ROCK and Roll is alive and kicking in Melksham! That’s the message from Melksham Rock ‘n’ Roll Club whose next night is the Stingrays on Saturday 28th May, 7.30pm at Melksham Assembly Hall.
The Stingrays play British Rock’n Roll and will be supported by DJ Cockney Rebel.
“Rock ‘n’ Roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, from a combination of African-American genres such as blues, boogie-woogie, jump blues, jazz, and gospel music, together with Western swing and country music,” says Geoff Mitcham from Melksham Rock n Roll.
“Though elements of rock and roll can be heard in blues records from the 1920s and in country records of the 1930s, the genre did not acquire its name until the 1950s. Some of it reached our shores in the mid 50’s but unless you lived in a city you rarely found it in your local record shop.
“Artists such as Carl Perkins, Johnny Burnett, Sonny Burgess. Johnny Horton, Billy Lee Riley, Marvin Rainwater, to name but a few were slogging away in America but it took Elvis Presley in the mid 50’s to bring it here closely followed by Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis.
“It didn’t take long for people here to try to emulate the music but we never had the instruments they had in America so Skiffle was born until we started to import the proper equipment and eventually beat groups were born.
“Many of these groups came to Melksham Assembly Hall in the early 60’s and we had visits from Billy Fury and The Blue Flames, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Joe Brown and his Bruvvers, Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, Marty Wilde & The Wildcats, Brian Poole & The Tremeloes, Shane Fenton & The Fentones plus more local bands such as Paul Vernon & The raiders. Linda Lane & The Sinners and Johnny Carr & The Cadillacs.
“One band that came was Lewis Clayton & The Southernaires featuring an unknown guitarist called Jimmy Page!
“Bands appeared regularly during the sixties and on and off until the present day. Ken Rumens kept the music alive in the Assembly Hall and Mike Brooks did the same at Spencer’s.
“Then in 2002 Melksham Rock ‘n’ Roll Club was born. We have had bands from the early days such as Marty Wilde, Mike Berry and Vince Eager plus Americans such as Charlie Gracie and Linda Gale Lewis (Jerry Lee Lewis’s Sister) and even a band from Germany called The Lennerockers.
“But, going back to the early 60’s, British Rock ‘n’ Roll had its own sound and, although the majority of bands we get seem to specialize in 50’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, our next band, The Stingrays, on 28th May specializes in British Rock ‘n’ Roll so if you came to see the early bands this band will conjure up memories from that era.
“Even if you just fancy a night out in a friendly atmosphere, come and join us.”
Admission is £9; tickets on door or in advance from the Assembly Hall on 01225 709887. For info call Geoff on 706463 or visit www.melkshamrock androll.co.uk
