Jerry Lee Lewis farewell tour

Jerry Lee as he was in the 50s

Goodness gracious! Jerry Lee Lewis has announced a farewell tour of the UK this autumn. Click here for dates and details.

And still rockin' at the New Orleans
Jazz Festival last month!

Jerry Lee Lewis 'Rock and Roll Time' album review and 'The Knox Phillips Sessions' album review

The cover of Jerry Lee Lewis' new album
Rock and Roll Time finds him outside the
Sun studios where he first recorded 58 years ago.
Dig those flip-flops, Killer!

Goodness gracious, there’s a whole lotta Jerry Lee Lewis around this autumn, including a brand new album, an album of previously unrecorded material from the 70s and an authorised biography.

I’ve had all three for a while now and can say Lewis fans are in for a treat!

The new album, Rock and Roll Time, which comes out at the end of this month is one of the best Jerry Lee has ever recorded. It’s a taut 30 minutes of verve and energy up there with his 2006 duets album Last Man Standing and older classics such as his eponymous Elektra album from 1979. You’d never think the Killer was pushing 80. He sounds no different to he did aged 45 as he hammers into one of the greatest songs he’s ever cut, a blues number by Bob Dylan called Stepchild.

Other album highlights include the title song, a beery anthem penned by Kris Kristofferson, an energetic romp through Sick And Tired and an inspired cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Mississippi Kid.

A growling Blues Like Midnight continues the strong thread of blues tunes while the double time piano on Chuck Berry’s Promised Land takes us out on a high.

Blasts from the past!
A private stash of previously unreleased
Jerry Lee Lewis music from the 70s
on new CD The Knox Phillips Sessions.

The album of previously unreleased songs is called The Knox Phillips Sessions and dates from the early 70s. At the time, Jerry Lee was riding high on the country charts and playing sold-out shows all over the world but that wasn’t enough to satisfy his insatiable appetite for making music. So after recording country songs in Nashville by day, he’d book Knox Phillips’ studio at midnight to record a wider variety of music for fun.

The opening Bad, Bad Leroy Brown may prove too wild for some tastes. The Killer was playing for fun, making things up as he went along and probably never expected the track to be heard. It might have been a rehearsal or just something to vent his unedited creativity on.

As the album progresses, things get a lot tighter. A medley of Chuck Berry songs - Johnny B. Goode and Carol - rocks on the very edge of control. A mash up of Music! Music! Music! (“put another nickel in the Nickelodeon”) and the instrumental Canadian Sunset, meanwhile, show a previously unseen side of Lewis’ musicality.

Best track is the closing Beautiful Dreamer which Jerry Lee turns into a narration, telling the story of 19th century composer Stephen Foster between singing snatches of one of his most famous songs. This song should have been on one of Lewis’ country albums of the time and we can be grateful to Knox Phillips for finally making it available.

I’ll be reviewing the new book, Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story in a forthcoming issue of Country Music People, so will save my comments on it till then.

Until then I can barely say how much I’m enjoying Rock and Roll Time. I gave it a 5-star review (the maximum stars) in this month’s Country Music People, but really it deserves even more than that. Ten gold stars, perhaps. I haven’t stopped playing the album at least two or three times a day for the past month and it gets better every time.

I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of Stepchild. But then Sick And Tired really rocks. And Blues Like Midnight... aw, every track is brilliant!

One girl who’d really love Rock and Roll Time is Natty Smalls, the bullet-bra-wearing rockabilly heroine of Polka Dot Dreams by Julia Douglas. Click here to read the customer reviews of this vintage clothes-clad rockabilly romance.

The Obscuritones - rockabilly rebels

In this article, which originally appeared in Britain's coolest car mag, Classic American, I meet London's rowdiest rockabilly rebels, The Obscuritones, and hear all about their modern music and vintage style.

Purist or customiser? Do you want a fifties ride that looks and sounds like it did when it left the factory? Or would you prefer it chopped, lowered, rodded and given your own zany contemporary twist?

Just as it is for car restorers, the world of vintage clothes and vintage music is similarly split between authenticity and originality. Rockabilly rebels the Obscuritones are proudly in the latter camp, with joint lead vocalist Joey Hill happy to describe the six-piece as “the black sheep of the rock’n’roll scene.”

Distinguished by the harmony vocals of Hill and Jane Dobson, and the lead guitar of the group’s third female member, Sam Kidman, the group define their hot and smoking sound as “The Andrew Sisters singing with the Stray Cats after a night out with the Cramps!”

“It’s not our mission to be authentic,” Hill continues. “We love the music of the 50s but we also bring in all the music we’ve grown up with. So spy, surf, garage and ska... it all goes into the Obscuritones machine and hopefully something good comes out the other side.”

