Vintage Rock

VINTAGE ROCK celebrates a time when music changed the world - 45s, youth culture and the odd thrusting pelvis. Vintage Rock chronicles all the stellar artists and music, the enduring legacy of those early pioneers - and why it’s still the best way to live. Spanning the dawn of the 50s to early Beatles (pre Eastern mysticism!), Vintage Rock covers a time of Mods and Rockers, crinoline skirts and blue jeans, rock star movies and screaming-girl concerts. This special magazine rejoices in the music and verve of Elvis, The Shadows, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent and a host more, and speaks to a contemporary audience that relishes the vitality and flair of the era.

Welcome

Colophon

CLARENCE ‘FROGMAN’ HENRY

Marty Wilde’s landmark hit on 85th birthday

NEW BEACH BOYS OFFICIAL DOCUMENTARY COMES TO DISNEY+

Elvis exhibition extended for the summer with additional treasures

Lydia Jane • From rockabilly to recording with Brian Auger and from mod jazz to modelling, this up-and-coming singer is establishing herself as one of the most exciting new voices on the vintage scene

JOHNNY GENTLE

The McCharmlys • The California quintet led by Angie Monroy serves up melodies drenched in sunshine and lush harmonies laced with sweetness and sadness. Now The McCharmlys are hoping to spread their wings beyond Orange County.

FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS • The King’s world-changing debut single, That’s All Right, turns 70 this summer. We visit the Tennessee streets that made him, Sun Studio and Graceland to learn how its legacy lives on.

ALWAYS ON OUR MINDS

ROCKING IN MEMPHIS

HITTING THE JACKPOT • On its 60th anniversary, we celebrate one of Elvis’ very best musicals – a film that for once paired him with a leading lady every bit as charismatic as he was. Let’s hear it for Viva Las Vegas.

Classie album

Tallahassee Lassie FREDDY CANNON • What’s this? A rock’n’roll song written by the singer’s mum? That may have been the case, but there’s nothing safe about this classic debut from Freddy Cannon…

Sound of the long hairs • From out of a tiny factory in Kent, two musical visionaries created a game-changing amplifier that would soundtrack the British Invasion in its entirety, from The Shadows to The Beatles and beyond. Vintage Rock tells the story of what might just be the greatest guitar amp ever made…

TOP TEN WEEK ENDING 10 MAY 1961 • The King and Cliff, Eurovision harmony, and a doo-wop standard

“TEDS WERE LIKE TOMORROW’S PEOPLE – THE FIRST EVER STYLE TRIBE • The ascent of Teddy Boys marked Britain’s first, post-war youth culture, and changed the musical landscape completely. Author Max Décharné discusses their pioneering scene, its origins and impact.

Rock ’n’Roll Heroes • When young fans caught the red hot act of Billy Lee Riley and The Little Green Men in the late 50s, such was their enthusiastic response, the band would be lucky to exit the venue without their bright green suits having been ripped to shreds. Yet Riley would remain bafflingly hitless…

The secret’s out • Buoyed by his pals in The Beatles, Billy J. Kramer rode a Merseybeat wave of success all the way to the top of the UK charts in the 1960s. Now, as he reveals to Vintage Rock, he’s saying thank you on his brand new album.

Top 20 Underrated Otis Blackwell Songs • Beyond the big hits penned by this fine songsmith lies a wealth of quality material. Here are some of the greatest.

Sowing the Seeds of Love • Singer-songwriter Pokey LaFarge reveals to Vintage Rock how living off the fat of the land helped redefine his sense of purpose as an artist and inspired him to craft his boldest album yet

RIVERS RUNS DEEP • He was one of the top-selling pop-rock recording artists of the 1960s –even in the all-conquering face...