Tuesday, 25 February 2014

Whatever happened to Alis Lesley



with Elvis in Las Vegas


Heartbreak Harry


The text below comes from Wikipedia; 
Alis Lesley is a former American rock and roll singer, once billed as 'the female Elvis Presley'.
Lesley was born Alice Lesley in Chicago, Illinois on April 20, 1938. 
Her family later moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where she attended Phoenix Junior College. 
She majored in television and radio, and began singing rockabilly while a student. 
She was discovered by Kathryn Godfrey, a popular Phoenix television personality and the sister of Arthur Godfrey. 
With Ms. Godfrey's help, Lesley became a local favorite following her appearances on television station KTVK and in local night clubs.
Lesley achieved brief national celebrity with the 1957 release of her Era single, "He Will Come Back to Me" b/w "Heartbreak Harry" (Era Records 45-1034). 

Lesley's stage persona as "The Female Elvis Presley" included a guitar slung around her neck, greased-back hair, and combed-down sideburns.  She toured Australia in October 1957 with Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent and local rocker Johnny O'Keefe.

The tour was cut short when Richard underwent a "religious experience" and he retired from rock'n'roll for several years.
After the Australian tour the trail goes cold...




A Letter To Alis (worth a look)

Sunday, 23 February 2014

Topsy Turvy

Born Benn Joe Zappanini in Kansas 1942

Doctor Doctor


More info on Ben can be found on the links below
or

Monday, 17 February 2014

Boppin' In The Dark

Fake 45
Boppin' in the Dark

Love'nist Lovin'
Mama Laid the Law Down


Born Douglas Willis Dickerson, 1927, Grand Saline, Texas, USA. Died in 1979.  Dub started out in the music business as a guitar player in Zeke Clemons band 'Texas Swingbillies'. He was not an out and out rock n roller being more comfortable singing in the country & hillbilly style. But he did lean towards rockabilly occasionally. His best rocker by a long shot was 'Boppin' in the Dark' sadly it remained in the vaults for many years before its inclusion on a 2005 rockabilly compilation album  ('Action Packed! Volume 4: 16 Red Hot Rockin' Hits') titled 'Boppin'.

Dub & Zeke (photo from the Kevin Coffee Collection)

The information below is from Wikipedia
1950Hoot Owl Rag / Is not Got No DogOne [!] GalImperial 8083
1951Chinchie Hotel / Money TalksDecca 46329
If I Had You Back / Just In Time To Be Too LateDecca 46353
The Bells of Monterrey / Sweet Bunch of BitterweedsCapitol 2504
One Night Stand / Dear LoveCapitol 2605
Mama Laid Down the Law / Everything Depends on YouCapitol 2719
Count Me In / You Started It AllCapitol 2821
My Gal Gertie / Look, Look, LookCapitol 2947
Under the heading of My Business / I Must've Drove My Mules Too HardCapitol 3099
1956Shot Gun Wedding / Each TimeSims 106
1958Sugar Lips / (I Think I'm) Falling In LoveImperial 5512
1960Mama Laid Down the Law / The BottleTodd 1053
1962It's About to Get Me Down / Name Your PriceSims 127
All Over You / My Impression of YouTower 59101/102


Saturday, 8 February 2014

Wild Wild Rockin' Women Volume 5


All tracks are live recordings taken from the internet.
At the last Rockabilly Rave (2013) my buddy  and I were taking some down time drinking Jack Daniels (my buddies) back at the chalet while listening to the various jams that were going on in our block. All of a sudden the music quality went up a notch. That was the first time I came across the band 'Josie and the Outlaw'. Check them out on the sound track below and the website link at the bottom of this post.

CAN'T GET THAT STUFF NO MORE - JOSIE BAKER



Volume 5  - P/W dukeboxrock

WEBSITES

Tuesday, 4 February 2014

GUITAR ATTACK!


