Gene Summers, cantante Americano de Rockabilly que empezó su carrera en 1955 y continúa hasta nuestros días. Gene ha tenido grandes éxitos con grabaciones como “School of Rock & Roll”, "Straight Skirt", "Nervous", "Gotta Lotta That", "Twixteen", "Alabama Shake" y su gran éxito de ventas "Big Blue Diamonds". Summers fue inducido al Rockabilly Hall of Fame en 1997 y al The Southern Legends Entertainment & Performing Arts Hall of Fame en 2005
Muchas gracias, Gene, por esta entrevista y por tus grandes canciones. ¿Cuándo empezaste a tocar la guitarra?
Gene Summers: A los 12 años. Los profesores de The Trick Brothers Music vinieron a nuestra escuela y nos dieron lecciones.
¿Quiénes eran tus músicos favoritos cuando eras adolescente?
Gene Summers: Me gustaban artistas de ambos géneros, Country y Rhythm & Blues. Artistas como Hank Williams, Carl Smith, Tommy Sands, Lefty Frizzell, The Drifters, The Clovers, Jimmy Reed, Hank Ballard and The Midnighters. Me gustaban todos!. Ah, … y por supuesto, Elvis!
¿Quién era Jed Tarver?
Gene Summers: Jed era un compositor de la zona que se dedicaba a hacer arreglos musicales para bandas de instituto, etc. También escribió alguna canción de Rock and Roll. Escribió canciones de Rock bajo el nombre de Mary Tarver, que era su mujer.
Gene, ¿Qué recuerdas sobre tus comienzos con el Grupo Vocal The Four Star Quartet?
Gene Summers: Éramos solamente cuatro chicos que coincidimos en la escuela juntos, en Duncanville, Texas. A todos nosotros nos gustaba cantar, así que formamos el cuarteto. Estaba formado por Don Shook-tenor; Pete Robbins-baritone, James West-bass, and Gene Summers as 2nd tenor. El padre de Pete se interesó por nosotros y fue nuestro manager y arreglista.
La banda que te acompañó desde 1956, The Rebels, eran los mismos miembros que The Four Star Quartet?
Gene Summers: No, era otro grupo diferente al que ayudé a formarse para tocar Rock and Roll. El cuarteto solamente interpretó canciones de la época, algunos temas de Doo Wop.
¿Podrías contarnos sobre tus recuerdos en el Sportatorium (Big D Jamboree)?
Gene Summers: Sí, solía ir con mi tío y mi tía allá por 1949. Me encantaba ver a todas las estrellas de música Country que llevaban invitadas. En una ocasión me presenté a un concurso de talentos cuando tenía 11 años… no gané!. También solía ir a ver combates de boxeo a principios de los años 50. Treinta años después, en 1981, me preguntaron si quería ser comentarista de boxeo. Trabajé de ello varios meses pero lo dejé cuando empecé a hacer muchas gestiones. Así que volví al Sportatorium… ¡para un concurso para ser comentarista de boxeo!
¿Cómo fue tu primera aparición en 1957 en la televisión (Country Picnic TV Showen Dallas)?
Gene Summers: ¡Fue estupendo!. Lo pasé realmente bien. Nos dió mucha publicidad, que hizo que pudiéramos cantar con Jan Records a finales de 1957.
¿Qué recuerdas sobre la gira con Chuck Berry and The Drifters en 1961? ¿Nos puedes contra alguna anécdota?
Gene Summers: Fue un gran empuje para mi carrera. El hecho de poder conocer a The Drifters y a Chuck Berry fue muy emocionante. Eran los originales Clyde McPhatter y The Drifters, ¡los que había escuchado en la radio desde que era niño y ahora estaba de gira con ellos! Yo estaba feliz de estar allí. También me sorprendió saber cuánto Chuck Berry sabía sobre música Country. Cogió su guitarra en el bus y canto canciones como “The Wabash Cannonball”. ¡Eso era Country!
