Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open - 81

"Race With The Devil," Nelson and
engineer Mort Thomasson heard
the guitar work of Clifton Elwood
Gallup - fleet-fingered intro, dazzling backing riffs, and virtuosic
solo - they reportedly told the
A-team, "Go on home..." With his
Gretsch Duo Jet, Gallup had suitably
hot-rodded Vincent's sound.
That June, Capitol released "Woman
Love" as a single by Gene Vincent and His
Blue Caps, backed by "Be-Bop-A-Lula."
But it was that B-side that became an
instant hit - and gave the label its answer
to RCA's Elvis Presley.

BLUE CAP BEGINNINGS
He was born June 17, 1930 in Norfolk,
and began playing guitar when he was
eight years old. He later worked as
a maintenance man for the Norfolk
County school system, then by night
played in bands - Ricky and the Dixie
Serenaders, the Phelps Brothers, and
WCMS house band The Virginians. A
fan of both Chet Atkins and Les Paul's
country and jazz playing, he brought
their influences to rock and roll.
In perhaps the only interview Gallup
ever granted, to Dan Forte in 1983, he
talked of his early inspirations.
"I started on electric when I was 12 or
14," he said. "That's been so many years
ago, I don't even remember what
brand my first [guitar] was.
I think I got it from Sears
& Roebuck...
"There were a few
guys that showed
me a few chords or
a lick, so to speak.
Like most musicians, you listen to
a lot of people - pick
up a lick here, a lick
there. Pretty soon you
originate some kind
of a style. I kind
of t houg ht Les
Paul was the going thing in my
younger years,
and I used to
l i sten to a
lot of Atkins
stuff when he
first started."
W h e n
WCMS manager "Sheriff "
Tex Davis first
heard Vincent -
still known then by
his original name, Eugene

(LEFT) The modern Gretsch model 6128 Cliff Gallup signature model. (ABOVE) Cliff
Gallup wails on his '54 Gretsch Duo-Jet with Gene Vincent and band in the studio.

Vincent Craddock
- for the station's talent show, he heard
a star in the making. Davis organized
the Virginians with
Gallup on guitar to
play behind him, then
cut the dub of "BeBop-A-Lula" that set
things rolling with
Capitol.
Ga l lup told
Forte about his
early meeting
with Vincent:
"He was living a couple
of miles from
me, out in the
country. I had
met him over at
the radio station
a few times where
I staffed. I guess that's
how I came to know him. It
September 2017

81

VINTAGE GUITAR

was primarily country music, and everyone
would meet at the radio station and play on
Sunday afternoons. Then we cut a dub at
the station. Presley had come out on Sun
Records and Carl Perkins had 'Blue Suede
Shoes,' and Capitol didn't have a rock artist.
So we sent this dub to Capitol, and it got
picked out of a thousand-some tapes. That's
how it all began."
With the success of "Be-Bop-A-Lula,"
Nelson called Davis' fledgling star and
his band back to the studio. From June 24
through 27, the Blue Caps cut another 17
masters. Combined with the May 4 session,
Capitol culled the tracks to fill out Vincent's
first LP, Bluejean Bop!

DUO-JET MAESTRO
Bradley Film & Recording Studios was
in a two-story house at 804 6th Avenue
South in Nashville and the first studio on
what became Music Row (Bradley's famous
Quonset Hut was later erected behind the
house).
Rockabilly historian Deke Dickerson explains the studio was built in the basement,
Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open