THREE ROCKIN' INSTRUMENTALS FROM THE 1992 CROWN RECORDS LONG PLAYER 'RELENTLESS'.  
VINYL RIPPED TO MP3 FORMAT GUITAR ATTACK! EXTENDED PLAY


SONNY HAS A GREAT VOICE TOO
RELENTLESS






Friday, 17 January 2014

Girl on the Billboard


GIRL ON THE BILLBOARD




THE VERY TALENTED CHUCK MEAD OF BR5-49 FAME WITH LIVE RECORDINGS FROM 2012/2014.  ALL SONGS SOURCED FROM THE INTERNET. THANKS GO TO MUSIC CITY ROOTS AND KINGOFTHECASTLE7 FOR THE USE OF THE SOUND FILES FROM THEIR VIDEOS.


Friday, 10 January 2014

Rockin' Dog


Nice version of Ronnie Dawson's rocker

Thursday, 9 January 2014

T Ford and the Boneshakers


T Ford (real name John Bradford) formed 'T Ford and the Boneshakers' in the mid 1970s. After an album and one single release on the Swedish 'Splash Records' label he went solo, the height of his fame came when he finished 4th in the Eurovision song contest in 1987 under the name T Ford.

'Rock Rattle & Roll' is not the hard edged rock 'n' roll music I usually listen too. It came out in 1978 and I was intrigued by L.P when I saw it for sale (filed under rock 'n' roll) in my local record store and I bought it on the off chance it might have a bit of a bite to it. That proved not to be the case. At the time I was into the rockabilly music of Charlie Feathers and Mac Curtis (I still am).

I recently came across it again while playing records one night in my man cave. I seemed to have mellowed a bit in my old age, because I like it a lot more hearing it again after all these years. I would put this albums sound very similar to what 'Sha Na Na' were putting out during their 'Grease' period in 1978.

LETTERS TO MYSELF




Vinyl ripped while spinning on my 1961 Dansette record player

Thursday, 2 January 2014

THE DELTAS - Live 1981

Recorded on a cassette tape recorder at Letchworth Football Club on Sunday 27th September 1981. This is a work in the process of being restored so a big thank you goes to Twister and the RockHall Audio Restoration Lab. Thanks also to Volker Houghton for the loan of the tape and the picture scans below. These tracks are not of a high quality, they are purely for historical value to fans of early 'The Deltas' music, and anyone else who wants to know what the rockin' scene was like in the early 1980's.  I saw 'The Deltas' play live the same as this set was recorded, in the downstairs bar of the 'Clarendon Hotel' in Hammersmith, West London, which is the same location where the Klub Foot started in the much larger ballroom upstairs. I remember the set being very similar to the recordings here, the only real difference was that the band took to the stage wearing boiler suits and hob-nailed boots and had no clarinet player. Crazy times indeed...

THE GOLDEN TICKET

TEAR IT UP *
HEART ATTACK * 
SHAKE YOUR MONEYMAKER
EARLY IN THE MORNING
AS YOU LIKE IT
LONG BLACK TRAIN
GIVE ME SOME LOVIN'
ROCKABILLY GUY
HOW COME YOU DO ME (LIKE YOU DO)
UNKNOWN TITLE
ICE COLD BABY
LET'S GO BOPPING TONIGHT
LUCKY LITTLE MAN

Boz Boorer on clarinet! *

Dancing (?) circa 1981

THE T-SHIRT

More dancing (?) while the Deltas cut loose!

ROCKABILLY GUY

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

Stars of the Rhythm Riot 17

Full programme scans (jpeg format) & few live recordings. Fortunately I have a friend that lives in Camber where the Rhythm Riot is held yearly every November. Unfortunately due to my location in the UK I can't afford go to both the Rockabilly Rave and the Rhythm Riot. That's where my good buddy Dave 'Tooks' Tookey (thanks for the programme buddy) and YouTube for giving me the feeling that I was there...
(password dukeboxrock)


TT SYNDICATE - NO MONEY


BARBARA CLIFFORD - AIN'T NO NOTHIN'


LOS MAMBO JAMBO


THE HAYSTACK HI-TONES - EVIL TRAIN



SISTER COOKIE - DON'T FREEZE ON ME

RAY COLLINS' HOT CLUB - BYE BYE PARIS




Thanks to...
The Tooks
Andy Munday