Gene Vincent - B-I-Bickey-Bi, Bo-Bo-Go

Gene Vincent only had one really big hit, "Be-Bop-a-Lula," which epitomized rockabilly at its prime in 1956 with its sharp guitar breaks, spare snare drums, fluttering echo, and Vincent's breathless, sexy vocals. Yet his place as one of the great early rock & roll singers is secure, backed up by a wealth of fine smaller hits and non-hits that rate among the best rockabilly of all time. The leather-clad, limping, greasy-haired singer was also one of rock's original bad boys, lionized by romanticists of past and present generations attracted to his primitive, sometimes savage style and indomitable spirit.

Vincent was bucking the odds by entering professional music in the first place. As a 20-year-old in the Navy, he suffered a severe motorcycle accident that almost resulted in the amputation of his leg, and left him with a permanent limp and considerable chronic pain for the rest of his life. After the accident he began to concentrate on building a musical career, playing with country bands around the Norfolk, VA, area. Demos cut at a local radio station, fronting a band assembled around Gene by his management, landed Gene Vincent & the Blue Caps a contract at Capitol, which hoped they'd found competition for Elvis Presley.

Indeed it had, as by this time Vincent had plunged into all-out rockabilly, capable of both fast-paced exuberance and whispery, almost sensitive ballads. The Blue Caps were one of the greatest rock bands of the '50s, anchored at first by the stunning silvery, faster-than-light guitar leads of Cliff Gallup. The slap-back echo of "Be-Bop-a-Lula," combined with Gene's swooping vocals, led many to mistake the singer for Elvis when the record first hit the airwaves in mid-1956, on its way to the Top Ten. The Elvis comparison wasn't entirely fair; Vincent had a gentler, less melodramatic style, capable of both whipping up a storm or winding down to a hush.

Brilliant follow-ups like "Race With the Devil," "Bluejean Bop," and "B-I-Bickey, Bi, Bo-Bo-Go" failed to click in nearly as big a way, although these too are emblematic of rockabilly at its most exuberant and powerful. By the end of 1956, the Blue Caps were beginning to undergo the first of constant personnel changes that would continue throughout the '50s, the most crucial loss being the departure of Gallup. The 35 or so tracks he cut with the band -- many of which showed up only on albums or b-sides -- were unquestionably Vincent's greatest work, as his subsequent recordings would never again capture their pristine clarity and uninhibited spontaneity.

Vincent had his second and final Top Twenty hit in 1957 with "Lotta Lovin'," which reflected his increasingly tamer approach to production and vocals, the wildness and live atmosphere toned down in favor of poppier material, more subdued guitars, and conventional-sounding backup singers. He recorded often for Capitol throughout the rest of the '50s, and it's unfair to dismiss those sides out of hand; they were respectable, occasionally exciting rockabilly, only a marked disappointment in comparison with his earliest work. His act was captured for posterity in one of the best scenes of one of the first Hollywood films to feature rock & roll stars, The Girl Can't Help It.

His Capitol contract expired in 1963, and he spent the rest of his life recording for several other labels, none of which got him close to that comeback hit ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

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Category:

Education

Tags:

• rock
• rockabilly

[innocenti22]

Vincent Eugene Craddock est incontestablement un des plus grands chanteurs de Rock'n'roll que j'ai connu. Depuis ma tendre jeunesse sa belle voix m'a toujours séduit au réveil sur les ondes de la radio rockabilly de paris.

[John1948Five]

@innocenti22 Le Gène était bien sûr un du rock and roll greats. Je me demande qu'il pourrait avoir accompli avait il pas est mort à un si jeune âge.

[monteur1965]

the photo you see starting at 1.56 I made some years ago for a Gene vincent website. As a Gene fan I'm very happy to see it one a while!! its so cool!! B-I-Bickey-Bi, Bo-Bo-Go was the song I played during making this!!! thanks for putting it in your tube, now I know Gene won't be forgotten and I helped doing just that!!!

[John1948Five]

@monteur1965 Thanks for the contribution. That is a great photo!

[789pequignot]

great song

[DrunkenMidget90]

so amazing song !! just love it

[TheBabyboomkidof53]

cliff gallup knocks me out!

[dairyburrymarry]

king of the hill brought me here

[colin6768]

I know this might sound sacrilegious to some but I think Gene Vincent blew Elvis away. Cliff Galup was one of the greatest rockabilly guitarists of all time. It's a sin that he wasn't in Rolling Stones list of greatest guitar players. They did have Link Wray which was cool. I bought the 10 record Gene Vincent set on Charly Records over 20 years ago and it's brilliant. Thanks for posting this song!

[PERROMALDO]

Better than Elvis I believe when it comes to rokin´.

[PERROMALDO]

Mother of God! I had never listened to this song! This is amazing! Rock at its best!

[TheBabyboomkidof53]

rock'n roll in the raw!

[willpn100]

Gene "Be Bop a Lula" Vincent you´ll never be forgotten cos this is an eternal song.

[bassoneman]

Respond to this video... Yea great photo. I noticed the cast on his leg. This must have been a short time after Eddie Cochran and him were in the cab that crashed and Eddie was killed..