LEE ROCKER'S BLACK CAT BONE SET FOR AUGUST 14 RELEASE

LEE ROCKER'S BLACK CAT BONE SET FOR AUGUST 14 RELEASE

Alligator Records has set an August 14, 2007 street date for Black Cat Bone, the new CD from bassist/vocalist/songwriter (and Stray Cats co-founder) Lee Rocker. Since the release of his Alligator debut, Racin’ The Devil, Rocker’s solo career has been skyrocketing. Publications from USA Today to Billboard raved about Rocker’s music. OffBeat declared, “What’s most satisfying about Lee Rocker is his ability to graft classic Sun licks and shuffles onto Americana. He bridges the gap between Bruce Springsteen and Hank Williams, Sr.” Lee’s live shows, fueled by his barnstorming, rocking band, grow wilder each night out.

 

With musical muscle from his road-tested band (guitarists Brophy Dale and Buzz Campbell, and drummer Jimmy Sage) Black Cat Bone is an amazing collection of ten Rocker originals (and one co-written with guitarist Brophy Dale), one song by guitarist Buzz Campbell, and reinvented covers from Bob Dylan (One More Night) and Leon Payne (Lost Highway, made famous by Hank Williams). The CD’s scorching rockabilly, roadhouse romps and straight-ahead, old-school rock ‘n’ roll create by far the strongest set of songs of Rocker’s solo career.

Born Leon Drucker in Massapequa, Long Island in 1961 to world-renowned classical musician parents, Rocker grew up with music all around him. He began taking classical cello lessons at age eight and initially hated them, but ultimately grew to enjoy playing. As his ears widened into rock 'n' roll, he picked up the electric bass, and quickly mastered the instrument. During grade school, his close friends included Jimmy McDonnell (later to become Slim Jim Phantom) and Brian Setzer. The three jammed together often, playing a wide variety of rock 'n' roll, before discovering classic blues musicians like Muddy Waters and rockabilly giants like Carl Perkins. Rocker picked up the acoustic bass to emulate the sounds he heard on those records, and the band began playing more and more roots music. By 1979, this trio, now known as The Stray Cats, began to single-handedly revive rockabilly music in the U.S. and eventually around the world.

 

Adding a contemporary punk attitude to traditional slap-bass, twangy guitar and drums, The Stray Cats headlined famous New York haunts like CBGB's and Max's Kansas City, drawing overflow crowds every time they played. They moved to London in 1980 and became an even bigger success, even attracting The Rolling Stones to their shows. The group's first American album, 1982's Built For Speed, became a huge hit, and held the #2 spot on the Billboard chart for 26 weeks, right behind Michael Jackson's Thriller.

 

By 1984 the group was exhausted and decided to temporarily call it quits. But the furious touring of the early 1980s turned Rocker into one of the best showmen working in any genre. In 1985 Rocker and Phantom hooked up with ex-David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick to form Phantom, Rocker & Slick, scoring a minor hit with the song Men Without Shame. The Stray Cats reformed in 1986, performing together briefly. Rocker never stopped rocking, as he befriended and collaborated with his hero Carl Perkins as well as with Dave Edmunds, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Jeff Beck and Willie Nelson.

 

Rocker's solo career took off in 1994 with the release of Big Blue and in 1995 with Atomic Boogie Hour, both on Black Top Records. Four more releases followed, and Rocker toured relentlessly, becoming one of the premiere Americana/ rockabilly/ roots artists in the U.S. and Europe. In 2002, Rocker toured the U.S. with ex-Elvis Presley guitarist Scotty Moore. In 2003 The Stray Cats reunited for an 18-city tour of Europe, culminating in a filmed show at London's Brixton Academy. The show was released on DVD as Rumble In Brixton in 2004. This summer, The Stray Cats will reunite once again to play to tens of thousands of appreciative fans across the U.S.

With Racin’ The Devil, Rocker reclaimed his spot in the rockabilly world and forged a new base with fans of Americana. From garage rockers and deeply textured roots anthems to the rockabilly sounds he helped reinvent, Racin’ The Devil is a rich piece of American music, as timeless and unique as the songs Rocker fell in love with as a youngster.  Now, with Black Cat Bone, Rocker returns with the most rock solid album of his career. With his band rocking, rolling, and burning behind him, this legendary musician will continue to rip it up and rock it out all around the world.

 

###