Shortly after the groundbreaking British rockabilly band The Rockats had relocated from Essex to New York in 1978, they were playing a show when up approached a charismatic young guitarist who lavished the group with praise for their performance. Rockats’ stand-up bassist Smutty Smiff struck up a friendship with the charming lad and even took a train out to Massapequa to give him his first rockabilly haircut while teaching him how to grease it up properly. That young American was one Brian Setzer who would ride the rockabilly train into superstardom with The Stray Cats.
None of that would have been possible without The Rockats, who set the standard for rockabilly revivalism in the ‘80s, scoring an MTV hit in 1984 with “Make That Move” and landing support slots on tours by everyone from David Bowie to Thin Lizzy to Tina Turner, all the while spreading the Teddy Boy culture on both sides of the pond. As Smiff recollects some 43 years later, “We influenced many musicians and turned them on to rockabilly, hanging out, selling clothes and cutting the Stray Cats’ hair. We certainly influenced in a big way their style and music. Maybe if I had never gone to Massapequa Long Island, things would have been different!”
Neo-Rockabilly Pioneers THE ROCKATS Ready First New Album In 8 Years, Release Brilliant Cover Of EDDIE COCHRAN’s “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN!”
Now, the Rockats are returning to center stage with a new album set to be released next year and featuring performances by Smiff alongside longtime Rockats vocalist Dibbs Preston, guitarists Danny B. Harvey and Barry Ryan, and Blondie drummer Clem Burke! Today, the band releases the album’s first single, a rollicking cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Nervous Breakdown” along with a video featuring vintage performance footage of the Cats cutting it up on stage in their heyday.
I grew up in a household full of rock music, studied journalism in college, and then became a scientist.Although my science career has served me well, music has always played a major role in my life. I grew up reading "Creem" magazine; I play several musical instruments as a "hobby";and it seems a camera has always been in my hand. Now, I am combining what I love the most--music and photography--serving as editor of Rock At Night. I travel between the US and UK seeking my dream! My motto: life is short...no regrets. Chyrisse
