It was summertime in 2019, and my wife and I were at our favourite cafe for a Saturday coffee. A sheet of paper taped to the wall caught my eye, and I walked up to read something that I almost couldn't believe. It was an old newspaper ad from 1957 for a concert that took place in our town, and I just stood there staring at it...
Johnny Cash was here in his classic Sun Records era? Carl "Blue Suede Shoes" Perkins played his rockabilly songs here? Jerry Lee "The Killer" Lewis destroyed a piano here? And Wanda Jackson, the Queen of Rockabilly and once girlfriend of Elvis, was here? How was this possible?
I grew up in Camrose, and I've been playing guitar since I was 13. You'd think that someone would have brought this up? Furthermore, the show was organized by the local radio station that my Uncle Lyndy worked from age 21 to his retirement. He would have been at the station in the days before and after the show, maybe at the station when the performers came in to invite listeners to the show...he might have even been at the show! Why didn't he tell me about this?
The newspaper ad had been published in a Vintage Edmonton blog http://www.vintageedmonton.com/2019/05/vintage-edmonton-johnny-cash-carl.html
and it referenced Jerry Lee Lewis' biography. Pretty soon I had all bought all the performers biographies and started performing some of the highlight songs from the 1957 tour. It was a pretty basic overview of the event, but people seemed interested. I was performing it in early 2020 and then Covid-19 lock-downs hit. I shelved the performances for several years, but kept going back to the biographies and making notes. After a further 5 years of re-writes, adding more songs, finding period appropriate music gear and clothing, and developing a companion slideshow of historic photos, Johnny Cash & The Rockabillies is ready for performances in theaters across Alberta!
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