SmallMiracles

TCliffwasbornCliftonEGallupon17June1930inNorfolk, Virginia on the east coast of the USA. So little is known abouthisearlylifethat,foryears,hisnamewasbelieved tobeClifford,notClifton.What is knownisthat,likeso many other greats, he took to music at a young age and displayed prodigious talent. By his late teens, he was performingatparties,dancesandsmalllocalclubswith abandcalledTheVirginians. he year 1956 was when it all came together. For decades, blues, jazz, pop and country artists had mostlycarvedtheirownpaths.Towardstheendof the 1940s, new, hybrid forms of music began to emerge. By 1950, rhythm and blues or R&B – a fusionofbluesmelodyandlyricswithswing/jazzrhythm –hadcometodominatethepopcharts.Thenewsound, ledbythelikesofLouisJordan,T-BoneWalkerandBig JoeTurner,inspiredarecord-companyfrenzyformore earthy,soulfulmusicasanantidotetothe‘sophisticated’ sound of Frank Sinatra and the big bands. Into the mix came a country/pop movement championed by TennesseeErnieFord,GeneAutry,MerleTravisandthe great Hank Williams. By 1956, jazz, blues, country and popmusichadfused–andcreatedElvisPresley.Inthat same year, Cliff Gallup showed the world what this stylisticgumbosoundedlikethroughaguitaramp. Fast-forward to the start of 1956: William Douchette, known as Sheriff Tex Davis, a local radio DJ, had heard a young singer calling himself Gene Vincent at atalent showinNorfolk.VincenthadbeenbornVincentEugene Craddockon11February1935,onemonthandthreedays afteracertainElvisPresleyand,likeCliffGallup,alsoin Norfolk,Virginia.Afterdroppingoutofschoolat17,and withadesiretopursueacareerintheUSNavy,Craddock latersufferedahugesetbackin1955whenhisleftlegwas permanentlydamagedinamotorcycleaccident.Theleg wassaved,althoughhewasleftwithalimpandconstant pain. His Navy dream was over. Eugene then started hangingoutonthelocalmusicscene,andwasbeginning to make waves when Sheriff Tex heard him and signed uptobehismanager.

HeartbreakHotel, thesongthatbrokeElvisPresleyand rock ’n’ roll into the mainstream, was released on 27 January, shaking the music world to its foundations. Recordcompaniesandtalentscoutswentintooverdrive looking for any ‘next’ Elvis that might come their way. SheriffTexDaviswasnofool.BeingalocalDJ,heknew thatrock’n’rollwasgoingtobethenextbigthing,andhe wantedapieceofit.ByMayof1956,he’dsignedEugene Craddock, who was now calling himself Gene Vincent, andputabandoflocalmusicianstogethertobackhimup. Together,theywereGeneVincentAndHisBlueCaps;a term used to describe members of the US Navy. That