Graham Fenton, frontman of Brit rockabilly revivalists The Househakers and Matchbox, has passed away.

News circulated on social media about the passing of the Vintage Rock columnist and much-loved singer on Sunday 10 August. The embodiment of undiluted British rock’n’roll, Fenton was as committed to the music as he was knowledgeable, and he delighted in sharing his tales with us with passion and enthusiasm.

Born 28 May 1947, Graham grew up in Hanwell, West London. His parents, Mary and Jim, were both passionate about music and young Graham loved playing his parents’ records, everything from Bing Crosby to country and boogie woogie, and most importantly, Bill Haley And The Comets. “I remember the first time I heard a 78rpm version of Bill Haley’s Rock Around The Clock,” Graham recounted with Vintage Rock. “I thought ‘wow, rock’n’roll was finally here!’ Dad would play Rock Around The Clock over and over again. If only I hadn’t have accidentally stood on it one day and broken it into three pieces!

“My parents bought me Tommy Steele records – Singing The Blues, Knee Deep In The Blues, Rock With The Caveman… they also bought me a Tommy Steele plastic guitar with ‘rock and roll’ emblazoned on the front of it and his signature. For a kid, it was fantastic. You could strap it on like a proper guitar and it came with a songbook so you could learn all the tunes.”

Rockabilly Rebel

His brother Ken was another great source of inspiration for Graham, introducing him to skiffle via Chas McDevitt’s Freight Train with Nancy Whiskey on vocals. His brother’s record collection helped shape Graham’s education in the music of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochran, and Gene Vincent. “I was mesmerised by Gene in particular and wanted to know as much about his life as possible, unbeknownst to me that one day I’d get to meet, and even work, with him,” he said.

When Graham left school he worked at Squires of Ealing which sold musical instruments as well as TVs and radios. Here he started as an apprentice TV and radio engineer, attending technical college twice a week, and worked as a van boy.

“My own initiation into performing rock’n’roll almost came about by accident,” Graham told Vintage Rock. “By the age of 14 I’d become hooked on motorbikes. I had several motorcycles during those early years and, like many rockers in those days, the scene centred around the Ace Café, the Busy Bee and the Cellar Café in Windsor. My first performance onstage came about by something of a fluke. It was at a pub in Slough, the name of which escapes me now… after seeing a friend of mine singing Be-Bop-A-Lula with the in-house band I plucked up the courage to have a go at Johnny B Goode. From then on, it soon became a regular occurrence that I’d perform something on stage. It was nerve-wracking but I got used to it and learned more and more songs while my friends got the beers in.”

The Houseshakers

Graham cut his performing teeth on the underground revival scene of the late-60s, working with Freddie “Fingers” Lee. His first full-time rock’n’roll group were the Houseshakers and the collective soon started to make a name for themselves with a regular residency at the Foresters pub in Tooting, South London.

“By this point, the UK rock’n’roll scene was starting to grow steadily and a decent number of other venues serving up our favourite type of music were beginning to pop up around the country. We were picking up a steady crop of gigs ourselves and I soon became introduced to the college and university circuit. With the Teddy Boy revival, we were often gigging in places like Southend and Brighton, building up a following in the south of England.

The Screaming End

“As 1970 rolled around, we had one particularly exciting prospect on the horizon: a live tour in France backing none other than Gene Vincent. It seemed so unlikely that we could scarcely believe it would happen until we were actually on stage with the ‘Screaming End’ in person.”

Talking with Vintage Rock earlier this year, Graham recalled the moment he introduced Gene to his mother: “I had a big American 1959 Chevy and Gene asked me to transport him around after he fell out with his driver. As I was still living at home with my parents I was a bit scared to do it but driving him around was one of the highlights of my life. I introduced him to my mother and he was an absolute gentleman. Gene was always very polite where ladies were concerned, and my mum was no exception!”

Between 1971 and 1972, The Houseshakers played the length and breadth of the UK, culminating in the London Rock And Roll Show on 5 August 1972 at Wembley. Graham told Vintage Rock: “We were asked to take the place of Gene and play his songs at the event, as well as backing Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. Also on the bill were Heinz, Screaming Lord Sutch, Bill Haley And The Comets and Jerry Lee Lewis. There was an audience of 80,000 – rockers, Teddy Boys, hippies – and even Mick Jagger – all rubbed shoulders. Everybody got on great and went down well with the exception of Gary Glitter who nobody liked.”

Over The Rainbow

However, towards the end of 1972, there was unrest in The Houseshakers camp – the breaking point coming after they had been offered a part in the movie That’ll Be The Day which some of the band didn’t want to do.

Forming The Hellraisers, the group played alongside a host of Brit-rock revivalists such as Crazy Cavan & The Rhythm Rockers and Matchbox — and in 1977, the opportunity to join the latter arose. It wasn’t until 1979 that the “classic” five-piece crystallised round Fenton, Steve Bloomfield (lead guitarist and songwriter), Fred Poke (bass), Gordon Scott (rhythm guitar) and Jimmie Redhead (drums). Signed to Magnet Records, their breakthrough single, the Steve Bloomfield-penned Rockabilly Rebel, made No.18 on the UK Chart.

A string of Top 40 hits and Top Of The Pops appearances followed – Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It, Midnite Dynamos, a Top 5 take of the Crickets’ When You Ask About Love, and a cover of Gene Vincent’s version of Over The Rainbow (paired with You Belong To Me). “We were asked to do Over The Rainbow on Top Of The Pops and, despite protests from the show’s producers, I dressed all in black as a tribute to Gene. The single was set to be a big Christmas hit, but sadly John Lennon was killed and the whole chart changed.”

Shakin’ Stevens, The Jets and The Polecats all followed Matchbox from the underground rockin’ scene to TOTP. Stalwarts of the live UK rockabilly, Graham recorded numerous albums with the band including Settin’ The Woods On Fire, Matchbox and Midnite Dynamo. The band split in 1985, but reformed in 1995, and throughout the enduring quality of Matchbox – with Graham at the helm – continued to shine .

In January 2022 Graham started contributing a regular column to Vintage Rock where his vivid recollections of a life devoted to rock’n’roll radiated.

News of his shock passing is still be processed as tributes are paid online. Vintage Rock would like to express its condolences to Graham’s family, friends and fans. He will be missed but his music remains.

Featured image credit: kpa/United Archives via Getty Images

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