| Gene Vincent | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Vincent Eugene Craddock |
| Born | February 11, 1935 Norfolk, Virginia, United States |
| Died | October 12, 1971 (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.
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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.
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]
In 1956 he wrote "Be-Bop-A-Lula", No. 102 on Rolling Stone magazine's "500 Greatest Rock and Roll Songs of All Time" list. Local radio DJ "Sheriff Tex" Davis arranged for this to be demoed and this secured him a contract with Capitol Records. He signed a publishing contract with Bill Lowery of The Lowery Group of music publishers in Atlanta, Georgia. "Be-Bop-A-Lula" was not on Vincent's first album and was picked by Capitol producer Ken Nelson as the B side of his first single. Prior to the release of the single, Lowery pressed promotional copies of "Be-Bop-A-Lula" and sent them to radio stations throughout the country. By the time Capitol released the single, "Be-Bop-A-Lula" had already gained attention from the public and radio DJs. The song was picked up and played by other U.S. radio stations (obscuring the original "A-side" song), and became a hit and launched Vincent as a rock 'n' roll star.
After "Be-Bop-A-Lula" became a hit (peaking at No. 7 and spending 20 weeks on the Billboard Pop Chart), Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps were unable to follow it up with the same level of commercial success, but released critically acclaimed songs like "Race With The Devil" (No. 96 in Billboard) and "Bluejean Bop" (No. 49). That year, Vincent was reportedly convicted of public obscenity and fined $10,000 by the state of Virginia for his live performance of the erotic song, "Woman Love", although this is now believed to have been a rumor, possibly started by his manager.
Cliff Gallup left the band and Johnny Meeks was ushered in as new guitarist for The Blue Caps in 1957. The group had another hit with 1957's "Lotta Lovin'" (highest position No. 13 and spending 19 weeks in the charts). Gene Vincent was awarded Gold Records for 2 million sales of Be-Bop-A-Lula and 1.5 million sales of Lotta Lovin'. The same year he toured the east coast of Australia with Little Richard and Eddie Cochran, drawing audiences totaling 72,000 to their Sydney Stadium concerts. Vincent also made an appearance in the film, The Girl Can't Help It with Jayne Mansfield, performing "Be-Bop-A-Lula with the Blue Caps in a rehearsal room..
"Dance to the Bop" was released by Capitol records on October 28, 1957.[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]
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 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 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 saxophones, guitar, bass and drums, later went on to play with The Beatles at their Shea Stadium concert.
Vincent's attempts to re-establish his American career recording in folk rock and country rock genres proved unsuccessful; he is best remembered today for his recordings of the 1950s and early 1960s which originally appeared on the Capitol Records label. He also put out some tracks on EMI's Columbia 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,[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. 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)