~ ALASKA SWING DANCE ~

EAST & WEST COAST SWING ~ LINDY HOP

2-STEP ~ HUSTLE ~

WELCOME TO ~ NELLEE’S LINDY HOP SHOP

SWING HISTORY

CHAPTER 13

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(Text is adapted from “The Swing Book”):

“EVEN MORE OFTHE REBIRTH OF SWING”!!!! !!

SWING MEETS GANGSTER BOP: GANGSTER SWING!!!!

FROM ALL THIS INSPIRATIONAL FERMENT (JUMP SWING, ROCK A BILLY, BIG BAND ETC.), ROYAL CROWN REVIEW CREATED A SOUND THEY CALLED “HARD-BOILED SWING . . . OR “GANGSTER BOP.” The band brought its experiences in both punk, rockabilly, doo-wop and blues. They tracked down and met Sam Butera, Louis Prima’s colorful saxophonist and arranger. The band members watched old film noir movies and read gangster novels. Everything went into the jazz and rock stew! “What would happen if Duke Ellington had had James Brown and the Sex Pistols to listen to? Who knows hat he would have sounded like,” said RCR trumpet player Scott Steen. RCR put something a little newer, a different energy into old standards and made the lyrics a little darker – and their swing attracted a whole new audience.

SAM BUTERA

A SAMPLE OF “FILM NOIR”

RCR wasn’t the only band exploring the swing and jump blues era. Groups such as the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies in Oregon, the Senders in Minneapolis, and Beat Positive, an early incarnation of New York’s Jet Set Six were starting to jump too. Steve Lucky even had a jump blues band back in Michigan in the early 1980’s. The Roomful of blues from Rhode Island started playing jump blues in the early 1970’s, providing a hint of the coming swing revival. But they all started independently and then suddenly swing was in the air again, everywhere!

CHERRY POPPIN DADDIES

What made RCR stand out? Their sound was new, and instead of just covering past hits, they were writing original hits, like “Hey Pachuco!” a tribute to early Hispanic zoot-suiters, and the explosive “Zip Gun Bop.” RCR was the first band to give swing the punk edge and raw energy that could translate swing to a new generation. They said, This isn’t the swing that your granfather listened to. This is stuff that’s gonna hit you in the head.” The band’s look became a striking mix of gangster, greaser, and Hispanic cholo styles; their album art played up the film noir attitude.

ROYAL CROWN REVIEW

RCR played everywhere and toured relentlessly. They made a conscious decision to pursue gigs at rock clubs, not jazz spots. There weren’t any swing clubs then. Along the way, RCR began inspiring other musicians to start their own neo-swing groups. Their fired-up jump blues sound defined the direction of the early neo-swing movement. The band struck a nerve with people who always loved swing music but somehow felt they were born in the wrong half of the twentieth century. BUT THERE WAS ONE TOWN THAT GOT TURNED ON BY RCR LIKE NO OTHER – SAN FRANCISCO.

San Francisco: The Tourist’s View

San Francisco: A Swingin’ Hot Time In The Old Town at Night

NEXT TIME:

 “EVEN MORE OF THE REBIRTH OF SWING”: RCR TAKES SAN FRANCISCO!!

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