Rock-n-Roll Fever - Blackpool In The 60's (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781507891384)

My name is Pete Shelton, and I was born in Manchester on May 11, 1937. For as long as I can remember I've always had a passion for music. As a youngster I would sit and listen to my big sister playing her records on the old wind-up gramophone - mostly Bing Crosby, or the Ink Spots. From there I progressed to Stan Kenton and big band jazz, and then onto Hank Williams and Tennessee Ernie Ford - I loved his "Shotgun Boogie" and "Blackberry Boogie" with the great steel guitar and piano solos. The more I listened to music, the more I was beginning to identify with differences in musical styles. In 1950 we moved to a new neighbourhood, and a guy who lived across from us was always sitting on his doorstep playing his guitar and singing songs, songs that I thought were very different indeed to Hank and Tennessee Ernie. I asked him what type of music it was. He said, "They're the blues..." He was a weird guy with a bushy beard who smoked these strange cigarettes that smelled funny...he had records by 'Big' Bill Broonzy, 'Blind' Lemon Jefferson, 'Snooks' Eaglin, and boogie piano records by Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons, 'Pinetop' Smith, and Earl Hines. Then we moved again and I lost touch with him, but I never forgot the sounds. Then in 1955 I heard "Rock Around The Clock" for the first time and Elvis' "Heartbreak Hotel", but the song that changed my life forever was "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins. I knew from the moment that I first heard it that I wanted to become a Rock-n-Roll singer. I preferred Carl's version to Elvis's - Carl's was more "down home" and with a great country feel - after all, he wrote it. So, I joined a group as vocalist and rhythm guitar player - I knew four chords - one more than another guy who came for the job. We rehearsed a lot, but never did any gigs. Pete Shelton...