Despite his appearance and his posturing on stage,
Elvis didn't scare anyone. He had become 'acceptable'
since his signing with RCA, where, under the control
of his manager 'Colonel' Tom Parker, he recorded
dreamy ballads ('Love Me Tender', 'Crying In the
Chapel').
But Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran
and a little later, Vince Taylor were more threatening.
These tough guys were worthy heirs to Brando's
motorcycle gangs and lived up to rock and roll's
violence propagated by the media. In
black leather
from head to toe, they presented a
frightening image
to parents. Gene Vincent ('Be-Bop-a-Lula') and
Eddie Cochran
('Summertime Blues') recharged the dissident spirit of rock and roll.
Their style, their image and even their clothes became
an inspiration for many young Americans.
Although his appearance as a bespectacled student
was more reassuring.
Buddy Holly was not any less
of a rebel. He turned his back on traditional country music,
adding percussion and a beat borrowed from rhythm and blues.
With his band, the Crickets, Buddy the Texan gave his
seal of approval to rockabilly. His great
hits, both in 1957,
That'll Be the Day' and 'Peggy Sue',
heralded a prolific career, but Holly died
tragically at twenty- eight on 3 February
1959 in a plane
crash that also took the life of singer Ritchie
Valens, the youthful
composer of 'La Bamba'.
