Wheels of Fortune
I knew Gene Vincent only from his enduring hit Be-Bop-a-Lula, originally a B-side that hit #7 on the Billboard chart in 1956. Recently, I’ve viewed several videos of this dynamic performer on youtube. Born in Norfolk as Vincent Eugene Craddock, he did a stint in the Navy during the Korean War and received a medical discharge after a motorcycle accident that permanently damaged his left leg. He wore a steel sheath the rest of his life. He was a pioneer of rock n roll and rockabilly. His sales were mediocre in the USA, better in the UK, but he was a popular live artist. Race with the Devil climbed to #93 in ’56, Lotta Lovin’ hit #13 and Dance to the Bop #23 in ’57, his only four singles to crack the Top 100. Reading his Wiki profile, he seemed to live on the edge, drinking heavily, pulling a gun on people more than once. In ’60 in the UK, he was in a private hired cab that had a high speed crash. Eddie Cochran (Summertime Blues), a passenger, was thrown from the vehicle and died the next day. Vincent suffered a broken collarbone and ribs and further damage to his left leg. His subsequent recordings were disappointing commercially, but he continued to attract attention in performance. In all, he recorded twelve studio albums. There are twelve bootlegs and eleven EP’s that also bear his name. He passed away at 36 in ’71, suffering a ruptured ulcer, internal hemorrhage and heart failure. He was the first inductee into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame upon its formation in ’97 and was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in ’98. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He appeared in five films, including a documentary of his London tour in ’69. Robert Gordon and the Stray Cats mention him in song. He was a true original that inspired many books, including this one, photo from Google Images:
Headline from nypost.com: “Meet NYC’s surprising new gun owners: Councilwoman, grocer, new mom.” Who can blame them for packing?
From the column of NYP sports media critic Phil Mushnick: “ESPN’s filterless Jets fan Mike Greenberg was dramatically disconsolate on the air Tuesday in response to Aaron Rodgers’ injury the night before. Greenberg became the first sportscaster to sit shiva live on the air. At 56, it might be time for him to grow up.” Kudos once again, Sir.
Not much action today at the floating book shop. My thanks to the woman who bought a hardcover mystery in Russian, and to the one in the mechanized wheelchair with the American flag affixed to the rear, who purchased a book in Italian: Angeli, Demoni e Regno di Dio (Angels, Demons and the Kingdom of God) by Giuseppe Giacomelli; and to the one who overcompensated me for four kids’ books… While driving to the old house to pick up my laundry this morning, the Doobie Brothers’ Wheels of Fortune came up on a CD my buddy Bags burned for me years ago. I chuckled as part of it perfectly captures the futility of my literary endeavor:
“I’m so tired of losin’
But I still play the game
And I know there’s no reason
Still I go on searchin’ just the same.”
(Jeff Skunk Baxter/John Thomas Hartman/Patrick Simmons/Pat Simmons)
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