Jerry J Nixon- Gentleman of Rock n' Roll (Voodoo Rhythm)

Beatman and his gang of Swiss pranksters at Voodoo Rhythm are perfectly capable of faking an entire rock and roll career, so when they seem a little hazy on Jerry J's history, I have to remain at least a bit skeptical- I mean, for a record that collects tracks originally taped in 1958-1964, the organ on a few tracks sounds remarkably like the one Beatman's Die Zorros band used just a few months ago- but it's such a great story, I'm gonna hope it's all true anyway. See, Jerry J was a Brit born rockabilly cat who made a name for himself at local hotspots in New Mexico in the late 50's. He recorded for the possibly apocryphal Q label until the early 60's when he punched the owner in the teeth. He got summarily dropped from the label, never regained his momentum, and died a broken man in the 90's. All his singles languished in complete and utter obscurity, until some friend of Beatman's showed up one night at a local bar with a fistful of them under his arm. "The Gentleman of Rock n Roll" collects all these tapes, and this, then, is the first and last full length Jerry J Nixon has ever had.

The music here is stellar early rock n roll, bringing to mind Sun-era Elvis and Eddie Cochran, full of skronking saxes, twangy guitar, Jerry Lee piano plinking, Nixon's distinctive 'billy warble, and a discernable Latin influence, and even if it is all a goof, it's still a killer record- I mean, can you really argue with "(We're Gonna) Wang Dang Doodle"? No way, Jack. There's an excerpt from a radio interview at the opening of "Gentleman" that claims to be from October, 1958, presumably on Mexican radio, since it's mostly in Spanish. The interviewer asks Jerry a long-winded question in Espanol, and he remarks, in terse English, "Yeah, there's 4 guys in the band. You gonna play the record now?" Regardless of Jerry J. Nixon's true origins, I can't think of a better summation of the whole story than that. Lost classic or new ruse, this one's a rocker, for sure.