Keep On Rocking

The Music of Alvin Stardust

Don’t you just love that name? Before this English rock singer and stage actor took the name Alvin Stardust in 1961. Before that, he was going by the name of Shane Fenton and cranking out hits such as “I’m a Moody Guy” and “Cindy’s Birthday”. Soon he discovered the nightclub circuit which brought him to a meeting with songwriter/producer Pete Shelley.

Suddenly in the mid-1970s, there was Alvin Stardust with the song “My Coo Ca Choo” which suddenly made people sit up and take notice of him. Shelley had written this song and was looking for a singer to sing it so that the song and he would stand out from the rest of the popular glam rock of this period. Since Shane Fenton could not be brought back into the rock scene then the name Alvin Stardust sounded just right for this period. Pop fans were mesmerized by the singer, the song, and his pink jumpsuit.

Otherwise, Alvin Stardust sported a 1950s-style haircut, tight black leather, and a scowl. Even though “My Coo Ca Choo” stopped at number two the next song “Jealous Mind” went to number one.

By the summer of 1975 Shelley and Stardust had five more memorable hit singles “Red Dress”, “You You You”, “Tell Me Why”, “Good Love Can Never Die”, and “Sweet Cheatin’ Rita”. Once the hits stopped scoring Stardust went on the rock and roll revival circuit and was quite successful into the early 1980s.

Stardust joined a new label and returned to the charts with “Pretend” in 1981. In 1984 it was “ I Feel Like Buddy Holly” and “I Won’t Run Away”. A holiday favorite was “So Near to Christmas”.

He celebrated his 25th anniversary by coming out with hits like “Got a Little Heartache”. This is where he stopped taking on some TV and stage roles. Stardust passed on in October 2014 just two weeks before releasing Alvin, his first studio album in over 25 years.

Gary U.S. Bonds

Born in Jacksonville, Florida Gary Levone Anderson is an American R&B and rock and roll singer and songwriter. He began singing publicly in church with a group known as the Turks. At first, he chose to use the name U.S. Bonds and produced three singles and an album Dance ‘Til Quarter to Three by the second album he had changed the name to Gary U.S. Bonds.

Among the first hits was “New Orleans” which was a hit on the U.S. Charts.

After that he recorded “Not Me” and finally one of his biggest hits “Quarter to Three” in 1961. This single sold a million copies and earned a gold disc. This song is also featured on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll list.

Other hits were “School is Out”, “Dear Lady Twist” and “Twist, Twist, Senora”. Gary U.S. Bonds toured Europe in 1963 and headlined above The Beatles. His hits featured solos by Gene Barge on the saxophone.

In the early 1980s, Gary came out with two albums Dedication and On the Line in collaboration with Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, and the E Street Band. At this time he had the following hits “This Little Girl”, “Jole Blon”, and “Out of Work”.

Even though Gary was known for his R&B and rock and roll music one of his songs “She’s All I Got” was nominated for the Country Music Association’s “Song of the Year” in 1972. This song was a big hit for Johnny Paycheck. Gary is also an honoree of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation and as an avid golfer plays celebrity PGA Tour events. In October of 2006 he was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.