- Born
- 11 February 1935, Norfolk, Virginia, United States
- First work
- 1956: Be-Bop-a-Lula
- Peak
- 1956 to 1958 (estimated)
- Last work
- 1971: The Day the World Turned Blue
- Died
- 12 October 1971, Newhall, United States; aged 36; illness
Gene Vincent
Music: singer, songwriter, United States
Gene Vincent was an American rockabilly singer whose rebellious leather-clad image and breathless vocals defined early rock and roll. Fronting the Blue Caps, which featured the brilliant lead guitarist Cliff Gallup, he scored an instant milestone in 1956 with Be-Bop-a-Lula. Despite chronic physical pain resulting from a naval motorcycle crash and a later car crash, Vincent maintained a dedicated and passionate following in the United Kingdom and Europe throughout the 1960s. Plagued by declining health, he died in Newhall, California, in October 1971 at thirty-six years of age.
Who else was born on 11 February or who died on 12 October.
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Signature works
- Be-Bop-a-Lula 1956
- Race with the Devil 1956
- Bluejean Bop! 1956
- Lotta Lovin' 1957
- Gene Vincent Rocks and the Blue Caps Roll 1958
Honours
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, 1998
Groups: Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps.