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“When I first started I never meant to make money. My only thought was to make a living singing, but all of a sudden I was getting $1500 a night. And if you take a 19-year-old boy and put him in those circumstances…it was a bad scene, it shouldn’t have happened on that first record. I didn’t know how to handle a hit: I was only a child, a boy.”
~Gene Vincent in 1969

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.
~Richie Unterberger (allmusic.com)

Gene Vincent tribute:

Be-Bop-A-Lula:

Wikipedia:

Birth name	Vincent Eugene Craddock
Born	February 11, 1935 Norfolk, Virginia, United States
Died	October 12, 1971 (aged 36)
Genres	Rockabilly, rock and roll
Occupations	Singer, musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1955–1971

Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, “Be-Bop-A-Lula”, is considered a significant early example of rockabilly. He is a member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

 

Legacy

• He was the first inductee into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame upon its formation in 1997
• The following year he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• Vincent has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1749 N. Vine Street
• In 2012, his band, the Blue Caps, would be retroactively inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by a special committee, alongside Vincent.
  

Album of the day

Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps (1957)

Other February 11:

• Otis Clay (born February 11, 1942, Waxhaw, Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States) is an American R&B and soul singer, who started in gospel music.
  
• Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country, and pop. She has released seven studio albums, two compilations, and a live album, and has contributed to various film soundtracks. She has sold more than 17 million albums in the United States and over 50 million albums worldwide. Additionally, Crow has garnered nine Grammy Awards (out of thirty-two nominations) from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
• Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American recording artist, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most awarded female act of all time. Houston was one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold over 200 million records worldwide. She released six studio albums, one holiday album and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification. Houston’s crossover appeal on the popular music charts, as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with her video for “How Will I Know”,  influenced several African American female artists to follow in her footsteps.
  

-Egil