The Obscuritones was founded by Australian-born Kidman who recruited the other members via free-ad website Gumtree.

“My boyfriend’s a DJ and he got me into rock’n’roll,” says Kidman. “I wanted to start a band that incorporated all the music that I like - rock’n’roll, rockabilly, 60s garage and ska - but it’s ended up more rockabilly and rock’n’roll.”

Hill came from a rock’n’roll family. Her dad Brian Hill is the guitarist in Mike and the Rhythm Stars, and she recalls, “There was always a lot of Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison being played in the house when I was growing up.”

But despite her rock’n’roll roots, Hill came to the Obscuritones from punk band The Lost Cherrees with whom she played her very first gig at legendary venue CBGB in New York.

This article as it originally appeared
in Classic American

“It was a baptism of fire and a crash course in rock’n’roll,” Hill enthuses. “The club was exactly as I imagined it - a real dive, covered in graffiti. I’m a massive Blondie fan and it was really exciting to be on stage thinking Debbie Harry trod these boards!”

The Obscuritones have travelled all over Europe and released their first vinyl single, Angel Eyes, on French label Rydell Records. There’s an explosive video for the song on YouTube, but an impromptu live video of the band performing Rockabilly Boogie at the Castle pub in Southend has proved to be an even bigger internet hit. Opening with shots of American hotrods parked on the prom outside, the clip perfectly captures the gritty spirit of the British rockabilly scene, although Hill says it wasn’t planned like that - or, indeed, planned at all.

“A friend of my dad’s came over from Italy to film my dad’s Vincent motorbikes. He decided to film our gig and we weren’t prepared at all.” In fact, Hill admits with a giggle, “It was probably one of the worst gigs we’ve ever played! So when the video went past 100,000 views we were completely shocked. Now it’s past 700,000.”

Both of the above songs can also be found on the band’s self-named debut CD, The Obscuritones, which is released on their own label, Brockwell Records. The disc includes a surfing instrumental, Brockwell Beach, penned by Kidman - so is that a real place, perhaps in her native Australia?

“It’s actually named after Brockwell Park in London,” says Kidman, who lives across the road from that green space. “So it’s not exactly a beach - although it used to have a paddling pool!”

Other original songs on the album include Bad Mood, which Hill admits is a tad autobiographical. “I can be a bit of a brat on stage... and a bit of a brat in real life! So that song’s kind of: I’ve got the hump and you’re gonna pay for it!”

Rockabilly fashion has always been part of the subculture’s allure, and Hill admits she got into the clothes before the music.

The Obscuritones on stage at the Blues Kitchen

“The quiff and leather jacket for the guys, red lipstick and victory rolls for the girls... it’s instant glamour - exciting and a bit naughty at times.”

On stage, Hill and Dobson favour reproduction 50s clothes from Hell Bunny, Vivien of Holloway and Collectif.

“I’m too lazy to rummage around for proper vintage,” Hill admits and, with such a strong vintage influence on current high street fashion, she adds, “Some of my favourite dresses are from H&M.”

Double bass player Andy Bavington wears Freddies of Pinewood jeans and Mr Ducktail t-shirts - Mr Ducktail being the rockabilly barber of Carnaby Street, famed for his switch-blade haircuts and own brand hair grease.

Kidman is more of a rummager, scouring the vintage shops around Camden market for colourful country and western shirts and bowling shirts. Glancing through her wardrobe, she says, “Some of them are repro shirts from the 80s. I’m not fussy if something’s original. If I like it and it looks cool, I’ll buy it.”

For their hair, Hill says, “I’ve been to Mr Ducktail’s for some cuts and styles, but generally we do it ourselves. There are so many hair and make-up tutorials on YouTube. You just need a bit of trial and error - lots of hairspray and pins.”

The Obscuritones play regularly at London’s Blues Kitchen and Hill says the capital’s rockabilly scene is booming. “You could catch a rockabilly band every night of the week if you wanted to. It’s an exciting time to be playing this type of music and long may it reign.”

As to why rockabilly seems to get rediscovered by every generation, Hill says, “It’s just absolutely timeless. It’s about wild abandonment, passion, excitement, rebellion... and I don’t think those things go out of fashion. At the Blues Kitchen it’s a young audience, a lot of students who go there to let their hair down and have a good dance - and that’s what we try to give them. It’s just one of those genres that everyone wants to dance to.”

Buy Polka Dot Dreams
- because everybody
needs some
Natty Smalls!

So that's the Obscuritones. But what of Duke and the Bop Tones? Never heard of them? They're the rockabilly band that help to make Natty Smalls a singing sensation, along with her shady manager, the Scottish Teddy Boy Cameron Swoon, in my novel set in the vintage clothes and music scene, Polka Dot Dreams. Click here to read the five star customer reviews on Amazon.

