Rockabilly

JERRY LEE LEWIS: REMEMBERING EARLY ROCKABILLY

Jerry Lee Lewis was inducted into the the Country Music Hall of Fame today (it’s about time – the Rock n’Roll Hall of Fame snapped him up in 1986) and it brought back memories. Jerry was one of the original rockabillies (right, Brian Setzer?) and when I was writing for Star Magazine, I always went to see his shows – mostly at hillbilly bars. The shows were always wild and fun and more often than not, Jerry ended up in a fistfight with some guy in the audience. Unlike many celebrities, Jerry LIKED my tabloid magazine and invited me to his dressing room when he played in Hollywood. (photo above) I was surprised to find petulant looking Lisa Marie Presley in the dressing room also. Bob Dylan also walked in with his entourage and I recall he looked really dirty and I stepped back to give him plenty of space…

SANFORD CLARK: THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

Sad to hear that rockabilly singer Sanford Clark died from Covid this week. He wasn’t as famous as Gene Vincent or Eddie Cochran or Jerry Lee Lewis, but his deep voice and songs were highly danceable. And he was an inspiration to other singers, like Elvis. Of course, he also had that great pompadour. What happened to rockabilly music? We still see rockabillies at flea markets or thrift stores occasionally, but they are way too scarce. The last time we heard rockabilly music live was a LONG time ago when we saw The Stray Cats…

WHO DOESN’T HAVE A CRUSH ON CHRIS ISAAK?

It’s almost impossible to BELIEVE, but Chris Isaak turned 60 this year and he’s still single…and handsome. The Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing singer has always been one of the most eligible musicians simply because he’s an old fashioned, nice guy. He sings about being brokenhearted, but still hasn’t found the woman of his dreams. And guess what- he’s not gay! He performed at The Joint in Las Vegas this weekend and we love his rockabilly suit – not to mention his pompadour…

Photo Credit: AKM-GSI

VIVA LAS VEGAS ROCKABILLY WEEKEND IS THE ANTI-COACHELLA

Don’t tell me you missed another Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend! It was last weekend and the town was loaded with greasers and women with pompadors, tattoos, pinup girls, hot rods, achingly beautiful custom vintage cars, along with plenty of music and dancing. (Coincidentally or not, the same weekend as Coachella.) Dita Von Teese is a regular, and sometimes she brings one of HER vintage cars. (She usually manages to turn up at Coachella, also.) Our sartorially blessed friend Charles Phoenix entertains the crowd with his classic Vegas slideshows. Every year this event gets bigger and hotter.

FERLIN HUSKY IS “GONE” – THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES


How we managed to overlook the death of Ferlin Husky on March 17, we’ll never know. But we have no intention of letting this pass without comment. Ferlin was one of those sexy rockabilly guys from the fifties who actually toured with Elvis as his opening act. He’s best known for “Wings of a Dove” but our favorite song of his was the melodramatic “Gone.” What a voice. The ultimate jukebox song for slow dancing. (Above, that’s Ferlin to the left of Elvis)

DREAMS DO COME TRUE: INTRODUCING JOHNNY IUZZINI, ROCKABILLY PASTRY CHEF

Okay, we’ve officially got a new crush: Top Chef: Just Desserts introduced what we welcome as the first hot rockabilly pastry chef – the delectable Johnny Iuzzini, head pastry chef at Jean Georges. (And he wrote a book, above) While New York born Johnny was working his way up in the world of pastry, he was a doorman at clubs like Tunnel and Sound Factory because he loves the night life. Johnny sports an impressive pompadour and a swaggering rockabilly style that he doesn’t try to hide at work. Certainly he’s one of the most successful rockabillies alive that aren’t musicians. Gwen Stefani would have dated him in high school. He’s single but last we heard was dating a girl named Lucinda Sterling. Lucky Lucinda is probably enjoying Johnny’s roasted pear tart with chai tea ice cream – whenever she wants it.