A Tribute To Gene Vincent

It's been on my mind for quite some time to record a tribute album to the great Gene Vincent & The Blue Caps. Fortunately, the new venture with our backing tracks website helped this project come around sooner than planned as all the tracks featured on this album can also be purchased via the website - www.vintagebackingtracks.com - as backing tracks without my vocals on (even more fortunate!). So you can sing along and even create your own tribute album to Gene!! 

The vast majority of the songs included here are from the glorious 1956 to early '57 period and I like to think I've at least captured the spirit of these monumental recordings, having recorded all the instruments myself. 

1. You Better Believe It
2. Double Talkin' Baby
3. Well I Knocked Bim Bam
4. Race With The Devil
5. Blues Stay Away From Me
6. Peg O' My Heart
7. Crazy Legs
8. Gonna Back Up Baby
9. Cruisin'
10. Pretty Pretty Baby
11. Lotta Lovin'
12. She She Little Shelia 

As usual, I had great help from Graham Dominy with his mixing and mastering skills and the added bonus of Steve Webb from The Roomates providing backing vocals on tracks 1 and 12.

The album can be purchased here and I thank you for considering a purchase as this really does help in keeping things ticking along!

Myself and Graham Dominy (my co-producer at Embassy Studios) have decided to set up a website in order to provide Rockabilly/Rock n Roll backing tracks. There seems to be more and more singers out there that are going out to the Rock n Roll clubs with backing tracks and we want to provide authentic versions of our favourite Rockabilly songs for them. If you're a budding singer and have always wanted to hear how you sound singing along to your favourite Rockabilly songs, then this website and the backing tracks included will also do the trick.

It can be found here - www.vintagebackingtracks.com - and have a look at what is on there and hopefully there'll be a few tracks that will suit your tastes!

A new CD release on Foot Tapping Records and here I delve into the back catalogue of one of my favourites of all the great Rockabilly artists from the 50's - Johnny Burnette. But this CD also pays tribute to his song-writing partner, bassist and brother, Dorsey as well as guitarists Paul Burlison and Grady Martin (although Grady played lead on all but one of these songs). Tracks are:

1. Sweet Love On My Mind
2. Lonesome Train
3. Rockabilly Boogie
4. Your Baby Blue Eyes
5. Rock Therapy
6. Honey Hush
7. Lonesome Tears In My Eyes
8. Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee
9. All By Myself
10. The Train Kept A-Rollin'
11. Tear It Up
12. Please Don't Leave Me 

This can be purchased right here

We're thrilled to announce to the entire universe that we've found a new Bop Beater for The Enforcers - Tony Hillebrandt. 

Tony has been on the Rockabilly scene for a good while now and has made his name with bands such as Jack Rabbit Slim and Jesse & The Orbits, as well as backing many top rockin' artists over the years. 

He's an incredibly diverse drummer and will be invaluable to us as we carry on plying our trade throughout the UK and Europe as the year enfolds.

He also now becomes the youngest member of the band. Unfortunately, Adam has been replaced as the young 'un. Adam wore the badge of pride of being the youngest Enforcer, pinned to his youthful chest for many years. It has cruelly snatched away by Tony - not that Tony knew much about it, nor had any say in the matter.

Of course, in my head I shall always be 25 years old. So I shall rely on both Tony and Adam to carry me onstage and walk me out to the van after the gig if my slightly befuddled 25 year old brain can't remember where it is or who I once was.. 

Whilst this is not strictly new news as such, I felt it was worth mentioning.

Those of you that have seen us live in recent months will have noticed a very hairy-faced Adam on bass. I think the general consensus amongst his many fans around the galaxy is that it makes him look very regal, almost King-like.

So had he been born during the Medieval times, he may well have been known as King Adam - The Bop Slapper, as all Kings back then had a quirky adage after their name to let you know what they excelled at. Like King Henry VIII - Wife Killer. That sort of thing.

12 of my favourite Rockabilly songs. Tracks are:

1. THERE'S GONNA BE ROCKIN' TONIGHT

2. CRAZY BABY

3. HEY BABY  (Featuring Imelda May)

4. SO LONG, GOOD LUCK & GOODBYE

5. TOO MANY LOVERS

6. HOORAY FOR THAT LITTLE DIFFERENCE

7. ARE YOU READY

8. I DON'T DIG IT

9. TOUCH OF LOVING

10. ROCK, ROLL, JUMP & JIVE

11. EVERYBODY'S ROCKIN'

12. BABY BABY

THIS IS AVAILABLE AS A CD OR 12" VINYL LP!!!!!!

An album that took years to finish! Finally it's out and was it worth the wait? Of course it was! It's quite literally the greatest album called Are You Ready ever released by me. You can't get a better endorsement than that. 

