When formed in 1955, the band included Willie Williams on rhythm guitar (replaced in late 1956 by Paul Peek), Jack Neal on upright bass, Dickie Harrell on drums, and Cliff Gallup on lead guitar. The band quickly gained a reputation playing in various country bars in Norfolk, Virginia (where Vincent was born. There they won a talent contest organized by a local radio DJ, "Sheriff Tex" Davis, who then became Vincent's manager.
After "Be-Bop-a-Lula" became a hit, Vincent & His Blue Caps were unable to follow it up with the same level of commercial success, although they released critically acclaimed songs like "Race with the Devil" (number 96 on the US Billboard chart and number 50 on the US Cash Box chart) and "Bluejean Bop" (number 49 on the US Billboard chart and another million-selling disc).
Cliff Gallup left the band in 1956, and Russell Williford joined as the new guitarist for the Blue Caps. Williford played and toured Canada with Vincent in late 1956 but left the group in early 1957. Gallup came back to do the next album and then left again. Williford came back and exited again before Johnny Meeks joined the band. The group had another hit in 1957 with "Lotta Lovin'" (highest position number 13 and spending 19 weeks on the Billboard chart and number 17 and 17 weeks on the Cashbox chart). Vincent was awarded gold records for two million sales of "Be-Bop-a-Lula", and 1.5 million sales of "Lotta Lovin'".
On November 17, 1957, Vincent & His Blue Caps performed "Be-Bop-a-Lula" on the nationally broadcast US television program The Ed Sullivan Show. The song spent nine weeks on the Billboard chart and peaked at number 23 on January 23, 1958 and reached number 36 and spent eight weeks on the US Cashbox chart. It was Vincent's last American hit single. The song was used in the movie Hot Rod Gang for a dance rehearsal scene featuring dancers doing the West Coast Swing.
Vincent & His Blue Caps also appeared several times on Town Hall Party, California's largest country music barn dance, held at the Town Hall in Compton, California. They appeared on October 25, 1958, and July 25 and November 7, 1959.
By the end of 1959 the Blue Caps were no longer part of the billing on Gene Vincent records. The late 1959 single "Wild Cat" was credited solely to Gene Vincent, and this would be the case on all subsequent Gene Vincent releases.
Gene Vincent, real name Vincent Eugene Craddock, (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971) was an American rockabilly pioneer musician, best known for his hit “Be-Bop-A-Lula”.
Early life:
His parents, Ezekiah Jackson and Mary Louise Craddock, were shop owners in Norfolk, Virginia. He grew up in Virginia under the influence of country, Rhythm and Blues and Gospel music. He received his first guitar as a gift from a friend at the age of 12.
In 1952 Gene left school and joined the Navy. In 1955 he was stationed in Korea, where he suffered a severe motorcycle accident that shattered his left leg. He refused to have it amputated, the leg was saved, but left him with a permanent limp and considerable chronic pain for the rest of his life.
Early career:
He left the Navy and started playing in various country bands in his native Norfolk, Virginia. In 1956 he wrote "Be-Bop-A-Lula", which helped him sign a contract at Capitol Records with his backing band The Blue Caps.
After "Be-Bop-A-Lula" had become a huge hit, Gene Vincent & the Blue Caps were unable to follow it up with the same level of commercial success but recorded critically acclaimed songs like "Bluejean Bop" and "Race with the Devil". That year, Vincent was reputedly convicted of public obscenity and fined $10,000 by the state of Virginia for his live performance of the erotic song, "Woman Love", although this is now believed to have been just a rumor.
The group had another hit with 1957's "Lotta Lovin'." Vincent also became one of the first rock stars to star in a film, The Girl Can't Help It together with Jayne Mansfield.
There were numerous changes of personnel in his backing group, The Blue Caps. However, a dispute with the US Tax Authorities and The American Musicians' Union over payments to his band and his having sold the band's equipment to pay a tax bill led him to leave the USA and try his hand in Europe.
Following a tour through Europe in 1959, Vincent managed to attract a new huge and discerning audience there, especially in England and France. By that time his career had mostly ended in the US. Consequently, he moved to England in 1960. His stage shows became "must see" events and his bands through those years were to spawn some of the most respected players in the world today. It was during his early tours of Britain that he adopted the trademark leather outfit, at the suggestion of British Rock 'n' Roll impressario, Jack Good.
In 1960, while on tour in Britain, Vincent and songwriter Sharon Sheeley were seriously injured in a high-speed traffic accident in a private hire taxi travelling through Chippenham, Wiltshire on the A4. The car, a Ford Consul, suffered a blowout causing it to swerve and crash into a lamp post. Vincent broke his ribs, collarbone, and added further damage to his already weak leg, and Sheeley suffered a broken pelvis. Both Vincent and Sheeley survived, but the accident killed Vincent's tourmate and Sheeley's fiancé, Eddie Cochran.
Later career:
His attempts to re-establish his American career by recording in folk rock and country-rock styles proved unsuccessful, and he is most remembered today for his recordings of the 1950s and early 1960s which originally appeared on the Capitol Records label.
