1957, before “Son Richard & the Chessmen”, there was a rock and roll loving street gang “The Zactoes”. We were into spray painting tags on public property, a little petty theft, hanging out at the neighbourhood soda fountains that had a jukebox and pinball machines. And we favoured studded powder blue jean jackets and jeans. Oh yeah! And black boots with cleats. Gotta’ leave scuff marks on those school house floors.
Teenage gang culture was springing up in all the major urban areas of America. Gang rumbles were in the news. Pocket books were being written like “The Amboy Dukes” and “The Royal Vultures” about these urban gangs that defended their neighbourhoods and their women (shades of Romeo and Juliet eh!). Both with ‘rumbles’ and with song for this is the atmosphere that Doo Wop sprang from. Prior to nationwide distribution, AM radio stations everywhere were playing the latest local ‘hits’ around that time depending on where they were located. Inner urban or rural. Adult music as it was known, now Popular music, was played? Well who cared. Some played R’nB and Blues, others Rockabilly, Honky Tonk and Country. And down in New Orleans what became Rock and Roll’s essential beat had been born in 1949 with Fats Domino’s first hit “The Fat Man” and then in 1955 Little Richard went into J & M Studio, New Orleans, Louisiana and cut “Tutti Frutti” which became a national hit and sold a million copies and the music with the big beat was henceforth labelled Rock ‘n Roll.
By the early ‘60s a plethora of bands had poured out of the basements and garages of our nation and their members weren’t just the working-class youth desperate to avoid following their fathers’ footsteps to wage slavery on industrial assembly lines. Middle-class kids were getting in on the act too. You could tell because they were the ones with the really good equipment. In these times was born “Son Richard and the Chessmen“. The band business was good because everyone wanted to dance. Dance to the Rock ‘n Roll!
Blues Rockin' Hamilton 