Welcome back to Alexander’s RBS page, (for Rock, Blues & Soul.) RBS will bring you each week a progressive variety of on-going, interesting topics, based on the American and English music scenes starting in early 50’s & 60’s, such as the bands & groups and the different forms of great music such as Rock, Blues and Soul. Then working our way up to day’s music, while passing through several musical style changes.
For this second RBS we continue the story and factual history of the early days of several early American Bands going to England for their first time where Teenagers were dying to hear these new bands play their versions of US Rock & Roll.
Eddie Cochran
Touring England in the second wave from America was Eddie Cochran. Cochran toured England during January of 1960, and again in April of 1960. Eddie Cochran was a young twenty year old who blossomed into overnight stardom. He was a close friend of Gene Vincent and the two toured together sometimes, while also performing on the same bills with English performers Billy Fury and Joey Brown. Eddie was a handsome, active performer with a good voice and quickly developed his fan base, while also making several records. Unfortunately he had one of the shortest fame– spans, as he was accidently killed in a car crash. The taxi he was travelling in on his way to the London airport had a serious, fatal crash in that same year of 1960. RIP Eddie.
Little Richard;
The Fabulous Little Richard toured England through October of 1962. Little Richard was for most of his performing life a very extroverted and entertaining musician. He was talented and zany, and often unpredictable, but always so much fun to watch. He had so much energy and in my opinion left Jerry Lee Lewis, his closest competitor, in his shadows. Richard went through different trends such as the well-publicized time while on tour in Australia he declared he was giving up his musical career and turning to God. Then demonstrably he took off his many gold and diamond rings and to everyone’s surprise and shock, dramatically threw them into the sea in front of everyone. Different news stories placed him either aboard ship in Sydney harbor, or standing on the Sydney Harbor Bridge at the time. He has made many records and attended many award ceremonies and received many of his own awards. Richards has stayed in in relatively good health and is still a very popular celebrity in the music business. Not so well known is that Richard keeps himself very instrumental in helping other musicians to become famous such as Jimmy Hendrix. Hendrix, it is believed, had been in Richard’s band for almost two years before he broke out on his own.