On the album "I'm Back and I'm Proud" recorded for long-time fan John Peel's Dandelion label, Gene was backed by members of The Doors, whose lead singer, Jim Morrison, copied Gene's 'Leather Look'.
He has achieved a genuine legendary status and his work is respected, and often copied, by singers and groups worldwide. His major hit, Be-Bop-A-Lula has become what is considered to be one of the top three rock'n'roll records of all time and has rightly earned Gene a place in the history of modern music. Had he managed to survive through the Punk years, he would undoubtedly still be a leading figure in contemporary rock'n'roll.
On his final tour of the UK, he was backed by The Wild Angels, a British band who had previously worked at the Royal Albert Hall with Bill Haley & the Comets and Duane Eddy. Because of pressure from his ex-wife, the Inland Revenue and promoter Don Arden, Gene had to return rather swiftly to the USA.
Gene Vincent died from a ruptured stomach ulcer while visiting his father in California, and is interred in the Eternal Valley Memorial Park, Newhall, California.
He was the first inductee into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame on its formation in 1997. The following year he was also posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Blue Jean Bop
Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't want you looking at other guys
Got to make you give me, one more chance
I can't keep still, so baby let's dance
Well the bluejean bop is the bop for me
It's the bop that's done in a dungaree
You flip your hip, free your knee
Well the bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean bop, baby won't you bop with Gene (bop Blue Caps, bop)
Well bluejean baby when I bop with you
Well my heart starts hoppin' like a kangaroo
My feet do things they never done before
Well bluejean baby, give me more more more
Well the bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean bop, baby won't you bop with Gene (rock again Blue Caps, go)
Well the bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean bop, baby won't you bop with Gene (Blue Caps, bop with Gene now, let's go)
Well it's, bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Bluejean, bluejean bop
Oh baby, bluejean, bluejean bop
Bluejean, bluejean bop
Bluejean, oh baby, won't you bop with Gene
The song Blue Jean Bop is a classic rock and roll track from the 1950s, sung by Gene Vincent and his group The Blue Caps. The lyrics tell the story of a man who is infatuated with a woman wearing blue jeans, asking her for another chance to dance with her. The bluejean bop is the perfect dance for their meeting, and Gene implores her to bop with him. The song features a catchy chorus and a fast-paced beat that encourages listeners to dance along. It's all about the excitement and energy of rock and roll music, which was a new and revolutionary sound at the time.
The lyrics of Blue Jean Bop are a classic example of 1950s rock and roll culture. The song speaks to the youth of the time who were rebelling against traditional values and embracing new music and fashion trends. Blue jeans were originally workwear but became a symbol of rebellion, particularly amongst young people. The song lyrics are an ode to the carefree attitude of the era, where the primary concern was fun and enjoying life. The playful lyrics speak directly to the youthful audience, with the intention of getting them up and dancing.
Line by Line Meaning
Bluejean baby, with your big blue eyes
The singer is addressing someone wearing blue jeans who has blue eyes, expressing his interest in them
Don't want you looking at other guys
The singer wants the blue-jeaned person to only have eyes for him and not look at other men
Got to make you give me, one more chance
The singer is pleading for another chance with the blue-jeaned person, suggesting that they've been together before
I can't keep still, so baby let's dance
The singer is excited to dance with the blue-jeaned person, unable to stand still
Well the bluejean bop is the bop for me
The singer expresses his preference for the bluejean bop dance style
It's the bop that's done in a dungaree
The bluejean bop is a dance that's done while wearing blue jeans (dungarees)
You flip your hip, free your knee
The dance move involves flipping one's hip and freeing one's knee
Squeal on your heel baby, one to three
This line provides instructions on how to do a specific move in the bluejean bop dance
Well bluejean baby when I bop with you
The singer is addressing the blue-jeaned person while dancing with them
Well my heart starts hoppin' like a kangaroo
The singer gets excited and his heart starts racing while dancing with the blue-jeaned person
My feet do things they never done before
The singer is trying new dance moves with the blue-jeaned person that he's never done before
Well bluejean baby, give me more more more
The singer wants to keep dancing with the blue-jeaned person and is asking for more dances
Bluejean bop, bluejean bop
Repeating the name of the dance move for emphasis
Oh baby, bluejean bop, bluejean bop
The singer is enjoying the bluejean bop dance and is encouraging his partner to continue with him
Bluejean bop, baby won't you bop with Gene (bop Blue Caps, bop)
The singer is asking the blue-jeaned person to dance the bluejean bop with him and his band, the Blue Caps
Bluejean, bluejean bop
Repeating the name of the dance move again
Oh baby, bluejean, bluejean bop
The singer is having fun and wants the blue-jeaned person to keep dancing with him
Bluejean, bluejean bop
Repeating the name of the dance move a third time
Bluejean, oh baby, won't you bop with Gene
The singer is still enjoying the dance and is asking his partner to keep dancing with him
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hal Levy, Gene Vincent
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind