An excerpt from a Gene Vincent biography - written for the web. LINK To SITE WILL FOLLOW SOON

Gene Vincent is best known for the classic rock n roll track Be-Bop-A-Lula: a timeless song that everyone, regardless of age, seems to know. A record that's often played at parties alongside early Elvis numbers (Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog etc), Eddie Cochran's 'Summertime Blues', Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B Goode' and Little Richard's 'Tutti Frutti'.

Elvis's popularity remains undiminished and 50's rock n roll music generally is regarded as 'cool' - 'Be-Bop-A-Lula' is undeniably a catchy and classic example of the genre. Nonetheless the average 'man in the street' these days knows little or nothing about Gene Vincent, the voice behind the record. Ask someone if they know the words to Be-Bop-A-Lula and doubtless they can sing you a few bars, but ask them who recorded it and they may even draw a blank. So who was Gene Vincent and what is his story?…

The first thing to consider when writing about Gene Vincent is that he essentially had 2 separate careers as an artist: the first in America between 1956-1959 when he was promoted as Capitol Records answer to Elvis Presley. The second career began here in Europe, when Vincent donned black leather motorcycle gear in 1960 and reinvented himself as a biker's hero - his shattered left leg permanently encased in a steel brace (a legacy from a bike accident in 1955) adding further kudos to an already powerful image.

Let's talk a bit about the 50's era… Vincent was literally catapulted to fame overnight in the early summer of 1956. Hailing from Norfolk, Virginia ( a huge US naval base) and with little education, Vincent joined the navy after leaving school and after completing 3 years of service in 1955, had just signed up for another 5 years when disaster struck. Riding his Triumph 650 one afternoon he was side-swiped by a car that had jumped a red light. The damage to Vincent's left leg was so severe that amputation was considered the only option but legend has it that he pleaded with his mother not to sign the consent form ( being under 21 at the time) and the operation never happened . This incident not only invalided Vincent out of the forces but left him with a permanent disability and a leg brace which he was to wear for the rest of his life; something which was played down in 1950's America but strangely aided him in achieving almost cult status in 1960's Europe.

Bop A Lula was written by a fellow hospital-mate during Vincent's recuperation and the fledgling rock n roll star reputedly bought the rights to the song for $25.00. A romantic and undocumented story but nonetheless the singer recorded a demo version of the song upon his hospital release, entered it into a nationwide contest and suddenly found himself with a Capitol Records recording contract. What's more, he had a hit record on his hands. Listening to Gene Vincent's 1950s recordings today, it's difficult to believe that this initial success wasn't followed up by a string of hits. A combination of poor management and the staid Capitol Records refusal to indulge in 'payola' led to Vincent's subsequent releases failing to recapture the glory of 'Be-Bop' - although several minor hits followed. However, the quality of musicianship on Gene's 50's records is quite breathtaking to listen to today - his band, the 'Blue Caps' providing solid and competent backing despite numerous personnel changes.

By 1959 Vincent's star was dimming in the US . Indeed it was starting to look as if rock n roll itself was dying: Presley was in the army; Chuck Berry was in prison; Little Richard had given it all up in favour of religion; Buddy Holly died; Jerry Lee Lewis was in disgrace after marrying his 13-yr old cousin. A new breed of rock n roller had burst onto the scene - the clean cut boy-next-door characters of Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Paul Anka and Ricky Nelson left no place for the lean-and-mean delinquent image which Vincent cultivated.

Fate, in the form of UK impresario Jack Good, stepped in. Good's Saturday night TV show 'Boy Meets Girl' was drawing huge audiences by featuring home-bred rock-n-rollers such as Cliff Richard, Billy Fury and Marty Wilde. UK audiences loved rock-n-roll but as good as the local artists were, hankered for the real thing - an American rock n roll star. Jack Good figured that Vincent, who's career was essentially on the wane in his home country, would make an excellent draw for his show. He was right - but more importantly, he was responsible for defining the Gene Vincent image that forever plays on: the black leather-clad tortured rocker. Legend has it that when Good met Vincent at Heathrow airport (expecting a leather-jacketed, jack-knife wielding hoodlum no doubt) he was disappointed to find the man quite sensibly dressed, amiable and struggling to walk with his left leg in a brace. Undeterred and frantic to create a startling image of Vincent for television, Good sent an assistant to a nearby motorcycle store and bought a black leather suit and gloves for the artist and insisted that, rather than play down his disability, he exaggerated his limp for maximum 'biker' appeal. Inspired by Shakespeare's Richard III, Good had created the legendary Gene Vincent image which anyone who lived through the 60s will remember.

During this short tour of the UK, Gene was joined by Eddie Cochran and it was during a late-night car accident that Cochran sadly died. The two had become friends and it is generally thought that Vincent never fully came to terms with the tradegy. Suffering with what would nowadays be recognized as post-traumatic stress, Vincent soldiered on with the tour (despite a broken collar bone and further injuries to his leg) and finally broke off his engagements by announcing that his young daughter had died and therefore he needed to fly back to the US. This announcement has been subject to much conjecture but is generally acknowledged as a hoax, perhaps by Vincent himself in a desperate attempt to get back home to his family after the trauma of the car accident.

From 1961 to 65, Gene Vincent was the biggest live draw in the UK and throughout Europe. Despite limited chart success, his live shows always brought massive crowds together and although his live repertoire was largely composed of tried-and-tested 1950's rock n roll songs, his stage presence alone was guaranteed to captivate an audience. Always clad in a black leather suit, Vincent writhed and screamed through his set and has made an indelible impression on all those that saw his live performance.

Gene returned to the US for some rest late in 1965; then during 1966 and 67 he recorded some excellent country-rock tinged material for the Challenge label in Hollywood. Recognised as amongst his best material and despite being very contemporary (compared to the 50's standards that comprised his live show) little became of these tracks at the time. A lack of management and a general lack of direction for Gene personally meant that these otherwise career-resurrecting tracks went largely unheard.

Late 1967 saw Gene returning to Europe for another tour. By this time, a persistent drink problem was beginning to show it's face. UK fans saw a somewhat portly and ageing character where once there was a lean, skinny rockabilly rebel. Drinking has always been a common vice amongst musicians and some sources claim that Vincent was even a heavy drinker in his 1950's heyday. True or not, there is no doubt that by the time Vincent was into his 'Europe' career, alcohol was playing a major part in his everyday routine. One source claims that Vincent was regularly downing between 2 and 3 bottles of spirits every day throughout the early to mid-60's. Another tells us that Gene had bottles of red vermouth ( a favourite apparently ) scattered around his flat, in 'Lost Weekend' style. Either way, one cannot tell the Gene Vincent story mentioning his drink problem which was certainly a huge contributor to his early demise.