![]() Sunday night at Hemsby is traditionally doo-wop night, and one of Europe’s top harmony vocal groups, THE VELVET CANDLES returned for a fourth time to a heroes’ welcome. This was Narvel Felts’ record-breaking eighth performance at Hemsby, and judging by his reception on the night, he will always be welcomed back. These included re-imagining of The Platters’ My Prayer, Jackie Wilson’s Lonely Teardrops and Margaret Lewis’ Reconsider Me, all of which pleased the Hemsby audience who didn’t care if the label was rock’n’roll, rockabilly or country, so long as it was Narvel performing. In the early 1970s, the hits took off with a string of country Top 10 discs, many derived from songs of the 1950s. Narvel was already looking back to rock’n’roll in the 60s with Pink And Black Days, which he performed here, but for his career, the best was yet to come. Which led, obviously, to Narvel’s take on Great Balls Of Fire, before he reprised his own 1957 recording Kiss-a Me Baby. Particularly good was his take on Roy Orbison’s Go Go Go, helped no end by a voice that can switch from tenor to near-falsetto with ease.īetween songs, he traced his own career, explaining that Orbison was actually in Sun studio when Narvel arrived for the first time, as a shy 17-year-old, along with Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis in the piano booth. Saturday night had Narvel Felts as headliner, the lofty veteran from Missouri who first recorded in the legendary Memphis Sun studio while still in his teens.īacked by THE SHUFFLERS, and sporting a bright blue jacket, he opened with Chuck Berry’s Roll Over Beethoven before concentrating on his own recordings, including early radio work, with tracks like Foolish Thoughts, and Cry Baby Cry. Huelyn kept what is probably his best known number he kept until last, a storming and accurate version of Three Months To Kill, before his encore of Gene Vincent’s Lotta Lovin’. DEBOSQUE, from Madrid, deserves special mention for his contribution, as the set continued with the Johnny Cash-like You Got Me Lying, and his originals Pucker Paint and Let’s Make a Block. After Boom Boom Baby, Duvall confessed he had left the set list back at his hotel, but no-one had noticed, and there were no ominous pauses in a slick show.įriday Night On A Dollar Bill was openly nostalgic, and he stepped outside his own prodigious songbook for his take on Elvis’ arrangement of When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again, which allowed vocal group The Roomates to shine.ĭuvall’s guest guitarist, CARLOS A. ![]() Backing him were GENE GAMBLER’S SHUFFLERS, and vocal group THE ROOMATES which meant the sound was exactly the same it was on the those first seven singles that he cut between 19 in studios as diverse as Nashville and Hollywood.ĭuvall opened with the uptempo Comin’ Or Goin’, the B-side of his debut recording for the Challenge label, and followed it up with two other 50s originals, Juliet and Teen Queen, which was notable for the band’s fine keyboard work. First up was Huelyn – Texas through-and-through, in a pink shirt, black tie and dark glasses. There was nothing to choose between the shows staged by Huelyn and Narvel, both now in their late 70s, both with voices undimmed by time. A few hundred yards down the main Hemsby drag is the Hemsby Beach Copacabana Ballroom, home to the edgier rockabilly and psychobilly bands.īoth audiences came together on the final night, Sunday, creating a Saturday night atmosphere on what can sometimes be a slightly slower night as fans head for home and Monday morning work. This is where the headliners and more traditional rock’n’rollers perform. The vast Starlight Ballroom with its limited seating is no more, and the main focus is now the refurbished Harlequin Ballroom with excellent sound system and sightlines. It was a markedly different Seacroft resort that welcomed fans from around the world, and a refreshed programme that gave dancers and listeners a choice of both entertainment and venue on the all-important Friday and Saturday night. NARVEL FELTS and HUELYN DUVALL were returnees, and despite long careers in 50s rock’n’roll and country music proved they were able to hold their own against competition in the excitement stakes with rockers half their age. ![]() VINTAGE 50s rock’n’roll stars made a welcome return to the Hemsby Rock’n’Roll weekender in spring 2017, resulting in a near-record turnout at the longest running continuous 50s event in the UK.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |