Posts by tag
’50s
When young fans caught the red hot act of Billy Lee Riley And The Little Green Men in the late 50s, such was their enthusiastic response, the band would be…
Love Me Tender was the Hollywood western that launched Elvis’ acting career and, featuring his No.1 smash, was one of his best-loved turns in front of the cameras… Words by…
In January 1962, Britain went twist crazy, with Chubby Checker’s The Twist and Let’s Twist Again in the Top 20 at the same time. Here, Vintage Rock takes a stroll…
In 1955 The Platters soared to fame with their iconic ballad Only You, here Vintage Rock charts the career of the most successful Black group of the 1950s and talk…
Link Wray’s 50s instrumental Rumble practically invented the power chord, became the centre of a moral panic and inspired a whole generation to pick up the electric guitar – and…
In our lowdown on Fats Domino, we look at how his New Orleans sound was a cornerstone of early rock’n’roll… John Peel liked to argue that rock’n’roll should feel scary…
Connie Francis, one of the most popular and successful female artists of the mid 1950s, died at the age of 87 on 16 July. Her death was confirmed by her…
When Rock’n’Roll Goes Gospel… Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Johnny Cash all released gospel records at the height of their fame and fortune. Now largely forgotten or underrated,…
It’s no surprise the multi-faceted songs of Bobby Darin have been such a hit in Hollywood – his own too-short life story sounds like it was straight out of a…
Sixty-five years ago, Berry Gordy – a former boxer and failed record store owner – launched the label that would become Motown. We trace its funky first five years, which…