Gene, ¿qué piensas sobrer las versiones de tus canciones que han interpretado muchos artistas americanos y europeos: Jerry Lee Lewis, Ronnie Dawson, Crazy Cavan,...?
Gene Summers: Siempre estoy contento de que otros artistas versiones mis canciones. Cavan hizo un gran trabajo con “Alabama Shake”. Hace unos años Cavan y yo ofrecimos un concierto en Francia y le llamé durante el bis. Cantamos “Alabama Shake” juntos y ¡el público se volvió loco!
¿Qué te parecieron tus giras Europeas en los Festivales de Rockabilly en los años 80? Y sobre tu aparición en el programa de TV en la Televisión Nacional de Francia con Jacques Dutronic en donde te vieron 20 millones de personas?
Gene Summers: A principios de los años 80, los conciertos eran realmente salvajes y la multitud era muy entregada porque nunca me habían visto antes en persona. Solía tirarme del escenario, me tiraba a la multitude, me cogían y me pasaban sobre sus cabezas. Tuve que dejar de hacerlo porque ¡¡me rompían todas las camisas!!!
El programa de Televisión fue un gran reto y lo pasé muy bien alli. Llevé a varios de mis músicos de Estados Unidos conmigo para el concierto junto con los músicos Franceses. ¡Conseguimos un sonido espectacular!. Esa aparición ha sido editada en un DVD por Big Beat Records.
¿Cuáles son tus planes futuros?
Gene Summers: To Keep on Rocking! Iré a Hemsby en Mayo (2012) y volveré a Inglaterra a finales de año. Acabo de sacar un nuevo CD “Taboo!” y tengo en mente sacar un disco de Country este año, más adelante. Mi CD de 2008 “Reminisce Café” se sigue vendiendo bien. Así que ¡gracias a todos mis amigos y fans y espero ir a vuestra ciudad pronto!
Muchas gracias, Gene por su tiempo, esperamos que vuelvas a Europa
Gene Summers: El placer es todo mío… Keep Rockin’!
The Four Star Quartet, 1954. LR Pete Robbins, Gene Summers, Don Shook, James West
Gene Summers and The Rebels
Gene Summers is an American Rockabilly singer and entertainer whose career began in 1955 and continues to this day. Gene had big hits with his recordings of the “School of Rock & Roll”, "Straight Skirt", "Nervous", "Gotta Lotta That", "Twixteen", "Alabama Shake" and his biggest-selling single "Big Blue Diamonds". Summers was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1997 and The Southern Legends Entertainment & Performing Arts Hall of Fame in 2005
Thank you very much, Gene for this interview and for your great songs. When did you start to play guitar?
Gene Summers: At the age of 12. The Trick Brothers Music instructors came to our school and I took lessons from them.
What were your favourite musicians when you were a teenager?
Gene Summers: I liked artists in both Country and R&B. Artists like Hank Williams, Carl Smith, Tommy Sands, Lefty Frizzell, The Drifters, The Clovers, Jimmy Reed, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. I liked it all…. Oh, and of course…, Elvis!
Who was Jed Tarver?
Gene Summers: Jed was a local songwriter who made a living writing band arrangements for high school bands, etc. He was also writing rock ‘n roll stuff as a sideline. He wrote the rock songs under the name of Mary Tarver who was his wife.
Gene, what do you remember about your beginnings with your Vocal Group The Four Star Quartet?
Gene Summers: We were just four kids who happened to go to school together in Duncanville, Texas. We all liked to sing so we formed the quartet. It consisted of Don Shook-tenor; Pete Robbins-baritone, James West-bass, and Gene Summers as 2nd tenor. Pete’s dad became interested in us and became our mentor and arranger.
The band who backed you from 1956 on, The Rebels, were the same members of The Four Star Quartet?
Gene Summers: No this was a separate group that I helped form in order to do Rock ‘n Roll. The quartet only did standard material with a little bit of Doo Wop.