Julia's Jukebox for Polka Dot Dreams

Natty Smalls, the vintage clothes-obsessed heroine of Polka Dot Dreams only listens to two types of music: “Rock... and roll.” So what would be on the soundtrack if her jive through the retro scene was made into a movie?

Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On by Jerry Lee Lewis. This is the pumping piano smash on the jukebox when Natty walks into Matt’s 50s-themed ice cream parlour and first sets her eyes on the man of her dreams.

I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. The song Natty’s landlady and Matt’s widowed mum, the irrepressible Margie, blasts at full volume while Hoovering the stairs. Although she’s partial to a bit of Abba, too.

Big Hunk Of Love by Elvis Presley. Tartan-clad Teddy Boy band Duke & The Bop Tones are roaring through this full-on rocker when Natty and Matt have their first jive at the Cinderella rockabilly club.

Chapel Of Love by the Dixie Cups. As Natty sinks to her chin in a bubble bath and thinks of Matt, what more apt tune could be playing on her retro-styled CD player than this rock’n’roll song about walking down the aisle?

Second Chance by Natty Smalls. This is the song Natty writes after meeting Matt and hoping it will be second time lucky for both of them. Cameron Swoon, the mysterious Scottish Teddy Boy, swears it’s the song that will make Natty a singing sensation. But if Cameron can get her a record deal, what effect will that have on her relationship with Matt?

Click here to try before you buy the e-edition of Polka Dot Dreams on Amazon. Or check out a copy from your local library.

Four faces of Natty Smalls!

It's always fascinating to see how different illustrators picture a character, as can be seen from the covers of the different editions of Polka Dot Dreams.

The drawing on the left is how I imagined the heroine Natty Smalls in a doodle for my own amusement while writing the story.

This is how Natty appeared on the cover of the My Weekly Pocket Novel edition of Polka Dot Dreams.

Great hair, and I love the seaside setting. Not sure what happened to the bullet bra that features rather, ahem, prominently in the book. But, then again, it was My Weekly!

Pocket novels, incidentally, have a short but glamorous life on the newsstands of shops like Tesco and Sainsburys for just two weeks. So if you have a copy, hold onto it. It's a limited edition!

Here's Natty on the cover of the Linford Romance large print paperback, which is available to borrow from your local library.

I'm flattered by how closely she resembles my original doodle, including the ice cream from Matt's 50s-themed ice cream parlous. I also like the little details in the background, such as the suitcase, guitar case and leopard print coat that she wears in the opening scene.

And here's Natty large as life and in the flesh on the cover of the new e-edition. Perfect hair colour and the way she's tucking into that ice cream is Natty through and through!

Click here to read a sample chapter on Amazon.

Introducing Natty Smalls - the sensational singing star of Polka Dot Dreams!

Julia Douglas provides an exclusive interview with the heroine of her latest ebook, Polka Dot Dreams, the irrepressible Natty Smalls.

Name: Natty Smalls!

That’s an unusual name...

Natty by name and natty by nature! My real name’s Natalie, but Natalie Smalls sounds ridiculous!

What’s your role in Polka Dot Dreams?

I’m the star, of course! I breeze into town in my genuine 1950s vintage clothes, bullet bra and Twinco sunglasses and turn upside down the lives of everyone I meet. Especially the gorgeous Matt!

Who’s Matt?

Matt runs a rock’n’roll-themed ice cream parlour and is the most stunning specimen who ever pulled on a pair of vintage Levis! He’s got a blonde rockabilly flattop, the most amazing smile and a body-builder’s muscles that are simply to die for! He is a bit on the clumsy side, but I think that’s just nerves. We’re working on those!

You obviously like Matt. Does he have any rivals for your affection?

Well, there is the smooth and sophisticated Cameron Swoon! Now there’s a sharp dresser! Most people don’t understand the Teddy Boy look - Showaddywaddy have a lot to answer for! - but Cameron gets it perfectly: the expensive tailoring of a true Edwardian gentleman! Matt is jealous of Cameron because he’s going to make me a singing sensation!

Anyone else...?

My ex, the millionaire celebrity chef David Royale. But the least said about him the better.

Natty Smalls
as I first drew
her

Who are the female characters?

Oh, just wait till you meet the marvelous Margie - my larger-than-life landlady, Matt’s mum and, dare I say it, my potential mother-in-law! Margie owns an enormous house at the seaside. The other residents are Jase, a DJ - he’s harmless and nice. Then there’s Jude, a mysterious older woman who is Not To Be Trusted. There’s definitely something going on between Jude and Matt that I don’t like the look of at all!

