Updated 31 May 2021. Before The Beatles’ first UK hit, back in 1962, an 18-year-old English rhythm & blues guitarist joined one of the most dynamic – but, mostly, now  forgotten – of all English blues-rock bands. They were the Pirates, the band of the great, late Johnny Kidd. (see previous post). Not just a giant of a man, but a giant of the…

Updated April 27, 2020. Johnny Kidd & the Pirates: England’s first true rock & roll band. When I was about ten, before the Beatles and Stones gate-crashed Britain’s mainly middle-of-the-road hit parade, I remember lamenting the lack of authentic rock & rollers we had in England. Where America had the pre-army Elvis Presley, we had the pre-Broadway Tommy…

OKLAHOMA CITY: HOME OF THE WORLD’S FIRST PUBLISHED BLUES  UPDATED OCTOBER 12 2021   Hart Wand circa 1910   “Oklahoma City looks oh so pretty”, wrote Bobby Troup in 1946, while composing “Get Your Kicks (On Route 66)”. While a hit record for Nat King Cole that same year, “Route 66”, (as the song’s title…

UPDATE 2 October 2014. AC/DC’s management today confirmed Malcolm Young has dementia and has left the band. This post’s headline, therefore, changes from “Will Malcolm Young’s doppelganger replace him in AC/DC?” to the affirmative.  AC/DC also confirmed that Malcolm’s nephew, Stevie Young, replaced his uncle on the band’s latest album, “Rock or Bust”, due out…

Jimmy Liggins cut Cadillac Boogie in 1947 Very little is new in the world of music entertainment. This rings particularly true when it comes to rock showmanship. If you believed all you read, you’d think a wild stage act was invented by Elvis Presley and the rest of the 1950s rock & roll pioneers. But…