Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent, born Vincent Eugene Craddock on February 11, 1935, in Norfolk, Virginia, was an influential American rock and roll and rockabilly musician. Known for his rebellious image and dynamic performances, Vincent's career was launched with the 1956 hit "Be-Bop-a-Lula," recorded with his band, the Blue Caps. This song became a rockabilly classic and sold 200,000 copies in its first month. Despite a promising start, his career in the United States was relatively short-lived, with only a few hits in the late 1950s. However, he found greater success in the United Kingdom, where he remained a popular figure throughout the early 1960s.
Vincent's life and career were marked by personal struggles, including a severe leg injury from a 1955 motorcycle accident that left him in constant pain and led to a dependency on pain medication. Despite these challenges, he continued to perform and record music, becoming a cult figure in the UK. His career was further impacted by the tragic car accident in 1960 that killed fellow musician Eddie Cochran and reinjured Vincent's leg.
Vincent was married four times and had three children. His excessive drinking and health issues, including a bleeding ulcer, contributed to his untimely death on October 12, 1971, in Newhall, California, at the age of 36. Posthumously, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1997, cementing his legacy as a pioneer of rockabilly music.
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