What’s your best line in the book?

That would be when David says, “Virginity is a rather old fashioned ideal,” and I reply, “I guess I’m just an old fashioned girl!”

Can you tell us a secret that’s not in the book?

Matt’s always introducing himself as “I’m Matt, by the way,” - but that’s not his real surname! It’s Cardy - which could have serious implications for my name if we ever get married.

Polka Dot Dreams is available to download as an ebook from Amazon for the positively retro price of just £1.97. Click here to read the first chapter for FREE.

Polka Dot Dreams is also available to borrow as a paperback from your local library.

Rockabilly reading!

Follow the romantic adventures of vintage girl Natty Smalls as she jives through the UK rockabilly scene in the latest Julia Douglas novel, Polka Dot Dreams. Click here to read a sample chapter on Amazon.

Also available in paperback to borrow from your local library!

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Have you booked your tickets for the Wildest Cats in Town Annual Xmas Party?

Have you packed your circle skirt, blue suede shoes and sprig of mistletoe?

The flyer for Ritchie Gee's annual bash has just popped through my door and yule love the line-up.

Top of the bill is "The best young Elvis in the World" Travis Le Doyt. Also appearing are boogie woogie man Mike Sanchez, 80s hit-makers The Jets, and a whole host of others including the Rock-a-toons, the Bobcats, Some Like It Hot and many, many more.

But it's not just the bands that make the Wildest Cats in Town the party to be at. I've been to one of Ritchie's Teddy Boy festivals before and the atmosphere is amazing, from the ball room to the classic cars to the dining hall, where the nosh is top notch. 

It's all happening from Friday 29 November to Monday 2 December at Pontins Pakefield, near Lowestoft and you can get an apartment and meals for the positively 1950s price of just £159 per person for the whole weekend.

For details, say Hi-de-hi to Ritchie on 01530 455657 or 07976 964086 or visit www.tennesseeclub.net.

For a fictional view of the British rock'n'roll scene, meanwhile, meet rockabilly girl Natty Smalls, Edwardian Ted Cameron Swoon and rock'n'roll band Duke & the Boptones in Polka Dot Dreams by Julia Douglas. Click here to read a sample chapter on Amazon.

Bullet bra and ice-cream!

Natty
as I drew her

For Natty Smalls, the star of Polka Dot Dreams, it’s all about the look: 50s hairdo, vintage clothes and, living up to her name, even retro underwear in the form of a bullet bra and girdle. As she puts it, a period-perfect figure requires the right foundations; for Natty, there was no stinting behind the scenes.

While thinking about some of the rock’n’roll outfits Natty wears in the story, I found myself drawing her. So I was knocked out to see how closely the cover illustration of the Linford large print paperback edition resembles my original sketch, even down to the ice-cream, courtesy of her boyfriend Matt’s rock’n’roll-themed ice-cream parlour.

Check it out in... or, rather, check it out of your local library now!

Julia's Jukebox

I use music a lot in my writing. Nashville Cinderella is set in the song-writing community of the country music capital, with lyrics at the heart of the plot. In The Fairground Girl & Other Attractions, chart hits mark the changing decades from the 50s to the present. In Closer!, Jess has a romantic moment listening to Robbie Williams while vintage girl Natty Smalls in Polka Dot Dreams only listens to two kinds of music - “rock... and roll.” She’d probably approve of the songs I’ve been swinging and singing along to in the past week.

There Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens by Kai’s Cats
From Jump Jive & Swing, available only from the website of American-born, London-based Queen of Vintage Swing Kai Hoffman, www.kaiscats.com.


(A Cat Called) Domino by Roy Orbison
Everyone focuses on the ballads, but he started out at the birthplace of rock’n’roll, Sun Records. This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest rockabilly records ever. Amazingly it went unreleased in the 50s and only appeared in the 70s.

To Make Love Sweeter For You by Jerry Lee Lewis
The first No.1 of his country comeback in the 60s. 4-CD box A Whole Lotta Jerry Lee Lewis hasn’t been off my desk since it came out last spring. This is a current fave pick. Other overlooked gems include the doo-wop Sixteen Candles.

Mexicoma by Tim McGraw
This track from the country star’s latest album, Two Lanes of Freedom, has been jammed in my head since I reviewed it in March.

Look At That Cadillac by the Stray Cats
Hadn’t heard this for years, then I came across their great video on YouTube and haven’t been able to get it out of my head since.

Walking My Baby Back Home by Willie Nelson
From his latest CD of songs from the 30s, 40s and 50s, Let’s Face The Music And Dance.

Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets
Half a century on, it’s as exciting as ever.

But what do you listen to while you write?