Can you tell us about your memories at the Sportatorium (Big D Jamboree)?
Gene Summers: Yes, I used to go there with my uncle and aunt back as early as 1949. I loved to see all the country stars they would have as guests. I even entered one of their talent contests when I was about 11 years old…I didn’t win! I also used to go there to see wrestling matches in the early 1950s. Thirty years later, in 1981, I was asked to become their ring announcer. I did that for several months but had to quit when I started going oversees a lot. So, I went full circle at the Sportatorium… from talent contest to ring announcer!
How was your first appearance in 1957 on TV (Country Picnic TV Show in Dallas)?
Gene Summers: It was great! I really enjoyed it. Gave us a lot of exposure that would lead to us signing with Jan Records in late 1957.
What do you remember about the tour with Chuck Berry and The Drifters in 1961? Can you tell us any anecdote?
Gene Summers: That was a big boost to my career. Just getting to meet the Drifters and Chuck Berry was a big thrill. These were the original Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters that I had been listening to on the radio since I was a kid and now I was touring with them! I was very happy to be there. I was also surprised to learn how much Chuck Berry knew about country music. He’d get his guitar out, on the bus, and start singing songs like “The Wabash Cannonball”. Now that’s country!
Gene, what do you think about the versions of your songs that many American and European musicians did : Jerry Lee Lewis, Ronnie Dawson, Crazy Cavan,...?
Gene Summers: I’m always glad for other artist to cover my songs. Cavan did a great job on “Alabama Shake”. A few years ago Cavan and I did a show together in France and I called him up during my encore. We sang “Alabama Shake” together and the crowd went nuts!
How was your European tours at Rockabilly Festivals in the 80´s? and what about your TV appearance in the National French Television Program with Jacques Dutronic that drew a viewing audience of 20 million?
Gene Summers: The early 1980s’s shows were really wild and the crowds were really rockin’ because they had never seen me before. I used to dive off the stage, into the crowd, and they’d catch me and pass me around over their heads. I had to stop doing that....was getting all my shirts torn off! The TV show was a big deal and I had a great time doing it. I brought some of my US musicians with me to do the show along with the French musicians. We had a great sound! That appearance has been released on a DVD by Big Beat Records.
What are your future plans?
Gene Summers: To Keep on Rocking! I’ll be at Hemsby in May (2012) and back in the UK toward the end of the year. I’ve just released a new CD “Taboo!" and I plan to release a country CD later this year. Also, my 2008 CD “Reminisce Café” is still selling well. So, thanks to all my friends and fans I hope I´ll be coming to your town soon!
Thank you very much, Gene for your time, we hope you come back to Europe
Gene Summers: You’re more than welcome… Keep Rockin’!
Roger Case on Sax and Bobby Goldman on drums. circa 1954-55
Feb. 2 , 1959
Dea Summers at the original School of Rock n Roll also pictured The Rebels and the Four Star Quartet. Photo Credit Gene Summers Archives
Gene with Freddie King
Gene with Jimmy Velvit
Dea and Gene Summers with Bo Diddley and Lady Bo. September 1962
1960´s business card
Gene Summers and his wife Dea in 1962
Eddie & Dave doing the duckwalk Photo credit-Dea Summers, 1961
Gene Summers in 1961 performing with the Tom Toms (aka Bill Smith Combo)
Gene Summers and Joe Wilson left side of photo during the filming of Shabang TV show 1960s
Gene Summers with Matthew and Gunnar Nelson in Memphis, TN - Photo credit Steve Summers
Gene Summers and Priscilla Presley
Photo credit-Steve Summers — with Wanda Jackson and Huelyn Duvall
Gene Summers ~ School of Rock & Roll
Gene Summers ~ Straight Skirt
Gene Summers ~ Twixteen
Gene Summers ~ Nervous
Gene Summers ~ Alabama Shake
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