex Davis". The Independent (London). September 13, 2007. http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2956395.ece. Retrieved May 3, 2010. 
  5. ^ Vincent, Gene (RCS Artist Discography)
  6. ^ Ed Sullivan
  7. ^ video
  8. ^ [1] [2] [3]
  9. ^ Hillbilly-Music.com. "Town Hall Party". hillbilly-music.com. http://www.hillbilly-music.com/programs/story/index.php?prog=170. Retrieved 2012-04-29. 
  10. ^ "Gene Vincent - At Town Hall Party Production Details | Box Office - Yahoo! Movies". Movies.yahoo.com. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808469645/details. Retrieved 2012-04-29. 
  11. ^ [4][dead link]
  12. ^ Gene Vincent There's One in Every Town. Mike Farren. 2004. The Do Not Press Limited. pages 75-80. ISBN 1-904316-37-9

External links


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Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps Greatest Hits (1982 Album by Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps)
EP Collection, Vol. 2 (1998 Album by Gene Vincent)
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