The album can be purchased right here

12 songs all originally recorded by my fave British rockers from the 1950's. Tracks are:

1. ROCK WITH THE CAVEMAN

2. PLAY ROUGH

3. GONNA TYPE A LETTER

4. REBEL ROCK

5. JUST TOO LATE

6. DYNAMITE

7. MISS IN-BETWEEN

8. BAD BOY

9. I'M COMING HOME

10. JELLY BABY

11. YOUR LOVING TOUCH

12. HAVE A DRINK ON ME

All songs were recorded at The House Of Bop earlier this year and then mixed and mastered at Embassy Studios with Graham Dominy. Our good pal, Bernie Keith has been playing every song off the album on his superb Northants Three Counties BBC Radio Rock n Roll show every Saturday, between 6-8pm. A brilliant show and superb presenter.

Songs originally recorded by the British heavy hitters from the '50's, such as Billy Fury, Marty Wilde, Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard. The more obscure songs come from the likes of Craig Douglas (Miss In-Between), Jimmy Miller (Jelly Baby), Johnny Luck (Play Rough), Peter Jay (Just Too Late) and even a bit of Skiffle is thrown in with Lonnie Donegan's Have A Drink On Me.

The album can be purchased right here

In all the excitement of not having any gigs at all these past 14 months, it seems I quite forgot to make mention on the news page about this 13 track Christmas CD that was released in the first week of December last year. Of course, I did manage to mention it on the home page and my various unsocial media pages but that's not the point, it it? I completely forgot about it on this, the most important and read page on this website.  So, for all 4 of you that read this crap on a regular basis; this newish CD was a labour of love and even my daughter joined in by singing the lovely Brenda Lee chestnut, I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus - and a wonderful job she did on it. Only 8 years old and the voice of an angel, unless she's shouting at me about the latest LOL Doll, in which case she normally sounds like a 40 year old chain smoker with a cough. Imelda May joined in and duetted with me on a song, which was very nice of her. Cost me an absolute fortune, as the favours have all been used up these days but I'm paying her back a fiver a month until the next Ice Age. I wrote 12 of the songs and played all the instruments myself. This wasn't due to social distancing but rather the fact I didn't have any money to pay a proper drummer and bass player. And because of social distancing. Whatever that means these days. I will say it's a great album. Mainly because no one else has or ever will but I really like it a lot. I've even played it all the way through twice since it's been released. If you would like to get in early and purchase a copy before next Christmas, may I suggest you do this now as it will probably never be repressed ever again. You will find a copy at www.musicking.co.uk and the good people there will sort you out a copy, once you've paid them a small fortune. All proceeds will help fund my boredom habit, which costs a fortune these days. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Yes, after 15 months of enforced (!) retirement, gigs are back.

But what is a gig, I hear you all cry. Well, once upon a time, many people used to gather in a hall - like a community centre, pub, large living room or kitchen - and watch talented musical types play their instruments and sing songs. People would pay to watch and listen for this  privilege as these musical types had spent many years learning their craft, often ignoring the world and everyone in it in order to practise 28 hours a day to become entertainers with musical instruments, causing great relief and merriment for those watching and listening. 

But humans are now starting to reacquaint themselves with the concept of  fun. A Gig - a term used to describe a musical event in which people pay to enter - it seems is very close to the top of the list of things people have missed greatly. And they will return, albeit with some form of restriction initially - those attending musical events must wear full body amour and a gasmask. You will not be able to look at another person in the room in case you burst into flames. You cannot dance or hum along to the music. You must order an egg sandwich but beer is forbidden. If you cannot find a gasmask, a deep sea diving helmet will be provided at the door. Bands must set up four miles away from the audience. The drummer, five miles back from the other band members. 

Adam, Rob and myself have booked a space flight back from Planet Bop, out in the far reaches of the galaxy near to the Shatner System and we will arrive back in time for our first live gig in 15 months - for the wonderful people at South Coast Rockers on June 6th, a Sunday afternoon show that starts at 3pm. We will be rusty, no doubt. But our joy and enthusiasm should see us through.

We look forward to this momentous return to Rock n Roll - as the great Danny & The Juniors once sang, will never die.

I'm very pleased to announce on here that I have a guitar tuition book avaiable for sale via Amazon. You can purchase a copy here - https://geni.us/rockabilly - and audio downloads come with it to help demonstrate the various licks. 

It has been released for awhile now and has been very successful in the various Amazon book charts, with lots of very positive reviews, I'm pleased to say.

My thanks go out to Joseph and Tim at https://www.fundamental-changes.com/ for all their hard work in making this happen.

A new 45 has been released in conjunction with The Boozinstoke Fraternity - a Rockabilly club in Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK (hence the name, get it?!). Darrel wrote the A side, The Boozinstoke Bop and the flip features a cover of the great Ray Campi classic, How Low Do You Feel. Darrel sings and plays all the instruments on both tracks! Limited to only 500 copies. It can be purchased via www.musicking.co.uk 

The latest Darrel & The Enforcers CD is available for sale at www.musicking.co.uk 

12 tracks include 7 songs written by Darrel.