Gene Summers

Gene Summers (born 1939 in Dallas, Texas) is a rock/rockabilly singer and entertainer. Some of his classic recordings include "School of Rock 'n Roll", "Straight Skirt", "Nervous", "Gotta Lotta That", "Twixteen" 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. He still performs worldwide and celebrated his 50th anniversary as a recording artist in 2008 with the release of Reminisce Cafe.

Summers graduated from Duncanville High School in 1957 and attended Arlington State College, now known as the University of Texas at Arlington. That same year, he formed the rockabilly band The Rebels and performed on Joe Bill's Country Picnic on KRLD, where they were spotted by songwriter Jed Tarver. This led to the band being signed by newly-found Jan Records. Their first record was released on February 1, 1958, under the name of Gene Summers & His Rebels.

Discography

• Rock 'n Roll Volume 2. 1973, Holland
• The Southern Cat Rocks On 1975, Switzerland
• Mister Rock and Roll 1977, Switzerland
• Rock a Boogie Shake 1980, Sweden
• Early Rocking Recordings 1981, Holland
• Texas Rock and Roll 1981, France
• Gene Summers In Nashville 1981, France
• Dance Dance Dance 1981, UK
• Rock 'n Roll Tour - "Live" In Scandinavia 1983, Sweden
• School Of Rock 'n Roll (album) 1994, Holland
• Sounds Like Elvis CD 1996 (compilation), USA
• The Ultimate School of Rock & Roll 1997, USA
• Rockaboogie Shake 1999, UK
• Do Right Daddy 2004, Sweden
• Reminisce Cafe 2008, USA

Television, Films, and DVD's

• Hi-School High Lites Show - Dallas, TX 1956
• The Neal Jones Show - Dallas, TX 1956
• Joe Bill's Country Picnic - Dallas, TX 1957-'58
• Jerry Haynes' "Top Ten Dance Party" - Dallas, TX 1958
• The Larry Kane Show - Houston, TX 1958
• The Ted Steele Bandstand Show - New York City-1958
• The Milt Grant Show- Washington, DC 1958
• The Buddy Deane Show - Baltimore, MD 1958
• The Larry Kane Show - Houston, TX 1964
• Hi-Ho Shebang Show - Ft. Worth, TX 1965-'66
• Le Grand Échiquier - Paris, France 1981
• World Class Championship Wrestling - Dallas, TX 1981 (see Ring announcers)
• Warner-Amex Special Gene Summers 'Live' At Zebo's - 1983
• Backlot (movie-short) - 1986
• No Safe Haven (movie) - 1989
• Rob's Chop Shop (TV Pilot) - 1996
• Billy Martin (movie) - 2000
• Big Beat Generation Vol. 1 (DVD) - 2009 (Big Beat Records, France)

Cover versions of Gene Summers songs

Many songs popularized by Gene Summers have been recorded by other artists. Cover versions include:

• Alabama Shake - by Crazy Cavan & The Rhythm Rockers (1976), The Flying Saucers (1976), C.S.A (1978), Teddy and The Tigers (1979), The Rockabilly Rebs (1979), Rockin' Lord Lee & The Outlaws (1988), Tony Vincent (1993), Badland Slingers (1999), The Shaking Silouets (1999), The TTs (2002), Rawhide (2004), King Drapes (2003), Hurricains (2007) ("live" version)
• Almost 12 O'Clock - by Rock-Ola (1981)
• Big Blue Diamonds - by Jacky Ward (1971), Ernest Tubb (1972), Mel Street (1972), Jerry Lee Lewis (1973), Bobby Crown (1980), Dan Walser (1996), Lembo Allen (2004), Dennis Gilley (2000),
• The Clown - by J. Frank Wilson (1969)
• Crazy Cat Corner - by Bill Peck (1998) (re-written vocal adaptation titled "The Night Elvis Missed The Boat")
• Fancy Dan - by Darrel Higham (1998), The Rocking Boys (2003), Eddie & The Flatheads (2003), Houserockers (2005), Roughcuts (????)
• Gotta Lotta That - by Johnny Devlin (1958), Andy Lee & Tennessee Rain (2000), Rudy LaCrioux and the All-Stars (2001)
• I'll Never Be Lonely - by Eddie Clendening (2006)
• My Picture - by The Sprites (Original Drifters) (1962)
• Nervous - by Johnny Devlin (1959), Robert Gordon with Link Wray (1979), Lonestars (1981), Rock-Ola & The Freewheelers (2000), T-Bird Gang (2009)
• Reminisce Cafe - by Pete Moss (2004) (Taped during a "live" broadcast on The Pete Moss Show on KDWN-AM Radio, Las Vegas, Nevada)
• Rockaboogie Shake - by Lennerockers (2002)
• School Of Rock 'n Roll - by Savage Kalman and The Explosion Rockets (1979), Red Hot Max And The Cats (1989), The Rhythm Rockets (1989), Johnny Reno (1990), The Lennerockers (1991), The Alphabets (1991), Mess Of Booze (1993), The Polecats (1980), The Vees (1995), The Blue Moon Rockers (1996), The Cornell Hurd Band (2002), Thierry LeCoz (2003), Rockin' Ryan and The Real Goners (2003), Lucky Strike Band (2003), Los Aceleradores (2004) ("live" version), Alan Leatherwood (2004), The Starlight Wranglers (2004), The Greyhounds (2004), Black Knights (2004), Rory Justice (2004), Big Sandy & his Fly-Rite Boys (2005) ("live" version), Mike Mok and The Em-Tones (2007) ('live" version),
  • Gene Vincent - UNISSUED private recording, (late 1960s). According to a 1998 Now Dig This! magazine review of Derek Henderson's book "Gene Vincent A Discography", there's a complete A-Z listing of the 217 song titles that he's (Vincent) known to have recorded-everything from the Capitol biggies such as "Say Mama", Rocky Road Blues" and "Wildcat" to lessor known items such as private recordings of "Stand By Me", "Chain Gang" and "School Of Rock 'n Roll".
• She Bops A Lot - by The Lightcrust Doughboys (2000)
• Straight Skirt - by The Diamonds (1958), Johnny Devlin (1958), Ronnie Dawson (1958), The Sureshots (2005)
• Turnip Greens - by Darrel Higham & The Enforcers (1992)
• Twixteen - by Teddy and The Tigers (1979), Runnin' Wild (1997), Jimmy Velvit (2000) (The Velvit version is a re-written vocal adaptation titled "Waiting For Elvis")
• You Said You Loved Me - by Sid and Billy King (1988)

For more information over Gene Summers please visit his website.