I don't know much about Charlie Gracie I must admit. An Elvis clone singing songs that sound VERY familiar indeed . How he got away with it is anybody's guess!
Wikipedia says -
"Gracie performed at weddings, local restaurants, and parties, and on local radio and television. He also won regional talent contests.
The owner of Cadillac Records, Graham Prince, heard one of Gracie's early radio performances, contacted the young musician and signed him to a recording contract. This association yielded the single, "Boogie Woogie Blues" backed with "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter". The record led to Charlie's first appearance on Bob Horn's American Bandstand television program. (This was four years before Dick Clark became the host). After cutting two more singles for Cadillac, "Rockin´ ´n´ Rollin´" being one of the titles (and remember, this was in 1952!) Charlie moved on to 20th Century Records where he put out another four sides. The discs he made embraced a wide variety of styles: jump blues, gospel, and country boogie with the influences of Big Joe Turner, B.B. King, Louis Jordan, Roy Acuff, and Hank Williams.
By 1956, Philadelphia had given birth to the new Cameo record label. Its founders, in search of a strong talent, signed Gracie later that year. With a $600 budget, this new union went into the recording studio to record "Butterfly" backed with "Ninety Nine Ways". It became a hit record, reaching the #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Charlie received a gold disc for the two million plus sales. His only other Top 40 hit was with a song entitled "Fabulous" the same year, which reached #16. Two other substantial sellers followed; "Wandering Eyes", his third Billboard Top 100 hit, which peaked at #71, and "Cool Baby". The financial success of these hits bankrolled the Cameo label, which became a dominant force in the music industry for several years.
Gracie's personal appearances grew until he performed and headlined some of the biggest venues of that time: Alan Freed's rock and roll shows at the Brooklyn Paramount, The Ed Sullivan Show, American Bandstand and the 500 Club in Atlantic City. He appeared in the 1957 film, Jamboree, and toured with Chuck Berry, The Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley and his close friend, Eddie Cochran."
Charlie Gracie - Just Lookin'
4 years ago
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