Steve Aynsley

WELCOME...

“The birth of rock’n’roll for me? Seeing Bill

Star-studded Brian Wilson doc to feature unheard demos

He can hear music: Brian Wilson in the

Piller returns to the roots of Mod

Acid Jazz label founder Eddie Piller is following

WILDE TIMES AHEAD ON MARTY’S UK TOUR

Veteran rocker Marty Wilde is celebrating his eighth

Howlin’ Ric And The Rocketeers

As Leeds’ finest prepare to unleash their second shot of rockin’ R&B, Howlin’ Ric spills the beans on taking the plunge as a songwriter – and getting revenge through his lyrics

OBITUARY WANDA YOUNG (1943-2021)

Wanda Young, vocalist with The Marvelettes who scored

Elvis releases get a stereo revamp

Memphis Recording Service’s latest Elvis titles capture the

BRITISH MOD SOUNDS OF THE 1960s

100 original tracks in both 6LP and 4CD

Lifting the lid on British rockabilly movement

Paul Wragg’s book promises to tell the full

BABY THIS IS Rock’n’Roll

VR’s new columnist, Matchbox’s Graham Fenton, takes us right back to the start, experiencing his first new music as a youngster in West London

Little Dave

Recorded at Sun Studios, Little Dave’s first EP promises a high voltage mix of rockabilly, blues and a dash of Carl Perkins

Green Bullfrog GREEN BULLFROG

Deep Purple alumni join the UK’s best studio session men to blast out rock’n’roll covers – and silly pseudonyms shield their identity

TOP TEN

WEEK ENDING 30 JAN 1958

Hey! Bo Diddley BO DIDDLEY CHECKER (1957)

Part nursery rhyme, part mating call, part calling card. In 1957, Bo Diddley’s brilliant, self-referencing single Hey! Bo Diddley sealed his legendary status. The subject matter? Bo, who else?

Vinyl Lp Reviews

Vintage releases from Dorsey Burnette, Gene Summers and Roy Hall, plus a double-album retrospective from The Searchers and a forgotten gem from the Invaders

Singles & Ep Reviews

Classic cuts from female rock’n’roll pioneers such as Big Mama Thornton, Little Esther and Ella Johnson, plus a duplet of Blacked! compilations and Austria’s finest rock’n’rollers…

CD Album Reviews

Elvis releases from across the decades, a definitive Mod collection and rockin’ long-players from the international scene

SOUNDTRACK of My Life Ian Clarkson

AS TOLD TO RIK FLYNN

BUDDY HOLLY’S NEW VERSION OF THAT’LL BE THE DAY

25 FEBRUARY 1957

The Big Bang of UK Rock’n’Roll

In February 1957, Bill Haley And His Comets began the most successful, groundbreaking rock’n’roll tour the UK had ever seen. Now 65 years on, we look back at this grand undertaking that seized the imagination of the nation’s youth and inspired a future generation of British rock musicians…

MOTIVATING FACTORS

Bill Haley Jr says the initial research that

BILL HALEY WAS HERE

Tracing the singer’s steps

THE KING BOWS OUT

Bill Haley’s final years

Classic album ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK

BILL HALEY AND HIS COMETS

COWBOY JIVE

Milt Gabler is credited with sharpening up the

COUNTRY BILL

Bill Haley And His Comets onstage in New

SUN YEAR ONE

Sun Records was the launchpad for Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and rock’n’roll itself. Seventy years after Sam Phillips set up shop, we take a look at its first 12 months of operation, before Elvis came along

A STAR IS BORN

In this extract from his new book, The Sonic Swagger Of Elvis Presley, Gary Parker looks at a seismic moment in the history of rock’n’roll, when a young singer unleashed That’s All Right to an unsuspecting Sam Phillips

By Royal Appointment

Queen of Nashville’s Royal Family, Lydia Brittan left Christian music to chase her dreams, spurred on by tragedy and driven to spread the gospel of the transformative power of music

On Hallowed Ground

In early 2021, Lydia Brittan and The Royal

2022 THE YEAR AHEAD

Aside from a few much-needed gigs here and there at present, things still remain a little quiet on the rockin’ scene. 2022, we pray, will be a different animal. And so, the new year’s about making up for lost time and filling up your calendar – and record collections – to the brim with as much rock’n’roll as is humanly possible…

FIVE TO WATCH IN 2022

GUILLERMO Y LOS PISTOLEROS This LA fourpiece play

Rock ’n’ Roll Heroes

RODDY JACKSON

ANIMAL MAGNETISM

From definitive collections of the big name artists or eye-opening investigations into the unsung heroes of rockabilly, country and rock’n’roll, Bear Family has it totally covered. CEO Detlev Hoegen tells Vintage Rock about what makes the label special, his unending passion for blues – and crazy, nigh-on decade-long projects…

Off Their Box

“The craziest project Bear Family ever put out

On The Frontline

Expanding yet further into untapped corners of music

ROCK OF PAGE’S

Before he became the father of hard rock, Led Zep legend Jimmy Page was one of the most prolific session guitarists of the 60s – and of special note was his impact across evolving rock’n’roll

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?

New photobook Mike McCartney’s Early Liverpool contains extraordinary unseen shots from his personal archive that delves into the city’s world-shaking music scene – with his big brother’s band in the eye of the storm

THE DUKE OF DOO-WOP

In February 1962, Gene Chandler topped the US chart with one of the most famous doo-wop songs of all time: Duke Of Earl. Now 60 years on, we examine the Duke’s career and covers of his biggest hit