Gene Vincent

Pencil Portrait by Antonio Bosano.

Gene Vincent Pencil Portrait
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The quality of the prints are at a much higher level compared to the image shown on the left.

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A3 Pencil Print-Price £60.00-Purchase

A4 Pencil Print-Price £45.00-Purchase

*Limited edition run of 250 prints only*

All Pencil Prints are printed on the finest Bockingford Somerset Velvet 255 gsm paper.

P&P is not included in the above prices.

Comments

Last update: 21/5/17

One of the most engaging, if tragic, figures in rock and roll history, Gene Vincent personified the wild, lusty, lower class side of the music as a touring artist. Scoring one of the earliest smash rockabilly hits with the classic “Be Bop-a-Lula” in 1956, Vincent recorded some of the most exciting libidinous rockabilly of the era propelled by the outstanding lead guitar work of Cliff Gallup. Four years later during a nationwide tour of Britain, a singular event in Bath would usher in the slowest recorded death in rock’n‘roll history.

Whilst Eddie Cochran’s career would be cut short following a fatal car crash, his fiancĂ©e Sharon Sheeley -a songwriter who later wrote the Irma Thomas classic “Breakaway” – and Gene, a fellow rockabilly, would both survive the accident. Nevertheless, Vincent would sustain severe injuries, necessitating the use of a leg iron throughout the remainder of his life. Seeking respite in alcohol to help control his pain, this escalating addiction would play a major role in his own early death at the age 36 in 1971.

There’s a poignant photograph of Gene with Lennon and McCartney at the Cavern in June 1962, when The Beatles backed him on a one-nighter. Despite the element of camaraderie in the way he has his arms around John and Paul, there’s also a hint of the support he needed that evening, both physically and musically. Only twenty seven, he looks older, and whilst an undeniably early influence on the band, he would soon become a peripheral figure in the rapidly changing musical landscape.

Recommended listening

Bluejean Bop! (1956)

Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps (1957)

Surfing

Official Gene Vincent Website

http://www.rockabillyhall.com/GeneVincent.html