Gene Vincent blazed a trail seared by Cliff Gallup's guitar
Jul 18, 2019 20:18:08 GMT
hitchcockthelegend likes this
Post by petrolino on Jul 18, 2019 20:18:08 GMT
Everybody who tried to keep up was left brusied, bloodied and blistered ...
"GENE VINCENT AND HIS BLUE CAPS epitomized rockabilly’s iconic image, with their leather jackets, ducktail hairstyles and kick-ass-and-take-names personae. The band also introduced one of the most adept, versatile and influential electric guitarists of his generation: Cliff Gallup.
Born in 1930, Gallup was 26 when he joined up with Vincent, a wild young singer from Norfolk, Virginia. In May 1956, as the brief but volcanic rockabilly craze was peaking, Vincent was invited to record in Nashville under the guidance of veteran producer Ken Nelson.
Nelson had session pros (including studio guitar phenomenon Grady Martin) standing by, in case the energetic but green Blue Caps failed to deliver. But from the moment Gallup launched into “Race with the Devil,” it was clear that he was an extraordinary guitarist and unique stylist in his own right.
The Nashville sessions produced Vincent’s biggest hit, “Be-Bop-a-Lula,” and in the process Gallup defined the classic rockabilly guitar sound with his bright, clean tone, augmented by a healthy dose of slapback delay. His setup featured a Gretsch Duo-Jet with DeArmond pickups, Bigsby vibrato and heavy, flatwound strings, most likely played through Martin’s Standel amp.
Gallup combined fast chromatic phrasing reminiscent of Les Paul and a Chet Atkins–inspired hybrid picking style (flatpick plus metal fingerpicks on his second and third fingers, with his fourth finger working the Bigsby tremolo bar), but the spontaneous, imaginative results were entirely his own."
Born in 1930, Gallup was 26 when he joined up with Vincent, a wild young singer from Norfolk, Virginia. In May 1956, as the brief but volcanic rockabilly craze was peaking, Vincent was invited to record in Nashville under the guidance of veteran producer Ken Nelson.
Nelson had session pros (including studio guitar phenomenon Grady Martin) standing by, in case the energetic but green Blue Caps failed to deliver. But from the moment Gallup launched into “Race with the Devil,” it was clear that he was an extraordinary guitarist and unique stylist in his own right.
The Nashville sessions produced Vincent’s biggest hit, “Be-Bop-a-Lula,” and in the process Gallup defined the classic rockabilly guitar sound with his bright, clean tone, augmented by a healthy dose of slapback delay. His setup featured a Gretsch Duo-Jet with DeArmond pickups, Bigsby vibrato and heavy, flatwound strings, most likely played through Martin’s Standel amp.
Gallup combined fast chromatic phrasing reminiscent of Les Paul and a Chet Atkins–inspired hybrid picking style (flatpick plus metal fingerpicks on his second and third fingers, with his fourth finger working the Bigsby tremolo bar), but the spontaneous, imaginative results were entirely his own."
Keith Wyatt, Guitar World